You know I've always been a dreamer

spent my life running 'round.

Work was the pits yesterday and I am not sure why unless I dreaded going home so much all day that I just worked myself into a tizzy. I totally lost it on a vendor and a customer and dropped the ball on an order from last week. This is not like me. I like my job really, and do it well with excellent customer service skills and intentions.

I stopped at the local small town grocery on the way home. It was cheaper to pay a little more than it was to drive clear to town. When I got home the dishes needed done and I had the groceries to unload and put away. I was just about through with the one and boiling water for the other when the DD and shorty came over. Then, like the lemmings they appear to be, the gypsy mom followed along behind.

She ran to check on her boiling water and I asked the DD point blank if there was any problem with the deadline I gave her. She says no, they have picked a camp ground. I gave her the information on the trailer again, too. I was glad to hear there would be no trouble with them about leaving and man, will I be glad when they are gone.

The dogs refuse to get used to them running in and out and about midnight thirty last night the dogs went right off the "intruder alert" scale. I grabbed a flash light and went to see what the problem was this time. How about three strange men walking through my yard from their car parked on the side of the road where I couldn't see it...hmmmm? It ticked me off so I put batteries in the camera and sat out in the swing till they left. Hit them with the light and then took a photo. They walked on smooth as silk. But I heard the dad's beeper go off on his walkie talkie phone right as soon as they got in the dark colored SUV and drove away. I hope I annoyed them as much as they annoyed me. I want to KNOW who is at my place! Big GRRRRR here!

But between the intruders and the gypsy visitors I found something fun to play with. I have an old tape recorder the grands didn't want anymore that has been holding up a stack of stuff in the bedroom. I was working on a song I wish I could do with a band and thought I almost had it. Then I remembered the machine so I thought - why not?

I dragged it out, dusted it off, plugged it in, plugged in the mic that came with it and pushed play. There was a tape in it from the great tape hunt I went through last year. The little posts didn't spin. Well darn! I poked around with it and when I unplugged the mic it worked ok. After some more fussing I discover it's "hi-tech" as the off button on the mic shuts it off AND the tape player so you can record, stop and start, from the mic. Cool!

So I hang the mic from the ceiling fan, get the guitar back out and hit the switch. I play my little piece then stop it and listen to the replay. I think I can hit the harmony to this. Normally I can't do harmony to a key I sing in. How do I check this? Thinking - think- think...Ah HA!

I crank up the computer, open the sound recorder, find the blank file I made ten minutes long to do on line wave files and then hook up the speakers in one slot and the mic from the head phones in the other slot.

I sat the headphone mic in front of the tape recorder speaker, turn on the tape to play, reach over and hit the record button on the computer then wait for my spot. I sing the harmony to myself, shut it all down and play back the results on the computer speakers. It's close. A crap recording but enough to let me know where I need to work on my delivery and such. I was actually HAVING FUN! If there is anything I like more than getting a song right it is HEARING me getting a song right.

While it still needs LOTS of work it is so far ahead of where I was a month ago that I have to be pleased with myself. I spent a good chunk of the night taping and working the harmony and the lead vocal of that song and then moved on to one I am writing. It looks like mom may get her tape of my originals back before she dies after all.

I made her one once and took it back to toss on stage to Willie Nelson at the Ionia County Free Fair. It was a wasted effort but I had to try something...LOL. She's been mad at me ever since. I will have to get around and remake it. It's easier than expecting the Library of Congress Find it.

For almost three hours I was totally involved in getting the music right and it felt so good! Even on songs I don't write it takes practice and feed back to get the vocal down. This is the first time I have had it, in however limited a format, in years.

I have to run to some where and get a capo tonight!