Playing All Weekend

This weekend was another fun-filled one that went by way too quickly. Saturday, after crunching as many farm chores into the day as I could, I cleaned up and headed to join friends at a party to renew their wedding vows. The night before, I had received a text from one of my friends, suggesting that I bring my guitar along. I did, and, to my surprise, I was drafted into playing with the talented singers of Irish music, Celtastrophe!

Did I know the music? No. Did I have sheet music to read? No. Was there a talented guitarist playing, whose fingers I could watch and mimic? Yes! And, who needs to know the words to unfamiliar tunes in order to sing harmony? Ha! We had a good time! Of course, I had to retune my E string after every song, because the silly thing kept slipping, but that just added to the general fun. And we did actually sing one song that was not an Irish ditty. We played an impromptu “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.” Everyone joined in the singing, and it was wonderful.

Sunday, after church I made the drive to Ft. Monroe, where my son and his wife were having a cookout for family and friends. I had a lot of fun catching up with people I had not seen in ages, including some I had not seen in 20 years! We talked and ate and talked some more. The kids played and the grownups kept an eye on them. Some even ventured to the beach and took a dip, cooling off from the hot muggy weather that has defined the Tidewater, VA area this week.

I realized only when people started leaving, that I had not taken pictures, I had been so busy gabbing! So, I took a few, just to have a record of the event. I’m sure there were people who came and left before I arrived, so I will just have to catch them next time.

All, in all, it was a good weekend. We did have a sad end of the day today, however, when one of the latest six hatched chicks passed away. He had never eaten on his own, and only drank a little water.

The mother hen shunned him after the first three days during which he cried constantly if not allowed to simply hide under her and feel her warmth. It was clear from the beginning that he was probably not going to make it, but it is always sad when any of the little ones die. So, as of today, our total count of surviving chicks hatched this summer, stands at 21. So, we will count our blessings, and look forward to watching them grow.