The Festival!

This year’s dulcimer festival started a bit later for me than year’s past.  The actual festival was only the 17-20^th, but many people get there earlier.  My grandparents often go up as early as July 1^st, but this year the three of us arrived on the 14^th at 6 p.m.  The reason was that that cousin of mine who got married on my birthday earlier this year needed help moving to Virginia and my grandparents were the ones to offer.  Why the rascal had to choose the week before the festival to move is beyond me.  Lousy cousins. 

Despite the late start, I had a lovely time.  The first night, I was out jamming until 11:30 p.m.  The next day, I went out to breakfast with my grandparents and did a little jamming during the day.  That night, I was out until 12:30 a.m.  (The last two nights I was out until 3 and 5 a.m. respectively.  No wonder I’m exhausted!)  Wednesday was the hottest day of the entire week.  It was too hot to jam and no one really felt like doing anything.  I spent a great deal of the day at Martha and John’s campsite visiting with them and playing Martha’s harp for her.  (Her harp was the first one I ever touched and she and her husband have been dear friends ever since.)  After awhile, they decided that proper payment for such playing was a cold root-beer float.  Delicious.  Then, Martha and I walked to the store to buy ice.  I carried it back for her and didn’t really want to give it up when they wanted to put it in their cooler.  I can’t remember how late I stayed out that night; after awhile, all of those late-night sessions begin to blend together!

All of the jams were wonderful.  Once, I tried to stay in the back and did not succeed.  As the jam grew, I found myself as the center of attention!  The really fun part was when a fantastic, ancient, fiddler came and stood beside me.  Someday, I hope I have wrinkles just like his that deepen and made his face beautiful, especially when he smiled, which was often.  At another jam, I did manage to stay in the back, but could not remain completely unnoticed.  The loud woman next to me commented, “You’re just sitting in the back being quiet the whole time while you play the h*ll out of that thing!  You’re supposed to be loud and obnoxious when you do that.”  I did have several people recognize me tell me that I was not nearly as shy as I have been and that my playing has improved, as well.    

Once the festival starts, it feels like the beginning of the end.  There are a lot more people on the fairgrounds there for the day running around and going to workshops.  You can’t find a barn to jam in because of the workshops and your friends are either going to workshops or teaching them!  I didn’t go to many workshops myself this year.  All the fiddle workshops were far too easy and they only had one two-hour mandolin workshop.  Martha had a harp workshop every day and I went to those because I love Martha and seeing/hearing all those harps playing together.      

On Friday, my grandparents bought me yet another instrument.  I simply mentioned to them that my pennywhistle didn’t play in-tune anymore because I had carried it in my back pack this past school year and bent it out of shape.  As soon as the words were out my mouth my grandpa was ready to take a walk to the vender building to buy me whatever whistle my little heart desired.  They bought the best (and most expensive) one there.  I also stood and talked to the man selling the whistles awhile to make sure of what I was getting.  I had seen him around and knew him to be a tease and slightly crazy, so I was determined to be firm with him.  I came across as very serious which impressed him very much.  He was shocked at how tiny my fingers are and there was one low-whistle that I could stick my fingers right into the holes.  His advice?  Drink some beer.  It would make my fingers fatter so I could play the bigger whistles.  After my grandpa had handed him his credit card, the man asked for a phone number so he could verify it.  My grandparents were slightly confused as to if he needed their phone number or mine.  “I need your number.  I’d rather have her number,” he said gesturing toward me, “but I think my wife would be happier if I had yours.”  Once the whistle was paid for, I promptly gave my grandpa a hug and a kiss. The man was astonished.  “If that’s what she does when you buy her something, I want to buy her something!  Go pick something else out!  Whatever you want!”  We all laughed and were about to walk away when he very seriously picked up one of his CD’s and handed it to me, saying, “Here, take it.” 

I love the festival.  I came to a realization this year that makes it all the more wonderful: I don’t have to ever stop.  I used to think that once my grandparents couldn’t go anymore and/or I was “grown-up” with a job, I could no longer attend the festival.  But there are so many wonderful people there and the grounds are so safe, I could potentially go by myself.  And do you have any idea how many teachers and retired teachers attend these things?!  I can count at least five that I know.  When you teach, you have the summers off and have time to go festival-hopping.  The end of formal education doesn’t mean the end of being an irresponsible kid and having fun.  The “adults” at the festival eat when and what they want and stay up until all hours of the morning/night.  However, you may have to catch more naps during the day…

Reminiscences of a beautiful week(end)

As my last entry stated, I was working myself into the ground over school stuff and work.  Thankfully, I learned to relax a bit over it (thanks, Tony!) before I took a few days break.  A very dear friend came and visited me for two and a half days!  It was glorious!  I hadn’t seen her in far too long and we spent our time visiting other old friends and doing something she had to teach me two years ago: shopping. She talked me into getting three new pairs of earrings when I didn’t need any, but I still love her anyway.  (Hey!  One pair was giant musical notes and the other tiny piano keys!  How great is that?  The third was skulls and cross-bones; maybe not such a good idea…lol)

Other bits of happiness include making contact with another old friend after a long separation.  I love it that no matter how long the times seem to be when we’re apart, we (and our two brothers) can still manage to pick right up where we left off.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to see them before the summer is over, too. 

My piano (I love saying that now that I have a real one) finally got tuned this past week.  I, of course, hovered over the piano tuner as much as possible and asked several questions.  Thankfully, he was very nice and seemed to enjoy talking with me and picking on me.  I still need to figure out how much work it would be to learn to tune it myself… 

All in all, it was an excellent week.  The little things (like new earrings and spelling “reminiscences” correctly on the first try) and good people (like friends and piano tuners) are all truly God-sent.  He knew just when I needed those things most.  As much as I hate to admit it, I probably wouldn’t appreciate the good things as much if I didn’t go through times of toughness.

Surprisingly, I’ve actually made some progress on my summer goals!  However, it seems that I never have any free time anymore—computer time included. 

Mornings, I work.  I take my algebra book with me to work, but sometimes I am too busy for it.  When I get home, I sit down to work on it until I can’t stand it anymore.  At which point, I pull out my sociology book.  After supper, I mostly can’t force myself to work anymore.  Thankfully, I have my jam sessions twice a week to keep me sane.  But my brain is just so tired…

So, my question is this: am I hurting or helping myself?  In order to get my schooling done in a reasonable amount of time, I need to clep sociology and test out of a stupid math course.  Yet there don’t seem to be enough hours in the day (or brain cells in my head) to get all my studying done. 

Today, the lady I work for was giving some advice to a girl who is planning her school schedule for the coming fall.  The girl was putting a lot on her schedule and was working very hard: as in, completing biology textbooks when her focus is dance.  Mrs. Ss told the girl that she was setting herself up for a lot of stress that wouldn’t necessarily hurt her now, but that it would have major consequences later in her life. 

I am doing the same thing.  The only reason I’m taking the time to write this is because a friend I haven’t talked with in two or three weeks want to talk on AIM and I can multi-task!  I know I need to learn how to stop working so hard, take a break, have fun, enjoy my youth, but how?  All that I have to do still needs to be done, but is it possible to get it done without killing myself?

There has been a ridiculous number of weddings in my summer.  Combined with the usual ridiculous number of open houses it’s no surprise that several people tried to double-book my family and I in requesting our attendance at these things.  We had to turn down two weddings in order to go to my cousin’s open house because they were all happening on the same day!  I’m just glad that my cousin decided to have her open house that day—those aren’t nearly as miserable as weddings. 

Yesterday was probably the hottest wedding I have ever attended.  If my pale white skin was in the least inclined to tan, then yesterday would have been great!  I got to sit in the sun for an hour and all I got was a healthy dusting of freckles across my nose.  Despite the fact that I was sitting still, I could still feel the sweat pouring down my back.  I was also glad that even though I had decided to put on some make-up (lest I forget over the summer) that I hadn’t put on much, or I would have been a goopy mess, I’m sure. 

The best part was when they served the cake.  A catering service had been hired, so instead of making people wait in a long line for cake, the caterers brought the cake to us!  The guy who came to our table had three pieces left.  He gave one to my tooth-pick thin, former violin student, beside me.  The second, he gave to me.  Then, he promptly slid the remaining piece of cake onto my plate and walked away. 

Not wanting to question the man, I did the good thing and happily began to eat.  Surprisingly, my former violin student didn’t complain too loudly as she didn’t care for the frosting.  Her dad, however, noticed and questioned me.

 “How did you get two pieces of cake?” he demanded.

“My good looks,” I immediately responded, giving him my most charming smile. 

“Well, if that was the reason, you should have gotten three pieces of cake!” he laughed. 

I have been caught in a whirlwind of moving back home from school, weddings, open houses, and my very first Renaissance festival.  However, it is time to get my head together and figure out what exactly I am going to do with my summer!  Here is my plan of attack:

Academic goals:

Sociology—read a dense (though enjoyable) college textbook on the subject, research CLEP helps and practice tests online.

Algebra—take a look at my old algebra book and try to learn the dratted subject again, use the computer program my dad ordered (whenever it decides to get here…) maybe research helps online.

Music goals:

Piano—learn/memorize as much of my concerto as possible, get my scales and arpeggios faster, research Debussy pieces written after 1901 to learn, memorize some fun stuff if I have time.

Violin/Fiddle—get out my old violin books and figure out what I should try to refresh myself on for the fall, learn the Orange Blossom Special and whatever else catches my fancy.

Harp—memorize and arrange more pieces so I don’t have to carry a book with me everywhere

Mandolin—actually learn how to play it (because I fake it more than anything else).

Outdoors goals:

Wage the never-ending battle against weeds and maybe try and plant something—like vegetables—instead of flowers.

Now, to figure out some sort of schedule to make sure I get all of this done.  I wonder if that will mean I need to get out of bed before 10:00 in the morning? I hope not…