My Music Book

I have had my dulcimer for six days now, and I am thoroughly addicted! I've taught myself over a dozen tunes, which I have recorded in a school composition book. The dulcimer has frets which are numbered, so it is easy to write out a tune. No need for scores or notes, just simple numbers and strumming at this point.

Do you know what makes me sad? The previous owner of my dulcimer had owned it for nearly ten years and had never played it because he couldn't find an instructor. Seriously? Sometimes, you just have to be fearless and teach yourself. And yes, when you teach yourself something, you may occasionally have a fool for an instructor, but you will have a joyful fool who's making music and loving it. (You know who you are, you joyful fools out there!)

My message today is one that is often repeated in the Good Book: FEAR NOT!

My music book was looking way too sad and serious on the cover, so of course, I had to give it a little style!

I have had this paper crafting kit from Cosmo Cricket for over five years now. I'm pretty sure I bought it at the Archiver's store in the Chesterfield Mall in Missouri. Good times! I still love The Dutch Girl line, and yes, as the promotional material states on the front, it does indeed make me swoon with delight!

I combined papers and elements from the kit with punches (flowers and lace edge punch from SU). I also added some super cute dies from WPlus9 Design. I knew I wanted to use that big scroll at the top because it reminds me of the beautiful hand carved scroll neck of my dulcimer.

I love to play my dulcimer outside with the birds. Maggie, my lab, seems to prefer this spot for dulcimer time as well. She told me just the other day that the dulcimer smells a lot better than it sounds indoors, but she can tolerate it if it gets us outside. Labs are very vocal like that.

Simple music, birds, labradors, flowers, trees, sitting on the front porch strumming my dulcimer while my oldest son strums his guitar along with me. The sweet things in life.

Today, life is simple and oh so sweet.