Every Rock in Place

It seems like forever since I've posted anything... this will be a conglomeration of thoughts and updates for those who keep checking in and find NOTHING NEW! Rest assured, we are well... life got quite busy for a little while and working on the computer took a back seat!

I'll try to get you up to speed on what's been happening in this corner of the fiddle world :) The first thing I'd like to say is HOORAY for PEANUT BUTTER. Avery got to visit with us for an extended visit while his mom and dad were involved with A's papa and family. It has been a hard time for them, J's dad died last week. I'm glad we were available and able to take Avery and Max "until further notice". Like most little kids, meals can be a challenge. A loves peanut butter, so it was always the Plan B when the special pasta didn't make the grade!

Dancing and music were put on hold as far as going out, but we did manage to play quite a bit at home. Avery has a love of singing and playing music (has a good rhythm and appreciation for instruments) so it was no problem for me to pick up the fiddle and play through some tunes while he was playing. Quite often he would join me and dance along... at the very least he would look up and smile at me, and move his little shoulders along with the beat of the tune!
We have a collection of assorted rocks... different types and sizes... that we have around the house. Avery likes to collect his own rocks whenever we're outside... and there are lots to choose from along the driveway and in the yard.

After days of playing with the same toys over and over, I happened to notice the box of Legos that have been stored upstairs. There are a lot of little parts & pieces, not appropriate for babies and toddlers. We thought we'd give it a try with Avery, now that he's a little bit older... GOOD MOVE, he loved them! A little frustrated with some of the tiny components, but in general, he had a great time with something a little different. We've packed away some of the "younger" toys now and are transitioning into "older" toys.

It's been a joy to have Avery here, and to experience all of his moods (most of which are fun and well behaved with an occasional two-year-old fit of frustration and exhaustion). He's a very interesting child with lots of love. Max got to stay with us too, he's a big part of A's life... "What Macky doin'?" was a frequent question and "Macky my puppy" was just as frequent a comment during the day.

Richard has gotten to call a couple of dances and we've continued to host the Tuesday night jam session. Last night we ventured out to Brunswick to dance, so we're slowing getting back into our routine. It's funny though, I turn around and get ready to take Avery's hand or pick him up, and he's not there... amazing how quickly we can get used to having a little one around!

Every Rock in Place comes from the Lighthouse Collection.

Sunnyside

Our greenhouse is on the sunny side of the house, facing south... lots of light and sunshine pouring in. We've started the garden seedlings (many varieties of tomato, basil, broccoli, melons from last years crop, and much more. The trays hold quite a bit of water which soaks up into the peat dishes... the little plants lean toward to sun... and we turn them around. It's nice to see so many little things growing, just waiting to be planted in a few more weeks...
Sunnyside comes from the Phillips Collection of Traditional American Fiddle Tunes.

Turkey Gobbler

Peter's been out at our property scouting for turkey. He's walked the property lines, spent a couple of evenings listening and watching for activity, and arrived well before sunrise in full camo, setting up decoys and preparing for the first day of the season. This is his reward for the day! A very nice sized adult male turkey! Congratulations! I know I'll have a GREAT week at work, no matter HOW the Red Sox perform :)

Turkey Gobbler comes from the Phillips Collection of Traditional American Fiddle Tunes.

Acadian Reel

Richard and I had planned to go camping at Acadia with Kathie and David on Sunday night, but after sleeping (and not sleeping) on the gym floor during the Marathon, we decided we'd rather just go out to visit for the evening, and then come home to our own bed. Good idea! We got a great night's sleep! We did have a nice dinner and conversation at Blackwoods Campground Sunday evening... and enjoyed Fiddler's Elbow, a nice English beer with great flavor and no bitterness... David always finds the most interesting beers. This one was chosen especially for us... the name says it all :)

Acadian Reel can be found in the Fiddle Music of PEI.

Last Night's Fun

I promise there will be photos and some interesting posts... later! It's been a busy week, and an even busier weekend, but SO much great stuff happening.

This morning, we are recovering from last night's fun and adventure of participating in the First Annual Fiddler's Marathon! This event is in conjunction with the Relay for Life which raises money for the American Cancer Society. United Maine Fiddlers joined ranks over the past 24 hours at the Whitefield Elementary School where a mega-jam-session has been taking place. Some fiddlers attended for the duration, others went and stayed as long as they were able... all efforts are important and very appreciated. The word going around last night was that UMF had raised around $4000 toward the Relay, which takes place NEXT weekend in Brunswick.

We spent about 14 hours at the marathon... jamming, talking, eating great food (provided by the PTA I believe)... and presenting a dance last night from 7:00-10:00. We brought & set up our sound equipment and played dance tunes... allowing the daytime fiddlers to rest their fingers and give their feet a workout! Richard and Ellen called most of the dances... and I even called one myself! I managed to get a little bit of sleep (from 11:30-3:30~ not bad for laying on the stage floor while people were playing music in the gym) but Richard didn't fare quite as well... he was not able to really get to sleep at all, so he's catching up this morning at home :)

Last Night's Fun can be found in the Fiddler's Throne.

Sally in the Garden

The garden is ready to plant. We spent Friday with the garden tiller attachment on the John Deere, preparing the soil and working in some composted manure (Moo Doo), lime, wood ashes, and the winter's collection of compost from the kitchen. We'll be planting early seeds over the next couple of weeks.

The greenhouse is also seeing activity... we've started a bunch of seeds there, giving some of the plants requiring a longer growing season a little head start. It's fun to see things growing.

Garlic is already up in the garden... we put that in last fall.

Sally in the Garden is an old time tune, one version can be found in the Phillips Collection of Traditional American Fiddle Tunes.