Quarter-Sized Stand-Up Bass

Day 39: Quarter-Sized Stand-Up Bass

Some things feel very good to get rid of, and some things feel very bad. It was a bad day when Cluck Ole Hen, my little string band, lost its fiddle player, Jess. Jess and her husband Nil and their two little sons were our most favorite next-door-neighbors ever. When we lost our fiddleplayer, we also lost our fellow chickenkeepers, our tiny basketball players, many lazy over-the-fence conversations, and the feeling of community that only a good neighbor can give. Their excellent jobs, their great new house, their proximity to family and their love of Quebec are all well and good, but we're talking about me here.

Things got even worse when Cluck Ole Hen lost its bass player, Connie. Jess told me Connie was the coolest person she ever met, and that might just be true. Connie doesn't talk much about herself, so it takes a while to figure out that she can actually do anything, like teach karate, ride motorcycles, prune fruit trees, build a chair and identify every Michigan native plant and almost every ornamental. She's a natural musician. And she has a really big heart. So now Connie is living the dream on the west coast, being a small-scale farmer with her boyfriend Stu. Stu and Connie probably watch the sunset while skinny dipping in Lake Michigan. Sigh.

Well, things change and sometimes you say goodbye to good things and good people. It's coming up on a year since Jess left. I might almost be ready to give her a call and not boohoo through the whole conversation. Maybe we'll try camping on Stu and Connie's land this summer.

When you say goodbye, sometimes you make room for something or somebody new. So today, Suzanne is buying Sam's old quarter-sized stand-up bass, now too small for him. We can never replace Connie, but Suzanne is a pleasure. She knows how to keep her place and how to keep time. Better yet, she ends every song with a huge grin and victory whoop. What's not to like?

Next week, we're trying out a new fiddleplayer. She's not Jess. But someday, she might be a friend.

There is disagreement as to whether we are Cluck Ole Hen
or Cluck Old Hens. Julie prefers Cluck Old Hens because it's more accuate.
I prefer Cluck Ole Hen because it's cooler.