Magical Moment 317, "I Heart My Auto Harp"

So far, my favorite Christmas gift this year is my auto harp. My father-in-law, a great collector of all things random, scarce, useless, and priceless, had this little treasure tucked away in his warehouse. I spotted the black case which I recognized immediately as some sort of musical instrument. I dusted it off and strummed away. It's an acoustic instrument with buttons that press the strings to play the correct chords, sort of like an accordion, only with strings rather than air to make sound.

The auto harp came with Christmas music and a "how to" book for beginners. It's the perfect gift for me. I was mourning having forgot to pack my guitar on our Texas trip, and with no way to make music, I didn't know what I would do so far away from my piano. This was one of my first attempts at a complete song, "Away in the Manger," it only has 3 chord changes. :)

Comments

Valencia, Ann Mary Martina said…

What a gentle soft prayerful rendition of a favorite Christmas Carol sung so sweetly for Baby Jesus. It becomes a gift for us too. Thank you, Elizabeth.

December 18, 2010 at 11:00 PM

Hilary said…

What a lovely gift. The harp for you.. the song for us. :)

December 19, 2010 at 12:58 AM

Dawn said…

You are blessed with so many talents! Thanks for sharing your favorite gift and a beautiful song:)

December 19, 2010 at 1:35 AM

Elizabeth Grimes said…

Thanks Granny, you'll like my auto harp. I'll bring it over and we can play a duet.

Hilary and Dawn, thanks for your sweet comments. Wishing you both a Merry Christmas! :)

December 19, 2010 at 3:29 PM

Magical Moment 625, "Thailand - the Elephants"

Needless to say, my favorite part of our Thailand vacation, was our week long volunteering at Elephant Nature Park ! The logging industry was banned in Thailand in 1989, leaving thousands of elephants unemployed. These elephants are now used for tourism. You may have heard of elephant shows featuring the animals playing soccer or painting pictures with their trunks. They are no doubt amazing to watch, but the sad truth is that these elephants have gone through a series of torture and abuse to "break their spirit" by their trainers. This short clip is very hard to watch, but it will give you an idea of what the elephants in captivity in the country of Thailand go through. The only elephants in Thailand who do not endure this, are the very few baby elephants who are first generation born in "safe captivity" at places like Elephant Nature Park. Every other elephant at this park has been brutally abused. Some have been blinded by their owners, le

Magical Moment 620, "Lilac Garden"

Eddie and I visited the Lilac Gardens at Ringwood Manor in New Jersey, a pristine and beautiful state park with 8 species of lilacs and several varieties within. We went on a rainy afternoon, which turned out perfect because the rain stopped for us when we got there, and began again as soon as we left. It also decorated the plants with gorgeous rain drops, adding to their beauty. And now for a quick game of "Where's Elizabeth?" And "Where's Eddie?" ~~Have a great weekend! ~~

Magical Moment 280, "The Eleventh Hour"

The Veterans Day Parade, NYC On July 29, 2001 , five exceptional men were honored by the President of the United States for their remarkable military service. They were involved in a top secret mission that required unfathomable intelligence and as a result, literally won a battle which was instrumental in winning the war. Not the war that was happening in 2001, not even the Gulf War. It was World War II, and they were the Navajo Code Talkers who were largely responsible for winning the bloody battle of Okinawa. The only problem with the ceremony was that just 5 remained of the original 29. Our country was too late in thanking the other 24, and nearly too late in thanking those 5 men. On March 10, 2010, three hundred women won the Congressional Gold medal for their outstanding war service. Unfortunately, 800 received the award posthumously. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II, who devoted themselves to flying military aircraft like the B-26 and B-

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