Most Memorable Moment

During my most recent mandolin lesson, 2 of my instructor's sons (young adults)  were there and at the end of my lesson he called them in the room to play Django's Mangos with me. My instructor composed DM, and his son's were obviously familiar with it. They are all professional musicians and I couldn't believe they took time to play with me. Instructor played guitar, son 1 played an acoustic/electric bass, I think he called it a stick bass, and it was the coolest thing I've ever seen, and son 3 played mandolin.

I started the melody, then each took an improvised, rehearsed most likely, solo on their turns, then he called out, "Take the melody" to me on the last time through. I will have to say that this experience ranks up there with birthing babies, really. I still can't believe it happened to ME!

As cool as that bass fiddle was, and it makes me want one, I was focused on the mandolin. The kid is phenomenal. I describe his playing as fresh honey flowing over river stones. Ann, who takes lessons from a pro fiddler in the OKC area who also happens to play with son 3 sometimes, listened to a recording of them the last time she was there for her lesson. She had never heard son 3 play, and she described it as sounding like a magical instrument of the gods.

At the end of the tune, the boys complimented me and thanked ME for playing with THEM! Such gentlemen!

Here I am, playing it solo. Instructor had me omit most of the chording when I played the melody with them. He said when there are other players to fill in, one instrument doesn't have to try to do it all. I'm quite sure that it was his polite way of telling me that I'm crowding the music and need to tone it down until I am better able to handle the chord fills.

All I have is my imac to video with, and my back is already practically against the wall. I tilted the monitor and positioned it best I could to get the full mando, but it didn't work. I would have preferred to cut off at the neck and eliminate my head, like so many posters do.

Both pets came and flopped around on the floor while I was recording, so I decided they also wanted to be in the blog:

The Big Shave

After a few years of cat hairball vomit on every surface of the house: dryer, sofa, chair, table, carpet, box, inside my shoe, etc, and after using the furminator and laxatone for 1 1/2 years, I finally took charge and had Johnny shaved! I bought the "calming" pill from his vet and my friend C brought her industrial duty shaver to my house yesterday. She's a registered vet tech and knows what she is doing.

I gave Johnny one pill, and after an hour he was still not showing signs of being a lazy carcass. I have him 1/2 pill and in about 20 - 30 minutes he was carefree and ready. C was extremely fast with the shaving, and got off the bulk of his hair. When she was ready to go back and clean up the shave marks, etc., Johnny was becoming irritable so we stopped.

I am ecstatic to say that Johnny can get on furniture and I can hold him without having to use the vacuum afterward. The hope is that he will stop the hairball biley vomiting. I do expect possibly one more, due to hair he may have ingested prior to the big shave.

A common occurrence at home: a hair log surrounded by gooey wet biley vomit. This was my gift Thursday morning, and I think it resembles South America, complete with the Andes Mountains.

These are all the splats from the Thursday morning Christmas. Leave only one measly gift for me? Not my Johnny! The big one is always followed by several more lesser ones splatted about.

C begins the shave!

This looks bad but it wasn't at all; I was there. In fact, I did most of the 'scruffing'.

This is Johnny today

He is still a handsome boy!

Me + 3 81s = FUN

I've had my ukulele for exactly 2 months today, and today was my first meeting of the fledgling ukulele club that a fellow has been trying to get off the ground for a couple of years. I didn't know what to expect, but I was prepared with a rhythm song to sing, Sweet Georgia Brown, and a fingering/plucking solo of Las Mananitas, plus copies to share.

It was in a glass-enclosed small dining area of a local Braum's - a place folks can reserve for little parties and such. In other words, it was a fishbowl in plain view of all customers and staff. My don't-want-to-be-a-spectacle issues began rearing before I even arrived, but I forced myself to go, nerves and all.

I left my uke and gear in the car to first check it out and make sure someone else was there. There was one uke case and bag'o'gear in the fishbowl, but no people. I went back to my car and fetched my stuff, and still no people. I set my stuff up on a small table then proceeded to act all casual and breezy in the fishbowl while I waited. After several minutes the 'head' guy, 'president', 'founder' came into the bowl with a drink and some ice cream. We introduced and chatted while he finished his ice cream, until he finally pronounced us ready to begin.

We got out our stuff and each did some independent, light warm-up strumming, as if we were preparing for a concert! After a moment he held his tenor uke out and said, "Here, try it!' and began to take my new, virginal, delicate Collings out of my hands. I gripped its neck and did not let go until I looked his tenor over for scratches/chips. Seeing none I released my pristine, 2-month-old baby to unknown hands. I loved his tenor, a Pono, which I had seriously considered, and he loved my Collings (but of course!) I can feel it now, I WILL end up with a tenor some day. Dang it.

We played a couple of strumming tunes, then in came a lady and a gentleman carrying a uke, no case, just swinging it to and fro. We all introduced. None of us had met the others before, and our founder knew us only through email. Somebody said something about way back when they were 57. I piped up, "I'm 57" and found out they are all 81 years old. Well, founder guy is almost 81, so I'm calling them all 81.

The two 81 fellows each had something taped to the backs of their ukes. Founder guy had a cheat-sheet of main chords used in each key, pretty cool. 81 #2 had a jar gripper, you know, one of those thin flappy rubber things with little bumpies all over to help you open stubborn pickle jars and such? He had one of those taped to the back of his uke. I didn't ask, but I'm sure it was to keep his uke from slipping as much while he held it and played.

81 #2 performs regularly between sets at a local, long-running melodrama, and at retirement and nursing homes. He is a fun performer and such a nice guy, and his wife, too. Next time they come she will bring her bongos, I hope!

We played quite a few songs together and I was much less nervous than I had predicted... no hives at all! Really I only get hives from pistachios and heat, but when I'm experiencing my performance anxiety I feel like I should be getting hives.

I had so much fun that I will attend every meet-up Founder Guy holds, if I can. I love the 81s and hope they are all there next time!