I'm thankful for the Point Isabel Poodle Players (aka The Born Once Gospel Singers), my jam group that started when a couple of poodle owners at the Dog Park discovered that they had folk music in common as well as dogs and brought their instruments (autoharp and guitar) to the park the following Sunday where I came on them (in the company of my old lab mix and my young black lab) came on them playing, drawn by the wonderful sound of the autoharpist's (she objects when I call her an autoharpy) custom instrument. They invite me to join them the next Sunday and the rest is history: we now have nine regular members and meet weekly at the autoharpist's house.

I'm also thankful that despite the five-year long instrument buying binge I've been on since the group got together, I'm not yet totally bankrupt (close, though).

I'm thankful that my employer (Berkeley Schools) has agreed to let me teach traditional music to students in the independent studies program, in addition to my other love, photography.

I'm thankful for my wife and son, who, while they don't share my musical tastes, tolerate them and provide me with lots of love and support; and for my extended family, fantastic people all, many of whom actually enjoy my music.

And, of course, I am thankful for the Mudcat, where I find more kindred spirits than I could imagine existed, spirits who are generous with their love, gentle with their criticism, wonderfully creative and funny and compassionate--and always accessible, except when the threads go down. I'm even thankful for the occasional down time, for how else would we all know how much we love this forum? A special thanks to Max who makes it all possible and to Dick and Susan for their wonderful resource...

--seed