Casualty of War

It's hard to know what happened for sure. Words like "meth" and "I love her" and "I need my stuff" waft over the wreckage of the home, which spills out onto the snow. People are the most important thing, but a year or two ago I sat in this home and played this guitar. Now it's gone, just another casualty in this messy little war.

Dirty, Dirty Boys

With all the melting going on now that temperatures are reliably above freezing while the sun's up, it's hard to go anywhere without getting dirty.

Jim

Jim and Bonnie are our long-time piano tuners and friends. They're passing through the area servicing local clients. They live a day's journey away in Idaho. This week, they're camping in their trailer in my yard.

Jim tunes the A strings from a fork and does the rest by ear. This is old-school tuning, and it's a pleasure to watch him work.

Country Dance

Last night was the 2008 Rich High combined Senior Ball/Junior Prom. This is one of the social high points of the community. Moms and dads, grandparents and younger siblings often dress up and show up. In my sparsely populated neck of the woods, people take opportunities to get together very seriously. It's part Little House on the Prairie, part Northern Exposure, and part Twilight Zone sometimes. Only very rarely part Deliverance. :-)