Drum help and new guitars

SHERYL IS NOW substitute teaching full-time for the next month, taking over for a Quincy Junior High School teacher who just had knee surgery. I will give the kids a piece of advice, although I think they have figured this out already - behave. Thank you.

That means I'm at Second String Music with the dogs and a fat cat as company. Steve Reese comes in a few days a week when I have lessons to help out.

Yesterday was insane - lots of interesting customers, strange phone call requests, and a woman who came in asking for $20 so she could go visit her sick grandmother. Right. I was also chastised for not making a house call and fixing somebody's banjo - free of charge, of course. I'll just be quiet now.

The Jacksons are here!

On the other hand, I helped several local musicians with some gear questions and fooled around some more on the awesome new Boss Katana guitar amp. We also got a big shipment of Gretsch ukuleles, and our first Jackson guitar order came in -sharp looking axes! This is a business and we treat it as such, but sometimes I just feel like a big kid in a candy store.

Sheryl tasked me with putting together a drum kit together. I am horrible at this stuff, clueless. But I got everything out, scattered it all over the floor and gamely attempted to follow the instructions between phone calls and selling stuff.

Then Paul Wood walked in. Paul is one of our awesome local percussion players and musicians. He looked at me staring forlornly at the mess on the floor and laughed. I said, "Do you know how to put a drum kit together?" He laughed again. Next thing I know, he's down on the floor while I'm running to the bank to get change for the cash drawer. I come back and the dang thing is nearly put together.

The sense of community is something I really treasure about this crazy music retail business. Thank you, Paul, for your enduring patience and support of Second String Music. It's the little things that count. Sheryl was pleasantly surprised to see the assembled kit and I made sure to share the credit. "Paul did it," I said. At least I was honest.

I'd love to tell you more, but the Fed Ex guy just showed up (to see Angus, mostly). More ukes and guitars! But hopefully no more drum kits. At least ones that need to be put together right away.