Come Dance and Sing!

The Down East Country Dance Festival starts tonight with a huge contradance at the Mt Ararat Middle Schools, Orion Performing Arts Center. Tonight will feature two bands & two callers... Frigate with John McIntire calling and Nightingale with Rachel Nevitt calling, and it all starts at 7:00pm. Tomorrow there are contradances, music and singing workshops, children's activities, food and lots more. See the web site for more details and a grid schedule of planned events.

fiddlehedz & friendz will be playing!

The jam group will be providing live music for a polka workshop in the morning. Richard & I plan to join the Wescustogo Ramblers mid-afternoon to play for the Family Dance, and yet another opportunity to play happens early evening when we join as members of the Festival Orchestra!

If you're interested in any sort of folk dancing (swing, contra, squares, polka, hambo, etc) or want to do some singing, or maybe are looking for a family activity to do with the kids, consider the Festival on Saturday... THE place to be!

Happy Birthday To You...

Happy Birthday Bryan :) Can't wait to come celebrate with you in a couple of weeks...

Happy Birthday to You...

Happy Birthday Justine...

I've had a couple of lady bugs in my house over the past week or so, and I keep wondering... "Who are those lady bugs reporting to?"

Happy Birthday to You...

Happy Birthday Jason!

Far Away

Monday found me far away from home and work... well, physically anyway. I spent the day in Portland at an OSHA Compliance workshop. Part of my day job is to help maintain a safe work place. There were people at the workshop who do this on a much larger scale, with hundreds of employees... our practice is smaller and seeminly more manageable, but time to focus on safety issues is an ongoing challenge in all industry by the sounds of it.

What I really got out of the workshop is how much I like reviewing policy & procedure and making it all work in a practical sense... not just on paper, and not just to satisfy some government regulation requirement but as a tool toward having a safe work environment. Now, to get my work week re-structured to allow time and energy for keeping up with the changes :)

Far Away is in the first Waltz Book.

Reel Issoudun

Tune for the week starting March 25, 2007 is Reel Issoudun. This is a crooked tune in the key of A. Because of the irregular pattern, it isn't well suited for contradancing, but it is a nice step dancing tune and also would be a nice addtion to a non-dancing music program. We first learned this tune last summer at Maine Fiddle Camp, from Guy Bouchard. This, and other crooked tunes, can be found in Air Tordus, at Thirty Below. The version posted on the fiddlehedz.org site comes from The Session, which is a great resource when searching out tune information.

Dungreen

There have been references lately to Al Gore, and the inconvenient truth about his lifestyle choices relative to being more environmentally conscious. I guess I don't really have any fingers to point... I think he raises questions on the issues of resource conservation and that alone warrants a certain amount of respect. From what I read, Gore's household is making ongoing choices to reduce their "footprint", and also maintaining the lifestyle that allows him to be in the public eye. Let's face it, no one cares where the Beans of Egypt Maine are living today. That in itself may be an inconvenient truth, but what we all need to be accountable for is making personal decisions in our lifestyle choices that allow us to live as effectively as possible. It's hard to make a difference if you spend all your time making your own soap and waving palm fronds to keep yourself cool. So, instead of pointing fingers at what Gore, or anyone else ISN'T doing, what are YOU doing to conserve resources? That's what I ask myself.

One thing I've become aware of over the past few weeks is how often I reach for the hot water faucet in the kitchen. Perhaps because I'm right handed, my automatic response to rinsing anything off is to hold the item in my right hand, and use my left hand to turn on the water... the hot water because it's on the left side of the faucet. No matter how I try, this is what I instinctively continue to do. Today as I was cleaning out the cabinets, I found a pile of "butter-ware" without covers. "Hmmm" I thought to myself as I once again used the HOT water to rinse something off... "Self, what if the HOT water was unavailable?" Well, I'd be happy to use the cold water. Here's my Green tip of the day... cover your hot water faucet. Simple, easy, and highly effective. The hot water is still accessible when needed, but this gentle and continual reminder throughout the day has surely helped me be more conscious and resourceful.

I've had a spring-cleaning urge to go through our first floor living spaces... cleaning and organizing, and looking for things that can be eliminated from our home because it isn't used, isn't necesary, isn't functional, or just isn't "US". I put culled leaves & organic matter into the compost... and came up with a few items that were garbage (in the bag), burnable (paper etc) and recyclable (coated paper). Not too bad for an entire day's worth of cleaning. I also have a box of stuff to go to GoodWill... clothes, cups, etc. We didn't use any gasoline today, didn't make any purchases, and didn't burn any firewood for fuel. Instead, we stayed home, played music, did chores & cleaned, and basked in the warmth of the sunshine. It's been a good day :)

Dungreen comes from the Lighthouse Collection.

Frogmore Lodge

Avery dropped by for a visit this morning, sporting his new FROG BOOTS, great for slogging around in the mud! We got to share some yoghurt & granola, some stories, and some hugs!

Jen & Jason drover their new truck, a Nissan Frontier, that is going to be fabulous for summer recreation which is coming up very soon. Avery has his own cup holder in the back, and Jen has lots of cubby storage throughout... essential with a family!

Here on the home front, we've been doing chores & some spring cleaning. My goal is to get the cobwebs out, closets cleaned, and drawers organized before we go on vacation in April. We got a good amount done today. I love opening the windows (even for a short time) for fresh air. The plants have gotten their leaves washed, and they all look much happier and certainly more green! Frogmore Lodge is looking pretty spiff today (as long as you don't venture too far past the living room and kitchen, haha).

This tune comes from the Lighthouse Collection.

Five Mile Chase

Robert Frost wrote: “My object in living is to unite my avocation and my vocation as my two eyes make one in sight”

My big question is "What will I be when I grow up?"

I'm busy thinking these days about what I LOVE doing, what I feel I'm GOOD at doing, and what I WANT to be doing in five years. I have a lot of ideas that I am trying out in my mind... a restaurant owner, a geography teacher, a dental practice management consultant, an OSHA certified trainer, a community contradance organizer & performer, a landscape artist, a potter... the list goes on and on! The fun thing is that the possibilities are only as endless as I allow them to be. The serious thing is working through these ideas to find one that fits my overall VISION of where I want to be, what I want to be doing, in five years. A Five Mile Chase of sorts. Having a personal mission statement helps sort things out... helps me identify myself... helps me be accountable as a human. I like the words of Robert Frost... in my own words, to be doing work that is not really work, but more an expression of all that I love doing.

Five Mile Chase comes from the Fiddle Music of PEI.

Scatter the Mud

This is what we're going to have to start wearing now that mud season is upon us. Snow from the last storm is melting as the ground is starting to thaw in the warm sunshine... making for some sloggy, muddy, messy, slippery walking! That's okay, it won't be long before the grass makes another appearance and the flowers start to poke their little heads through. Warm temperatures and rain are predicted for the next day or two, all good for getting rid of the winter's snow. We moved here about a year ago, and there wasn't much snow at all. In fact, if there'd been any snow we probably wouldn't have driven down this dirt road and found this great house... funny how things work out.

Scatter the Mud is a great jig from the Portland Collection, volume two... a new favorite of mine.

Spring Morning

First day of spring! Not that it feels like, or looks like, spring outside right now. I'm ready for the snow to melt & be gone... to smell that deep, musty scent of dirt... to feel sunshine on my face while I lay on the stone walkway... to drink tea while listening to birds sing outdoors... to rake leaves & debris from the matted grass... to slog through the muddy driveway... to break apart the last piles of snow to make them melt faster... to open the windows... to wear sandals without any socks... All these things and more... one day at a time...

When my sisters and I were young, we would spend spring afternoons laying on the roof outside our bedroom window, soaking up the sunshine. We didn't think mom knew we'd climbed out there, but it turns out she did. Could be a neighbor drove by and saw a bunch of kids hanging out on the roof, and they might have called her to let her know. But probably it was just her un-erring fifth sense that let her know we were up to some kind of mischief :)

At work, I heard red wing blackbirds this morning in addition to the gold finches, chickadees and robins. I haven't heard the cardinal since the time change, but it's darker now when I get to the office.

Happy Spring Everyone!

Spring Morning comes from the Phillips Collection of Traditional American Fiddle Tunes.

Friends at the Bridge

A friend of mine at work has a niece who has leukemia... and is very close to dying. This little girl is part of a family with a mom and five siblings... and aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents... and friends... and more recently a family of medical care givers. This little girl is nine years old, and has fought a brave fight. My heart goes out to all her family. I cannot imagine how hard this is for all of them. http://www.caringbridge.org/cb/viewHome.do is a web site created for family members who are going through a difficult time. This little girl and her mom have been journaling over the past couple of months. It's been a hard week for this little girl.

Friends at the Bridge comes from the Lighthouse Collection.

When Sick is it Tea You Want?

Cold and flu season seems to be digging in pretty hard around here. I don't usually give in to it myself, but this past weekend I had to admit defeat and let my body rest. I drank lots of tea, napped, and generally took it easy. I know others (hope you're feeling better Kath) who have been zapped into submission too... and now even my doctor needed to take the day off and call in sick! No annual check up for me today :) My favorite all time tea has been Mandarin Orange in the beautiful black tin. Today I enjoyed some Lemon Green Tea, it gave me a nice "I'm taken care of" feeling when I drank it.

I did get home from work a little earlier than usual, and enjoyed having the time and energy to take a walk with Richard, fuss around in the kitchen making dinner, and even watch a little television before calling it a day.

Hope you're all staying healthy, and if not, my advice is to drink a lot of tea and get plenty of rest... then call me in the morning :)

When Sick is it Tea You Want? comes from the Portland Collection.

Fisher's Hornpipe

This week's tune is the Fisher's Hornpipe. This is a nice Irish hornpipe that is a standard in any fiddler's repertoire. You can find it in the Fiddler's Fakebook, and also in the New England Fiddler's Repertoire (although the key signature is very tricky in the Rep). Have fun working on this tune!

Irish Lamentation

Happy St Patrick's Day!

I am full of Irish lamentations and expressions today, in particular o'sneezy and o'coughy :) I've had this cold for a few days now, and no signs of it slowing down at all... as the Irish say, o'well, I'll be o'kay.

The rain and sleet will keep us indoors, and last night's snow will keep us off the roads at least until things are cleaned out. Music is on our agenda later this morning... we'll be practicing polkas, jig sets, and reel sets for the upcoming DownEast Country Dance Festival being held in Topsham on March 30-31. Our Tuesday jam group will be playing polkas for a workshop being presented by friends of ours. And the jigs & reels will be played by a huge group of musicians joining forces as the Festival Orchestra.

I've been having fun telling Irish jokes this week. Generally speaking, I'm not a great joke teller but I think I'm getting the hang of it! It's been even better in my Irish-Punjabi accent, and now with a nasal snuffly tone, I'm sure I'll be a big hit all day as I tell my Irish tales.

Irish Lamentation is in the Waltz Book, volume two.

Irish American Reel

fiddlehedz & friendz got to play at the William S Cohen Center today as part of the Senior Spectrum lunch program. The music program was Irish, in celebration of tomorrow being St Patrick's Day. Jigs, reels, waltzes & a couple of Irish polkas rounded out the presentation... it was great fun to look around and see folks tapping their feet and moving in time with the music. It was a new experience to organize music sets into a set amount of time, mixing types of music, tempos, and arrangements, I learned a lot. The audience was quite appreciative, and that makes it even more fun for us as musicians.

Irish American Reel comes from the New England Fiddler's Repertoire.

Moon and Seven Stars

Richard took this picture of the moon early this morning. I love the silhouette of the trees against the dark, dark blue of the sky.

There is one good thing about the time change (and ONLY one good thing) and that is when I drive to work in the morning, I get to see a beautiful pre-dawn sky! Work has been pretty grueling lately, and it's hard to find something good about being there some days. Part of that is because I really miss Justine (though I'm glad she's home with little Sam)... part of it is because the work load is heavier, and part of it is just because I am loving all the music that we're doing. I love playing the fiddle. I love putting together dance sets. I love assembling dance programs. I love designing dance & music brochures. And as much as I've always loved my job, these days it really feels like work, arghhhhh. So, to see the sunrise in the morning, it's a nice way to start the work day. I still can't figure out what I'm saving though, haha...

Moon and Seven Stars comes from the Portland Collection.

Reconciliation

Tune of the week for March 11-17 is Reconciliation. This tune can be found in the Portland Collection, volume one. It's a nice reel with some great energy. We've been playing this tune at jam sessions for some time now, and manage to get through it but are not as strong on it as we would like. It is one of the tunes we will play this coming week for an Irish Lunch in the area, and I thought I'd like to focus on it and really learn it. We played it at the Family Dance at the Wescustogo Hall last night, and I heard it played as we dance later in the evening. All this reminds me of what a fun tune it is to play and to hear. Have fun working on it this week!

Monkey In The Dog Cart

We celebrated Avery's second birthday this afternoon! Curious George has been a favorite character lately, so the theme of the day was MONKEYS!

Jen made this great MONKEY cake. She'd made the cake at home, and brought it to our house to frost & decorate. Avery LOVES chocolate, so you can just imagine his little index finger reaching up onto the counter to swipe a little taste every time he went by... it's amazing how far a two year old can stretch when he wants something that's supposedly up high and out of reach!
One of our contributions to the party was creating these coconut palms out of materials around the house. The tree trunks are assorted sized leftover PVC pipe, wrapped with brown crepe paper. Newspaper was cut and fringed, then spray painted to make the leaves. I taped sections of craft wire to the undersides of the leaves to help position them, and then tied brown balloons (coconuts) as a final touch. Richard secured dowels onto a small platform of scrap lumber, and we set the PVC pipe onto that... the trees stood up well without tying them off to anything.

Avery had fun opening his gifts. He especially likes books, and he got a good assortment of them today. He spent some time 'reading' the stories, entertaining us all with his sometimes understandable ramblings and interesting intonations. As he unwrapped his presents, he was frequently heard saying "I LIKE this!" with great enthusiasm. It was a wonderful afternoon, having family gathered here to celebrate and share this little one's birthday.

Monkey in the Dog Cart is a tune from the Phillips Collection.

Brenda Stubberts

Saturday night we attended the North Yarmouth contradance at Wescustogo Hall... in many capacities.

The Sound of Music... We brought our sound system, and had a full lesson in setting up for a contradance in a hall. Our friend Ed, from whom we purchased the equipment, was there to guide us and offer helpful information in both the setting up and the adjustments needed throughout the entire evening. We know we'll learn a little more every time we do sound for an event, but we certainly gained a lot of confidence with this on-the-job-training. It's nice to know that we got a good system too, everyone had positive comments last night.

Music for the Dancers... We brought our fiddles and the bass, to play at the Family Dance with the Wescustogo Ramblers. There was a full stage last night, in part because a lot of fiddlers had attended a workshop presented that afternoon by Cape Breton's own Brenda Stubbert. Jeff (guitar) and Maggie (fiddle) lead the Ramblers through jigs and reels as children & families have fun on the dance floor, following the calls of Kathryn Larson.

Feet to the Floor... We danced :) The 2nd Saturday dance at Wescustogo Hall is always high energy. Great musicians and great callers combine here every month, and the attendance shows just how popular this contradance is. Brenda Stubbert & Melissa Emmons were hot last night... and not unnoticed was the fiddling presented by Frank Ferrell and Ed Howe.

Brenda Stubbert is a well known fiddler from Cape Breton Island. She's written many tunes, and had many written for her, including Brenda Stubberts which can be found in the Portland Collection, first volume.

Same Time Today as Yesterday

I have never understood the logic behind daylight savings time. Oh, I know what I hear, and I listen to the great explanations about how it saves energy but really, what is saved?

The day is not any longer, or any shorter, whether we save our daylight or not. The sun rises and sets at the same intervals as it does every year according to its 365.2425 day cycle. There is no more, or less, light in each day. Nothing saved, nothing gained.

I was listening to a MPR news story on my way home from work on Thursday, and (I'm definitely paraphrasing here, but you'll get the idea & can research it more if it interests you to do so) that original daylight savings was implemented to save energy. The idea was that people could use natural daylight to do their chores and avoid being awake & using electricity during the dark hours (as I understand it). What really happened is that having more daylight at the end of the day meant people could be outdoors doing fun stuff, driving around, using more transportation fuel. And probably doing their chores when they got home later, still using the same amount of electricity because now it's dark... they're just more tired from packing more activities into a day. The other thing I heard was that because there's more daylight at the end of the day, people are more inclined to stop and shop after work. Great for the commercial economy!

I often wonder how people managed to get anything done back in the day... you know, when there was just the standard amount of daylight available, and people really did work until sundown and then quit. These days of daylight savings, we're working indoors, not dependent on sunlight at all, and we do not quit just because the sun goes down.

So, what do you think? Are we saving anything by turning our clocks ahead tonight? Post a comment, or email me with your thoughts!

Same Time Today as Yesterday comes from the Phillips Collection of Traditional American Fiddle Tunes.

Happy Birthday to You...

Happy Birthday little A...

You are the most amazing little boy (competing only with the memories of your mom, uncle Toby and Uncle B). You bring such joy into our lives!

It's hard to imagine what life was like without you.

Designated Driver

What drives a fiddler to fiddle? I suppose it's a little different for each of us.

For me, it started with my introduction to contradancing around 1993. The sound of the fiddle, the energy of the dancers, the vibrations & rhythms in the hall... all of these things grabbed me and engaged me from the very start. As I listened for more fiddle music, I became even more drawn to the instrument. My interest and passion have taken many paths over the years, but it's always the fiddle I come back to.

I found this quote on the Childsplay web site... Edgar Lee Masters, in Spoon River Anthology, wrote of the Fiddler Jones:

"The earth keeps some vibration going there in your heart, and that is you. And if the people find you can fiddle, why, fiddle you must, for all your life."

This really speaks to me personally... if fiddle I must, then I must do it for all of my life. It seems lately that all things lead to fiddling, in some way or another... the acquisition of the sound system, the Tuesday jam session, the conversations we have with people, learning to call dances, and being contacted to put on dances... it all starts with, and involves, fiddling.

A very special person, years ago, told me that if I'm having fun, I must be doing things right. I make choices in my life (for the most part) and those choices are leading me to play more music and try more peripheral activities associated with fiddling (learning about the sound system, organizing dance programs, drawing up flyers, even maintaining this blog & the web site). And I'm having a blast! I feel like the designated driver... making sound choices, investing my energies & focus, and knowing that I am traveling on a chosen path in life.

Designated Driver comes from the Lighthouse Collection.

Mom's Jig

My mom made these deeee-licious cookies for our jam group this week! Moist, tasty, and healthy too since they're made with dates. Thank you Mom!

Mom's Jig is in the Fiddle Music of PEI.

Lay Your Good Money Down

The United Maine Fiddlers are organizing a Fiddle-A-Thon as part of the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life on May 5th. fiddlehedz & friendz will be participating, signing up for a block of time during the 24 hour continuous fiddle session. Pledge sheets will be out soon, and we'll be contacting you, asking for your monetary commitment to support us in this endeavor. It's always a little tricky asking people for money to support a cause. Personally, if it is a worthy cause (I believe this is) I don't mind asking... knowing and expecting that people will be able to say Yay or Nay according to their resources and personal choice. If we contact you, we appreciate your Yay or Nay, and honor your choice either way! We are happy to give you the choice to decide :) So, this is just a "heads-up", letting you know that we're gearing up for some hard-core fiddling...

Lay Your Good Money Down comes from the Phillips Collection of Traditional American Fiddle Tunes.

Waiting for the Wind

When was the last time you stopped to listen to the wind? Today will be a great day for that if you're anywhere near central Maine! The wind was howling last night, and as I'm composing this post I can hear it gusting and blowing. They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. March has certainly started with some roaring weather, the snowstorm last week and the wind today. In spite of the snow and wind, the temperatures has felt pretty mild the past few weeks. I don't think that will continue though, as the prediction is for the numbers to go down this week. Still, spring is right around the corner!

Waiting for the Wind is in the Lighthouse Collection.

Sugar Hill

The recent snowstorm left behind glistening crystals in our yard. Literally, when the early morning sun shone down, the yard just sparkled... and reminded me of the crystally sugar that you see on cookies and donuts!

This afternoon when I got home from work, Richard and I went out on snowshoes through the woods. We'd started out walking, but the public road proved too slippery. It was MUCH nicer in the quiet of the woods... no traffic, no noise, no slushy mud. The trees looked like they were coated with a dusting of confectioner's sugar! Hmmm, seems like my mind is on sweet things this afternoon.

Sugar Hill can be found in the Fiddler's Fakebook.

Wizard's Walk

Tune of the week for the week starting March 4, 2007 is The Wizard's Walk, found in the Portland Collection (first, un-numbered, blue, indigo, or PC1 depending on who you talk to). This is a challenging, yet fun, tune to play and a great tune to listen to. Lots of energy!

Someone once told me they thought my grandfather was a wizard, because he'd appear in the woods out of nowhere. My grandfather was indeed a woods man, somewhat of a loner, very interesting and knowledgable about nature and life. In his later years, he sported white hair at the base of a bald head, sharp eyes, and quick conversation. He knew the woods and the land around his house as well, if not better, than he knew his own back yard.

Years after he died, I would be out skiing on trails through those woods, or walking out to the edge of the bog... and I'd imagine him out there taking stock of his world. Whenever I hear or see this tune, Wizard's Walk, I think of those woods and my grandfather.

Wizard's Walk was written by Jay Ungar, and there's a dance that's been written that goes along with the tune. Have fun with this one this week!

Oyster River Hornpipe

Tonight, fiddlehedz & friendz played at the annual Oyster Supper held in the town of Vienna. The Oyster Supper was first held back in the 1800's, and though it hasn't taken place every single year since then, it has made a come-back. Our Tuesday night jam group was invited to play music throughout the dinner, from abou 5:00-6:30... well, we had such a great time playing, and the folks there had so much fun listening, we actually played until close to 7:30! There was Oyster Soup, many different kinds of chili, some clam chowder, breads... and pies & cake! Delicious! We took a break from the stage to enjoy the delicious food and to visit with some of the towns-folk. Richard set up the new sound system, and it was fabulous... it helped to blend all the instruments and create a beautiful sound. There were people clapping their hands, tapping their feet, and yes, there were even people dancing a little jig here and there!

Oyster River Hornpipe can be found in the Portland Collection.

Far From Home

We got a nice snowstorm on Friday, and my sister brought this book for me to read while the world swirled in white. It's fun to pour myself into a good book, I don't create the time to do it very often. But, having the book delivered to my door and having nowhere I had to be, I took full advantage of the opportunity. I read about half of it last night, and finished it this morning... I just couldn't put it down! (Last night I literally fell asleep reading, or I would have possibly done the whole book in one sitting).

Chris Bohjalian is an amazing author. This is (I believe) the fifth book of his that I've read, and I've been pulled into each one of them, fully absorbed. This particular book had some focus on the plight of the homeless, and how they might get into that situation. It was really very interesting, and thought provoking, and still lingering in my thoughts this afternoon. It makes me realize how lucky I am to have stability in my life, and a strong network of family and friends to help me maintain good perspective of who I am, and my place in the world... all while allowing and encouraging me to dream big and live into those dreams.

I had the chance to spend some time at the Shelter in Augusta, and learn about some of the reasons people end up in desperate situations with a lack of housing, money, and resources to get their lives together. Some of them are Far From Home mentally, some physically... but all emotionally detached from the kind of home I have in my mind.

Far From Home is a tune from the Portland Collection.

Banish Misfortune

Bigger, more, faster... NOW.

Those are the words almost all of us live toward. We want faster internet connection, more money, a bigger house... faster postal service, more time, bigger paycheck... the list can go on and on. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the constant quest for fame & fortune, however that looks to us. But really, life is NOW. Whatever we have been working toward is happening... NOW. We live on the continuous time-line of life, and we have made our fortune, this one we have right now. Sure, there are many more things to do, see, acquire down the road, and tomorrow's fortune may be different than what we have today. Acknowledging that is great, as long as our quest for life allows us to take a moment each day to banish all thoughts of misfortune and really, REALLY enjoy all that we have already accomplished.

Banish Misfortune comes from the Fiddler's Fakebook.