Where did Spring go? Seems to have gone from 30 degrees to 90 degrees within a week … and no relief in sight. Feels like we’re already deep into summer temperatures and it’s just starting. Spring consisted of 2 weeks of heavy rain, snow melt and flooding, and now it’s as hot as can be.
I remember spring actually being a season, like when I was a kid. Where it lasted for five or six weeks, flowers bloomed, and grasses went from winter browns to a lovely spring green and oh yes, those beautiful, gentle spring rains … but no more. Times are a changin’ … and it’s a damn good thing there’s no global warming … can you imagine?!
I’ve been feeling reasonably well, you know the routine, good days and bad days and that’s to be expected. I do find the hot weather equally as bothersome as the extreme cold of winter. It tends to drain my energy at an uncontrollable rate … it’s difficult to explain. Draining might be the word, but then again … just the simple act of getting older, is draining in itself.
Dealing with cancer on a day to day basis does have it’s challenges, and just like everyday life, we have to rise above them and push forward and onward. No different then anyone or anything else that you wish to move above.
This past weekend, to my total surprise, I heard Alberic playing a tune on his guitar that I hadn’t practiced with him or taught him. I listened, and recognized the melody but couldn’t bring the name of the song to mind. He saw me listening and asked if I knew the tune. I replied yes, but that I couldn’t remember the name. He played several riffs again, I listened again.
You know how it is when you know what something is, and just can’t remember exactly what it is you knew. Yet another sign of getting older? 
… gee, could it be?
After listening again I finally asked what the name of the song was. My twelve year old Alberic casually replied “it’s ‘The Drunken Sailor’ Dad, ever hear it?”. At first I thought to myself “why the hell is a twelve year old playing songs about drunken sailors” … and then I started to think about the tunes I played when I was learning to play and realized that it (The Drunken Sailor) wasn’t really that bad. I played lot’s of old crazy songs when I was young, and to be honest … I still do!
The Drunken Sailor is a traditional sea shanty … a folk song, and like most old folks songs there are dozens, if not hundreds of verses. I mean that’s what makes it a folk song … folks adding their own lyrics and passing it down. Hey, someday I’ll write about folk songs … it’s a great topic.
I smiled and acknowledged his skill at playing it, asked him to show me the chord structure … in which he immediately got up and walked over to the keyboard (even though he was playing guitar), and proceeded to explain the chords and structure to the song.
Then we sang a few verses:
Chorus:
What’ll we do with a drunken sailor,
What’ll we do with a drunken sailor,
What’ll we do with a drunken sailor,
Earl-aye in the morning?
Put him in the long boat till he’s sober,
Put him in the long boat till he’s sober,
Put him in the long boat till he’s sober,
Earl-aye in the morning?
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Earl-aye in the morning?
Put him in bed with the captain’s daughter,
Put him in bed with the captain’s daughter,
Put him in bed with the captain’s daughter,
Earl-aye in the morning?
Hmmm … I think he’s getting a real handle on this music stuff … amazing how fast kids can learn. Keyboard, drums and guitars, our house is starting to look like a music store! …. but you know, that’s just fine with me
