How Forgetful I Am!!!

I can't believe I forgot to mention Saturday night in my last post! Yet it seems so long ago. Oh well! We actually met Roland White!!! He is an awesome mandolin picker, and he's played with some REALLY BIG names! He came with the band Richard Starkey and Friends. Unfortunately there were enough sandwich orders to keep me in the kitchen almost the whole time, but I did speak to him a minute when we bought one of his Cd's! It was really exciting to see a famous man come into the restaurant when you've only seen him on the front of your lesson book and on the internet!

SPBGMA

I was just checking out the nominees for this year's national SPBGMA event in Nashville. Rhonda Vincent has so many nominations she can't help but walk away with several awards! She's got: songwriter, album, female vocalist (in the contemporary category), and the list goes on! Sometimes I wonder if bluegrass is so small that there really wasn't anybody else to nominate, but I know that can't be true. I am not a big Rhonda Vincent fan; I'm just not. You know how you can like or dislike something for no apparent reason; that is kind of how it is. I guess I have learned to appreciate a more traditional sound. Looking at the vocal group of the year I don't know all of them, but I see that Cherryholmes is still big (I have not heard enough of their stuff to form an opinion), predominately female groups (or groups with women leaders) are popular. Of course I would be the odd one, but I like the two that are all men (I think). Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver are GREAT! I have a CD of Mountain Heart and I like their sound, REALLY FAST! Anyway I would like to see: The Gibson Brothers "Red Letter Day" win the album of the year, gotta hope for Ronnie McCoury in the mandolin category, female vocalist-contemporary is difficult (don't listen to that stuff much) nope not gonna do it I'm not educated enough to form an opinion on this one, I'm not too sure of myself on the female-traditional either, I don't know about the male-contemporary maybe Ronnie Bowman maybe Terry Eldredge, Del McCoury or Larry Sparks for male-traditional, Gospel-contemporary I don't know any but the Isaacs and Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver so I'm hoping for the latter, Gospel-traditional again I just know Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver but BlueRidge has a good name, I'm hoping Mountain Heart will win vocal group, instrumental group would be the Grascals although Ricky Scaggs and Kentucky Thunder is good too, song of the year is again "Red Letter Day" by the Gibson Brothers, and I have no clue as to the last two categories. There. I've had my say.

On the Road to Recovery

We hope! Luke's been well for days now, and bouncing off the walls! Kyle is well off and on. Mama is pretty much well, but trying to shake a headache. Claire seems to have gotten this thing worse than the rest of us, and she is pretty laid up, but better I think. I am doing way better! Unfortunately, Daddy is down with it now.

Yesterday is the perfect example of those days when everything you planned goes out the window. At first Kyle wasn't going to go to the birthday party, but then Mama and Daddy decided he could go, since he is practically well. So Mama took Kyle, Luke, and the desserts for the Pickn' Parlor. She dropped Kyle off at the party, and took Luke and the desserts to the Pickn' Parlor. Claire and I were at home. Claire was resting and I was working on putting in an invisible zipper, still haven't got that thing in. Daddy came home looking awful! He went directly to bed, but only stayed there for about an hour. Then our plan to stay home tonight, and not work blew up. Daddy said we were leaving in twenty minutes with Elijah and Mrs. Brothers. Uncle Craig was unable to be there so we had to pick up the slack. Thankfully we had a lady who worked as head chef kind of. She was GREAT! One couple who were not going to work any more came in ready to help. We had a rather hectic kitchen, but it was a happy one. Kaliste and Mr. Lovett came in too! Kaliste discovered our delightful sink! Thank you so much; we can always use another dishwasher! The night was thankfully slower than a normal Friday night, but I think we filled up close to our usual amount. We were beat when we got home, but it was a good night.

Everytime We Think We Get Better...

We get worse! How much worse can it get?!?

MORE!!!

Daddy is coughing a bit now, but he said he doesn't have the fever. Wednesday night Claire's fever came back up, and now she has some sort of stomach thing.

Yesterday we watched "Lord of the Rings", but (I'm rather afraid of the comments this will bring) we skipped through most of the scenes with Frodo and Sam after they left the Fellowship. After viewing it again, I hold to my original favorite part: The Battle of Pelennor Fields after Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli arrive with the Dwimorberg-ians (I am not a LOTR "scholar", and I only know all this because the little booklet is in front of me. I usually just call it the battle of the dead).

And It Keeps Going...

I've got it now. However, Claire is well enough to go to lessons today; Mama is over it now too, I think. Who knows about Daddy! Being in an office all day may keep this away from him. The Brothers have moved back out to their camp, and the house is very quiet. Luke is still not back to normal, so that makes the house just that much more quiet. He, we found out yesterday, has a bad ear infection. We are all hoping and praying it doesn't spread to the rest of us.

Sickness in the house!

This week the inhabitants of Allelon Farm have been sick. Not many of us have managed to escape the persistent fever, chesty cough, and congestion; probably fewer of us will. Right now everyone is sick except: Daddy, Mr. Brothers, Mrs. Brothers, Benjamin, Lydia, Elizabeth, and me. That is half of us, but we thought the babies were sick yesterday. We would really appreciate your prayers as we try to get everyone well again.

The Eighth of January

Several things of note happened on this date. In 1815, Major General Andrew Jackson led a small army to victory against the British in New Orleans (I think it was the day after peace papers were signed). In 1935, Elvis Presley and his stillborn twin brother were born in a two-room house in Mississippi. In 1993, Claire was born. The Eighth of January is also an old fiddle tune that Johnny Horton put the words of "The Battle of new Orleans" to.

Obviously, Major General Andrew Jackson.

In case you couldn't guess Elvis is the one in the center.

Claire.

Barber Claire.

Working Claire.

A portrait trial.

Claire dancing with Kyle, her partner.

Just a Note

How on earth do you write a truly thankful, perfectly honest thank you note to someone who has given you something you don't particularly like? I find it one of the most difficult things.

Sorry!

Will post soon.