That soup sounds really good.My family has a soup recipe that is very close,and it really is a good winter meal.

Very nice work Sea ray,I wish there was a luthior of your talents near me.People who have that level of talent are getting harder to find it seems.
I want to try to file the frets on my old Alvarez,and you have given me a bit of inspiration.

I had a dulcimer at one time,and only learned a song or two before I passed it on. The song that I played is an easy song.THE WILDWOOD FLOWER by Maybelle Carter. I was lucky to have gotten to see Maybelle play years ago in Kentucky....Not long ago I was at the same park in Kentucky,and talking with a park ranger there. It turned out he had been to the same festival some 40 years ago,and we made an instant connection....We both agreed...Those were different times..

I have been vegan off and on for many years,and am not much of a cook.
I deviate from my diet only if it is something I have caught or killed myself.I also have eaten wild game that my brother has prepared.He is a really good cook,and just has a natural ability with all of that.
In the winter I like to make pots of beans,and I try something different whenever I can.I use molasses and some onion with my beans,and usually throw in other things,like a little dried mustard,different kinds of peppers chopped fine,and anything that seems like it will work.
Soups are a great thing to make in the winter,and this year,I'm going to try some new things with that. I've had some soups in Canada,made by those French Canadians that were fantastic. I'm putting in a new wood stove this year,and it has a great cooking surface,and I'm hoping I can refine my soups a little better.
One other thing that I make myself is bread.There is a website called "Zoe Bakes" where she gives you her artisan bread instructions.It comes out really good,and I have used her dough method for pizza crust also.
You will notice a change in the way you feel when you cut the corporate meat out of your diet.

I've had a lot of interests,or hobbies...My latest interest is in restoring a piece of land to my vision of what it may have been at one time. Much,or most of the land on the east coast has been through generations of disturbance.
What I plan on doing,is clear cutting the timber on about 12 acres,and replanting the bottom land in cypress,and the higher ground in loblolly pine. On the area close to the house,I'll put in another orchard,and some berries. It is a big project,and I'll not see immediate results,but future generations will have something of value,and the wildlife will thrive...
I have used the forestry service for help in the past,and will use them for advice on where to get my seedlings,and the labor to help with the planting. I've chosen a good logger,who seems responsible,and has a good reputation. This isn't so much a hobby,as it is a lifestyle.

I ask myself the same thing...What am I doing here...I don't really have a good answer. I've never met anyone here face to face,but it is pretty easy to waste time on the internet,so I guess wishful thinking has a certain value of its own....

I played the Taylor most of the evening,and got out my old fiddle and played a couple of tunes at the end. I used to play a lot,and put it down for a number of years. I really like the Taylor a lot,but it needs a little tweaking.I want to get the frets filed,and lower the action just a hair. It really is a nice guitar,and really puts out the sound. My old fiddle was made in 1929,and was given to me as a gift from a professional I know. I keep a rattlesnake rattle inside,and it keeps it dusted,and rattles when I play....

They didn't drill pilot holes for the screws.and that is why it split like it did. Remove all the tuners.Blow out all of the splits with compressed air,and use West epoxy to fill the cracks.Use compressed air to blow the epoxy into the cracks,and clamp back to original shape.Clean the epoxy off with alcohol,and let it cure.
If you don't have any good epoxy,you can use Titebond 2 and it will do
the job also. I have used small #4 screws to glue a broken head back in place using wood glue. If it is a really rare,or expensive instrument,then take to a luthier. If not you can do it yourself if you are careful and use a little patience.

Went to my first Jam in a number of years the other night. I just followed along for most of the evening,and as everyone was leaving,I stood up and played two tunes. A few people followed me outside,and wanted to know who I was. It felt pretty good to know that I can still capture peoples attention If I try.

Re-reading...The Whale Herman Melville

I meet new people at times,but haven't met any women that I feel would understand me very well. I guess I'm getting a little picky,or selective. I was married to a great woman whom I lost to cancer. I may be better off just staying single,and living my neanderthal lifestyle.
I'll be heading to West Virginia soon to do some volunteer work,and that should be a good change for me. You never know when you might meet someone who has similar interests. I'm not really worried about it.

Dog barking at squirrel in F#

There isn't much for me in a life of serenity. I would rather things have a bit more of a mix-up. If you cant step out of your comfort zone,then there isn't much room for growth......

I try my best not to judge people for what they believe.With that said,I expect the same treatment from others. I am presently in the planning stages for a relief trip to West Virginia with a faith based group. Some people can accept me for who I am,and some can't.
When people ask me why I wont attend services,I usually answer,that I have a doctrine problem,and leave it at that. I sometimes sit in as a musician with services,but do not participate with oaths or declarations of faith. Some people don't accept me,but most do..
I have found that most people who are trained in the ministry accept me just fine,and do not push their views on me,while many who have accepted their various doctrines with unwavering faith can be a lot of trouble,and when that bell rings,I walk the other way..

Virginia,but leaving in about one month

I've had a number of guitars,and never really met one I didn't like.
Not long ago I bought a Taylor 814ce,and I really like it. The only thing I'm going to do is take it to Taylor,and have the frets filed.
I like a low action,with no buzz,and it takes someone who has the right touch to get those frets exactly right.
I played an old Silvertone,that had some work done on it,and it was just great. The guy who owned it plays on weekends in El Paso,and really had his guitars tweaked just right.He plays at the saddle blanket shop..

I've had a number of guitars,and never really met one I didn't like.
Not long ago I bought a Taylor 814ce,and I really like it. The only thing I'm going to do is take it to Taylor,and have the frets filed.
I like a low action,with no buzz,and it takes someone who has the right touch to get those frets exactly right.
I played an old Silvertone,that had some work done on it,and it was just great. The guy who owned it plays on weekends in El Paso,and really had his guitars tweaked just right.He plays at the saddle blanket shop..

I have a large collection of Native American artifacts,and different types of fossils,and minerals. I used to have a large collection of Civil war artifacts,but sold them to pay for my first divorce. Down on the river near where I live,I have found a lot of sharks teeth,and other interesting fossils. Some of the ancient scallop shells are as large as my hand,and the fossil clams look different from the modern ones we have today.

I recently bought a new computer,and have decided to use it off line at all times. It took quite a while to eliminate all of the updates that must be procured online. I still have my old Underwood Typewriter,and if it wasn't so dated looking in in the printing fonts,and a little slow on the mechanical end, I would probably just use it for all my written work.

Not dead yet either....Where are you,and where would you like to go?