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MudCat Thank You - Part II
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: katlaughing Date: 11 Apr 02 - 03:27 PM Next installment will be in a new thread, please CLICK HERE |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: katlaughing Date: 11 Apr 02 - 10:17 AM refresh |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 11 Apr 02 - 12:09 AM Those pictures look ALMOST as good as they did in real life here, kat....SUPER job....thank you, thank you for putting them up!!!!!!!!
Sinsull...NO Batmen on the tree ....bg. Which picture was it??
I took pictures of "Mary-Ellen" (love the name for her!!) today, and will send them to kat as soon as they're developed.
Jeri...you were awesome that night....really!! You done GOOD!! I just hope you didn't say anything I'm s'posed to remember AFTER we opened the guitar case....lol There IS more "magic" .....just taking a breath here for a bit...
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: katlaughing Date: 10 Apr 02 - 11:28 PM It seems Yahoo has a few glitches. I have put the pix on a "public" page and there should be no problem with everyone accessing them, but some people have let me know they are getting asked for their Yahoo i.d. etc. No one should have to enter anything to view the pix. Anyhow, the only thing I know to do, at the moment, is to paste the addy in here, so it can be copied and pasted directly into one's browser and maybe that will help: http://photos.yahoo.com/katsagewalker Click on Documents and you should be good to go.
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: katlaughing Date: 10 Apr 02 - 07:08 PM
We are still in the Ornaments piccies. Gotta do this thing in order, as NO has done with the story, ya know? Not sure if she wants some things on a public site, either. So...I'll post 'em when I get the next "all clear!"**BG**
kat |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: SINSULL Date: 10 Apr 02 - 12:59 PM Is that Batman sitting in the tree? The children really did create some beautiful treasures. This story unfolds like one of Robertson Davies' trilogies. A simple event - a thunderstorm - sets a series of events into motion that changes people, places, and events for generations to come. And sends Kleenex stock skyrocketing. I am off for another box. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Morticia Date: 10 Apr 02 - 12:28 PM and of Mary Ellen? |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 10 Apr 02 - 05:41 AM And maybe a picture of that barn? |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: DMcG Date: 10 Apr 02 - 05:30 AM Well said Spaw. As someone in the UK who has only met anyone here through the posts and recently hearing a few of you on Paltalk, it is fantastic to see such an active community in the physical sense as well as cyber. There is a thread started by a certain Spaw inviting US Bashing. I think everyone who reads threads like this sees how brilliantly individuials in a country can behave whatever is to be said for or against their government. If Mudcat is not a community I don't know what the word means. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: catspaw49 Date: 09 Apr 02 - 09:56 PM Geeziz Jackie....I mean like I knew a lot of this, but it seriously does make many of us cry and smile at the same time! Nothing can replace an old friend, except to some degree, a new one who already is an old friend. Jackie my dear, I hope this is doing for you at least as much as it has done for the rest of us. Over on another thread we've been hashing the same old member/guest thing again that pops up about once a month anymore. A Guest said that this (Mudcat) is not a community as many of us feel it is. How wrong.......If this isn't community and friendship and all the good stuff, then I don't know what is. Again Kiddo, thanks for the reaffirmation of who we are or at least who we can sometimes be. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Sorcha Date: 09 Apr 02 - 09:18 PM Oh wow! It's all so wonderful; I keep catching my breath. Thanks, kat, and THANKS JACKIE!!! for sharing all this magic! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: katlaughing Date: 09 Apr 02 - 08:56 PM OKAY!! More piccies!! Just a few, there are more to come. For now, I've added some of the Children's Tree with the ornaments they made for NO; the ornament Rick made (beautiful!); and some of the dining table with various potato peelers, wooden utensils, etc. on it. Just CLICK HERE, then on Documents and enjoy! Those kids did a very nice job! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 09 Apr 02 - 08:08 PM If it hadn't been for that fire this thread wouldn't have happened...
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: katlaughing Date: 09 Apr 02 - 07:50 PM How many hankies or boxes of kleenex have all you readers gone through by now? It just keeps getting better, doesn't it? Jeri, you should have heard her on the phone when she got Mary Ellen home! She was enchanted, bemused, in love and wow! could she play. She kept talking about Mary Ellen teaching her the tunes, but I think it was more kismet: guitar meets fingers, meets heart, meets soul, meets spirit and away they went. Just indescribably beautiful. THANKS, NIGHT OWL for sharing with us!!! Rickdarlin'...there were no potato peeler threads, so you didn't miss anything. There were no threads about any of this until NO started posting them, what, a week or two ago? besides which, what you DID carve for her is gorgeous! luvya'll...kat |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Jeri Date: 09 Apr 02 - 06:13 PM About the comment I made MUCH earlier about you being the sort of person people want to do things for... I am very (VERY!) bad at commitment - even little bitty commitments. I didn't want to bring the guitar - I didn't know how I was going to get it to NO. I didn't want to be responsible for it. I didn't think I'd have room. (I'd envisioned bringing darn near every instrument I owned to Toronto.) I told Night Owl this, and she accepted it. In retrospect, I can only imagine what sort of hurt and disappointment this must have caused. I told her "I'll see if it will fit," and left here without her knowing if I'd bring it back or not. She never pushed, and Rick didn't push - just let me know how much Nightie wanted it. In the end, I brought only one fiddle with me and had loads of room. Seeing Night Owl and Mary-Ellen together in that restaurant made it worth going to a lot trouble than giving a guitar a ride, and I regret even thinking about not bringing it back. At the time, hearing her story of how she came to adopt it was magic. Seeing her face... She got it out of the case and just looked at it, touched it, got to know it a bit before she played it. I left for home thinking something right had just clicked into place and was glad I'd been a very small part of it. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Rick Fielding Date: 09 Apr 02 - 12:42 PM Howdy Night Owl....oh I think 'she' knows she's found a home for life! I hadn't really noticed all the 'potato peeler' threads during that time, and certainly not their significance on your tree....or I'd have carved you a LEATHER potato peeler! Now THAT would have been something for future archeologists to try and explain! Cheers and love Rick |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 09 Apr 02 - 12:33 PM sorry I missed those posts while I was typing. CapriUni...I've gotten so used to people here in my neighborhood NOT knowing what an Autoharp or a Dulcimer is, I'm pleasantly surprised when I meet someone who DOES know...bg (Besides apes, can't a wolf or a dog make the "oo" sound??) MMario.....if this feels like a "roller-coaster ride" reading it.....no wonder I get out of breath and exhausted trying to keep up with living it!!;o) The music store I mentioned is a VERY well-known, reputable store in Cambridge, Mass. I had called ahead to let them know what I was bringing in....but the first instrument we started taking out of the bag, dropped a piece of charred wood on the counter and some ashes on the floor...and they smelled AWFUL. As upset as I was at the time, in hindsight...I think looking at them was better done outside, in the fresh air. BUT, the owner could have been a LOT more tactful in "banishing" me and the instruments from inside the store. One of the "salesmen" heard the owner's "tone of voice" and came outside with me immediately....and spent well over an hour looking at the instruments and talking with me. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 09 Apr 02 - 11:53 AM Kat's "Secret Santa Mudcat Magic Christmas Flood" began here shortly after I got the Hammered Dulcimer. Something clicked in me during that flood....just everything positive combined.....that had been happening here. The way the house welcomed the sounds of the autoharp and the HD in it;....the colors in the "utensil" ornaments;... the ornaments themselves;....the kindnesses of the "Santas" in giving them and THEN thanking ME for the giggles they had in giving them;......the simplicity and "honesty" of the children's tree;....Jon's delight and excitement at seeing it all;...... the giggles that were so contagious in my home to anyone who entered;..... the peacefulness of my new home itself;......the carpenter's delight in being able to straighten the barn without it falling down on us;.....positive comments from people in the neighborhood on the work we were trying to do here;.....Paul's continuity, after three years, finally convincing me that his hand was there whenever I needed to grab hold to steady myself;....the deepening of a friendship with kat that I treasure;...and continuing to find DAILY resources, giggles and links in Mudcat threads that I need here.
It's a loooong list, and I could go on with more on the list......BUT all I'm trying to say...is.....that I turned a corner here.......and I felt it.
And then, reading threads one night, surrounded by potato peelers, measuring spoons, cookie cutters, jello molds etc. and with a moose in elk-drag smiling down at me from its perch on top of my computor, I found a thread Rick Fielding had started about a new guitar he had bought. And somewhere in there, he mentioned that it meant he would have to sell his old guitar.
I spent a couple of days trying NOT to think about it, reminded myself that I had spent my guitar money on the HD, and convinced myself that he wasn't REALLY serious anyway.
So, .....with the goofy smile of an elk-moose in front of me....and a funny looking BUT dignified green thing behind me standing among ALL the potato peelers on the table...I took a looong deep breath and sent Rick a Mudcat's personal message which said something like. ...."Just Curious here...were you serious about selling a guitar, and if so...how much are you asking???"
There was a quick flurry of phone calls.....to catch Jeri.....who lives kinda/sorta near me....and was leaving any minute to go visit Rick and Heather for the Holidays.
And I began the New Year, with my new guitar.
I didn't get much sleep for the next few days.....I rushed home from work to play her..and we played, and played.....and she played soft......and she played LOUD....and she taught me that she wouldn't allow my fingers to get sloppy on her neck...and that I'm a better guitarist than I thought I was.......and that I've a LOT to learn....and that she's a patient and responsive teacher....and that she'll help me learn more!!! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: MMario Date: 09 Apr 02 - 11:17 AM I've heard some apes do a pretty good job on the "oo" sound.
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: CapriUni Date: 09 Apr 02 - 11:05 AM None of the "crew" had ever seen or heard an autoharp before...and for the FIRST time since the fire, I gave a music "lesson" and was able to watch the smiles appear. Boy, I must be some sort of "folkie" (even though neither I nor my parents were/are musicians), because I can't imagine any adult not knowing what an autoharp is -- kinda like not knowing what a cow looks like. *BG* Even a "city slicker" without any direct knowledge of cows knows they exist, and can identify that "Muuuuurrr" sound. Note: Cows do not go "moo"... only humans can make the "oo" sound... |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: SharonA Date: 09 Apr 02 - 10:12 AM Yeah, I don't understand that either, Peter T. How would charred instruments "contaminate" his new ones? And what was the point in ordering potential customers out the door, especially when the internet has made "word-of-mouth advertising" a global phenomenon? Sounds like that store owner has more contamination problems in his head than in his shop. Gee, I'd never noticed that there was a hammer dulcimer in the auction last fall (I wasn't familiar enough with Mudcat to explore the auction). I didn't see the follow-up "for sale" thread, either. Good thing I missed it both times, or else I might have put a bid on it or responded to the thread, and then the dulcimer wouldn't have found the perfect home with Night Owl! Funny how these things work out.... :^) |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Peter T. Date: 09 Apr 02 - 08:44 AM Just as long as you aren't going to tell us that you bought a guitar from the owner of the so-called "music store" who didn't want his shiny merchandise polluted by battered instruments. What is with these people? yours, Peter T. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 09 Apr 02 - 06:51 AM In late Oct., 2001.... playing on Mudcats, I found a thread by "Whistleworks" describing a Hammered Dulcimer he had for sale. He had placed it in the auction but received no bids on it. I had given up on finding the "right" guitar. It had been a full year since I enjoyed playing Kendall's, and in playing other guitars I found....I just felt sad and uncomfortable.
I guess what really caught my attention is that he mentioned the HD came with a couple sets of hammers... and I had a quick "mind flash" picture of my brother's hammers that had been on my "memorial wall" in my home.
I re-read the information a few times....and then decided that if trying to find a new guitar made me feel sad.....I should learn something new...and REALLY start fresh. So, I contacted him and......yes...the HD was still for sale. I also discovered that he lived within a few hours drive from me. We agreed on a price and made arrangements to meet halfway...in the parking lot of a mall....near the highway exit ramp. I called an acquaintance who teaches Hammered Dulcimer here and asked a few questions about the instrument and what to check on before I bought it. He also, in the conversation, offered to teach me HOW to play it...in exchange for teaching his wife autoharp. (More than an equitable exchange!!!)
So, Whistleworks and I exchanged cell phone numbers, I grabbed a friend and off we went. We called him on his cell phone when we found the parking lot, he put his emergency flashers on in his vehicle and like a plane landing with the help of the runway lights....we manuevered our way through the crowded parking lot...to the flashing lights on his car.
And there, in the parking lot, he gave me my first lesson on a Hammered Dulcimer..and showed me how to play a scale on it. We went into a Pizza shop there, had dinner and a fun mini "get acquainted" conversation. My friend and he shared a lot in common with their knowledge of Classical and Organ music....which was wayyyyy over my head but a delight to listen to.
I came home with the HD, a portable stand for it, three sets of hammers, a padded stool to sit on while playing it...AND a cd. When I got home, and set up the HD in the 17th century (small) living room, it looked like it had ALWAYS been there. Before I went to bed that night, I played the scale Bob had shown me in the parking lot, JUST to be sure I could remember it, and then picked out a couple more "trial and error" simple tunes...AND it "fit"..... me and my new home....and it sounded gorgeous.
I put the hammers down, and stared at it for a while.. amazed....because I was suddenly feeling like I had just completed something for my brother...full circle....and that he was grinning.
I've been going to music festivals for a looong time now, and every so often....over the years, someone has a "booth" selling Hammered Dulcimers...and as I walk by...I would pick up the hammers.....just to try it....and was NEVER able to come close to making the sound I heard when other people played them.....never could co-ordinate both hands playing. This one won't let me pass by it without playing something on it....using BOTH hands!!
THANK-YOU Whistleworks...please know she continues to have a good home here. and that was my SECOND successful step in replacing instruments through Mudcatters. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 09 Apr 02 - 03:38 AM blithering on here...
I received kat's autoharp in July of 2001. We were in the middle of trying to make the barn stand a bit straighter. I was on my way home from picking up Pizza for everyone here, when I stopped at the Post Office and got the package. None of the "crew" had ever seen or heard an autoharp before...and for the FIRST time since the fire, I gave a music "lesson" and was able to watch the smiles appear.
The rest of the summer was busy...still lots of ups and downs and I continued grabbing onto Paul's hand when I tripped and fell...and continued reading threads and sticking close to Mudcats. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 09 Apr 02 - 02:52 AM The rest of this is a blur...one BIG smiling "Mudcat Magic" blur........
After playing Kendall's guitar, I relaxed about replacing mine...resigned a bit I guess...that it wouldn't be happening soon. I continued playing the borrowed autoharp a lot...and the borrowed guitar seldom...cuz it hurt my hands to play it. And the months went by...
In the radio and Paltalk chat rooms (and threads??) we learned that kat wanted to get an instrument..and we encouraged her to find a Dulcimer. She did .....and within a week she was playing tunes WELL with it in Paltalk. It was and still IS a "match".
Soon after, she found an old Autoharp for sale on e-bay, and again.....we encouraged her to get it. It was NOT a match. Myself and a few other autoharp players argued with her in the chat rooms....and the threads...trying to convince her to give it more of a chance...maybe she wasn't holding it right...sitting right...etc.,etc. We suggested that before she gave up on it, she wait until she could get together with another autoharp player, to help her with it. She kept saying, it simply wasn't the instrument for her. I let her know that if she was SURE she didn't want it..I might be interested in buying it from her.
Within a couple of days I received an e-mail from her saying....."You will please allow my heart to do this for you...check your mail in a few days."
Within a few days kat's autoharp arrived in the mail. She's beautiful...an old Oscar Schmidt...with the "right" mellow sound...BUT someone had replaced the bars on it and the buttons weren't in the right places to evenly press the bars down. So....I called kat to let her know that the autoharp itself had a gorgeous sound. I described what the problem was that she had been having with it and told her that I would fix it and send it back to her.
A little late with this, but I want to SHOUT...... THANK-YOU KAT!!!!!......the autoharp continues to give me pleasure and sounds purrrrfect to my ear.
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: katlaughing Date: 09 Apr 02 - 12:05 AM More pix will be available, tomorrow...I promise!*bg* |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 09 Apr 02 - 12:04 AM continuing.....
After "survival" stuff settled down a bit, I tried to look for another guitar and learned quickly that it was too soon.....just made me sad.....and I found the music stores with all the guitars hanging on the walls..... cold,....and impersonal.
One of my neighbors had a guitar that I eventually borrowed. It sat in her closet for years ....didn't sound quite "right" to me and was difficult for me to play without it "thunking"...BUT it was a guitar and it did hold a note....AND I was tired. I already had "sticker shock" from looking for instruments...so I half-heartedly made arrangements to buy her guitar.
By then, here at Mudcats, Bill and Allan's "Mudcat Adventure" was over...and other Mudcatters were doing "Gatherings" every so often, in different places..including one at Barry Finn's house in New Hampshire......JUST over the state border....(sorta)....from me.
So a friend and I went. We weren't sure if we had the right house until we pulled in the driveway and heard someone singing a beautiful Sea Shanty..and other voices singing harmonies. As soon as we walked in, there was Barry...making his way through a mass of people to welcome us in....introducing us to his family....and helping us "settle in"..(AND find the food...bg). Throughout the entire time we were there...he continued making SURE we were comfortable.....and WELL fed and watered.
THANK-YOU BARRY and FAMILY......for opening your home and for all the warmth you gave us.
I recognized MaryMac immediately at Barry's, from watching the Radio Shows. She escorted me out to her car, opened the trunk and made me cry. She presented me with a load of "CARE" packages from Max,Bert and herself... tapes, CD's and even some VINYL albums!!! This is LOOONG overdue...BUT
THANK-YOU Max, Bert and MaryMac!!!!! for helping me start to rebuild my music collection.
I was able to put faces with the names of some of the other Mudcatters I knew from reading the threads. The music and singing at Barry's was incredible.....and I soaked up every note, to bring back with me, to help me get through the chaos.
Another Mudcatter I met at Barry's was Kendall...who was trying to be our "Community Curmudgeon" in the threads...(but failing). He caught me staring (drooling)at the full sound of his guitar....and offered to let me play it. Not only did he let me play it...he let me take it into another room and be "alone" with it for a bit.
It only took a couple minutes of listening to its' sound, and feeling how it "fit" ....to decide that I couldn't/wouldn't buy just ANY guitar.....and regardless of how long it took to find one in my price range... I would know the right guitar for me when I saw it, held it and played it. THANK-YOU KENDALL........thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!!!!!!!!!! ;o)))))))) When I got home, I called the neighbor and told her I wouldn't be buying her guitar.
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: catspaw49 Date: 08 Apr 02 - 07:15 PM So Mortie, while we're waiting, can I get a few pics of you in those suspenders? Or better yet, just come over here and sit on Uncle Spaw's lap and we'll see if those suspenders can put a snap in my garters..... Great stuff Jackie.....and Karen and Connie and Wayne are all enjoying it too. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: MMario Date: 08 Apr 02 - 06:55 PM I feel like I'm on some sort of an emotional roller-coaster ride when I read through this thread - but that's a good thing. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Morticia Date: 08 Apr 02 - 06:20 PM I can hardly wait.......when you leave us in suspenders (sic) I find it hard to think about anything but the next chapter....guessing, hoping, cheering on...... |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 08 Apr 02 - 05:36 PM I'm having major trouble trying to find the words for this next "chapter"...about my instruments....gratitude tears keep coming....like Sinsull and the coffee mug.....gratitude tears for having survived "stuff", gratitude tears for being able to rebuild a life and gratitude tears for all of the support from my community here AND the Mudcat community....and for being able to tell this story to a MUSIC community that can understand it..
Waaaaaayyyy up top there, I mentioned that my daughter had taken my burnt records and burnt instruments to her house. She put all of it in her garage. The records she didn't get were the ones I played a lot. They were off the bookshelf and sitting on top of my stereo. The records I'm working on cleaning now, were crammed into the bookshelf so tightly that the fire didn't burn the ones in the middle...melted some...but some will be ok and playable when I'm done. Sandy and Caroline's album was one of the ones sitting on top of my stereo.....and I have NO explanation for how it came to be at the bottom of the HUGE pile in the yard......the ONLY one I found that had been off the shelf.
My instruments were part of the "who" of myself, and I had enough of a variety of them to match whatever mood I happened to be in. Three of them had become "special" friends over the years..my guitar, dulcimer and autoharp.
We found no trace of the fiddles, banjo and banjo-mandolin......but my daughter had the rest in her garage.....black. It's odd, sometimes, how our instincts can protect us IF we listen. I looked...saw charred wood....and left them there...in her garage, because something was yelling in my brain...."NOT NOW!". I went on to deal with the chaos and basic survival stuff.
A few months later, we put the instruments in garbage bags and brought them into a music store to get estimates on their replacement costs. The owner of the store took one look into the bags and ordered us out of the store......he didn't want my instruments "contaminating" the new instruments he had hanging on the walls for sale. A rational thing for him to do..but I somehow took it personally....and felt banished from life.
We stood......outside in the rain and wind, under the awning, and pulled black instruments out of the bags. And then I REALLY learned...that there was NO dollar value for the fullness and sweet tones these instruments had.......and NO dollar value for all of those years these "misfit" instruments brought me comfort.....and brought smiles to so many other people...young and old. I DID already know that...but in the world of loss and insurance fights, somehow, momentarily, forgot.
The store owner asked if I wanted him to dispose of the instruments. Being someone who does NOT say good-bye to good friends easily, I said "no" and left.....in tears, with the bags of "verified" worthless instruments.
At the time, I was living in the small apartment. It has a tiny room/closet which became my "burn" room. I put the instruments and albums in there...and closed the door.
That night, I clung to the Mudcat Hear-Me room, which.....thankfully....was full. I said nothing about the kind of day I had....just that I was REALLY grateful that the room was open. Jon (at the time from Wales) sang "Donkey Riding" (AGAIN) for me....alison (from Australia) played her wonderful drum (AGAIN) when I asked; Kat (from Wyoming)sang "Prairie Lullabye" AGAIN when I asked, and Paul(from British Columbia) sang a bunch of Bill Staines' songs that brought me comfort. Mary (in Kentucky) and I were being the "appreciative audience" and the "performers" were all making us feel welcome AND making it clear to us....that audiences are NECESSARY! bg
Later that same night, I asked Paul and alison if they would try a "drum duet" .....and they DID!! Just amazing to me....taking turns with their drums and singing the verses and chorus .... Australia and Canada.
THANK-YOU ALL.......for helping me put the horror of that day behind me and refilling my cup with your music and friendships.
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Banjer Date: 07 Apr 02 - 07:47 PM Refresh...... |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 06 Apr 02 - 07:17 PM Real stories never really end. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Banjer Date: 06 Apr 02 - 04:29 PM Good for Jon, I wish I had taken lessons when I could have at that age...learning as late in life as I tried is nearly impossible. Best I can do is play by ear, reasonably well I'm told, but don't ask me what key I'm in or what that last chord I played was! Encourage the young'un all you can. My grandson just turned 13 and I keep harping on his mother (my daughter) to get that boy some lessons. I gave him an old beater guitar and he tries to play on it. Very glad to hear that the plants are happy with their new home as well!! Take yer time on that next installment, don't hurry. Like I said somewhere above this is one of those stories that you just know will have a happy ending but you hate to see it over!! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 06 Apr 02 - 03:34 PM gonna try to type up the next "installment" later today, but just wanted to let you guys know.....Jon and I did an "inventory" of plants coming up on the property this spring...and the things we transplanted from my yard two(??)weeks ago. Those baby lilacs, that were only one/two foot tall "sticks" when we planted them, have LEAF BUDS forming on them..EVERY one of them AND my grandmother's antique roses also have leaf buds coming. Jon's excited!!!! (me too!!) Still not sure if the Rambling Roses made the move ok.....NOT complaining here!!!
Banjer...Jon just turned 12. The guitar he bought is an electric guitar....(I haven't seen it yet)BUT I make sure I have acoustic folk/blues guitar music on when he comes over....saw him listening with BOTH ears and absorbing the music a few times... |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Morticia Date: 05 Apr 02 - 04:52 PM Love those peelers, they certainly are attractive.....but not as attractive as the picture you are sharing with us, of you, of your friends and of the people here. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Sorcha Date: 05 Apr 02 - 10:56 AM LOL, Alice! That never occured to me, but you're right! Found the things at WalMart, LEJ. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Alice Date: 05 Apr 02 - 10:54 AM Just looked at the photos... WOW! They are iMac potato peelers!! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Sorcha Date: 05 Apr 02 - 10:41 AM Fell off, refresh........ |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Diva Date: 04 Apr 02 - 06:41 AM Superb thread..thank you for sharing it with us Night Owl. Loved the piccies..where do you get the tattie peelers? Thank you Mcgrath..I was racking whats left of my brain for "Its a wonderful Life"...ohh these senior moments!!!!! Diva |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Banjer Date: 04 Apr 02 - 05:18 AM How is Jon doing with his guitar lessons? Are you playing together yet? How old is he? He sounds like a potential Mudcatter! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 04 Apr 02 - 02:16 AM I'll try to send pictures to kat tomorrow of MORE potato peelers, "ornaments", the children's tree, etc. (The pictures are in the computor...somewhere.....bg)
At the same time all the Christmas mail was arriving, there was OTHER "Mudcat magic" happening here..so there's more to come. AND..speaking of Christmas mail....JUST when I thought the flood of packages was finished, after Christmas I got ANOTHER package in the mail from Sinsull...which had a teeny, tiny (giggle)bottle of Champagne (about 1/2 inch) to welcome in the New Year...and colorful refrigerator magnet clips. (btw Sinsull...they're ALL on the fridge and Jon clips his "landscaping" designs and "chore lists" to them.) THANK-YOU SINSULL!!
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: CapriUni Date: 03 Apr 02 - 11:13 PM Indeed, L. EJ! They even make fantastic Christmas ornaments!
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Lonesome EJ Date: 03 Apr 02 - 09:29 PM I want one o' them dang colorful peelers! That'd really liven up the old potato routine! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: katlaughing Date: 03 Apr 02 - 09:18 PM I will put links to the pictures back in the other thread, too, when the *ornaments* were first mentioned, for continuity.*bg* |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: katlaughing Date: 03 Apr 02 - 08:08 PM Pictures, this evening, I promise.:-) Okay, click on Documents when you get there you will see two pix, one of the gorgeous peelers and one of the Elk that was a Moose! More to come....at a thread near you! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 03 Apr 02 - 07:15 PM I'm dying to see picturers. But then they'll not be as sharp as the word pictures we've got already.
It's a Wonderful Life. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: katlaughing Date: 03 Apr 02 - 06:39 PM Just wanted to share this email gem, with Night Owl's permission, from December 10th, in the midst of all the Magic: amazing morning here!!!!! Gonna try to describe this to you....take off your shoes and set a spell. I sleep on the floor in the living room...(the 17th cent. part of the house in front) cuz it's where I feel "safe" and hugged. I got up and walked throught the dining room and my eyes automatically went to that wonderful card you sent...focus for a sec and breathe deep....continuing on to the bathroom.(I HAD TO PEE!!) and an INCREDIBLE array of colors and THINGYS spread out on the dining room table gave me another hug and belly giggle. Peed..continued on to the kitchen to make the coffee.....stared at my kitchen table spread out with gorgeous, caring, detailed, handmade by CHILDREN decorations, shed one of those tears of gratitude for life itself we talked about...... looked out the window at a barn I've watched be sad for 30 years....and it's front lines are STRAIGHT!!!!!!! It smiled back at me standing tall..........!!!!!! Came to the computor to send you a thank you......and found giggle mail waiting for me from Paul, who continues to stand beside me and seems to intuitively know my moods and idiocy. So, I'm sitting here.....in awe.......thinking about our conversation a while ago...in which I said......."my spirit is ready to recognize Christmas this year..but I don't have a clue HOW to begin establishing NEW traditions for myself." And as you talked, we both came up with my needing to start with getting a tree.....AND if NOTHING else.....my POTATO PEELER is going to be put on it. Kat..if you could SEE this stuff....and what you've done for me here......... I sure hope you woke up WITHOUT those "heebie-jeebies".!!!!!! Sending you a song."Thought for the Day"........if I do this right ..it's attached here. Coming to you along with a (((((((((VBH)))))))))) |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: SINSULL Date: 03 Apr 02 - 03:37 PM Fascinating! If I saw the scene of the teacher and children arriving with bagsful of homemade ornaments on "Touched By An Angel", I would gag and go into a diabetic coma. In real life, I tear up and remember how lucky I am to have found Mudcat and all its wonderful inhabitants. Thanks, NightOwl, for sharing the magic. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: MMario Date: 03 Apr 02 - 03:34 PM Oh I am smiling too, but the tears still come - that strange mix of emotions.
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: catspaw49 Date: 03 Apr 02 - 03:29 PM Or not crying and smiling a lot instead.........Let me try this on to see if I can make sense here.....okay? I have never met Jackie in 3-D. I have seen her pictures, read her words for many years, and talked with her on the phone.......and perhaps it's the last one which makes me smile. Her voice puts the entire picture together somehow for me and in these last two installments I am completely caught up in actually "seeing" her thrill, her joy, her "giggles." Her joy with Jon and the kids, with 'Catters in a number of ways and times, with going to the post office and seeing her through their eyes and the other folks in town........hellfire, I can see the town! Never met her, never been there, but this is as distinct an image as any movie..........I just sit here smiling broader and broader for my friend and for those around her. Someone said that the "magic" may be because Night Owl creates her own magic and indeed, can anyone read the last two "chapters" and not know that to be true? Spaw |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Sorcha Date: 03 Apr 02 - 03:21 PM OH NO--more giggles! That is just too funny, Jackie! Do we have pics yet? |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: jeffp Date: 03 Apr 02 - 03:09 PM You're not the only one, Mmario. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: MMario Date: 03 Apr 02 - 02:40 PM I have to stop reading this thread at work. People are beginning to wonder why I sit here and cry. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 03 Apr 02 - 02:31 PM Next "installment"......
Backing up a bit... last summer, I met a new neighbor. He had stopped by to introduce himself, and initially was a VERY nervous little boy. When I first met him, he puffed out his chest and stood up straight.....and announced that his name was Jon, he was the minister's son from next door, and did I need help with the yardwork. He's been working for me, once a week, ever since.
We talk a lot, while we're working, and I quickly learned that he was saving any money he made, to buy a guitar and take guitar lessons. (So, of course....I gave him a raise.) He's a hard worker and some of the neighbors, watching him work here, hired him as well. By Christmas he had saved enough for his first guitar.
The week before the "ornaments" started arriving, Jon and I made plans to go pick out a tree.......even though I had NO idea at the time what I was going to put on it...... I JUST wanted a tree.. When he arrived, I was in the midst of one of many "kitchen utensil giggle attacks".
I told him that I had something REALLY fun to show him, and as we walked toward the table, I mentioned that, in the fire, I had lost all my Christmas decorations. I looked at the table......giggling......and looked at Jon...who looked upset. He's a very quiet, sensitive kid, and my immediate thought was that the reality of the fire and what I lost was upsetting him. The following Sunday, I learned what was upsetting him.
Walking up my driveway, that Sunday, were three children and an adult, all carrying bags. The adult is a friend and teaches Sunday school at Jon's church. (Jon wasn't with them.)The oldest girl made a "speech" and unpacked the bags.......and then I found out why Jon had looked SO upset.
Did you know, that if you take a popsicle stick......glue a tiny red furball 2/3s of the way up on it.....and wrap a brown pipe-cleaner once around the top of it......it makes a reindeer?
SOOOOO........my "confession"......with apologies to my "Secret Santas".
When Jon came again to work, we (he) picked out my tree......and we decorated it with the artwork he and the other children had made....and one potato peeler. A friend had also found "bubble lights" to replace the antique ones I lost...and we put those on the tree as well.
That tree went in the living room.....in the 17th century part of the house. The room simply smiled and took on a "spiritual" glow throughout the holidays.
Jon and I hung them, and other special treasures Mudcat "elves" had sent, on walls........ in doorways.....and in the windows. The potato peelers stayed beside candles on the table.....sparkling and reflecting the candlelight. My kitchen and dining room remained warm, giggle rooms until well-after the holidays.
I have pictures of the children's tree......(complete with an "Elmo Jesus" glued onto a styrofoam cup).
"THEY" say that timing is everything in life.
Kat had been giving me repeated "lectures" about learning to receive "graciously" and to JUST ACCEPT the packages that were coming in the mail.
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: JenEllen Date: 02 Apr 02 - 12:25 PM It was a trans-continental giggle-fest. Imagine the scene in our little country store: "Do you have any ornaments with elk on them?" "Elk?" "Yes, elk. The big furry things running around outside? Elk." "We have this moose..." "A moose in drag?" "Well, with the dress and the hat over it's horns you can hardly tell it's not an elk..." And believe it or don't, but that delicate cherry-pitter is a fabulous invention. When you become masterful, grasshopper, it can actually shoot the pits 'a purty fur piece'---in Washingtonian, that means that you can sit on your porch in the summer and eat cherries and shoot the pits at the neighbor kids. (waitaminute...it might also be useful in the cat deterant thread....hmmm...)
Anyhow, lovely story dear one. Glad to hear there were some laughs to be had. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: SINSULL Date: 02 Apr 02 - 11:56 AM Reminds me of "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"...it came without the usual array of lights, balls, bells, etc. I wanted to send an antique Christmas ornament and was told "No". Kat was right. The last thing this tree needed was a plain old Christmas ornament. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: CapriUni Date: 02 Apr 02 - 11:34 AM Laughter is contagious... even reading about it! Thank you for this thank you! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: katlaughing Date: 02 Apr 02 - 11:18 AM I've got the giggles, again, just thinking about it...it was SO much fun! And before this, folks, she only went to the post office once per week! We had her going evey day!!LOL!! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 02 Apr 02 - 02:36 AM continuing on.....
The next time I talked to kat I learned that, after I had described some of the ornaments I lost and told her the potato peeler story, she had taken on the "task" of decorating my tree...and had enlisted a couple other volunteers to help.
Every day, when I went to the Post Office, there was a package waiting for me....and I started giggling.
In the packages were an incredible array of USEABLE kitchen utensils...(alias tree ornaments)!!
We ARE from the "back woods" here I guess...cuz none of us could identify it. (It's a "Cherry Pitter".)
Kat was sending what seems like a package a day herself, loaded with small treasures. I had whined to her months earlier about having no string....and there it was...a ball of string....a round "ornament".
There's NO way I can list ALL the utensils and treasures I received...but will get the pictures "blue-clickied" so you can see them if you want.
When I called Sorcha to thank her for her package, it was CLEAR to me that she had thoroughly enjoyed, and was excited, about finding the stuff she did. Same when I talked to kat while she was packaging up "stuff" to send me. They both JUST kept giggling!!!
Kat's "project" was contagious here. I had all the utensils and treasures spread out on the table before Christmas..and they were gorgeous....!! And everyone who saw ALL of it, left giggling.
A neighbor, who usually goes to bed early, called me late at night..pretending to be angry..complaining that she couldn't get to sleep cuz she kept thinking of more "utensils" for my tree. My girlfriend came with a silver "hard-boiled egg slicer" in the shape of a chicken, my aunt sent a round gadget to separate egg whites from the yolks.....and everyone who brought something for the tree........giggled.
It's impossible for me to capture what you all did here.......not only in my own "heart smile" but for others around me as well.
My mother turned 92 in March. Christmas for her has not been "joyous" since my brother died. I want you guys to know, that she sat in my "new-old" home...and laughed, and giggled and laughed.......and SMILED!!! gotta stop writing for tonight here.....there's more.
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: CapriUni Date: 01 Apr 02 - 12:41 PM Kat -- Everything is pretty, if you find the right way to look at it... So, did you top the tree with a box grater? *BG* |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: katlaughing Date: 01 Apr 02 - 12:07 PM I think I'll be able to get the picture fo the potato peelers up by later this afternoon. They are SOOooooo pretty! Who knew!?**BG** |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: CapriUni Date: 01 Apr 02 - 09:50 AM Take as long as you need, Night Owl... I'm actually hoping this thread goes on for a long time. It's been wonderful to read, especially at the end of the day -- going to sleep with thoughts of survival and strength and new beginnings in the head (much better than letting the evening news reports have the last word!) And re: The Mary Ellen Carter -- what a perfect theme song for this whole saga! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 01 Apr 02 - 04:08 AM I was hoping to be able to write another "installment" here tonight...but am REALLY tired and need to get to sleep. I DO want you guys to know that I thoroughly appreciate your responses here..ALL of you!!
I have pictures and talked with kat tonight about how best to easily "blue clicky" them...we'll be doing that soon. There is MORE fun stuff coming up.
The "ditty" I posted for Sorcha goes to the tune "Little Boxes" written by Malvina Reynolds...for anyone unfamiliar with it....it's in our database.
For tonight, I just want to post the last few lines of Stan Roger's song "The Mary-Ellen Carter". If you guys have been able to wade through ALL this "blithering" so far, you'll understand why so much "magic" in the moment I tried to describe above. (btw...to me at the time...."smiling bastards" referred to the Ins. Adjuster)
Rise again, rise again |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: CapriUni Date: 31 Mar 02 - 10:14 PM I'm glad you were able to get to your coffee mug first of all your posessions, Sinsull... But just a word of warning: mugs are much too heavy to hang on a tree for decorations. (but they do make nice vases for Christmas greenery bouquets) And, Night Owl, did you take a picture of your tree? And if so, can you post it? I'd love to see it. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 31 Mar 02 - 09:02 PM If by any chance you still need a choice of potato peelers, here it is - the "Lancashire Poato Peeler" is the best sort, I think. It's the chepest in the list too as well. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Alice Date: 31 Mar 02 - 05:41 PM Night Owl, what a great story. Sinsull, I didn't know you have one of my mugs, but I am VERY glad you do and glad that it gives you pleasure. - Alice |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: SINSULL Date: 31 Mar 02 - 12:54 PM I am sitting here laughing and crying at the same time. In February I moved to Maine and left 21 years of living in the same place behind. It was all exciting and fun and new until the first morning I went to make a cup of coffee and found I had no mug. Everything was "in transit". Instant coffee microwaved in a paper cup brought me to the realization of the enormous changes I had made. And the tears came - not sorrow or loss just everything from my son's addiction to the collapse of the Twin Towers hit me at once. The first thing I unpacked was a mug made by Alice and given to me by AllanC - my potato peeler. Jackie, did your home let you know how happy it was with the tree and a real Christmas? |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Banjer Date: 31 Mar 02 - 04:03 AM This all goes a long way toward showing us all how we can find much joy and happiness in things that we take for granted in our lives. Just reading this saga has been theraputic in a way for me. When Night Owl told of the simple pleasure and joy she found in a potato peeler I couldn't help but think of some of the lesser things in my life which have more meaning than I could remember! I don't know about the rest of you, but I will go into the new day with a slightly different perspective for having read this. Happy Easter, all!! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Jeri Date: 31 Mar 02 - 12:32 AM I'm sure I'm not the only person to notice this, but I think a lot of the magic comes from you. All those people wanting to help you, and the way they helped you is extraordinary. They're extraodinary for having done so much, but do you see it takes someone to give AND someone to receive? And you told the Christmas story on Easter. Rebirth, renewal, power and hope. Thank you for this - the story itself is magic. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Sorcha Date: 31 Mar 02 - 12:27 AM Ahaa hhaaa haaa haa! A whole Christmas tree decorated with potato peelers............it still gets better, friends. There are more tree decorations to come....Jackie and I laffed so hard the night she recieved the peelers and called me. It still is funny.... I maybe shouldn't tell you this but Jackie has been so open I just can't help it. She does not accept gifts very readily, but she just couldn't help accepting the peelers......and "stuff". Maybe this whole story should be called "The Christmas Peeler Saga". |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: catspaw49 Date: 31 Mar 02 - 12:24 AM And a Happy Easter to you too Jackie.........and I believe this is an infinitely better resurrection story(:<)) BTW, sister Connie, the Activity Therapist, has a bad internet connection so I'm forwarding your posts to her e-mail. Tomorrow, during Easter dinner and all, I can assure you that you will be in our conversation as we have all talked about you and this thread a lot. So I'll send you an Easter Greeting from our merged family and also a hope that one day, you'll come and spend some time with all of us. Pat, Karen, Tristan, Michael, Wayne, Connie, Ricky, and David |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 31 Mar 02 - 12:04 AM Another of the hard things I lost in the fire was ALL my Christmas decorations. I hadn't found a trace of any of them, and with everything else I was dealing with, had forgotten about it until the "Holiday" season hit. That first year, Paul and I had made plans for another visit in Vancouver right after Christmas...so it was fairly easy to "ignore" Christmas in the apartment.....and look forward to celebrating holidays and the new millenium in Vancouver. As it was, even before the fire, I hadn't "celebrated" Christmas after my partner died...just gave and received presents.....barely made it through what was "expected".
Christmas, 2001 in my new home felt VERY different.
I don't remember when I started talking with kat on the phone ...or even why....but she had already sent me some old music books she had....with apologies for their "condition".
The Holiday season had begun, and I was telling kat about how it had been YEARS since I felt like recognizing Christmas......but that the living room (in the oldest part of the house) REALLY wanted a Christmas tree in it.........AND so did I.
I talked about some of the decorations I lost......and that I really had to....and WANTED to ....start over, and begin NEW traditions for my Christmas tree....in my "new, old" home. I had gone to K-Mart, but it did NOTHING for me and I found it more depressing.
And I told her about how, after the adventure Radio Show boost, when I was "perched" in the apt. upstairs, I had decided I needed to pay stricter attention to my diet and remember to eat once in a while. I had gone to the grocery store and bought potatos, stuff to make a salad, sweet potatos, and a bunch of other vegetables.
I had a dentist appointment that afternoon, and by the time I arrived at the office, I was giggling at myself. I lost my home, thought I was done crying over the loss.....and got "blind-sided" by a potato-peeler!!
The following week I had another dentist appointment......walked into his office and he presented me with a GORGEOUS new potato peeler. I got home from my appointment with him and found, sitting outside the apt. door.....a package from my girlfriend.......which contained......another potato peeler.......SAME kind.
The following week, I picked up a package from the post office....from Sorcha.... and in the package were, among other treasures, "potato peelers"(click on "Documents")....each one tied with a red ribbon and a tree decoration hanger. There was a pink one, and a green one,
There was a turquoise, and a red one,
and THAT's the potato peeler giggle here.......more coming......but I gotta quit for tonight.
AND I MADE IT!!! Got this part done before Easter!!!
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: katlaughing Date: 30 Mar 02 - 10:59 PM Yeah, Jackie, I think I got one of those calls, too.LOL Just a note, way back up there...Alice did a more refined, better version of the Mudcat Adventure trip map which was linked for awhile, too. Thanks, Alice! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: CapriUni Date: 30 Mar 02 - 09:09 PM *BG* No such thing as coincidence.... Magic Happens! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 30 Mar 02 - 08:32 PM Briefly, years before my partner and I started working on pulling together the Carriage business...we were talking about jobs he had that he enjoyed the most. He mentioned one of the jobs he had doing carpentry and listed all the reasons he respected the boss and the work...one of the reasons was the boss's skills, commitment to restoring old buildings and his love for old wood.
After I bought the property...I was standing in the yard, looking at the sagging barn and this man's name popped into my head. I looked him up in the phone book and called him, somehow convincing him that he HAD to come see the barn. He was not only excited about helping the barn stand up again..but did a thorough evaluation of the house as well, and got excited about the 17th century part of the house. He, members of his family, some neighbors and myself worked ALL the remainder of last year,(in his spare time), on doing some immediate repairs to the house and "wenching" the barn back together. I'm told it's a Nova Scotian design......and kat found some pictures and websites of the style for me. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Sorcha Date: 30 Mar 02 - 08:30 PM I know most of the story, and I keep bawling. THANK YOU JACKIE! for being brave enough and alive enough to be able to share all this. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: SINSULL Date: 30 Mar 02 - 08:17 PM To McGrath of Harlow: "and the horse you rode in on". A horse singing folk songs indeed! FYI: Ichthammol Ointment Ichthyol Ointment From Baar.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Ichthammol Ointment is a soothing application and anti-infective salve for external use. Sometimes called Black Salve, Ichthyol or Icthyol Ointment. Recommended by Edgar Cayce for tenderness or breaking of tissue, abrasions, and also massage. Also stated as the "best application for bed sores." "Keep the Icthyol Ointment over those areas where there is the broken tissue, or where there are the irritations." (2514-7) "In those areas under knees and on hips, where the sores are formed, do keep the Icthyol Ointment. "(2514-8) "The only changes we would give from that being applied would be to use the Ichthyol Ointment on the right limb; that is, the foot, the ankle, the areas where there has been the tenderness by the breaking of those areas that become sore." (0849-73) "On those irritated places, as on the knee and on the hips, we would continue to use the Ichthyol Ointment." (2514-013 ) "... for scratches and itching of vulva." (5671-015) |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Banjer Date: 30 Mar 02 - 07:59 PM Night Owl you just take as long as you want to get to the peelers...This is one of those stories which one looks in on a daily basis to see if any new installments have ben added and dreads that day when he will see 'THE END'...But looked at in the proper light this story is actually a beggining isn't it? I can only hope that if ever I am faced with a similar crisis in my life that I have half the fortitude to face and deal with it as you have shown. Thanks, you are an inspiratiion to all folkies...Banjer |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 30 Mar 02 - 07:45 PM GEEEEEEEEEESE......McGrath...speaking of "spooky" alias "Mudcat Magic" Part of the reason it took SOOOO long in between posts here, is that I had written some stuff about the "Mary-Ellen Carter" and then deleted it before hitting "submit"...fearing I'd be drawn and quartered if I didn't get to "potato-peelers" soon. Gonna type it back in the little "box" before I take a break......
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 30 Mar 02 - 07:31 PM Mary Ellen Carter, inland version. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 30 Mar 02 - 07:28 PM Great! And is there any hope of being able to save that barn? Have a Mudcat Barn Dance there some day... |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 30 Mar 02 - 07:23 PM
THANK-YOU... JON FREEMAN
With a LOT of help from the Mudcat community and my "3-D" community/friends, I was able to stay somewhat focused, and we finally finished loading the dumpster. Paul continued to stand strong beside me, sending music, giggles and encouragement.
Months came and went.....I continued fighting with the Insurance Company, going to work and living in the apartment.
The apartment is on the second floor of an old farmhouse, a few houses down the street from my house...same village. Not a fancy house, it was built in sections during different eras. The oldest part of the house dates back to the 17th century, and is one of the original homes in the village..just a "poor farmer's house"...but well built. The family added a couple more rooms onto the house in the late 1800's and again in the 1940's. The small second floor apartment was added in the 1950's.
The property has an old barn....which I had sadly watched for 30+ years...deteriorating from lack of attention. The old carriage trails I had exercised my first horse on were also on part of the property. Sometimes I would sit on the floor in the apartment, and just stare out the window at the barn...and marvel at just being there....alive.
Things kept happening ....some "spooky" (for lack of a more definitive word) to both myself and the owner of the property.
The builder kept telling me how much I would LOVE the new kitchen and new cabinets etc. until one day I realized, I didn't want "new"....and was just going "through the motions".
I prepared myself as best I could, thinking that "we needed to talk" meant that a member of his family wanted to move into the apt. and I would have to move out. Instead, when he arrived, he informed me that for months he had been feeling that I "belonged" here and that people in the village had also been feeling the same. He had been meeting with other members of his family, AND.... not only were they in agreement with him, they also offered OLD pictures and information about the history of the property if I was interested.
AND so......in the summer of 2001, after a LOT of financial risk and scrambling, I bought this property....barn and all....and laugh if you will......it's given me back a "home" that I doubted I would EVER find again and it's been hugging and healing me ever since. Soooo
THANK-YOU-MAX and MUDCATTERS
for keeping a "thirst for life spirit" ALIVE in me through your collective music and support, and giving me the energy to open the door to my new REAL home.
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 30 Mar 02 - 02:47 PM We also had, back then..."Hear-Me"..(the old Paltalk). Night after night I went into the Hear-Me music sessions to listen...and when the North American Mudcatters had to leave and get some sleep....the Mudcatters from down under would begin to arrive.
THANK-YOU MUDCATTERS..for holding my hand with your live music.and helping me get through those "midnight horrors" taking a break for a bit......turning the "page" to rebuilding......
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Night Owl Date: 30 Mar 02 - 02:19 PM I've been working/sleeping/working since my last post here...(hope to finish this "saga" today/night). I HAD every intention of posting an apology for taking so long to get back. BUT...I see it ain't necessary....bg.
As soon as the weather warmed up in April.....we went back to work on the archaelogical dig.
I clung closer to Mudcats during the next while. Skimming threads for information and links to save on my "Tracer" page for replacing some of my music stuff, getting lost in reading and learning new things in the threads, consistently finding a giggle and DAILY being grateful that the Mudcat community exists.
And then I took a trip......
and the details in the threads every day....about where we had been, what we did, what we saw, where we were going next, (complete with detailed maps of the routes), helped me forget for a moment, the darkness I was going through. Pulling a quote out of Allan C.'s thread about the Adventure guitar...:
"Bill Sables and I took a trip earlier this year. After Bill left England to join me, we packed up my car and drove through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ontario, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and West Virginia. During those travels we met with and sang with about seventy-five Mudcats, each of whom put their signature on either the face or the back of a guitar we carried with us."
THANK-YOU ALLAN C. AND BILL SABLES..for doing the trip and bringing us all along with you.
THANK-YOU KAT...for the work you did mapping the trip
THANK-YOU MAX for the contagious excitement you had in you that night..listening to and playing that wonderful music.....AND for archiving the show.
and THANK YOU ALL who were on the show that night, for the music, the humor.....and for responding to the requests being shouted out to you from the radio "chat room".
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Sorcha Date: 29 Mar 02 - 06:38 PM Hey, my folks used Ithcthamol too! So have I!! Sisull is right, it looks and smells disguting, but it works. Speaking of horses, did you know that vets feed Captan (look it up) to horses internally? Yuck. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 29 Mar 02 - 06:34 PM Ichthammol Ointment - it appears to be a medicine for horses. Well, I've always disputed that quote about horses not singing folksongs, and maybe Sinsull is living proof it's a lie.
Anyway, Sinsull mentions the smell and the look, but what about the taste? It's always useful knowing about possible substitutes. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: SharonA Date: 29 Mar 02 - 12:22 PM Helen: Thanks for that link; I didn't know which "Therapy" thread was being referred to in Night Owl's story. I've been just quietly following along with the story, Night Owl, but please accept one more hug from one more stranger. Sharon |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: SINSULL Date: 29 Mar 02 - 10:23 AM Even the smell of it reminds me of Ichthammol Ointment - the salve my mother used to use to draw out a splinter. Looks bad; smells bad...and Spaw loves it. Says it all. jefesh - this is a wtr5555555555555555555 (cat just walked across the keyboard) wonderful place. Don't miss a chance to meet a few of us face to face. It is even more wonderful. Mary |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: catspaw49 Date: 29 Mar 02 - 09:36 AM BTW, one of the funniest descriptions of Marmite was done by my friend Leej (Lonesome EJ) and if you don't read anything else, you need to read this: There has been a small jar of Marmite in the back of our cupboard for a couple of years.Spurred on by Spaw's positive experience,I popped open the jar and smeared some of this stuff on a piece of toast.First of all,smear isn't quite the right term.It has the consistency of warm tar,so you sort of blot it on the toast.Now,the taste is..is...well,if you don't have any actual Marmite,I can tell you how to approximate the taste. 1) Take 4 cubes of vegetable bouillion,and mash to a pulpy mass 2)Mix with 1 tablespoon water to a glutinous,thick,gummy consistency 3)Apply to toast with butter knife 4)Remove Marmite residue from knife using a mild solvent and rag 5)Dispose of rag 6)Dispose of Marmite-tainted toast 7)Dispose of balance of jar of Marmite Now,I kind of like salty stuff,but this...this congealed matter ...excuse me,I've got to go down another glass of cold water. Still makes me laugh, but then again Leej often does!!! Spaw |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: catspaw49 Date: 29 Mar 02 - 09:18 AM The Aussie equivalent of Marmite, although that will spark argument of course!! I like them both, but they are different in "details." Here's a thread that also links back to the previous threads and if you want you can read the whole lurid tale of Spaw and his Vegemite! Vegemite and Marmite--Click Here Spaw |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Cappuccino Date: 29 Mar 02 - 02:20 AM Spaw, what exactly *is* vegemite? - ian B |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: katlaughing Date: 29 Mar 02 - 01:25 AM So let me get this straight...some woman became your wife at the JRR Tolkien site and you've finally met her and she's already preggers?! Wow! Kewl!**Big Grin** Seriously, everything Spaw said is true, except the part about him not having any of those attributes; his worst fault is self-deprecation, but as long as he keeps the cat litter cleaned up out back, we still love him. Congratulations on your good news and welcome to the Mudcat! Stay tuned, ya really DON'T want to miss the "Peeler" Saga! I hear there may even be a song in it! (Sorry, Night Owl, for the thread drift. Jeffesh's line was too good to pass up; every newbie has to be initiated at some time, eh?*BG*) |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: jeffesh Date: 29 Mar 02 - 12:59 AM Thank you all for the warm welcome! Online communities of this caliber are extremely rare in my experience. I was a member of one a few years ago that was a game based on JRR Tolkien's world and I actually met the woman who became my wife there. It wasn't an internet romance sort of thing; there was no romance until we met in real life. But things have worked out wonderfully and we just found out yesterday that our baby coming in August is a little boy! I'm already thinking about what kind of guitar to start him out on :) Anxiously awaiting more wor about the mystical potato peeler! |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 28 Mar 02 - 08:46 PM Mind, sometimes it gets a bit hairy...But there's nowhere else that comes within sight of the Mudcat at its best. Or even not at its best.
And this thread has been the Mudcat at its best. |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: catspaw49 Date: 28 Mar 02 - 07:19 PM Hi Jeffesh and welcome to the'Cat......Many of the people you see on this thread have been around here a long time. We found Mudcat as you did through the music, but we have stayed and become friends through the sense of real community that exists here. Helen who just posted is a beautiful and intelligent and very compassionate Aussie who has shared even her (sort of) recent marriage with us (She also got me hooked on Vegemite, but that's another story). There are get-togethers and gatherings of 'Catters every now and again and when folks who have only known each other through the threads meet, the feeling is invariably the same......."Old friends, just met." Welcome again and feel free to add and share with us. The 'Cat is a collection of wonderful, intelligent, talented, knowledgeable, caring, and loving people. Sadly I don't have any of those attributes but a lot of folks do....I know from long experience. Jump in whenever and wherever you have an interest. Take some time and read the Faq and explore around the site. It's very extensive with all the threads archived and available to be refreshed anytime. Spaw |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: Helen Date: 28 Mar 02 - 06:58 PM jeffesh, Do a forum search for Music Therapy and you will find a most remarkable thread which will inspire you even more in your quest to share your music. Go up to the box showing "Quick Links" and scroll down to forum search and then type in Music Therapy. There are a few threads with this included in the title. Here is a link to the first one started by Night Owl: http://www.mudcat.org/Detail.CFM?messages__Message_ID=65224 Helen
P.S. Turn back now if you don't want to get addicted to Mudcat. This is your last chance to save yourself! Otherwise you will become a part of this amazing community and you'll be spending significant chunks of your time laughing, crying and having fun here and you'll wonder what you did with your life PM (Pre-Mudcat). |
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Subject: RE: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: CapriUni Date: 28 Mar 02 - 05:26 PM Alternative Title to this thread: A little Night-Owl music heh, heh! Luv it, Mmario! |
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Subject: MudCat Thank You - Part II From: MMario Date: 28 Mar 02 - 02:14 PM Part One
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