Editor’s Note: Tangled up in love

Editor’s Note: Tangled up in love

Rockwall, TX (February 3, 2025) – I traveled to Scotland this past summer with my daughter and future son-in-law. Samantha was invited to present at a psychology conference as part of her PhD program. We toured Glasgow, Edinburgh, and a good bit of The Highlands – even explored the depths of Loch Ness for Nessie – making it one of the most memorable adventures of my life.

We didn’t make it to Ireland, but it’s on our bucket list to return, and this time include the Emerald Isle. My great grandparents, Carroll and Edna Nugent, came to America from Ireland. They left their home in County Westmeath and headed first to Canada, then New Hampshire, before finally settling in Syracuse, New York (my birthplace).  Carroll and Edna were married on St. Patrick’s Day. On their 60th wedding anniversary, the local paper ran a story on them and their Irish heritage. FUN FACT:  They had 25 great-grandchildren, 40 grandchildren and 10 kids, including my mom’s father whom they named Theodore – so my grandpa (and later his son, my uncle) share the same name as the rock star, Ted Nugent.

An old newspaper article my mom pulled out of her scrapbook about my great grandparents, Carroll and Edna Nugent, who were married on St. Patrick’s Day. The Nugent family came from County Westmeath, smack in the middle of the Emerald Isle.
Nugent Castle, Ireland

I love everything about Scotland and Ireland – the land, the people, the culture, the history. And I’m fascinated by Celtic knots, Celtic music and Celtic art. So when I went to the Rockwall Art League’s annual Fine Art Show last fall, I fell in love with a hand-drawn tile by local artist Donna Norton. She creates Celtic knots through the meditative art of Zentangle. These knots are intricate patterns of interwoven lines and loops with no beginning and no end, symbolizing the endless cycle of life, death, and rebirth; earth, sea and sky; or in Christianity, the Holy Trinity.  I purchased two tiles for my daughter. And later I had two commissioned specifically as Christmas gifts for friends.

As a certified Zentangle teacher, Donna explains that her artwork is inspired by patterns from her experiences. The Zentangle method takes on a ‘stream of consciousness’ approach to drawing in which the artist connects together a combination of shapes to create ‘tangles’.

If you’re interested in learning more, check out Donna’s art demo with the Rockwall Art League from 9:30am to noon at The Center at Rockwall CityPlace, 108 E. Washington; reach out to her through Facebook and Instagram; or email at ndonna3@gmail.com.

See how I “tied” all that together? Seems quite appropriate since this is our Valentine’s edition in which couples share stories of endless love and how they met and ‘tied the knot’.

By Dawn Redig, Publisher/Managing Editor, Blue Ribbon News.