Meet Grandpa. I’m not too sure when he was born (some estimate around the 1870s or 1880s). He’s got a tattoo saying “Stradivarius”, similar to many of his relatives, and an anno of 1743 (#fakenews). What I do know is that he immigrated with my great-grandfather in the early 20th century – from Germany to the vast prairies of Canada. It must have been quite the culture shock.
Grandpa has a pretty deep voice for an old guy and he can sure belt out a tune. I wonder what he did back in the day sitting around the homestead. Presumably he must have played some of the old favourites from back home (I have been told he was a pretty classical guy). Wonder if he ever went to the local dances? Did he play tunes at parties until the sun rose? No one knows and Grandpa’s not telling.
He has definitely been through some rough years though. When he came to live with me, he had some war wounds and scars from a couple of bad surgeries. There was the giant crack in his belly that had been misaligned and glued together with wood glue. He’d also lost his head once – there was a fine ugly scar where his scroll had snapped off. And his voice was a little on the thin side, probably not like the happy days of his youth.
Everyone gets a few bumps and bruises along the way, and I was always impressed that Grandpa held it together. (Although once in a really dry winter, he came apart at the seams…). More recently, a local luthier was able to perform life altering surgery and Grandpa has his glue scars cut out. There’s the thinnest new slice of wood grafted into his belly. There’s also a couple nice inserts in his scroll. He looks great! With his belly in alignment, Grandpa has roared back to life. I guess he’s still got some tunes to get out there.
So, Grandpa is doing well and still going strong. He’s often at local jams and festivals, playing a little of this and that. (Although he says #quarantinelife is getting a little boring right now). His main love these days is old time music – he says he’s got the belly for it. Speaking of bellies, he wants to know “does this chin rest make me look fat?”
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