Strung out on good value, man

Well, hello.

Anyone here?

My brain attempts to move into gear ... squeak, squeak, crrrunchh!

Things are a little dusty around here, I must say. This is what happens when you leave the house locked up over a long break.

The grass grows, the spiders move in, windows gets stuck, the electricity gets disconnected ...

So maybe, just for tonight, I will sleep on the blog porch. Perhaps tomorrow, the blog lounge.

But hey. I did get a cool guitar for Christmas. Sorry, we got a cool guitar for Christmas.

The boys have been showing some interest in music lately. They have a little toy guitar, and in recent weeks Elisha has fallen very much in love with this tiny red, four-stringed monstrosity.

Whenever I have been dragging out my guitar to play some songs with the kids, or with the church family bunch, 'Sha goes for 'Old Red', and joins in the action, strumming and singing along (if mantra-like repetition of the word 'La' counts as singing).

I think he must have been watching some videos of live performances of The Who because he takes to the instrument quite physically, swinging it about. He also seems to like 'kissing' other guitars with it. And these are not gentle kisses either. He will sneak up on you while you're playing and smack 'Old Red' into your vintage Maton.

Which he has been doing. I finally decided enough was enough. It was time to grab another guitar that (a) could get a little beat around without anyone caring too much and (b) would be small enough for the boys to learn on, if that's how they are inclined.

After cramming several decades' worth of reading time on various fora into a few short weeks, I came up with the instrument of choice: the Art & Lutherie Ami. This is what they call a 'parlour guitar', and it's the sort of thing that's right at home with a rocking chair, a shotgun, a wife named Bobby Jean, some missing teeth, and a porch in Mississippi. It's a rockin' little blues acoustic guitar.

Dang sweet lil thing too. When it arrived from America, I was itching to get into it - boy, was I excited! What I saw blew me away. Hand made in French Canada, solid Western red cedar top, cherry sides and back, silver leaf maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, lifetime warranty. Sweeeeet. And extra sweet when it was only $350 delivered to the door.

Maton is enjoying some recovery time in his case behind the lounge. Ami is a friend (pun intended) who happily tags along wherever the ride is headed, and whoever the company is (even if it's our own little Pete Townshend with his red terror).

I guess maybe one day the boys will get to play this guitar. It was, after all, bought for them. But I'd like just ten more minutes alone with Ami. Just ten. I promise. On the porch.