Scenery–you need scenery. Print this out and stick it on the front of the microwave. For additional atmosphere, PM me and I’ll send you some sand from this beach.* You can sprinkle it on the floor–it’ll be just like living in Florida until you manage to get it swept up (sometimes takes years). 
*Offer not valid in countries with mailing restrictions!
I hope that California falls down while you are away JonC.
I keep hearing it’s due.
What I mean is that , of course,I hope that California doesn’t fall down, but if it has to …
Back at’cha Tom!
I wondered where you had gotten to since I hadn’t seen you over on the whistle side and my last e-mail bounced.
Keep warm and safe and have a great year!
Marguerite
Marguerite!!! 
how are you doing? I swear to god I was thinking about you this past weekend. You and Blackhawk overthere and a couple more incredable humans are the reason my life has been taken over by the most redicoulussly challanging instrument I have ever incountered 
I got to get over to the whistle board way more often. I guess I am lost in the flute and only grab a whistle to calm my nerves when frustration creeps in. But they are always at hand. Well I have to talk to ya over on the other forum. So good to hear from you.
Jeez Doug, Im going to give that a try. :astonished: Hey Mary, yes I do know his work. His gallery is a short walk from where I live. The rain is realy quite amazing realy. Though last summer was one of the dryest on record. There was a week of over 100 degrees with the high being 103. Most a-typical. But when it rains it doesnt mess around.
Hey Nelson, unfortunetly, for me, the horses spend the winter about 1000 miles south of here on about 800 acres of pasture and wont see a human till April. So I am spending the winter horseless. I dont like it.
Last winter I was working horses in eastern Washington where the temp got down to 34 degrees below 0. The boys and I were giving midnight sleigh rides. Crazy. But your setup is very much the same as was mine in those winter years in Washington.
Flute time;
Tom
Well, big guy, I may be spending a little more time over here in flute country–Santa (who is a guitar player) bought me a Casey Burns Folk Flute (small hands version) so I’ve taken on that new challenge.
I’m suffering through air leaks (my fault, not the flute’s) and my left hand no longer meets the original specs, but I’m getting better with practice. It’s got a great tone for such a simple instrument and I’m falling in love with it.
Take care, dude,
M
PS–I might mention that I treated myself to a Busman for my birthday a while back, and it’s a wonderful piece of work, too! Lots of reasons to practice
Well I haven`t heard a discouraging word about the CB Folk flute. In fact I was about to order one when Jessie put a Rose up for sale. I never could afford one of his whistles but I sure am glad I went for his flute. Realy a great flute, and way to much fun to play. It will be fun watching another whistle convert get sucked into the abbissssss of flutedumb.
You know I have never heard a Bushmen but I always loved the way the look. I always grab either my Shaw (Jerry tweeked) or my old Gen (Blackhawk tweeked) or that weird C I have, the antique. Anyway I look forward to hearing how it goes and everyone here is full of usefull info and shoulders to cry on 
Have fun, these things are incredable
Tom
I have to confess I was a flute player–Boehm flute, anyway–before I was a whistle player, but I could never make the reach on a regular Irish flute. So at least I’ve got the skills to make a sound while I’m learning where the holes are.
Anyway, at the moment, the whistles are ahead in numbers (the Busman, about 4 Elfsongs, assorted plastic-fipple whistles in different keys, a Jerry-tweaked Shaw A, a fistful of Megs I got offa Lee, and various folk whistles of unknown keys), but the flutes are a close second. I’ve got my creaky old nickel-plated Bundy from grammar school (it gets loaned out to young musicians to see if they want to be flute players), two wooden Boehm flutes, an H. Bettony and a Haynes, an 1865-era Baroque flute (fife-size, about B-flat), and the new CBFF.
I tend to seize the poor FF in a death grip trying to make the holes seal (whether my fingers have managed to hit them or not) and giving myself hand cramps. So I’m playing s-l-o-w-l-y and trying to learn where my fingers go. When everything works right, the sound is great, and just the positive reinforcement I need to keep going 