"TAKE IT AWAY!"

How should a country girl spend her first full sunday in carroll county?! Why at the fiddler's convention of course! I'm roaming around this amazing property "the carroll county farm museum" I've been coming here since roughly '81.

Today there is a bluegrass contest. Of course , since I'm not competitive, I'm here for the music and I don't really care who wins.

There is a 9 year old girl who is part of a clogging team. She looks identical to what I looked like at 9, except that her hair isn't curly and her eyes are hazel. Clogging brings her great joy and even though there are about 20 other cloggers she might as well be the only one, as I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I told her afterwards how much fun it was to watch her and I noticed that she was wearing a necklace that is identical to earrings I used to own.

So, I'm wandering around, attending some formal performances but I "reckon" my favorite part of the day was just sitting in with the informal jams and joining in with harmonies when I felt welcome too. Some groups didn't even notice I was there, and some did.

One group of 3 male fiddlers are doing a song called : "I'll fly away" I remember this song from when I was a christian. I find a nice harmony with Andy. Initially I didn't realize that he was talking to me when he said TAKE IT AWAY! I also sang with them on (I think it's a Johnny Cash song) "Ring of Fire" I turned on my best country twang, and apparently andy loved it. I thanked them and then walked away and did other stuff. We ran into each other later and he asked: "You must be a teacher. Piano background, right?!"

"Wow" I thought. I was impressed that he could tell that. "I said, well how did you know I was trained as a teacher?"

"Because your diction is perfect!" "Gimme a call, and I'll drive to carroll county and we'll jam together!"

I never envisioned myself in a bluegrass or old timey band, but I reckon any kind of singing would be a positive thing!