Forum Activity for @strumelia

There's a lot to be said for those generic lovely blank cards, Dusty. This sounds terrible, but the last time i bought a sympathy card, I bought like four of them so I could avoid the ordeal of picking one out the next few times someone I know passes away.
As we get older, more people we know pass away and this was true in general, long before Covid19 times.  Having some pretty cards with blank inside just makes sense.  I have some with Japanese paintings of birds and branches.

Jan, I'm glad your test came back negative. At least there's that.  It really seems like your friend is in a tough spot.  As for cards, I honestly find it so time-consuming to pick out a pre-written card that's right (male cousin, mother-in-law, step-grandson, ARGH!, then Valentine's Day, Birthday, Get Well, Condolances,  ARGH!) that I just have a collection of cards with pretty phogrphas (close-ups of flowers, a peacock's feathers, autumn leaves reflecting on a lake, etc) and nothing written inside.  I prefer those to the pre-printed ones that try to idenitfiy the event and the relationship of the recipient.

Jan that's very sad about your friend. I assume you've been phoning or writing/emailing to her? Very dismal, but it's good she has someone like you who touches base with her.

Our banks and pharmacies are closed, but you can use their drive-throughs. You can make an appt or order if you need something or service in particular, but you can't just walk in anymore. Maybe I can make a potato stamp card to send to my friends if I need to!  And then eat the potato of course, because no wasting.   ;)

I am glad your covid test came back negative Jan!

After not leaving the house in the past 6 weeks, except for medical issues that couldn't wait, my "errands list" had really grown!  My husband, Craig, does the runs to the grocery store and hardware store; most everything else is handled online. Today, with the sun shining and temps in the mid-50's, it was so great to take an hour, drive through streets with flowers and trees in bloom, take take of business at the bank and pharmacy, use curbside pick-ups at a store and a restaurant. 

I went inside at the pharmacy and was glad to see there were only 3 people inside, so it was easy to practice social distancing.  I was there to select a birthday card for someone I love very much who is very sick at home, totally dependent on the goodness of the few people she knows who have any extra funds to help her and her child survive this.  This is someone who has fallen through the cracks of our society, been wrapped in miles of red tape, and left to fend for herself. She and her daughter have both tested negative for COVID-19, but are ill with other conditions.  The mother, herself, is on-hold for 3 operations that are greatly needed, but cannot be done at this time.  She's battling cancer--and not for the first time.  She's had severe back injuries from both car accidents and other bodily trauma. She's working on her third appeal to be declared disabled; so far, she's gotten nowhere with that.  No food stamps.  No unemployment payments.  No government help with rent or bills.  The list of rejections goes on and on.  And she's one of the nicest persons I know. 

So how do you find a birthday card for that?  Nothing sexy or off-color--or just plain wacky or stupid.  Nothing for a "wonderful daughter" or niece or sister.  No point in wishing her a day full of friends, family, food, and fun.  She's not going to have a "fun day"...if she keeps down some food and gets some sleep it will be a "good day".  There are no wonderful bright days in her immediate future; survival is about the best she can hope for; she has a deep faith that is helping her with that. 

I was finally able to find a very pretty card that did not refer to any relational connection.  A card that expressed love, asked God to bless her, and said how pleased I was with the person she had grown up to be--words that I echoed in my own handwriting along with the hearts, X's and O's I placed near the bottom where I signed my name. There will be no visitors, nothing special to mark her birthday on Sunday--unless my card gets there by Saturday!  I have not been well enough to travel the 100 miles to her home, although I finally tested negative for COVID-19 this week, as well!

So this is my reality.  And hers.  And although neither of us is actively ill with the coronavirus, it has impacted our lives.  I am grateful to not be needed on the front lines with healthcare providers, funeral directors, ambulance drivers, truckers, grocery store employees and all the many others who are working so hard to keep us healthy and alive.  But my heart aches for a mother celebrating her 42nd birthday so close to death, knowing she can't provide for herself or her child, and wondering what these next few years will bring, if she manages to survive these present crises.

Feeling so grateful to the two little stores in my town that are offering contact-free curbside pickup of groceries.  Feeling sooo grateful to have been able to go pick up some fresh milk, apples, eggs, and produce today without having had to navigate a crowded supermarket.

One of the 1/2 gallons of milk i got today is earmarked for me to make it into yogurt tomorrow. I've enjoyed learning that new skill and I love the resulting yogurt I've made so far. It really helps my digestion when i eat a little yogurt every day. My fave is to chop some apple into a 1/2 cup of yogurt, and throw on a handful of granola and nuts, maybe a couple of chopped dates or raisins... and then drizzle honey on it before eating. To me that's a Heavenly meal. 

Yesterday I made some chocolate chip cookies from scratch, which I haven't done in years.  I lacked the vanilla, used the last of my brown sugar, and had to ration the choc chips down to three per cookie   but they came out well enough and taste good- satisfying our sweet cravings.  We figured out that if we each eat only three cookies per day, they'll last us three whole days. Oh boy!

I had a funny thought today, inspired by how giddy i was when I got home with fresh apples and such.  I'm imagining a Christmas 2020 where it'll be like a throwback to the 1880s again- with little children being thrilled to find an orange or tangerine in their Christmas stockings.    Not bloody likely, but the thought made me laugh.

Here in my little corner of the UK the sun is shining, the birds are somehow louder and more melodic and the Red Kites wheel about in the skies. There are no planes above and little traffic passing. The air, even in this rural area, is noticeably sweeter. This is how it used to be, back in the days before fossil fuels when, of course, they had plagues and pandemics! It’s hard not to get dragged down by the daily death toll and threats of economic disaster, but there is also a wealth of selfless heroism and much kindness between people. I hope we don’t forget that, once this has passed. I felt guilty that I was not contributing more ( waiting to be called back in), but having cleaned, decorated and gardened myself half to death, I finally picked up my dulcimer and guitar again. What a blessing! My teenage son, unable to go to school, has no such qualms, playing guitar for hours each day. Man, can he play! <snip> Stay safe everyone, this nightmare will pass.

Funny song, Lois!

Amidst all the horrific news of increasing infections and increasing mortality, it is indeed heartwarming everyday to see people looking out for one another, a testament to the caring nature of the human spirit.

I braved the grocery store today for the first time in a couple of weeks and was so glad to see the shelves filled with eggs, meat, and bread.  Those three items had been hard to get for about a month, so maybe the panicked buying (that was causing me to panic) has subsided. 

Strumelia, I've found that living in my small town it is the same.   I'm so grateful to live here.  Someone heard we were out of firewood and brought over a big bunch and we're more then warmed by it.  and Lois, what a crack up of a song.   THANKS.   aloha, irene

I just happen upon this post and this is a crazy cool dulcimer.  I applaud your efforts to advance the state of the art.  Any thoughts about putting a lid on it so it can't spill?  Keep up the good work.

I like that in my small town, people seem to be checking on each other more.  I'm 65, but I've phoned my next door neighbor a couple of times now- she's a widow who's 80. I've been in touch via text with my neighbors across the street (two public school teachers now teaching online). Then just this morning the owner of one of the cafes in town (around aged 50) emailed me asking if my husband and I are ok. It warmed my heart. 

I've  been testing my very beginning skills of arranging with Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" when this parody I call 50 Ways to Beat Corona came my way.  It's by Marge Bailey as the Sweet Adelines are sharing humor.

Stay away from the pack, Jack
Don't visit your Gran, Stan
Wipe down the toys, Roy
To keep virus free.

Don't hop on the bus, Gus
Don't listen to Don, Ron
Don't hoard the TP, Lee
Just stay virus free

Sneeze in your sleeve, Steve
Don't touch your face, Grace
Keep back to 6 feet, Pete
Heed CDC

Use the Purell, Mel
Keep wipes in your purse, Nurse
Take care of your flock, Doc
You need PPE

This isn't Spring Break, Jake
Stay home if you're sick, Dick
As COID leaps, Peep
Just Follow the rules, Flo
And stay virus free.

A bit more about my own efforts is that the version I'm working with is clearly for guitar. SMN lets me figure out melody & chords.
It's still clunky, definitely gives me a project (in addition to the MobileSheets one mentioned elsewhere.)

Thanks for the responses! Going to be working on more and probably pull the dulcimer down as well because a little of that nervous energy of making the video and uploading it has abated. Kind of a nervy thing to upload and put it out there in the wilds but I appreciate the response and will try to keep at it. @strumelia I was totally unaware how much arm movement there was until looking at the video. You're right, totally overworking the arm and see if I can practice to lower that much arm movement, thanks for the tip.

Ariane's new Spring 2020 Calendar has been added as a new Event here on fotmd:

https://fotmd.com/ariane/event/240/musical-spring-calendar-2020

I'll lock this discussion now so as to encourage folks to continue comments on the event page itself. Thanks!    :)

Thank you Robin and Mark and your windowsill bird for sharing this lovely Spring composition with us. Happy Easter!

Thank you, Ariane, for this wonderful project!  And thank you, Alan and Dusty for your kind comment.  Playing music together is one of the favorite activities here at our house.  

What a great start to this event well done Robin and Mark what a nice light and uplifting tune thank you both. Also thank you to Ariane for once again doing such a great job in putting  this together.

What a great way to start, with a smiling Robin and her bright and melodic dulcimer! You can even hear the birds chirping outside their open window.

Until the "Musical Spring 2020" online calendar will have been approved for the event sector I would like to post the link of the calendar here for you to open the first door today - please enjoy!

Happy Easter to all!

Just click on the link and open the first door:

https://tuerchen.com/bb53ac3a

@Lois-Sprengnether-Keel, feel free to contact me directly for questions about the Berkeley Dulcimer Gathering. We are on the verge of officially announcing the virtual version, and when that happens I'll update the event listing here .  The original plan for the virtual event was to do all the same workshops.  We're working on revising things (and reducing the price) for on online gathering, so check back with me later on and I should have more definitive information.

I think the hammered dulcimer workshop was only on Sunday and everything on Saturday is for the mountain dulcimer. 

@dusty-turtle

Looking forward to seeing the update on the Berkeley Dulcimer Gathering!  I just went to the online description of workshops & am impressed!  That's what really grabs me in a program. 

BTW I saw some things about hammered dulcimer, now I don't care to get hammered, but have at least one friend who would probably be interested.  Could the descriptions make it clearer which are for us Mad Dulcimer players vs. THEM!?!?

You're right about it letting people join who could never make it in person.

It's too bad so many dulcimer festivals and concerts are getting canceled.  We are going to try to do the Berkeley Dulcimer Gathering entirely online.  Let's see how that goes. That bad part is that we won't be able to all gather together.  The good part is that people from around the world could join. Maybe it will be a new way to get together that we'll want to continue even when sheltering in place is no longer necessary.

The Berea Traditional Dulcimore Gathering has just been cancelled due to the COVID-19 bug.....now I feel like I'm all dressed (or, should it be dulcimore'd) up with no place to go!

But... super short bangs are so ... French!  

@dusty-turtle, you crack me up!  My longtime stylist retired a couple of years ago, and I was trying to find a new one I liked enough to stick with.  During that time, I visited one who cut my bangs to about 1".  It was like, where are my bangs???  It was hideous.  I wanted to hide for a month (thank heavens my hair grows fast).  I found someone I liked since that debacle, but of course the shop is closed for who knows how long.

Ken, your guitar looks amazing!!!!  Great work!  It is beautiful!

That's a really nice looking Fender Strat. The Champion 20 is great amp. Here is a photo of guitar I built. I use it with a Fender Mustang LT 25.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

 IMG_3941.jpeg - 129KB

What a cool guitar, @lisavb. I've been eyeing some guitars recently, but since I hardly play the ones I have it's hard to justify another purchase.

For the record, I also cut my own hair recently, which is why no one will be seeing any pictures of me sans hat.

This is what it looks like.  That's tortoiseshell on the pick guard.  So retro!  I got a Fender Champion 20 amp to go with it.  Does a lot for a little amp.  Just right for me.

LisavB, I'm glad to hear your are using your stay-home time well. I'd love to see your pick Fender Strat. Last summer I built a Fender Strat look alike from a kit. I painted it emerald green. It is my first and only electric guitar. I bought a cool little Fender amp to go with it. Haven't tried cutting my own hair yet, but that may be in the future.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

They extended our stay-home until 5/4 now.  I succumbed to temptation and ordered a shell pink Fender Strat--it arrived earlier this week.  I've never in my life played an electric until now.  It's a new trip, for sure!  I'm working from home, so haven't had a huge amount of time to play during the week.  Planning to sit down with all my stringed friends (dulcimer, Fender acoustic and my new pink wonder) and play, play, play!  (And attend my Zoom yoga class, of course!)  If the weather is sufficiently decent, perhaps I will take my dulcimer and acoustic out onto the deck to enjoy...

I have also had to cut my own hair...so far, not bad!  It's layered and naturally curly, so it hides errors well.

Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast - Episode 47 
Stay Home and Play Dulcimer: with Stephen Seifert

https://dulcimuse.com/podcast

This episode was especially created for dulcimer players! Be sure to check out and download some free TAB on the episode resource page.

We spoke with Stephen Seifert, one of the top dulcimer performers and teachers in the mountain dulcimer world. Steve gives tips and ideas for what dulcimer players can do to help improve their playing while they’re staying at home.

You can listen to all the Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast episodes directly on our website:  https://dulcimuse.com/podcast   or in most podcast apps.

Every episode has its own resource page with photos, videos, and song lists.

Here's the resource page for this episode:  https://dulcimuse.com/podcast/resource/047.html

Thanks for listening!

They were the strong, dominant alfalfa sprouts that like to take command, known colloquially as alphalpha sprouts.

You should feel guilty Dusty... that sounds a bit over the top uber deluxe! 

...are you sure it wasn't alfalfa sprouts?

Late last night or early this morning, I received my bi-weekly delivery of fresh produce from the farm-to-table service I subscribe to.  Everything is grown within a 200-mile radius of my home, and it all arrives super-fresh. I just prepared a salad for lunch, with red-leaf lettuce, radishes, bell peppers, cucumbers, and alphalpha sprouts.  I added some cold sliced beef left over from dinner last night and made a nice vinaigrette highlighted by some fresh-squeezed meyers lemons from our tree out back. I haven't even eaten it yet, but it looks so yummy!  The beef came from a delivery service, too, so I was able to put all this together without leaving the house.  Now where's my fork?

I feel a bit guilty for living so well while this viral cloud has shut down nearly the whole world.

@terry-wilson I'm close to absent from the singing bunch.  Maybe 3 times I've sallied forth. . . 

There are folks here who have sung a lot on recordings and have done it well!  

We've had lots of mountain dulcimer players & singers here at FOTMD on video and audio through the years-- we're most fortunate that way!  

Tom-g -- I recommend you NOT use a coping saw to cut notches in the nut/bridge.  Most of us use a small triangle file to make notches not much more than string diameter deep.  If the nut/bridge needs to be seriously lowered, we remove it, and sand the bottom on a piece of sandpaper on a hard flat surface.  The Nickel/Dime technique is a good place to start.  First lower the nut, the strings should just touch a dime placed next to the first fret.  Then lower the bridge.  The strings should just touch a nickel balanced on top of the 7th fret.