(What is Ravelry find out here. There's a sign up link in the upper right corner to get on the waiting list. just fill out the info and watch you email box.)
But I did find the time to start my own group there. It's the "Trent Willmon's Knittin' Fans". I figure I might as well combine two of my favorite things...Country Music and Fabulous Fiber!
So feel free to join up. And add me as your friend. My id is: cjkopec
I have had a couple people send me messages and ask why I had started this group and if I was employed by Trent or did I have some affiliation with his fan club. So I thought I'd take a minute and write a little note about why I decided to start this group on Ravelry.
No, I'm not employed by him nor am I an "official" anything for that matter...well, except an "official die hard fan". This group was started by me to help spread the word about him and his music.
So why Trent..... Well, hang with me. I'll explain.
I have spent several years of my life traveling the country (and other countries for that matter) working as a professional Cowgirl. Training horses, guiding trips through the mountains for campers and hunters, working feed lots, and driving cattle were just a few of the many hats I wore. Living on the road with nothing but my faithful canine companion (Dually an Aussie), truck, horse trailer, horse and a footlocker with my clothes and gear, my life was very simple but very satisfying. I traveled from ranch to ranch with only a small guarantee that someone at the next spread just might need some help. And when there wasn't anything lined up for the next job I would literally throw a quarter on the map and head off for a new adventure. Now, some of you may not think that a life on the road such as that was full of possibilities for the future...well, I guess you may be right to some point. The true working cowboy/cowgirl is a dying breed. And we all know that life as it was in the big screen westerns is a thing of the past. But I grew up a lot on road and learned things about life and people which no college could ever teach me. (And yes, I did go to college.) I may not have the financial backing that I may have had if I had pursued my college dreams like my classmates. But I have one thing that they may never have...memories of a life time. I have seen the beauty and splendor that this wonderful country has to offer. I have woke in the morning to have elk grazing within an arms length of me. I have witnessed a bald eagle fishing in the river. (Boy o boy, do I wish I had owned a camera.) And it wasn't all warm and cozy. I have been woke by grizzlies in the middle of the night and I have been joined by rattlers in my bed roll. But for the most part the friends and experiences of my life as a "Tumbleweed" was more than I could ever asked for.
About 6 years ago I moved back to my home state of Michigan to be closer to my Father who's kidneys were failing. I started a family of my own and after 3 to 4 years of doctors appointments for my father, all is fine now. (He received his transplant 3 years ago.) My days of cowgirlin' have been put on indefinite hold...And I must admit that I do miss them dearly. I kind of feel like I lost a part of myself along the way. Although watching my son grow and learn is very satisfying. And there is no way, shape or form that I regret any of my decisions I have made. I don't feel it's right to move him away from family just to re-pursue my Cowgirlin' dreams and passions. And I look forward to sharing my experiences with him as he grows older. I hope you all understand what I mean here.
A few years ago I recognized Trent on Lorriann Crook's cooking show on GAC. I had seen him play at a small bar in Texas and recognized his hard to forget mug. I immediately went out and bought his debut CD. I was instantly a true fan. Not since Chris Ledoux had I felt so in touch with an artists music. His songs took me back to the days of wrangling wild ponies in Nevada and working cattle in West Texas. He was the real deal with true connection to the events in his music. I sat on the couch and closed my eyes and truly in my heart felt like I was on horse back riding through the mountains or hanging with my buddies at the local watering hole.So I guess this is my way of thanking him for giving this old cowgirl a chance to get away and remember the "good ol' days". And bring back images in my mind that I thought I had lost forever due to the lack of a camera.
If I could say anything to him about this I guess it would be... "Thank you for being true to yourself and your fans. Thank you for the sacrifices that you have had to make along the way...the time away from your loved ones, the bad coffee :O), the smelly tour bus, the lack of good movies to watch while on the bus, the long hours and all the "glamour" (or should I say lack of "glamour") that we as fans don't realize that you have to endure for us. I appreciate all of these things you have done."
So there you have it in a rather sizable nutshell. I could go on and on but I think you can get my reasoning from this. Nashville, with all it's new comers, is a very difficult place to be as a country artist. Country music has so many genres and looks within itself that sometimes even the best singer/songwriters get looked over or don't get the recognition they deserve. And I believe that we as fans have to stand up and take part and do what we can to try to help out and make them be heard. So thank you for taking part! You make my voice stronger and we, or should I say he, will be heard.
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