Neither snow, nor wind, nor savage wind chill...

It has to be fairly horrid weather to keep me from a chance to make music close to home. The large conglomerate dance band I play in was providing the music for a "father-daughter" dance at a posh private girls' school just a few blocks from me on Sunday afternoon. The morning sunshine gave lie to the wicked wind and bone chilling temperatures, but I'd survived the trip to church, played well there, so eh, what the heck, I packed up the dance music, the instrument and acoutrements and off I went.

The gym where the dance was held was warmer than the outside, but quite cold as places to sit and make music go, and every time the door opened, the strong wind blew more chill in the room. The band was positioned hard by the outer door. Charming theme decorations were designed to make this a "hoe-down" sort of event; bales of hay, corral signs, western landscape mural, cowboy/girl hats and bandanas for the dancers. Those of us who looked appropriately "country" at the core soon spoiled the effect by wearing our outerwear & looking like we'd been imported from Alaska rather than out on the prairie. Hammer dulcimer, fiddle & autoharp players bundled up against the chill, all hoping our instruments would hold in tune through the temperature fluctuation. I'd never seen an upright bass player wearing gloves while playing (though he said it was to protect blistered fingers rather than from the cold)

It was a charming sight, the dancing. The wee girls were 1-4th grade, and some were even taller than waist height on their fathers. There were a couple dozen of us playing in the band, and perhaps a couple hundred in the dance. One door of my car wasn't frozen shut by the end of the dance & I seriously regretted leaving my mittens in the car. I navigated my way home with frost on the windows that didn't have time to melt before pulling into my garage. Temperatures are in the single digits tonight, and it looks like most grade & high schools in the area (including the place we played the dance) are closed Monday due to the weather. My studio windows are iced over. I think it's time for a "hibernation day" for Monday.The last cup of Twinnings Lemon Spiced tea in the pot has cooled to lukewarm.