Riffs in a Four Year Old Boxer

There are a lot of people sending truckers money on GoFundMe and similar sites, but those same contributors won't pay more for products, indeed they most often choose the cheapest product, thus the truckers won't receive higher wages nor better conditions.   I'm uncertain main issue is really about them having to prove their vaccination status, which seems like just a matter of showing a paper which they already have to show other papers (license etc) when crossing borders.  I think it's really about compensation for their poor working conditions.  Their job is a tough one so I do hope some of them are able to train to find something else, or else their compensation goes up.  That said it's a free market and there is a lot of competition. These job types are constantly in a state of change, just ask any former machinist after NAFTA or former VCR or TV repairperson.

Saugus indeed is a leafy suburb. Some of the "reservation" names are due to land being set aside to prevent development, as this is part of the Northeast Megatropolis and practically every scrap of land is developed. If you mean Breakheart, though, that name came from the Civil War when soldiers training at the location found it so isolated and desolate that it broke their hearts.  I live more to the south, on Baker Hill overlooking Rumney Marsh (hense my own blog's title.)   I'll snap some pics and talk more about Saugus in a future posting. 

My sister this week snapped for me this picture of Dad's accordion which I remember him always having, so at least we've had it since 1967 or so.  Dad bought it while working but then got laid off thus he could not afford the lessons.    He had a learning book instead but never did learn it. 

I remember being very young and strapping it on to try it.  I was mesmerized by the latches on the case, and worked one of them every day.  Plus I was told not to touch it which of course is a draw of attention to it.  

Eventually I got them both and it opened the case (I must have been super young) and was able to try on the straps. If I arched my back VERY far I could, with all of my little might, get the bottom of it just barely off of the floor.  My older brother thought that was very funny and called my Mom to watch, so after resting I put it on, again to prove to her that I could do it.  Then I unstrapped the clasp to open the bellows but of course the left side was too heavy for me and it bellowed all the way out hitting the floor. I immediately got yelled at for that.  I imagine now that this would have been super cute, today this would be fodder for Reels or TikTok.  

My brother actually took lessons for a half year and learned a song or two.  I was only able to learn a single small blues riff (four chords plus a keyboard progression, about 15 seconds) which I can still play, today (if I had an accordion.) Pretty sure it was lesson 3 or 4 from the practice book. 

Image of similar model, from eBay showing right hand buttons (there are over one hundred.)

It's an challenging instrument in that you have to think of both keyboards independantly and learn to play them both at the same time - melody on the left hand and chord accompaniment on the right, PLUS work the bellows with correct timing at the right spots in a measure otherwise you get a power dropout.  So it's a lot to coordinate.  When you're a wee lad it's quite the mental challenge.  I couldn't even write that well yet with a pencil nor ride a bike, at the time. I remember my attempts at it fondly.  Especially those clasps on the accordion case. 

Here was his learning book: it was this one from Palmer-Hughes:

Sometimes, the dog would howl along.  I eventually (much later) learned a few chords on guitar, and went that way for a while, for fun, joined a singing choir and etc.

Thanks for the memories, and for sharing your image!