Fire Season

It’s fire season here. Smoke is beginning to appear in our area from a fire in Clark Fork. A big helicopter (Chinook?) flies over us now and again during daylight hours with a big bucket suspended underneath. Going to the lake to fill it up and then go back to the fire and dump it.

We just moved here two months ago, and it is a beautiful area. So it is strange that there is a fire 25 miles away, and for the most part, the lives here are not affected. I guess it is like the lottery, the chance of having a fire in your area. Somehow it seems to me that the odds af having our house burn down are slightly better than purchasing a winning lottery ticket. Which, of course, doesn’t make me happy.

But I digress.

Got a box of guitar/mandolin picks in the mail last week. The Mandolin Cafe has two boxes of picks that can be signed up for. This way, I get to try a lot of different picks (types, materials, shapes, etc.) without having to purchase them. I found a few I like, and will be buying them in the near to distant future (notice I didn’t say “soon”).

I am learning to play the mandolin, slowly. I may have mentioned it before in another post, but I am too lazy to go and look. I am still trying to get my calluses — although my fingers have toughened up quite a bit. But I am having difficulty with my finger placements affecting (muting) some of the strings. And I don’t even have fat fingers. I am not too worried, I am night and day better than I was in the beginning. So I will keep at it. If we ever sell our house in Virginia, I will be taking lessons in person in our town and/or maybe online. I think that will help me a bit in my learning adventures.

I keep trying to post more, but I haven’t been. On the other hand, I don’t think anyone is READING it, so it doesn’t matter.

Peace.

Kevin