My wife kept hearing a meow at the Mt. Cabin one day and she began to look to see where it was coming from. She looked outside the window behind the sink and there staring back at her was this little thin, hungry cat. I think we are both wired to want to save the world, but I would say she is more pro active and I'm more of a dreamer. She tried to ignore it at first because she knew . . . . But it kept meowing. Finally she caved. She found some left over fish in the fridge and went outside to feed her.
Well, the next day I was sitting in an adirondack chair outside a sun porch that we added to the place, and sure enough. There she was. Looking me over. Those eyes. I started talking to her and she began to do this semi circle thing back and forth but each time closer. I kept talking to her and it wasn’t long ‘til she was right up to me looking me in the eyes. I reached out to pet her, and, she had me. Too late! Some of you know exactly what I’m talking about. Well, Linda insisted that I needed a studio cat.
I had never allowed an animal in the studio in the days when I was renting out time or whatever for obvious reasons. But the traffic is almost non existent now that I’m largely retired but for few occasions. I caved. There was just something about her and the connection had already been made anyway. So she was with me for about six months when one day Linda suggested to me that I needed to update my cell phone to the 21st century.
She had found a deal where we could get two phones for what she’d been paying for one. So down to the phone store we went. What a neat device. I know. I’m late to the party again. But I was busy! My mind is always busy lol! I now use it for lots of stuff just like you do, but it has a little recorder in it where I can sing my song ideas into it, and then pause and edit as the inspiration hits.
One day about six months into this ride with Bella, I was looking out the porch window and there’s this dogwood tree that has a trunk that runs up at about a 70 degree angle instead of the usual 90 degrees. She goes scampering up that trunk into the tree like it was nothing. She then just sat in a little part that flattens out a bit and forms a Y maybe 15 feet up. She just sat there and looked around for a while. And where it came from I don’t know, but that little voice that sings in my head all the time sang to me “She appeared outside the window of our mountain cabin home” with a somewhat unusual melody. Syncopated at that. By this time I had the phone long enough to have discovered the recorder and how to use it. So I reached down and took it out of the holster I carry it in and sang it into the phone. Over the next few days I just kept adding to it as it came to me. Finally I had what you hear on the recording.
I retired from performing several years ago when I was about 64 because I was starting to experience some instant recall difficulties which doesn’t lend itself well to remembering words to songs sometimes. The anxiety of performing was getting to me because of this, but I knew that if I quit performing at any point for a length of time, it would be over. It would be hard if not impossible to regain the necessary skills to do a performance that would keep anyone’s attention. However, I realized that at some point you just have to hang up the cleats.
So I took some time off from music (never ever saw that coming) and enjoyed grand kids and getting into woodworking. But then, I guess I got the 7 year itch. I had been doing some studio work on a limited basis, but just started to wonder if I could still “do it”.
I have always heard music in my head, but for some reason only a few times did I get it out into the real world. Now, each time I have an idea for a melody or a phrase I can just sing it into my phone. Oh my. Should I lace up the cleats one more time? I wondered. Could I still do it?
So, I guess it’s that seven year itch thing, but I laced up the cleats again to see if I could still hit the ball. I spent 3 or 4 months recording it until I had what I wanted and then another couple of months or so on the video. OK. So there’s a lot more wrinkles, a lot less hair and a lot more grey, but it was fun doing it again! Finally. I just turned 72 and the song and video are done. Batter up!!
I had never allowed an animal in the studio in the days when I was renting out time or whatever for obvious reasons. But the traffic is almost non existent now that I’m largely retired but for few occasions. I caved. There was just something about her and the connection had already been made anyway. So she was with me for about six months when one day Linda suggested to me that I needed to update my cell phone to the 21st century.
She had found a deal where we could get two phones for what she’d been paying for one. So down to the phone store we went. What a neat device. I know. I’m late to the party again. But I was busy! My mind is always busy lol! I now use it for lots of stuff just like you do, but it has a little recorder in it where I can sing my song ideas into it, and then pause and edit as the inspiration hits.
One day about six months into this ride with Bella, I was looking out the porch window and there’s this dogwood tree that has a trunk that runs up at about a 70 degree angle instead of the usual 90 degrees. She goes scampering up that trunk into the tree like it was nothing. She then just sat in a little part that flattens out a bit and forms a Y maybe 15 feet up. She just sat there and looked around for a while. And where it came from I don’t know, but that little voice that sings in my head all the time sang to me “She appeared outside the window of our mountain cabin home” with a somewhat unusual melody. Syncopated at that. By this time I had the phone long enough to have discovered the recorder and how to use it. So I reached down and took it out of the holster I carry it in and sang it into the phone. Over the next few days I just kept adding to it as it came to me. Finally I had what you hear on the recording.
I retired from performing several years ago when I was about 64 because I was starting to experience some instant recall difficulties which doesn’t lend itself well to remembering words to songs sometimes. The anxiety of performing was getting to me because of this, but I knew that if I quit performing at any point for a length of time, it would be over. It would be hard if not impossible to regain the necessary skills to do a performance that would keep anyone’s attention. However, I realized that at some point you just have to hang up the cleats.
So I took some time off from music (never ever saw that coming) and enjoyed grand kids and getting into woodworking. But then, I guess I got the 7 year itch. I had been doing some studio work on a limited basis, but just started to wonder if I could still “do it”.
I have always heard music in my head, but for some reason only a few times did I get it out into the real world. Now, each time I have an idea for a melody or a phrase I can just sing it into my phone. Oh my. Should I lace up the cleats one more time? I wondered. Could I still do it?
So, I guess it’s that seven year itch thing, but I laced up the cleats again to see if I could still hit the ball. I spent 3 or 4 months recording it until I had what I wanted and then another couple of months or so on the video. OK. So there’s a lot more wrinkles, a lot less hair and a lot more grey, but it was fun doing it again! Finally. I just turned 72 and the song and video are done. Batter up!!
