Hi Ken, Your Christmas activities sound lovely. I forgot about the film A Child's Christmas! Adding it to my list of movies to watch. I know you're a gourmet cook so your goodies will be delicious. I just saw a recipe for Wassail that I want to try. Our Christmas will be quiet, too. Just the way I like it. Merry Christmas. Nina (from the Berea meet-up)
Salt, I remember when you posted that Fritz was bitten by a rattlesnake. I'm so sorry you lost him. Those are hard times when we watch our pet decline despite all we are trying to do to save them. Cheers to the new pup.
Mary, I met you folks and your dog a couple years ago in Berea. Love the costumes.
Nina (aka Dulcinina)
Beautiful job, Ken. Nina
Wishing you all a peaceful and Happy Thanksgiving. Nina
Thanks for posting this, Dusty. Restores my faith as well. A great way to start off my day. I sent it to a couple other friends.
Today I am meeting up with a dulcimer friend whom I've not seen in over a year. She lives about 50 miles from me and we used to play together once a month at her home. So we're both vaccinated and eager to play together again. Yay. Nina (aka) Dulcinina
March 30th is National Walk in a Park Day in the USA. A beautiful sunny day in Kentucky with temperatures in the low 70's. My husband and I took a walk in a park in downtown Somerset. Just lovely to be out in nature. Nina
That's a beautiful dulcimer, John. Steven, bring that baby the next time we can all gather in Berea. Nina
Glad you're home, Ken. Home is sometimes the best medicine. Nina
That was incredible. Thanks for posting it. Nina
Hi Robin, There is an interview of the group AppalAsia on Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast. It's episode #021. Nina
Oh my goodness. Thank you for sharing this video. Nina
Thanks for posting this, Robin. That was so interesting and adds so much to the history of the culture of building folk instruments. Dulcinina
Wow, Ken. Losing weight as well as keeping it off is really hard. Good for you. Robert, thank you for recommending Johnny's Selected Seeds. I'll check them out when I need to re-order.
The broccoli seeds are ready to harvest today and mung beans are beginning to show signs of sprouting. I've been conservative in the amount of seeds I've started since I'm experimenting with varieties and didn't want to become overwhelmed with too many sprouts at one time.
We had the alfalfa sprouts in a salad last night and really liked them. Will try them in a sandwich today for lunch. This is such fun! Thank you, Strumelia, for your advice and encouragement. Nina (aka) Dulcinina)
My first "crop" of alfalfa sprouts. Uhh, not sure I attached the picture correctly. Nina
I ordered lids for my mason jars and a variety of seeds. The lids came the day after I ordered them! The seeds came yesterday and I've started two jars--alfalfa and broccoli seeds. I've watched plenty of YouTubes so we'll see how the seeds sprout. I hope to post pictures once there is something to photograph. Nina
Wow. Thanks for posting the pictures. I ordered my seeds yesterday. I'm excitted to get started. Nina
Thanks for the quick reply. I looked on Amazon and there is a lot to choose from. Have y ou tried the variety packs? Food to Live has alfalfa, broccoli, mung, clover and radish. What's your experience with any of these? Nina
I haven't done this in a long time. But you've inspired me to start again. Post a picture if you can of the jars before and after sprouting. I don't have screw on screen tops for my jars. Would cheese cloth and a rubber band work? Thanks for posting. Going to give this a try again. Nina
That's a beautiful dulcimer, John. I remember the Galax you showed me in Berea a couple years ago. Beautiful work. Nina
How nice that you and Mark were asked to be part of the festivl. The music and settings were so very nice. Well done. Dulcinina
The film was on our PBS station in KY this past weekend. I saw it on Amazon Prime earlier. The actors are professional musicians, not actors. But it's filmed well and the music makes up for any other shortcomings. You can watch clips on Youtube. Nina
Our little stray who showed up just shy of a year ago has us so well trained. It's amazing how we cater to her. She jumps on our laps for a short time, but it hs to be her decision. And we are so honored. Love that little critter.
I have kept your place tucked away in my mind ever since you told me about it in Berea. Nina
Wow, Don. Good for your grandaughter! Another Outdoor Woman! I attended a few KY Outdoor Woman weekends put on my KY Fish and Wildlife. They taught all kinds of outdoor skills--fishing, archery, orienteering (sp?) survival skills, canooing etc. I had so much fun. Alas, I am not a fisherwoman. But I'm always delighted when I seen young girls doing such sports.
Ken, I can only dream and live on memories of fresh ocean seafood. Maybe some day I can rent your little place and you can fix a gourmet seafood dinner for me.
Lisa, I, too, have not been walking regularly because of the heat and humidity. But I do my yoga stretches every morning. And since we live in a two-story house, I get to climb steps all the time cuz when I'm upstairs, I need something that's downstairs and vice versa. Nina (aka Dulcinina)
I know. Why is it we have to force ourselves? Even if It's beautiful and sunny and a perfect temperature, it's a struggle. But once I get out there, I'm OK. I was hoping I could teach my cat to walk on a leash but she's having none of it. One incentive I have, however, is listening to Hearts of the Dulcimer (all of which I've listened to before) and the Very Pink knitting podcast.
Anywho, I'll get out there today. Nina
That's a beauty, John. Nina
Good to have you aboard. Sebastian sure knows how to take a nap. Dulcinina
In 1987 my husband had a dulcimer made for me by a local woodworker and industrial arts teacher who made dulcimers as a hobby.. I knew nothing about the dulcimer except I wanted to learn to play. A woman from my church also had a dulcimer but neither of us has cases for our instruments. She contacted Homer Ledford and he got us cases for our dulcimers. We went to his home and spent a Sunday afternoon with him. We couldn't play worth a darn but he was so gracious. He explained things to us and showed us his workshop. I had no idea how important he was in the dulcimer world. I saw him many times playing at art festivals in Berea, KY. Meeting him is one of my fondest memories. Nina
That was a nice piece. I've made so many new friends through the dulcimer. You know, it's sometimes hard for seniors to make new friends. But the dulcimer has opened that door and others to me. I love this instrument and want to share it with as many others as I can, and encourage people to try it. Thanks for posting that ,Dusty. Nina
I use Dusty's four finger scale exercise and 2 and 3 finger scale exercise to warm up. I play a song I like and can play pretty well. Then I go on to a piece I'm learning. I take it a section at a time. If I get frustrated, I stop and play something else for a while. I keep it fun. Sometimes I just play songs and don't actually "practice." I mix it up. But mostly, I don't think of it as practice. I also keep my dulcimer out and handy. I play something every day just because I like to. Nina
This little gal showed up 3 weeks ago, skinny, skittish and abandoned. I began feeding her and after a week she let us pet her. By the 2nd week we were able to pick her up. We took her to the vet where she got a checkup and her shots. Vet said she was about 8-10 weeks old. We haven't had a cat in 5 years and we've never had a kitten. She is so much fun and so loveable. Meet Dusty who is honored to share the name with our own Dusty Turtle on FOTMD. Nina
My friend, Gail, and I played our cantars on my porch. We also played dulcimer for about 1 1/2 hours but somehow our photographer (my husband) didn't get pictures of that. Last year we played on her porch. We had so much fun. Nina aka Dulcinina
I'm having a dulcimer friend come over and we'll play on my screened in porch. Last year we played on her's. I think this is just the best idea. I love imagining people over the world playing outside, porch or no porch, and sending up music into the universe.
Hope Dorian isn't a problem for you Ken H. Play something in that mode to ward it off. Nina
