Mar 11

NewFound Road

Four or five years ago, a new(er) four piece bluegrass gospel group played at the Milan (Michigan) Bluegrass festival.  I’d never seen or heard of them, but we gave them a pretty good listen.  I remember feeling pretty sorry for them after their show, sitting way in the back in the dark at a tiny table with few fans.

We’ve seen them several times a year over the past years, and they seem to be on a steady upward climb.  The core of the band for the past couple of years has been origionals Carl Williams, Jr. and Tim Shelton along with  2 or so year band member and bass man Randy Barnes. 

NFR has a put-together-sound, smooth, that comes at you in a big kind of way.  They aren’t doing gospel music exclusively now.  The band has a relatively new (to them) mando player, and a brand new (to them) fiddle player.  They have a contract with Rounder (flatter, blacker) Records, for whom they are working on their second release.  There is a long list of performance dates on their schedule.  They drew a good crowd, on a Monday night, in Maumee, Ohio.    They love to perform and sing, and they do well with the fans.

Bluegrass and bluegrass type music isn’t a huge market, although it may have drawn new fans over the past few years.  There are a finite number of places to play, and there is a limited crowd to play to.  I took a look at the NFR schedule and found that they are playing some shows in places that might see limited bluegrass exposure, or, perhaps draw a different crowd than the normal festival circuit.  I also see the Station Inn, Rudyfest and Dollywood. 

Being a big name in bluegrass, with the possible exception of Ricky, Rhonda and Alison, isn’t a path to riches, or even to becoming a household name.  The three I just mentioned get a lot of press, but also sing a wide variety of music and get some cross-over action.  Alison’s recent (excellent) project with Robert Plant has little resemblance to bluegrass, and both Rhonda and Ricky have at least some “country” type following and get some airplay on country stations.

Somehow, somewhere, there has to be room for groups that honor the tradition of bluegrass music in a way that expands the audience without abandoning the basic sound and feel.  Now, and perhaps forever, what instruments are used, how they are played, and what songs are sung and played and how and where the music is presented is a subject of constant discussion among purists.  Sometimes I wish that everyone would shut up and listen.  We won’t all like the same thing, but you can’t figure out what you like until you hear and compare.

Which brings me back to NFR.  Last year I purchased a shirt off their table, perhaps at the Marshall (Michigan) festival, or perhaps at Milan.  The last time I bought a band shirt, it said, “Hot Rize”, another not completely traditional, but wonderful band packed with excellent musicians.  I wore the NFR shirt it last night, it’s comfortable and I like it.  I also like NFR, they are comfortable in a way that isn’t strictly traditional.  They are good at what they do, and they enjoy it.  I hope they find a way to continue, as they have since I first saw them.

Mar 10

Home Again Home Again Jiggety-Jig

Today, we returned GD2 to her family.  Everyone seems to have missed her, although they all remarked how quite and peaceful it had been without her.  That was a moment when I remembered her need for “company”.  I also let everyone know that she was pretty quite during the visit.  That was probably because she didn’t have to compete for attention.

A went off and left the  move about the “mations” on my desk.  I’ll mail it when I get home.

We are staying here tonight, and then heading to Indiana tomorrow.  Papa makes a couple of stops for work, and I’m headed to the Mennonite Historical Library to see if I can find some ancestors there.  I won’t have a ton of time, but I’ve never visited that library previously, so I’ll get the lay of the land, at least.

Mar 08

Cranbrook Science Museum

Papa, GS2, GD2 and I took a quick trip to the Cranbrook Science Museum today.  It was Saturday, so there was a bevy of activity.  GS2 and Papa watched a show in the planetarium while GD2 and I wandered.  Her reaction to the Mammoth was , “Look at the big elephant!”  She found the motion and sound lab the most fun, and had a good time putting gears together on a display and turning them.  Motion is her specialty, I guess.

GD2 also hugged a frog and got a coupon for the Rainforest Cafe.  I guess when her family visits again, we’ll go there to get the cheap kids meal for her, and spend ten or fifteen each to feed the rest of us…. Uh, how does that work out, anyway?

Mar 07

Let the Southern Weathermen Party

A bunch of Kentucky and some of  Tennessee is under a winter weather watch. Our snow is cancelled, so I guess they are getting a little taste of being us.  I wouldn’t have known this but Sista wrote about an owl chick which fell out of it’s nest.  I found the weather stories while looking at the cute photos of the chick.  Well, I take that back, I would have known the weather was going somewhere.  All our warnings were cancelled, and I knew that weather wasn’t going to be cancelled.  It turns out that the weather just moved south.

I had an interesting day with GD2 yesterday.  She is a little high maintenance, but what are grandmas for?  We shopped for groceries, went to lunch with GS2 and S-dad, and hung around the house the rest of the day.  I got a copy of  the new 101 Dalmatians  movie for her, but it turns out that it was probably an older child’s movie.  She watched a little, then it was back to Dora.  It was impossible to get into Costco without buying it, all the TVs had it on them, and there was the usual big “featured item” pile blocking the way.  Our copy had a promotional key ring attached.  Does an almost 4 year old need a key ring? 

The low point of the day was when Papa was watching the news, and the rest of us were cleaning the table and kitchen after dinner.  Little, lonely, GD2 was in the bedroom, howling.  When I checked on her she said, “I need company!”  The words of a third child who is almost never alone anywhere.  I told her I’d keep her company as soon as the dishes were done.  After I went back to the kitchen, she slammed the door, hard, very hard.  I spoke to her about that, and she wasn’t any happier.    Her Mom said GD1 was trying to figure out what to do, too.  I guess they are both used to each other’s company.

D3 has promised to make cookies with GD2 today, so perhaps I will be able to get the dresses sewn.  I hope so.

Mar 06

A Drive and a First

After S-Dad’s eye appointment yesterday, we had a nice lunch.  S-dad really likes to eat out, and doing so alone isn’t much fun.  I must say the drive over to the appointment was like a roller coaster ride.  I can’t believe that people that live in MICHGAN don’t know that snow is slippery.  We saw more than 4 cars off in the ditches.  We also saw a couple of fender benders.  Come on folks, slow down a little.  After lunch, I headed over to meet D2 and bring GD2 home for a visit.  GD2 has been here many times, but never alone.  Her daycare is closed for a couple of days.  I understand the teachers are going to training, and, they are getting new flooring.

The trip home with her was pretty quiet.  I was a little worried, since she is almost 4, we know she understood the visit, and the suitcase, and so on.  But, I thought the reality of being alone in the car with me was a little scary.  You know how it is when you wish for something, and then aren’t sure you want it when you get it.  I got here with her just after dinner.  She warmed up when she saw Papa, and had a little to eat, and then several snacks.  She talked to her parents and siblings on the phone without getting upset, so I guess we’re home free, at least for now.

She watched a couple of videos, and was finishing up the final one while Papa snored away.  When she fell asleep, I moved her to her own bed, and we all got a pretty good night’s sleep.  Today, I have to shop, my Costco coupons run out this weekend.  And, another storm is predicted, perhaps another 8 inches of snow.  We also have to finish sewing the Easter dresses.

Mar 05

And the Winner is…..

GS2.  He came home from Scouts last night, and went upstairs saying he was going to pray to the snow gods.  I don’t believe we got over 4 or so inches, but school is closed today.

I just shoveled enough to get my van out, because S-Dad has an eye appointment this morning.  GS2 will spend some of his snow day removing the rest of the mess from the drive for me.  He can run the snow blower, but I’ve not figured that out.

Maybe I’m the winner…..

Mar 04

Winter, Again

There is some kind of crunchy stuff on the driveway, and it is slippery.  I did not slip or fall when put out the recycling and garbage this morning, but I walked pretty flat-footed.  The forecast is for another bunch of snow, beginning this afternoon.  I don’t like that, and I don’t want it to snow anymore, bring on the rain.

We talked to S-in-L and GS3 last night, after several tries.  The both celebrated their respective birthday’s yesterday.  S-in-L was pretty excited when GS3 was born on his birthday, and he still is.  They had a wonderful day, I understand S-in-L went to school to share in the cupcakes and the birthday.  Papa says, GS3 is 9, and S-in-L isn’t!  To illustrate the real difference between the two, S-in-L got new brakes for his car for the big day, and GS3 got a Nintendo DS.  There’s some kind of difference there!

I’ve got some much overdue work to do on Papa’s website today, so here I go…

Mar 03

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It’s warmer, but rainy today.  The ice is mostly melted off the driveway, but some water is still backing up into the garage.  I tried ice melter, and chopping, but we really need more warm weather.  The forecast is for ice and snow.  Again.

GS3 is 9 today!  I believe I was in Juarez when he was born, but it may have been El Paso or Monterrey.  I was in one of those three places for much of the last four years that I worked.  Airplane, car,  hotel and shop for 5 days, car, airplane, home.  It was fun sometimes, but mostly I was tired and jet-lagged. 

Today, I cleaned, vacuumed, washed, dried, folded, did reports for an organization I belong to, and worked on Papa’s website.  It sure does need work.  Perhaps I’ll finish tomorrow.

I had a bad experience at the Credit Union last week, do you want to hear how bad?  I arrived just as the doors were opened.  The people that were in line shuffled in ahead of me.  I walked to the desk and wrote my name on the list, since I needed to some personal attention.  A woman was suddenly at my elbow, saying loudly, “I only have one thing that I need notarized, and I’ve been waiting in line since 9:00 and I didn’t know I had to sign a list!  She really needed cheese with that whine.  I just said, go ahead and sign in, you can be first.  I’m in no hurry.  That person and her meek, mild husband pushed in front of me and I took a seat.  It was twenty minutes later when someone finally helped me with my 2 minute job.  That pushy woman and her husband were still occupying a customer service person when I left.  If she was only having one thing notarized, I’ll eat my hat….

Feb 29

Gray Day

Did I say before that my Dad used to assign colors to days?  I guess I did.  Dad was an interesting guy; I wish I’d known him better.  He died when he was 51, and I was 28.  I was busy, very busy with 3 small children.  I was also angry, because I viewed his death as preventable. 

I do have some memories, mostly in the form of photographs.  There are lots of pictures of me, I was a first child, a curse in itself.  Of course, the middle children are also cursed, as are the babies.  The fact that I dare to type “baby” in reference to a youngest sibling in a family indicates a curse. 

There are photos of me with Dad, washing the car, washing the ambulance, swinging, just about as many as one might imagine.  I look at them sometimes and wonder what he would think of the world we live in today.  Remember, he checked out in 1979, almost 30 years ago.  A lot of water is over the dam since then.  In the early ’50’s, before the days of paramedics and ambulance services he charged $10 to drive his hearse out to take someone to the hospital, or nursing home, or heaven forbid, back to our funeral home.  Had one of those rides lately?  A little more, for sure. 

I remember sometimes asking, “Why didn’t you run the siren?”  He would look sad and reply that it as a “slow call”.  We all knew that that meant we would be taking a nap during the services a few days later., and every day until then.  The grieving families who gathered below us didn’t need screaming, running, playing children over their heads.

Did I get sidetracked?  I guess so.  It’s a gray snowy day today.  But the real problem is that someone else has passed from this life, and it takes me back every time now.  I’m drifting along in this earth without my parents, something I never really considered before it happened.  I have a wonderful family, the best husband on earth, some great friends, but the moment you no longer have parents is a defining moment in your life.  I hope you don’t have that happen to you anytime soon.

Feb 28

Nice, Revisited

I know you remember the (what-a-nice) dish post of a while back.  I was confronted with a similar situation a couple of days ago.  You remember my flu, right?  I didn’t feel too good Sunday evening, so I asked Papa to go to the store and get cake and topping for our strawberries.  He did.  The cake came in a nice dish.  I ran a knife around the outside of the pan and deposited the cake on a plate, and went on with dinner.

I was doing the dishes, and I said, “I wonder if I could bake in this?”   Actually, I know I could have, I have some “disposable” pans downstairs that are plastic, but withstand the heat of the over.  I often bake cakes in them, and take them to places that need cakes.  I don’t worry if I have to leave early, but they always return, since they are so nice.

Papa said, “What-a-nice-dish?”  And he and D3 giggled and high-fived.  I washed the darn thing out and put it in the place I put things that are to be recycled.  And frowned at them, a little.

I want you to know that it was hard to get rid of that cake pan, but it went out with the recycling on Tuesday, but not before I took a picture to remember it by.