go...

here... and listen to this kid sing.

You can also find him here
and here

His family (and him) sang at M and R's birthday party last year...

He just cut his first CD...

Buy it... it's amazing. Better yet, buy two and put one away.

He is going to be famous someday and that first CD will be worth a lot of money.

I didn't need it.

Could have lived my life quite well without it.

But I couldn't resist.

It seemed wrong somehow to just leave it there...

The battered old case sat on top of the thrift store display case between the basket of costume jewelry and the tacky plaster horse statue.

I didn't expect much when I opened the case, and was surprised to see the rich glow of the wood as the light hit it...

...a mix of finely sanded lights and darks.

The hourglass body was in good shape and the fret board was straight...

... and the price was right.

So I bought it.

I've loved mountain dulcimers for a long time.

Shortly before Joe and I were married he even made me one, from a kit we bought at the Capitol Hill (Denver) People's Fair.

I never learned to play it (babies and tender fingertips got in the way), but still have that old dulcimer. It's no longer playable...

...but this one is.

My babies are grown (or close) and my fingertips are callused... I think it's time. :)

I have absolutely no impulse control sometimes...

....like when it comes to musical instruments.

The kids and I took K (dd#3) out for lunch today for her birthday.  After lunch, just for fun, we walked across the parking lot to a thrift store that recently opened. We weren't really shopping... at least I wasn't... it just seemed like someplace we could extend the conversation we'd started at the restaurant (Mt Fuji... Mmmmm!) while M and R were occupied looking for treasures amidst the strange odds and ends one can find at a thrift store.

I'd told the kids it was time to go, and we were meandering towards the front doors when I saw this...

... it's a little lap harp. It reminded me of a little metal zither I had when I was a kid, so I asked to see it. When they brought it out from the glass display case I was surprised to see that it's a real instrument... not just a toy... and it was priced very low.

And here's my total lack of impulse control... do I need a small lap harp? Umm.. no.

Did I buy it anyway... of course!

It came with tuning instructions and some music (which slides under the strings... very simple, no need to read music).

I found the company that made the harp online and ordered more music for it and a tuning wrench.

I'm hoping R likes it... I've working a bit on teaching her the basics of the piano, but reading music is HARD for someone with her learning disabilities and although she loves making music, she doesn't have a good ear when it comes to the piano. Her pitch is good when she sings, but she can easily play a whole piece on the piano, entirely on the wrong notes (one or two notes off from where she should be), and never realize it.

Once I get it in tune I'll show her how to use the music that come with it and how easy and fun it is to play. I'm hoping she likes it and it's a way she can make music without as many frustrations as playing the piano.

7 Quick Takes

7 Quick Takes

~1~

Many thanks to those who emailed or called after my post about my frustration with the lack of progress in terms of M's GI problems. Your ideas and support are much appreciated. I'm not sure what the next step will be...

~2~

We seem to have flip-flopped seasons again. All the windows in the house are closed and the heater is on... It's 45 degrees outside and soggy wet.

~3~

S has been here for the past few days, and may be here for a few more. Unfortunately, M isn't handling it well at all. I'm going to have to figure out something to keep them occupied today, especially with it being so rainy and cold, or it could be a long difficult day with M.

~4~

We've done some fun things with S since she's been here. Keeping the day very structured is about the only thing that gets M through these unstable times, so we've been going more than we usually do. We went to The Wildlife Experience on Thursday. What a cool place it is... it's kind of a combination of natural history museum and art gallery. We saw the new National Geographic "CritterCam" exhibit. It was fascinating to see video of the world from the viewpoint of a wild animal, shark, or even just an ordinary house cat!

~5~

Thursday evening we went to town and saw Scenic Roots in concert again. Not only do I love their music, but I'm just impressed with these kids in general... We bought oneo f their CD's and M got to know their sound person well ;) (following him around as he did all the sound checks, talking his ear off!) Both S and R were too shy to get up and dance, but I didn't blame them... it was kind of a subdued crowd. We talked to them about possibly playing at the birthday dance we're planning for the fall... If they fit in the budget, they're our first choice.

~6~

ALSO on Thursday... as if we didn't have enough going on... we did M's assessment for adult services with the CCB. I was stressed about this, not sure what it would be like... (some of these kinds of things are NOT family friendly in anyway!)... but it went well. My friend L came to be part of the assessment process and her help was invaluable! We've been friends for 20 years, and she totally "gets it" in terms of M. It  really feels good to get that meeting behind me...

~7~

Yesterday we hurried through school so we could down to the Parker Fest. This has become our "big" summer event... We don't go to either of the big amusement parks in Denver because they are just too big. They are difficult  and risky places for both kids... But we do love the Parker Fest. The kids ride all the rides, sometimes multiple times... (R is totally fearless)... and then we walk through all the booths and venders and sit for a while in the park and listen to whatever band is playing. We got lucky with the weather last night... The forecast was terrible, but we got a couple of hours of clear weather, and got all the rides ridden, before it dumped rain on us. R was happy, and M managed some rides (with R) that had been too scary for him last year. We finished up the evening at home with a bag of cinnamon roasted almonds we'd bought at the fair, some hot chocolate, and the movie Leap Year... it was a nice way to end the day.

Scenic Roots....

... is the name of an awesome bluegrass group that we caught today at the library.  I was hugely impressed by their music... it was impossible to keep my toes from tapping to the wonderful old-time tunes they played.



The three member group consists of two sisters (both homeschool graduates, by the way... not that I'm partial or anything) playing dulcimer, fiddle, and banjo, with the guitar being taken by the third member of group, a young man who recently joined the group.



They will be in the Denver area for the next couple of weeks... if you get a chance to go see them, take it! They are well worth the trip... (After checking their schedule, I see they'll be out in our neighborhood later this week... We might just go see them again!)

I watched the banjo playing especially closely, trying to learn a little from someone who can actually play...



But her fingers were way too fast for me to pick up much, except the feeling that I have a LOOOOOONG way to go with the banjo!



Here's a link to their website...

Check their schedule, and go see them if you get a chance.

Where are we?

Sheila left a comment on my guest book page yesterday asking where we live..

She wrote: " I don't know that I've noticed if you've mentioned where you live. Do you mind revealing the state?  I always tell my husband how it snows there allllll the time. Something we don't get here in north Florida"

I do try to avoid saying exactlywhere we live, ever since I had some (minor) problems with a blog stalker a few years ago (when I blogged on Xanga). I do believe my "stalker" is long gone though, and don't mind telling you we live in Colorado. We are east of the mountains, on the far north edge of the Palmer Divide area. Our elevation is about 6,300' (which is why we get all that snow. :) )

Thanks Sheila for stopping by and "signing" my guestbook!

****************************************************************

So... guess what I spent way too much time doing yesterday?



Yeah, I got the guitar out (for just a few minutes, of course)... and then I got the banjo out (I had to... to see how/if something I was doing on the guitar would translate to the banjo)... and then I wanted to try just a couple more things... and then I needed to practice them (for just a few minutes)... and one thing kind of led to another.

One of the wonders of the internet is all the free music online...

 I did get dinner made though. ;)



I guess it could be worse... At least I'm not wasting endless hours watching daytime TV! :)

It's a medical sort of day today... We have to be at Children's Hospital this morning for an MRI, and M sees the pdoc later in the day.  I'm going to put the banjo and the guitar back into their cases, and hide the music away so I'm not even tempted...

I've got too much to do today to get sidetracked.

Guess what...

...Joe bought me for a surprise.

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No, really.... you have to guess before I tell you.

Here's your first hint... It's part of the reason I haven't been spending much time at the computer lately.

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Ok, that probably wasn't a very good hint.

Here's another one... Can you guess what it is now?





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Probably not... I'll give you one more hint.

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Give up?

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Yep, he bought me a banjo!

I've loved plinking (plunking?) around on my guitar so much that when a guy at his work decided to sell off some older instruments he had, Joe picked up this banjo for me...

I've always loved the happy twang of banjo music. (I also love the melancholy drone of bagpipes... I guess I have no taste in music at all!)

Joe got the banjo restrung, and the bridge reworked, and it sounds great. I haven't been able to find a beginning banjo book at the music store I usually shop at, but I can pick out the beginning of the "Deliverance song" (Which is no great feat because I think everyone who was alive in the 70's must have that tune hardwired into their brain...), and (thanks to the internet) I've learned a few chords, and am working on learning the "alternating thumb roll".

I can tell it's going to be slow going... in part because I probably shouldn't practice much during my favorite practice time...when the kids are asleep (it's much louder than the guitar and would wake them up), but also in part because my fingers are so easily confused and tied into knots... especially when the left hand is supposed to be doing something totally different from the right!

I'm having fun though, and love my new "toy"...

Well, I'm off to Amazon now to find a book that will teach me some of the basics of playing the banjo.