Sunday, February 05, 2012

Sunday Light


A little art from Maria.

Our friends have returned from Australia. Michael and Patricia will be our neighbors, again, for a few more days, before they are off on their next adventure. Practically the minute they were in their driveway, Maria and I were over there to hear their sweet voices and enjoy warm hugs. Last night we popped over to keep Michael company around the campfire, and soon there will be a Biergarten Party, where we can catch up with even more friends, and celebrate life's rites of passage.

Sitting around the fire last night, Geoff played a hand-carved flute, and Maria practiced dancing, in the moonlight. She counted twenty days to rehearse before the next garden party. And, I think I need to see about purchasing one of Odell's flutes for Geoff. Seems my husband is a natural... no surprise. He flatters me by suggesting we can duet, together... him on the flute, and me on ukulele! (Jess, if you see this: can we book some more lessons, please?)


Do you know what is a truly wonderful gift? Music in the home is a truly wonderful gift. I miss my brother's piano playing. My own skills were always a bit pedestrian, but I did like playing. I most definitely miss hearing Max play piano. He has a gift. Tamsyn's recent summer visit was a dear reminder of how much I missed hearing her singing in the TreeHouse.


Seems like ever since we've known Eli, we have enjoyed a musical resurgence around here, and happily, it keeps growing. Eli would come by with his ocarina, a funny looking instrument, which he plays beautifully. Then Suki took up the ukulele, and we have had many occasions to listen to her sweet voice and playing. Just hearing her practice, the sounds filling the Bird House, makes me feel lucky, and happy. I think Eli has adopted at least half of the world's known string instruments, and new concerts spring up, with our talented friends keeping the beat... it's fantastic.

If music be the food of love, play on...
~Shakespeare

Sunday Light?

I sat here, in the pale Sunday morning light, and started thinking about all the good things, like Michael and Patricia, then last night, then music, and how live music has become this lovely tune that keeps recurring in my life... and it seems I just let my wandering thoughts play out in this post...

Well, the sun is full up now. The sky is blue, and the happy notes are still playing in my head, so I will go on...

Anna Banana sings. Cristina plays violin. My friends, up north, enjoyed a warm and hearty kitchen concert this week. Caia started ukulele, and I bet she's good, too. Ukuleles, and making music... I keep seeing and hearing this message, this gift, everywhere. I think my friend, Suzie, has a great handle on how easy it can be to embrace something new, like unschooling ukulele lessons!


You know what? We got something really, really beautiful for Christmas. I haven't mentioned it, yet, because it still has me in its magic-grip-of-awestruckedness. Remember the auction for Guitars in The Classroom, and all my talk about Jack Johnson's ukulele, and Tom Petty's signed guitar, and the good we can do by supporting organizations, like Jess', that keep music in our schools? Do yeah? Well. Sometimes we don't even know our own wishes, but someone else can figure it out and make it come true... and that is what happened to me. (I know you can't tell, but I am almost whispering, and my cheeks are rosing up and warm... it's because of the awestruckedness)


This.


Our very own mighty uke. A gift from Ruth, Tutu. She coordinated with Jess during the auction, and with Holly and Rich, too. Holly and Rich gave us the good case, and Ruth bought us the Koa wood, Hawaiian ukulele, signed by Jack Johnson. Thank you Ruth. Thank you Holly and Rich. I still feel Upside Down! (I know you can't tell, but I am crying... it's because of love, and light, and the way music just stirs my tear ducts, and makes me want to be a better person.)

It's tuned, and it sounds lovely. You can strum a ukulele, and it sounds beautiful, even without fancy moves. Easy. You can learn to tune it so you just run your thumb across the strings and it plays a C chord. Suki is teaching me, and Jess gave me a lesson. And I play often. Maria plays our other uke, too.


Jess and Ron, sharing music

Blessed! I know so many talented, generous, kind, thoughtful, warm, funny, creative, inventive, courageous people. Some of them share music, some of them appreciate music, some of them build a bonfire and invite us to join them in the moonlight. I love these people. I love all the notes we play, and learn. I love the light friends and music bring into my days, and nights.

Mom, when you come here in March... bring your uke. Let's strum together.

4 comments:

Alison said...

Oh my--an awe-inducing gift indeed. And you are definitely deserving of it! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for an eventual little video of you crooning to the chicas on a sunny day.

ArtyZen said...

What a lot of overwhelming feelings there are in this post, Natalie - inspired by music, people and love and how the sum of these three things are probably greater than anything else; anywhere.
Lovely post. I'm warmer all over after reading it.
Axxx

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

Thank you, Flartus. And thanks too for asking Chef about cake recipes... you two are sweet. Okay... I am learning chords, and working on my strumming, even a little humming, but crooning? Oh-my. Not sure the chicas would stand for it!

Natalie, the Chickenblogger said...

Feelings do overwhelm me, and I am never sure if I am finding the right words to convey them, but as you say the post has warmed you... well, that makes me very happy.