Jazz Mama

Now I have no excuse. For years when Keith or the children would ask me to play my saxophone I'd decline because it just didn't sound good. I have an old student Buscher that I learned on and later used for outdoor marching band. The sound is awful, the upper range is out of tune, and the high G just doesn't want to play. When I was 15 my parents bought me a better sax at a second hand store. That "better" sax was a Selmer Mark VI and the sound was wonderful. I didn't appreciate just how wonderful it was until many years later. Even so, I've never regretted selling it to a good friend who went on to major in music.

Keith decided, however, that I needed a saxophone that I could play and last weekend he surprised me with one! It's another Selmer and, while it's not a Mark VI, it sounds good. Even with decades of time off and a stiff, dry reed I could tell that this horn can play.

My fingers are stiff, my mouth is weak, and my diaphragm is underused; but I can't believe how good it feels to play again. Now, I just have to schedule some practice time.

You've gotta love a small town

I called the bank today to verify an automatic deposit and to confirm that my name has been put on the account with my husband. I gave the usual information--name, address, birthdate. Then I was asked a question to verify my identity,

"Did you ever have any kids in show choir?"

It turns out the teller was a classmate of my daughter. (And yes, they were in show choir together.)