Bare Necessities

I like to believe that I'm fairly thrifty and that I don't shop without a purpose... I'm not usually one given to mindless purchases or overindulgent spending. That said, I have a lot of "stuff" and on occasion I do buy things that I don't need, and things that I didn't have any intention of getting. I almost always like what I buy, but I often don't need it and sometimes I feel a bit wasteful about it... but not enough to take a stand. Until now.

I have come across an idea so revolutionary, so simple, so easy and so difficult... so foreign and yet so close to my heart. It's called Compacting... you can read stories about it at http://sfcompact.blogspot.com/. In a nutshell, it is getting out of the consumeristic rut and finding mindful and resourceful alternatives to shopping. Even as the big consumer holiday season is just around the corner, I'm considering taking the plunge and getting back to the basics of life. Here are a few excerpts from the Compacting compact...

To aid us all in getting started and sticking to the regime, I've compiled the guidelines we set in stone at our great dinner a few weeks back.
As agreed, The Compact has several aims (more or less prioritized below):
1) to go beyond recycling in trying to counteract the negative global environmental and socioeconomic impacts of U.S. consumer culture, to resist global corporatism, and to support local businesses, farms, etc. -- a step, we hope, inherits the revolutionary impulse of the Mayflower Compact
2) to reduce clutter and waste in our homes (as in trash Compact-er)
3) to simplify our lives (as in Calm-pact)
So, here goes for the rules:<>
First principle - don't buy new products of any kind (from stores, web sites, etc.)
Second principle - borrow or buy used.
A few exceptions - using the "fair and reasonable person" standard -- i.e., you'll know in your heart when you're rationalizing a violation:
food, drink, and necessary medicine (no elective treatments like Viagra or Botox)
necessary cleaning products, but not equipment (don't go out and buy the Dyson Animal, for example).
socks and underwear (utilitarian--non-couture or ornamental)
pajamas for the children
Utilitarian services (plumbers, electricians, auto mechanics, veterinarians, dog/house-sitters, fire/paramedics, dry cleaners, house cleaners, etc.) -- Support local and encourage used parts (rebuilt transmission, salvaged headlight unit, etc.)
Recreational services (massage, etc.) & local artisanal items - Good sources for gifts, but should not be over-indulged in for personal gratification
Charitable contributions (Seva, Heifer, and the like) - an even better source for gifts
Plants and cut flowers - Whenever possible, cultivate from free cuttings or seeds. Ok in extreme moderation (yo, incoming oxy) when purchased from local businesses (i.e., not the Target Garden Shop)--and again, within reason
Art supplies - First line of attack: SCRAP. When absolutely necessary (for the professionals and talented amateurs in the group), from local businesses
Magazines, newspapers, Netflix - renewals only, no new subscriptions. Even better to consume online
Video rentals and downloadable music files (non-material) -- freely shared and legal, please

So, blog me your thoughts...

Oh, Bare Necessities is a waltz from Waltz Book Volume Two.

Church Street

Every fourth Wednesday of the month there's a jam session held at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Augusta, ME. Folks gather from around the area, some driving an hour or more. Most of the jams we attend have a pretty regular core group of musicians, with a pretty regular cast of occasional players who make it whenever they can. It's quite possible to book every evening of our week with opportunities to play music... and there have been a few weeks that we've done just that! What happens though, is a breakdown in the structure of our personal life. It's so important to have balances... to identify what the priorities are and to create time to participate and enjoy each of them. It doesn't mean "Do it all, and do it all now" but it does mean to be mindful of how our time and resources are utilized. Sometimes it's as simple as coordinating a jam session with maintaining social connections... or playing music at a community event... or spending an evening at home playing duets after a walk in the woods. For me, the UU jam is a priority because it is close to home (only 25 minutes away), involves the contra style tunes that we've focused on right now, and offers a chance to keep in touch with some friends.
Church Street is a tune we've picked up along the way somewhere... one of the many pieces of sheet music that has been shared with us, possibly at a UU jam!

Honest Woman of Many Trades

There are many instruments in which I have interest... obviously the fiddle is my main focus these days. There are times though, when it is useful to speak fluently with other instruments. I can pretty easily provide enough guitar backup, and can pick along with the mandolin at a moderate pace. Tonight at our jam I got to play the mandolin, the fiddle, the bodhran... and a bit of banjo with the help and instruction of my friend Terry. I feel challenged and empowered to learn more strumming chords with the banjo and work into some picking, flailing, and maybe even some claw hammer if that style appeals to me. The fun thing about music is finding the group of people that you can let yourself try new things. Our Tuesday night jam this week offered just that sort of environment... safe and encouraging. We had a great time calling out tunes and playing.
We had a guitar, two fiddles, a banjo, an egg... and an assortment of other instruments that I got to play as the mood caught me. There can't be much more fun than that... other than the jokes, laughs, and camraderie that overtook us between tunes!
Honest Woman of Many Trades can be found in the Lighthouse Collection as well as Jerry Holland's Collection of Fiddle Tunes. I like to think that I'm an honest woman (I also like to think that those who disagree with me just don't know me well enough) of many trades (do you know that I've dipped leather, ran spinning machines, cared for the elderly, mowed cemeteries, sold groceries, dipped ice cream, and washed hair)... Ah, life offers so many opportunities when the mind is open to possibilities!

Queen of the Fair

The Common Ground Fair was held this weekend in Unity Maine... a celebration of rural living in Maine. Richard and SK attended yesterday, and today I went with SK, Toby and Bryan. Saturday brought rain all day... today we experienced a few light showers and some sunshine before the heavier rains set in. The exhibits, food, and demonstrations were all great.

We went to the new tradition of Fiddler's Showcase in the morning... a kinder and less stressful presentation of music than the older tradition of Fiddle Contest. The Showcase is presented in a style similar to that of Maine Fiddle Camp, and I'm sure other venues... those who wish to participate sign up and get to play their favorite tunes and medleys. There were a few other opportunities to listen to music... a Spotlight Stage featured different musicians throughout the day and there was at least one jam session going on that evolved into an impromptu contra and square dance. It was nice to get out and see the different colors, crafts, textures, and people who love farming and being close to the land in one way or another. Very inspirational. There are so many crafts and activities that I have tried over the years, some that I have loved, others that I'm glad I tried (and moved on from!).

These days I love fiddling. I'm also constantly drawn to colors and patterns that remind me how much I love piecing quilts together, so I'm hoping to create time to do that soon. Today's outing certainly gives me motivation to do just that!

College Hornpipe

Saturday night found us at the Norlands, playing a barn dance for a "live-in" experience. The Norlands is a living history center located in Livermore Maine, not far from where we live. This is the second barn dance we've been invited to play and we anticipate another invitation in the near future! The Norlands depicts rural farm life in the 18th and 19th century as it chronicles the lives of the Washburn family. The group we played for were in a college credit course through University of Maine Farmington, and they were thoroughly enjoying learning the basics of contras, circles and squares.

Stir the Soup

Fall weather is here... perfect for hearty soups. This culinary creation was made by Bryan, and shared at our house for dinner last night. Lots of vegetables, a variety of beans, a tasty herb broth, and my personal favorite, SPAM... absolutely delicious! Avery was not crazy about it, but you can never really tell from day to day what he'll want to eat... this report comes from his mom so we weren't too surprised when he opted for a peanut butter sandwich instead. We also had salad and biscuits to round out the meal... and then apple crisp later on for dessert. It was nice having Avery and Bryan here to share dinner with us!

Stir the Soup is from the Reckless Reel.

Almost Equinox

The autumnal equinox is nearly upon us, marking on the calendar the change from summer to fall. The leaves have started changing color, and night time temperatures have begun to drop... though our days continue to be sunny and warm for the most part right now. This is my favorite time of year!

Almost Equinox comes from the Reckless Reel.

Happy Anniversary To You...

Not a traditional fiddle tune, I think it could still be contra-danceable! Happy Anniversary to Jen & Jason... congratulations... and best wishes for another wonderful year of magic!

Waltz of the Little Girls

Not so little anymore, the Davis girls are all grown up with families of their own. This photo was taken on Sunday morning after picking apples. The photo is a wonderful reminder of how much fun we have when we get together... and that we're passing that passion for living on to the next generation! Waltz of the Little Girls can be found in Waltz Book Volume One.

Tom Trainor

I have the privilege and the challenge of presenting our annual OSHA safety training update and review to the team at Club-E. I have done extensive research and reading on the recommended guidelines of OSHA, CDC, and OSAP... and love putting the presentation together for the team each year.
There are different viewpoints on rules and regulations, and though my first instinct is often to rebel and question them, I almost always can see the reasoning... the madness behind the method in most instances.
In my opinion, rules are not instituted until people exhibit irrresponsible behavior to the point that they inflict real or potential harm upon themselves or others. In other words, if people were reasonable and considerate of themselves and those around them, there would be very little if any need for rules or regulations.
That said, I'm ready to present the safety rules as they apply to our practice.
Tom Trainor comes from the Portland Collection Volume Two.

It's An Orchard You Need...

... to get photos like these. Click fiddlehedz fotos' photosets on Flickr to see more photos of our fun day picking apples.

Hungry Rocks

Hungry Rocks is a tune from the first volume of the Portland Collection. The rocks along our coastline have historically been hungry for ships passing through between the islands... that's why the coast of Maine has many, many lighthouses on its shores and islands... to warn sea captains of the dangerous ledges and outcroppings that lie just beneath the water. Today however, the only thing hungry on the rocks were the fiddlers... hungry for the delicious foods that were brought and shared, and hungry to play tunes together in a relaxed and beautiful setting.

Red Apple Rag

Kents Hill Orchard in Readfield was the place to be this morning... a sisters event picking apples! This is my first time picking apples, although we have several orchards in our area. Richard picked last year for the first time, he went with SK one day while I was at work so I missed out on the fun. No matter, I made up for it today! Deb, Kathie, Wendi, Courtney, and Kathy (German exchange student) all met at the orchard. Deb and I arrived first, and were announced as "It's the Davis girls!" by the owner Terry, a friend from high school days... that made us feel oh so special :)

We walked out through the trails and picked macintosh apples... and a few occasional raspberries too. I wasn't sure what to expect before we reached the orchard, whether we would need to climb trees and how we would manage to reach the red globes. The trees we picked from had branches quite close to the ground, so we could just reach up and pluck the apples from their perch.

After paying for our bounty, Terry asked if we would like a hayride, to which we all answered a hearty "Well, yeah!" We boarded the trailer being towed behind a farm tractor and had a leisurely ride around the property... this gave us more time to visit with one another without being engaged in the picking. We'll have a surprise package sent to Virginia Beach for the sister unable to attend, this will make our sister event as complete as possible given the circumstances!

Red Apple Rag can be found in the Fiddler's Fakebook.

Shoot Two Bits

We had some fun this afternoon when Richard's cousin Scott came to visit Fiddle Ridge. Scott had spent the morning at a shooting competition... so he had a nice assortment of firearms with him. This was his first visit out our way, and the first time we have shot any guns here. Richard and I both have some experience with firearms but it's been a while since we've handled guns of any kind. Scott was great... he was informative and patient with us, and if I learned anything from his visit today it is SAFETY FIRST. We used our wood road, shooting north and away from any possible traffic. The road dips down before forming another knoll... it made a perfect place to shoot at targets, a nice straight clear path with the knoll behind as the back stop. We used these targets for a while, then turned them around... and finally just took them off and used the cardboard figures. I can't even remember all the different guns we used... rifles and hand guns... but it was a good experience for us. Richard is planning to hunt this fall, he has his license already. Today was a good refresher course in hunter safety that we hadn't planned on. We are hoping to see more of Scott, and his boys!

Ice On the Road

Not the way you might envision if it were mid-winter here in Maine... no, this ice on the road is in the form of an upright food freezer that we went to get Friday evening. We have made the decision to get a freezer, and have discussed the options. We've visited some appliance stores to see what the latest features are, capacity of upright and chest styles, and the energy star ratings of the various brands and models. In the meantime, R's cousin has an extra freezer that he wants to get rid of... an upright model. We found that the upright models are not as energy efficient, but they do take up less floor space and have easier visibility and access. The chest freezers are more energy efficient and don't have much else going for them. So, we're getting the free upright... our limited floor space in the utility room is one deciding factor. The extra cost of energy will be more than outweighed by the purchase price of $0.00. The new acquisition is in large part in anticipation of R getting a deer this fall.

Lost Everything

What would you do if you lost everything? And what does everything mean to you?

A good friend of my sister and brother-in-law was lost at sea this week by a rogue wave that washed over the boat, sweeping the crew overboard and demolishing the boat. The weather was good and there was no indication that anything was wrong... he happened to look up and see the wave, called out for the others to hang on, and then he was gone.

What would you do if you lost everything? And what does it mean to you? How would you spend your day if you knew it was the last time you had a chance to make a difference, even a small one? How would you treat those you love if you knew you wouldn't see them tomorrow?

Lost Everything is in the Portland Collection Volume Two.

Prayers and thoughts go out to the family of the missing man, to my sister and brother-in-law, and all those whose lives are impacted by this tragedy.

Woodshed (again)

By popular request, more photos of the workshop! The front porch will have a roof, and can serve as a stage for outdoor concerts. The main floor has two rooms, one larger front room which will probably house our tools and shop equipment and a smaller back room to store firewood. The second floor has one large room... it could be a music studio or accommodations for long-term guests... there is also a small storage area. The third story windows will quite likely be loft space. There may be another porch wrapping around this side of the building . The building is framed with hemlock sawn at a local mill. The wall sheathing is pine shiplap, from the same local saw mill.

Inside the wood room (that's the room I'm standing in, above), we laid pine shiplap flooring, nailed randomly. It has a nice look to it. We joked that we could now get a horse because it sort of looks like a stall :) No horse for us though... we have a nice cat named Little, and she's enough company for two rambling travelers like ourselves. She happily tolerates our coming and going for the most part. We still have a ways to go before we are able to start moving into this new space... roof shingles, windows and doors, and Ty-Vek to keep the wind out~ that'll probably be it for this year. Next year we'll work on siding, insulating, and finishing things off more. What started out as a simple woodshed has taken on a life of its own and just kept growing... it will serve us well here when it's done.

Off to California

Richard and I had date night tonight... we went to Waterville to Railroad Square to see Little Miss Sunshine. We LOVED the movie. It was everything the trailer promised and more... an almost true to life way that families should and could be toward each other. This was our first trip to RR2 together, though we've both been their in our previous lives... I've hardly ever been disappointed in the films I've seen there. I get the current showings and nicely accurate descriptions on my email weekly... until now we've just been too busy to get there. Thanks to Richard for suggesting that we make the trip tonight! Railroad Square has three theaters, and the offerings are always interesting and thought provoking... not your run-of-the-mill movie theater! Check them out at http://www.railroadsquarecinema.com/

Off to California can be found in the Fiddler's Fakebook... and California was the destination of the family in this movie.

Woodshed

Richard's been working on this building since the spring... incorporating ideas from conversations we have, and also making it practical for the things we need~ like storing our firewood, setting up our tools, and maybe even extra lodging accommodations when the house is full.
I really like building things, and have had great experiences in the past. We have tried unsuccessfully for months to work together, because we both have our own ideas of "how it is supposed to be" and somehow have a breakdown in communication. Today was different though. We had a great day working together and we got a lot accomplished. Building without using plywood takes longer, but the reward of using natural materials is invaluable.
The primary goal was to get the back room ready to store our firewood. That meant getting a wall covered over in boards, putting a floor down, and installing windows. We got the wall and the floor done... the windows will get done tomorrow if all goes well. The really great thing about today was that we managed to keep our focus, do what we knew we needed to do, and were patient with one another. We have such fun contradancing and playing music, and being with our families that it's been a real shame not to share in the day-to-day chores and projects together. Working together today gives us another way "to be" in the relationship... another way to be partnered. It's been a long time coming, but probably more appreciated for the wait.
The woodshed will be getting filled in the next few weeks with firewood Richard cut, and that we split together (we did have fun that day with the wood splitter). Wood is our primary source of heat here at Fiddle Ridge. My family has heated with wood, either primarily or as a backup, since I can remember. The smell of a wood fire, keeping a pot of soup going throughout the day, watching the flames leap and dance in the evening... all a source of comfort in the cold of winter.
Woodshed is a tune from Jerry Holland's Collection of Fiddle Tunes.

Sheebeg (Chebeague) and Sheemore

Saturday was an absolutely perfect day from start to finish. Richard and I started out early to do a site evaluation. The property is steep and challenging but the owner is going to love waking up to this beautiful view (above), and that will make the process worth it in the end.

Next we met Jeff, Eric and Val (members of Wescustago Ramblers), Sandy (fellow fiddler), Sandy's husband Ken and Jeff's friend Evelyn for a boat ride across the water to Chebeague Island. This was the first time I'd been out of the water for quite a long time and I LOVED the fresh air, sunshine, and the smells of the ocean. There is a ferry available, but the schedule wouldn't have allowed me to get off the island in time... the only way I could make this trip was through Sandy and Ken's generous offer to take us all out, and pick us up when we were finished. THANKS!

So, the Wescustago Ramblers are on tour, assembling our gear and realizing we don't have a limo to get us to our gig. I've never been on Chebeague, but word was that we were NOT walking all the way to the Community Building... and we were not able to reach our friend to come pick us up. No matter, island communities in Maine are known to be friendly and accomodating and we were able to make other arrangements... Good thing we got the ride, because it really would have been a LOOOOONG walk hauling instruments and gear!
Our Limo

This event was a fundraiser and involved our playing for a contradance demonstration... there was also an olive oil tasting table, baked goods auction, various tables with things for sale, a woodturning exhibit, and activities for children. When we were finished playing music, we had a bite to eat before returning to the docks for departure.

Richard and I drove to Augusta... I attended a baby shower for my friend Justine, and Richard spent time at the library. Then we drove south again to play at the Family Dance at Wescustago Hall... the first of the season... had potluck supper and stayed for the first half of the regular Contradance. We got home around midnight, tired but happy that we'd had such a fun day together.