January Recap

 January could be summed up with snow and cold. It really forced us to slow down, hunker down, and wait until things thawed. Actually, it was a much needed breather even if it all was quite the hassle to do anything in 12-18" of snow: barn chores, haul water out to the animals, and taking longer to bundle up to head outside. It was frigid, but it was gorgeous. 

 Of course, Jubilee loved every moment of it. ;) 

 Through the years and as I've been outside more and more, I've found that I love all the seasons for different reasons and how they create a rhythm to life. Winter is a time of rest to brace for the hectic pace of spring, the dragging through summer, and a reprieve after the scurrying through autumn. There is always something to complain about with each season, but each season also has a beauty that the other seasons don't have. I recently discovered 'Winter Song' by Emily Smith, and the lyrics are rather fitting. It encompasses hygge (hue-gah) - embracing each season for what it is. 

"So we'll stoke the fire and light the lamp

Turn our backs in from the damp

Settle down beneath the starry sky

Endure the winter passing by"

 "With carols sung, the trees been taken down

We've passed a dram and the bells no longer sound

Snowdrops rise with promise of the spring

There's talk and wonder

At what the year might bring"

 "The blackbird starts to thicken up her nest

While the early lamb, he takes a snowy step

But the north wind's grip it tightens with his chill

And holds the buds closed against their will"

  "So we'll stoke the fire and light the lamp

Turn our backs in from the damp

Settle down beneath the starry sky

Endure the winter passing by"

Until next time!

SG

Summer Sonata

"Quick, Jess! I want to get pictures of you with your cello! The light is perfect." Well, that morphed into more than just the cello. ;) 

At the Music Shop...

The dulcimer story continues!

I finally got a chance to sneak off to the music shop. I know, I know... You're thinking, "Why didn't she get there as soon as she got the instrument if she was so excited about it?!" Umm... :cough: Anyways.

I parallel parked (big deal for me - my siblings can attest to that). I walked into the store cradling the dulcimer in my left arm. Gorgeous guitars, sleek cellos and violins lined the walls. An older man with a full gray beard was in the back working on a guitar with strings going every which-way.
"Hi, do you do instrument repairs?"
"We sure do."
"Do you work with dulcimers?"
"Well, it depends on what needs fixing."
I handed the dulcimer to him, "It's not staying in tune... I've tried to tune it at home, but as soon as I start doing anything with the strings it drops in pitch."
"Well let's have a look." He walked over to a table with some antique chairs and we sat down. He started plucking those woefully out-of-tune stings, tweaking the pitch, and strumming. Man, you know what you're doing. I came to the right place, didn't I? Not every music man knows how to play dulcimer if you just handed it to him and said, "Can you fix it, please?"
"Your action is really high, and these need to be completely replaced - hear the clicking?" He was pointing to the tuning knobs.
I grimaced. "How much is that going to cost?"
You could see him mentally working the numbers. "$36."
Only $36?! I must be used to flute and piano repair bills... "That works for me!"
He headed back to the front desk and continued, "I know what book this is from."
Book?
"A man from (insert here some college/university in Ohio) published a book on how to make dulcimers."
Whoa! Really? "Is the book still in print?"
"Oh, no. They stopped publishing it back in the 70's. Too bad whoever made this used plywood."
:blink blink:
"It just makes it look funky."
"Oh, I can totally live with that. The world would be rather dull without character."
"You can see where they sanded down the curves and the layers of the plywood are revealed."
We filled out all the necessary paperwork.
"It's going to be a little while until we can get it fixed. Everyone is needing their school instruments fixed that they knew needed work back in June and now they need it by Tuesday." You could hear the tease in his voice.

Soon, very soon, my dulcimer will be in playing order and I'll get to actually try to learn a couple tunes on it without my sisters groaning as soon as I hit the first chord. Oh the mixed blessing that is having perfect pitch. :P

Mountain Music

It's an antique store that I can be found haunting quite frequently. There's something there for everyone in my family - old military gear, linens, dishes, architectural pieces, books, etc, etc, etc. It's a treasure hunt for everyone! Every time I go in, this little lap dulcimer is sitting in the exact same spot, begging to be played. I pluck a few of the out-of-tune strings; I tweak them just a bit to make them sound a little better. I tell myself, if it's there next time, I'll consider. I resisted, again and again.

I finally decided to get the dulcimer. I needed something new. So I loaded up whoever wanted to adventure at the antique store and headed off. There it was - still sitting. And it's MINE! It's my precious. Okay, I'll stop. As I meandered through the store cradling the dulcimer in my arm, a lady asked me if I was buying it. Me: "Why, yes! [insert big smile]" Other Gal: "Oh, I guess that teaches me to put something down! [laugh]" As I was paying for my new toy, the gentleman at the cash register commented on how many people look a the instrument, but never actually materialized their interest.

Well, sir, this instrument is going to get some much needed love. I'll take it into the music shop in town to get it in perfect working order, and then I'm going to learn me some mountain music on my dulcimer. :)

Just another day

If I were to pick a theme song for life right now, it would be 'Just Another Day in Paradise' by Phil Vassar.

...

I'll wait a minute while you pull that up. It's a good song.

...

Have you listened to it yet? Okay. You may continue reading.

It usually starts the day before - when you come in at 9 pm from evening chores exhausted. Switch out laundry, finish cleaning the kitchen, get ready for bed, and plop down on the couch just in time for the 10 o'clock news. You can't even stay awake to catch tomorrow's weather.

The alarm clock goes off in the middle of a dream, shattering the creative juices that you had going. Oy. Just 15 more minutes? No, because 15 will turn into 60 really quick, and there's critters waiting on you.

Mom and I head off to the neighbor's to milk the cows, leaving the rest of the posse to tackle the chicken chores, but the crew is still in bed. While Mom and I are gone, chaos apparently ensues. A certain someone ate almost an entire flat of berries on an empty stomach and quickly paid the price (keep in mind, Mom isn't home at this time), leaving a sick kid to be tended by ever sympathetic siblings who can fill any situation with plenty of drama. Another someone didn't eat breakfast in time and suffered from a cliff drop of blood sugar levels (for those of you who don't know what that feels like, you're fortunate to not be dealing with hypoglycemia). 2 down. 2 to go. But the survivors have sickies to take care of and chickens to wrangle. Just after they finished cleaning up the mess from bowl-bowing child #1, Mom and I come home from milking the cows (which took a little longer than normal on this particular morning). We were greeted by my brother saying, "Perfect timing!"

Tappa the mornin' to ya too, laddie!

As we got a vivid, dramatic retelling of the morning's events, Mom and I nibbled on some cashews, sipped a green smoothie, checked on the couch potatoes and headed out to milk the goats. There is one downside to the goats warming up to you - they really warm up to you. As in, they are, quite literally all over you, eating your shirt and jumping on the half finished milking stand. Yes, goats can be compared to Labrador retrievers. Maybe it's time to create some order to the routine because letting all the goats in the area that we're milking isn't working. And I'm beginning to think that Pip should be renamed Tom Sawyer. He's a charmer and a trouble maker. When he knows that you're on to him, he looks at you ever so innocently, cocks his head and rubs up against you. You're a suck-up, you know that?

With that said, we need to head over the other side of town to take the milk machine/vacuum pump thing-y in to be tuned up and fixed. Engines should not sound like that or be spewing a gummy, milky, oily mixture. We all have guesses as to what's going on, we'll see what the verdict is.

And the day's not done yet. ;)

I know it's just a season of life, we're having a huge learning curve with these animals, we've had the perfect storm of animal retention and situations that are out of our control. We're just trying to stay on the ride and enjoy it along the way.

Until next time! I think I need a nap.
~*SG*~