Meet the new girl

FOR THE PAST few months, it's just been me and the boys. I'm not gonna lie - Tucker, Angus and I liked it that way.

Our walks were easier, we don't go through as much treats and food, and Angus and Tucker like to play together. They enjoy chasing Fast Eddie in the store, and generally keeping Sheryl and me in line.

Sheryl kept looking at Aussie and Border Collie rescue websites. Most of them were actually in Australia, so there was little chance of her finding something to bring home. On Friday morning, she found out about a stray Aussie mix in Hannibal. Michael Bayles, top dog at +BoodaLu Steakhouse,  had already paid all the adoption fees and made sure she was fixed, had her shots and was generally OK.

So on Friday afternoon, we had the newest member of the family in tow.

Meet Genie, Eugenia Rebecca Hart, and welcome her to the Hart Pack. She is shy and has a soft bark. A look at her beautiful face and a lick of her tongue tells you she's been through some sthuff. She is at least 2 years old, and wasn't fixed when found. Sheryl believes she was an outside dog - she wouldn't get in the car and had to be coaxed up the three steps into our house. She may have been used for breeding or just left to her own devices.

The other dogs were a little perplexed at first but have quickly warmed. Genie needs a little more guidance and she needs to learn not to snatch food off a plate, but that stuff just takes time. She is skittish when too much is going on and, like Tucker, will take time to socialize and adapt. We are patient.

She's already trained to stay with the boys on our daily walks. She is beginning to chase after Angus' toys. She sleeps on a pile of blankets and doesn't make a peep through the night. We'll bring her to the store every now and then but not too much at first.

In other words, she's right at home. And we couldn't be happier.

Old photos and memories

Mom with Emily

EVERYBODY HAS OLD pictures stored in boxes in dusty closet corners. When it's been 20 years since you've seen them, well.... it's very cool.

Emily is home for the week and found a bunch of photos. I don't even remember seeing many of these. The one of my mother and Emily is especially poignant.

Yes, Emily. Your old man is a total geek. The big glasses and bad early 1990s haircuts are evidence, not that you really needed it.

I'm going back and smiling while staring at the images of Alpena, Big Star Lake in Baldwin, the early years in Quincy - wait a second, is that the old Indian Mounds pool?

I used to drag Emily around in that sled. We dug huge holes in the beach. Your aunt and uncle look so very young, holding you so very proudly. And you did love that old toy box - usually you were in it after emptying it out.

I guess you can't go back. But you can look back. Thanks for the photos, Emily. I'm still smiling!

Putting the band to work

Tuning, Play Testing and unpacking Luna Guitars

AS USUAL, ROCKIN' Jake and the boys put on a great show at the Club Tavern Wednesday night. I got to jam a little bit with them, taking care of a bucket list item and having more fun than you should be allowed to have.

The boys bunked up again in the back of Second String Music. This morning we got a huge Dean and Luna shipment - all kinds of gorgeous acoustic guitars and ukuleles. So I put the band to work before they hit the road to St. Louis and Cape Girardeau.

Cleveland, the bass player, unpacked guitars. Mark, the lead guitar player, tuned them up, plugged them in and gave each one a good strum. They were like kids in the candy store, all fired up about new instruments and making noise.

I let them play for a bit. Cleveland is on the Shaker.

We wrapped it up with a late-morning jam - did you know Phil Collins writes great blues songs? Well, not really. But you can play them blues style.

Best of luck to Jake and his guys as they wrap up a long month on the road. Fast Eddie was happy for the company, last night too - we can't wait for them to head back to the Q-Town!

Open at 11

WE OPENED THE store at 11 a.m. today, an hour later than usual. Sheryl had a doctor's appointment and I was playing at the Illinois Veterans Home. It was the first time in the nearly five years we've opened late.

Sheryl and I are an island, always here and rockin'. Every now and then Steve Rees comes in to help us out if we head out of town, and it's greatly appreciated. We open early and stay late all the time. It's a small and family-owned business. We think it's part of why we are doing so well.

If I go to a business and there's a sign on the door that says they'll be open in an hour, I probably wouldn't be happy. But I'd understand, especially if I know the owners.

Of course, as soon as I opened the doors people started piling in and I sold a really nice guitar right off the bat. Then Emily showed up with her college roommate, and then Rockin' Jake and his crew pulled up - they have another gig at The Club tonight and they are staying at Chez Second String.

Maybe we oughta open an hour later every day. Nah. We enjoy our lives and the store hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.  Thanks for your understanding and support!

Talking dogs

TUCKER AND ANGUS can talk. We have conversations with them all the time. Sheryl says, "He can't understand a word you are saying." I beg to differ.

In a little while Dr. Drew Kaiser from Katherine Road Animal Hospital arrives for his weekly guitar lesson. Angus and Tucker were at his place yesterday for their shots. I know what will happen when Drew strolls in the door.

"Uh oh," Tucker will say, a worried look on his Border Collie face. "Here comes the guy who jabbed us with needles."

I think the guy with the needles is coming for his lesson!

"Oh no," Angus will say. "The nurse had to lift your tail up so they could take your temperature, after they took mine. This guy is EVIL."

"At least he took out the staples from my cut," Tucker said. "Come to think of it, he did a pretty good job on my broken leg last year, too."

There will be some sniffing and yelping and general complaining. But they always seem to warm up to Drew after a few minutes. He strokes
their ears and always talks to them, and they calm right down.

I can imagine the conversations at the house. "Uh, when are you guys gonna finish the floors? I keep slipping and I'm gonna pull a hammy," Tucker says.

"The kitchen is a mess. You fixing the roof and putting up trim soon?" Angus says.

"Then there's the garage. What a disaster. When are they fixing the fence? It's our job to try and escape and you make it too easy," Tucker says.

The boys are happy, generally. Tucker says, "I need a little love" before he hops up on my lap. Angus says, "Play with me NOW dangit" every night before bed. They communicate and understand better than most people.

It's a dog life. We're just in it for the conversations.

Christmas in August - new guitars!

ONE OF THE best parts about owning a music store is unpacking the new guitars. We got a shipment of beautiful Ibanez acoustic and electric guitars this morning. Pulling them out of the packages and tuning them up is waaaaaaaay too much fun. I'm like a kid at Christmas.

It's times like these when I realize how blessed and lucky I am at Second String Music. I have a great wife who does all the hard stuff like paperwork and ordering. I sit around, strum guitars, talk to people, give guitar lessons, play music on the weekends and just generally try to stay out of the way.

It ain't easy, being your own boss and running a small business. Every day is a new adventure and you deal with a lot of, um, interesting stuff. Like the Outside People, who walk in front of the store cursing on their cell phones. Move along, nothing to see here, nothing to see here at all.

Hanging out at Fifth and Maine sure beats working for a living!