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Am I a Defensive Person?

My husband and I went to South Padre Island a couple of weeks ago, to celebrate my 76th birthday. While we were waiting for our food, I entertained myself by watching the seagulls.

Seagulls are highly adaptable feeders that advantage of every opportunity for a bite. They will eat fish, both alive and dead, insects and earthworms, rodents, eggs, carrion, reptiles, amphibians, and seeds and fruit.  The type of food they eat depends on circumstances and, while we were watching, their main prey w…

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Finished or Not Finished? That is the Question.

I recently read this quote by artist Arshile Gorky, an Armenian-American abstract expressionist painter (1904-1948). "I never finish a painting – I just stop working on it for a while.  … I like painting because it's something I never come to the end of. Sometimes I paint a picture, then I paint it all out. Sometimes I'm working on fifteen or twenty pictures at the same time. I do that because I want to – because I like to change my mind so often.”

This quote resonated in my heart because that’…

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Backing Track Library in it's new home!

Backing Tracks Library in its new home! 

by Steve Eulberg

As another step in the transition from our Legacy Site to our new Platform, Steve has gotten all of the Backing Tracks Library moved and set up for use by ALL members of the site.

The organization of the Library is very similar to what it has been and can be found at the menu at the top of the page when you are logged into the site and can be sorted the way it always has been:

BackingTracksLibrary

You may notice that the actual number of tracks that app…

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Bloom Where You Are Planted

Bloom Where You Are Planted

I saw this lovely flower in the parking lot of a motel in Mackinaw City this summer. All around the plant, there was nothing but asphalt and concrete. The sun was beating down and it was hot. But the plant was standing up proud and beautiful, blooming right where it sprouted up between the sidewalk and our parking space.

I shot this photo because it reminded me of some of our Dulcimer Crossing members. A few are the only dulcimer player in their entire town. They …

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Lessons Learned from Sandcastles

The man who stands firm to protect his sandcastle can never 
be depended on, for he has lost his common sense.




(No sandcastles were harmed in the shooting of these photos.)

We live just 1 hour from South Padre Island, and we go there to enjoy a meal with a view of the water at least once a month. While we're on the island, we usually take the time to look for sandcastles. I’m always blown away by the artistry and detail in them, and they can be found all over the island.

We…

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Wendy Songe Workshop: New Beginnings

WendySonge1

Wendy Songe, who has had to learn a LOT of new things in the past year, will share with us the treasures from her learning on Thurs, Oct 23rd at 5 pm MDT (=4 pm PDT, 6 pm CDT, 7 pm EDT).

There are three ways you can join us for this exciting event!

1.  This workshop is a benefit for Workshop and Mentor level members of the DulcimerCrossing. 

On the day of the workshop, simply log in and choose Upcoming Events from the Live Events Menu at the top of the page

Live Events Menu

and choose Wendy's workshop

Wendy Upcoming

a…

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The Blessings of Music

linda-playing-dulcimer
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind,
flight to the imagination and life to everything.”
- Plato

The Blessings of Music


I’ve been around music all my life, for as long as I can remember. In fact, I don’t think there’s ever been a time when I didn’t have a tune in my head or a piece of music (or instrument) in my hands.

Music runs in our family. My grandmother was a concert pianist and traveled all over Europe – even playing for the queen of England. We always had a pia…

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New Years Resolutions for Dulcimerists

A New Year is like a blank book, and your dulcimer is in your hands.
It is your chance to write a beautiful story for yourself. 



By Linda Ratcliff





New Year's Resolutions for Dulcimerists
The New Year is coming up in just a few days, and now is the perfect time to make some musical resolutions! As usual, I've made a list of resolutions that are fun, and they will support any practical music goals you’ve set for yourself.



  • Establish a regular practice time. It's not as easy as it sounds to ge…

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Training Your Auto-Pilot

by Linda Ratcliff

Don't practice until you get it right! Practice until your auto-pilot takes over and you can't get it wrong. - Linda Ratcliff



Training Your Auto-Pilot
 
There is something we all have in common.

Once we were ALL beginners. And do you remember when you went to a jam session for the very first time? You might have purchased a brand new dulcimer, or maybe you were given a hand-me-down that you cleaned up and polished. Maybe you had a teacher that guided you through some basics and…

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Make a Goal

by Linda Ratcliff

Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines. - Unknown





Make a Goal List in Your Journal ... Every Week
My husband and I recently moved in with my daughter and her family about 4 weeks ago (there are now 7 of us at the dinner table), and she donated her formal dining room for me to set up as my music room.  I LOVE it.  I have all my instruments set up within easy reach.   And as soon as everyone is out of the house, I usually pick up my hammers and practice for a while.


 


But I…

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