How is quarantine going?

I hope that everyone is doing well, and getting through the various quarantines/stay-at-home/lock downs.

I went to work one day, found the building locked up - oops, they forgot to tell me not to come in - and thought that I'd at least get lots of ukulele time in.

Turns out, between worrying about relatives and friends, (and hoping to keep myself safe, too!), sorting out the job situation, (one job probably is gone forever, but they got me back working from home at the other), trying to catch up on continuing education requirements, and so on, I haven't played as much as I had hoped.

I did start trying to learn Europa (Brittni Paiva), and Canon in D, so am making some progress, at least.

I hope that everyone is doing well & enjoying their ukuleles.

I retired after 40 years of pediatric nursing in early April, just a few weeks after the pandemic showed up in Utah. I knew that life for myself & my mom (active 80) who lives with me would change because of my retirement. The pandemic threw a whole different spin on things. All of the activities I had planned to keep myself busy during retirement were off the table. All of my mom’s regular activities were also shut down. We have survived “Stay Home/ Stay Safe” fairly well, although we are definitely experiencing some boredom.

I had assumed that I’d be playing my ukes a ton during this time. With all of the online offerings and time for practice, I thought my uke playing would soar. However, I haven’t played or practiced all that much. Not playing with & for others has really been hard for me. Instead of a source of solace, my ukes remind me of what I’m missing. This saddens me, and I’m working on changing my attitude. The Chee & Maisel online uke festival really helped a lot. I’ve been playing a lot more since the festival. I sat in on a Zoom jam with the Catskills Uke Group today that was really fun. My ukulele joy is returning!

One other thing we did during this time that has lifted our spirits a lot is adopting a rescue dog. She is a joy.

That's great that you adopted a dog. I've got 3 rescues. They certainly help me get through these trying days.
What kind of dog? How old? (Not uke related, but, hey, all things dog related are important, too. LOL.)

I think that the online ukulele sessions could be a great thing. That's wonderful that it's helping the joy return for you.

I've been doing so many online classes (not music related), and Zoom meetings that I need the break off-line for music, but did watch some of the Chee and Maisel uke festival, and really appreciate efforts like that. The contributions of musicians have been a bright spot in these times.

I'm playing about the same amount as before the stay at home. I'm fortunate in that I have an income and I'm working from home, my job is full of stress now the stress has just shifted a bit, so at the end of the day I am tired, it's just a different tired. And the "normal" everyday getting around and doing things is out the window. And when one does take on the errands of life's needs it's a more strategically planned outing with the appropriate suiting up for battle against the virus--adding to the stress.

Music had been an uplifting activity for me. Play the blues to help you get through the blues and be happier after. Have participated in a couple of the online workshops as time and energy has allowed. THe Chee and Maisel Uke Fests we a big hit. Lil'Rev is also doing online workshops, attended one lesson from him.

Did about an hour and half session with my Godin this afternoon. Plugged in and sometimes a little loud working on some songs. Was time well spent.

My Saturday evenings have been dedicated to watching Jorma Kaukonen of Hot Tuna and Jefferson Airplane fame play live from his FurPeaceRanch....he has done 7 live shows with some help from family and friends.....bringing music to us all while we make our way through this........truely a bright light in the week....

Keep your lamps trimmed and burning.....

Be Well!

I been out of work since March 17th. I was on 2 weeks of isolation and a few days before returning to work, I was told don't come in till further notice. I'm high risk and fortunate enough to still get paid. So while I'm on administrative leave, decided to take some more ukulele lessons online.

I feel a bit guilty about this, but I haven't really noticed a big change. I haven't missed a day of work because of my field. I work, read, smoke a pipe of tobacco, play ukulele, sleep. Pretty much same as usual. If anything, my life's improved with less jerks on the road. The only privation that I suffer is that I have to stand in line to get into the grocery store if I don't get there at 8 a.m.

Since I don't really do a lot socially or do things that require money, I haven't had any cause to get stir crazy. I'm still playing ukulele, but the pandemic hasn't really shaken or solidified my goals. I'm just moving onward acknowledging intellectually that other people (or so the media tells me) are being impacted.

I've been doing very well, partly because when I retired completely a little over 7 years ago I became more of a home body, and to keep me occupied, joined The CC Strummers which meet twice a week, and we're still doing that via Zoom, so being at home is not a big problem. Also, I've never been married nor had kids (that I know of) so being alone a lot is nothing new to me as well.

I've also been participating in other uke Zoom sessions, playing my bass ukes mostly. I also get in a couple of my own sessions on uke and bass most every day. Every week or so the leader of the group will introduce a new song, for which I take the time to remake for my 12.9" iPad Pro and create a complete bass arrangement. During our normal meetings I would record all of us playing each song and upload them to my website for the members to practice with themselves. I'm still doing that by the leader recording herself singing and playing the uke, sends me the track and I add my bass line and upload it.

Once or twice a week I go to the supermarket heeding all the safety precautions, and in the last few weeks going to my repair guy as he's been working on a couple three basses with modifications and conversions. I'm also cooking a lot, which I do for myself anyway, but I've gained about 5 pounds that I don't need at all, puts me about 35 pounds over where I should be. Also watching lots of TV shows and movies I record, mainly how-to shows that are all about helping, improving, creating for other people. Food Channel, Discovery, H&G, Learning, Science, etc. Not interested at all in the drama shows that are about how bad people can be to each other. (I recently saw "Yesterday" and loved it.)

One of the best things I've done to keep a level head is to never watch the news. I don't need to hear the sensationalized pounding all day long that puts everyone in such a negative state. I'm staying as positive as possible through this.

---

This is Michael Kohan in Los Angeles, Beverly Grove near the Beverly Center
9 tenor cutaway ukes, 4 acoustic bass ukes, 12 solid body bass ukes, 14 mini electric bass guitars (Total: 39)

• Donate to The Ukulele Kids Club, they provide ukuleles to children in hospital music therapy programs. www.theukc.org
• Member The CC Strummers: YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/CCStrummers/video, Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheCCStrummers

It's been 6 weeks of anxiety for us.

Joyful Uke - my new doggie is (best guess) 3-4 years old, and an Aussie/Collie mix. She is a total love bug. Looks kind of like the dog in the musical Annie. She seems to be curious, but not bothered by my uke playing.

It is entirely because of the shelter-in-place order that caused me to buy an ukulele and start playing it.

ukeanixi said:

It's been 6 weeks of anxiety for us.

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Oh man, sorry to hear that.

Other than staying home things have been ok. Getting groceries and anything we need online and delivered. We played several times a week before and still do via Zoom plus added some Facebook play a-longs. See and talk on Zoom but do miss seeing and playing together in person. Painted a bedroom and bath, cleaned the back yard - it seems we have lots more time. Oh yes, since I figure we’ll be home for quite awhile (we’re both high risk with secondary issues) I felt justified buying another guitar and uke. Enjoying them and play a lot. (I don’t care for TV and can only read so much). Hope you are all staying well. I did make a variety of surgical masks with ties. Had to stop as it was bothering my strumming hand! If you’re looking for a good strum, along, try Tiki Dave on Facebook Fri afternoons. It’s 4 pm pacific coast time.

Wife - do you want any dinner?

Me - what are my choices?

Wife - Yes or frigging No!!!!!!

snowdenn said:

Oh man, sorry to hear that.

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What can you do? Personally speaking, my family's a bit weary of my 90 minutes of ukulele practice a day

It's a strange time, with every day being like the previous one. I've found that it's easier to mess up the house than it is to clean it. I start several projects and work on them piecemeal. I wonder if I'll ever be confident being in a crowd again.

Actually we've been doing just fine. My financial situation is unchanged and I was working from home before the lockdowns and everything, so that has not changed. I also work at my own pace with no deadlines to meet, so that is nice. As far as work, I've had a lot less distractions than I had before. So that is a positive to come out of it. Musically, I started playing guitar. I have not given up ukulele. I'm just no longer monogamous. So I've been playing both. One of my ukulele groups is doing our get togethers on zoom and our leader has it down to a science, so it is going well. The biggest thing is that I keep having conflicts and I miss as many as I connect with. But when I am there no one can really see me enough to tell what I'm playing, so I've been cheating and switching between the uke and the guitar for the songs that we play, which has helped me with the guitar immensely, but also taught me to switch back and forth seamlessly which is something that is important to me because I didn't want to abandon the ukulele.

So work is fine, music is fine. I'm shopping for groceries on line and picking them up, so that is fine, actually it is good. I don't think that I'll go back to shopping in the store when this gets over with. I'm picking up groceries for my in-laws who only live a half mile from me anyway, so that is not a huge thing. I have to deal with some crisis that they have every other day, but it is things like the TV in the bedroom isn't getting all of the channels that it used to, or they got into some site on their computer and now their Facebook doesn't come up. Just things like that.

One thing that has been fun is that we have this beautiful room down in the basement that has a roadhouse motif with a very well stocked bar, a big dance floor and an entertainment center. We seldom use it. We do use the dance floor, but we don't stay down there much. But with the lockdown we've started having date night. We get all dressed up, go out and drive around like we are going somewhere, come back home, and go down to the bar for drinks and a concert of some kind, or sometimes a Broadway show. There is lots of entertainment out there right now. We've done two Jimmy Buffett concerts, a Stones concert, and two Broadway shows. Last night it was Cats. And we treat it like the real thing. Unlike Netflix where we just sit there for hours on end watching one program after another, we clap and whistle after the songs, get up and dance, just make a big deal out of it. I know it sounds crazy, two more than middle age people down in the basement bar hooting and hollering, but it has been fun.

The one thing I miss is busking and doing festivals. I was scheduled to do a downtown music walk in late April and it got cancelled. Then the downtown association said that there were going to be several festivals this summer of different things and they would work all the musicians that had be selected for the music walk into those festivals. But now they are all cancelled as well. There is no live music at the farmers market this summer, which I was going to do, so I don't know if I am going to get out much to play, and I really love playing for people. It is my main motivation to play and it is hard to stay excited about playing music when there is no one to play it for. But I'll manage.

So that's my report. I hope it isn't too long winded. I don't have much else to do right now.

Rllink said:

But with the lockdown we've started having date night. We get all dressed up, go out and drive around like we are going somewhere, come back home, and go down to the bar for drinks and a concert of some kind, or sometimes a Broadway show.

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What a fun idea.

I think we'll never quite get back to what we previously thought was "normal", but we can certainly figure out some great ways to enjoy the current situation, and whatever "normal" will be in the future.

I admit that I'm a bit spoiled by some of the current changes, (car had a recall, so they came and picked it up, did the work, brought it back and sterilized it, and I never had to leave home), but standing at least 6 feet away from people to talk to one another will never feel quite right.

Vet visits are a challenge, (the dog goes in without the human, and you talk to the vet on the phone), and in one case, didn't work out at all - the dog was too anxious without me, even with medication. Fortunately, it was a routine visit and we can postpone it and hope that restrictions lift in the near future.

I've found that the library has various courses, (along with digital books of course), so I've just started a course on jazz, which I don't know much about. That could be a good escape.

Got to find the good in the situation, and enjoy what we can.

ukeanixi said:

It's been 6 weeks of anxiety for us.

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I hope that things settle down for you.

People I know have had COVID, (some quite ill but fortunately, all have recovered), so that worry has been anxiety provoking for sure.

And I know that financial changes are anxiety provoking as well, along with adjusting to changes in how we're working for those who still are, but hopefully, we'll all get through this and have much better days ahead.

Hoping for better days ahead for you soon.

My wife and I are doing pretty good. She's working from home and I have house projects and hobbies (coral aquaculture) to keep me busy. I feel very lucky that my new ukulele showed up from HMS right at the beginning of this lockdown. Knowing I'd be in the house for weeks, it was easy to justify doubling my budget, haha. I've been playing hours a day.

RafterGirl said:

Joyful Uke - my new doggie is (best guess) 3-4 years old, and an Aussie/Collie mix. She is a total love bug. Looks kind of like the dog in the musical Annie. She seems to be curious, but not bothered by my uke playing.

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High energy dog!

Not bothered by ukulele playing is an important quality.
One of my dogs is very picky about music, but she does at least politely tolerate my ukulele playing.
But I have to listen to some music with headphones, because she's not a fan of various musicians or instrumentation.