Flatsicle Arrived!

Yep, it got here about 3 weeks before I was expecting it! UPS arrived at 5:30 p.m. yesterday. The harp weighs a little less than 5 pounds, but the box total was 13 pounds - full of the last 5 of the music books from the site, and the harp. Because I've played piano for 60 years (groan ... THAT many???), rather than getting the harpsicle (plays in only C major and A minor) or the sharpsicle (plays in 3 majors/3 minors), I got the next one up. The flatsicle plays in 4 majors and the relative minors. The lowest note (longest string - they are nylon) is a low C. The C strings are red; the F strings are black. I debated about getting a red or blue harp, but decided on the natural maple. Later if I want to, I may paint a bit of design on it, or buy some decals or do a bit of woodburning on it. That will wait. Because it was getting late last night before I got it all unpacked and in the house, I didn't tune it then. I had to check the tuning on my autoharp (you can see a picture of me playing that, which I posted January of last year) because some of us are going to play at the VA on Monday for the vets in palliative care - I've been asked to take my autoharp, so I did that, and 1st time tuned my harp about noon today. For now, I've got to learn to play more than one note at a time on the harp!

IMPS and ANGELS

I'm down in the Grumpies and I know the cause.
Satan is hovering and he knows my flaws.
He knows my weaknesses. He digs where I hurt.
His imps subtly whisper, and make me feel worse.
Despair whines, "You're hopeless." Insanity screams, "You're mad!"
Futility moans, "Give up. Of course you are bad!"
Black demons are beckoning: "Turn loose. You can't win.
We've got you. You're hell-bound to us, so give in."
But God's host is hovering. They keep me afloat.
They help stop the cries that are stuck in my throat.
When bad things happen, and I get distressed,
Thankfulness reminds me: "You are so very blessed!"
Hope assures me, "There's better things! Don't give up your life!"
Peace tells me, "Be still." Joy sings, "Look high!"
Patience whispers, "Hold on." Cheer tells me I'm sweet.
Stamina shouts, "You'll make it! You'll land on your feet!"
If the whole world falls 'round me, I'm sure in my mind -
God's love will surround me, and I'll be just fine!

- by Netagene, September 12, 2002 - A girl at work had been having some rough days, and said that I seemed like someone who would have cheerful things. She asked if she could borrow some such things. I didn't have anything at work, but told her I'd see what I could do. I wrote 7 verses in about 15 minutes at work, and 2 more in my mind on the way home. Some of the images are what I saw in my mind's eye when reading a novel by Frank Peretti. -

Groan ...

Even though I hate, hate to talk about the weather, that's what this is about. It never got above 30 at my house today. I made this picture about 4:15 this afternoon, looking through one of my windows. (Didja think I was going to try to walk around outside my house in ice and snow and lacking depth perception to take a picture? No way! Most of the icicles are about a foot long. We had about 2" of snow, and of course the yards of the houses across from me were pretty much completely clear of snow this afternoon. Not so mine.

Tilting at Windmills

Tilting at windmills - life spins around -
I jump and - oops, almost - I'm back on the ground.
My goals seem like giants. Their arms beckon to me,
But I'm Lilliputian, and the giants laugh at me.
So long I have tried this, but futile, it seems.
My goal oft seems fleeting, like tea kettle steam.
I've prayed much about it. I've tried for a goal,
But the windmill keeps turning - can't catch it, can't hold.

This time I have long spent on "wants" gone unmet.
I'm dizzy from stabbing at things I can't get.
The windmill's for others; a new goal I'll set.

So Lord, though one windmill is so far away,
I'm better for aiming; I've learned things today.
So goodbye, old windmill - my once goal and plan.
I'll find yet a better one for me, and still stand!

- by Netagene, February 6 & 7, 2011 -

Hearing

I just added a link: Hayleigh's Cherished Charms. I hope you'll look it up. I've often wondered why people buy fancy eyeglass frames so that more people will notice them, but seem ashamed to wear hearing aids. What's the difference except that one means that you don't see well and one means you don't hear well? This little girl did something about it! I learned about her from the magazine I sub- scribe to, and which also is one of my links. And I've bought some. Here's 2 pictures. The one is a bit blurry because of being close-up. You can see another picture on my other blog, and on Hayleigh's FaceBook page. The charm on the right is called a tube twist. Hayleigh and her sisters make them in various colors.

Crochet

I've recently posted a few more things on my other blog. I hope you'll look at them! http://netagenesnicethings.blogspot.com I've heard that I can link PayPal to it for "donations" if you want to buy anything.

REALLY Harping on things

... on real harps! Right now, as to musical instruments, I own a piano, autoharp, 2 pennywhistles, 3 American Indian wooden whistles, several kazoos, 2 slide whistles, a bowed psaltery, a ukulele, a wooden train whistle, a good size toy piano, and an Appalachian dulcimer. I can actually play some of them. (I used to own an acoustic guitar, a mandolin, a console organ, and a hammered dulcimer.) I may be missing things but I don't think so! I've played piano since I was about 6 years old.

I learned of a harp circle recently, and attended it, even though I don't own a harp. The group is part of the RNSO (Ruth & Naomi Senior Outreach) at a big Presbyterian church near downtown. They meet every Monday afternoon for an hour, and play once a month at a big retirement home. There were 8 ladies, one who's been renting a harp only 2 months, plays no other instrument, and reads only a little bit of music.

I could have ridden the fixed route bus, free, but I wasn't real sure of the place, so it was worth my money to schedule paratransit. Also, Monday was a bit chilly, plus I would have been out after dark, and not seeing well or knowing exactly where the bus stops are in that area, well ... yada, yada ...

As soon as I walked in the door, introduced myself, the lady who was already there asked if I'd like to hold and try her harp! Wow! She turned out to be one of 5 or 6 there who have harpsicles (see http://harpsicleharps.com). These little folk harps weigh less than 5 pounds! They are made by a small family business in Rising Sun, IN. (And speaking of Rising Sun, I just finished reading a book called "Chasing the Rising Sun", by AP correspondent Ted Anthony - you can guess what the book is about - but I digress.)

For you who know something about music, the group plays everything in "C" (or "A minor" of course). They were working on "Edelweiss", "America the Beautiful", "O Danny Boy/You Raise Me up", and "I've Been Working on the Railroad".

Grace had a natural maple harpsicle; Mary's was light blue; the other harpsicles there were black.

I ordered a sharpsicle today (it has levers so you can play in 4 major keys and their minors) - natural maple but knowing me - and the fact that the natural maple one looked like light tan blah cardboard - I'll probably paint something on it eventually!

Here's a couple of pictures I took Monday night (yes, I got their permission). I did wander around, but I was sitting between Mary with the light blue harp, and Grace with the natural maple harp. The lady in the center back in the right picture is Lynn, who teaches computers in blind rehab at the VA. She's the one who told me about the group. She has no music in front of her because she is totally blind. I once asked her husband how many harps she has. Bill said "too many". She has 4!

Harping on things

First, a report on the weather (did I hear a groan?): Sunday was beautiful, almost 70 and sunny. It is real sunny today - but barely got above freezing and the wind made it feel about 10 degrees colder. I doubt I'll venture outside again until next Sunday! I hope "Birmingham Bill" (the groundhog at the zoo) has on his long johns!