Things I'll Leave Behind - A Dusty Old Mandolin

Posted by Earnest (Oklahoma, United States) on 21 May 2009 in Abstract & Conceptual and Portfolio.

From my disjointed series Things I'll Leave Behind is this dusty mandolin. I inherited it and a guitar from my father. It's dusty because it is never played though I did restring it long ago and strummed a few chords I found it difficult to play because the frets are so close together.

As I think about things I find it remarkable that I'm only one generation removed from abject poverty. My father had five brothers and two sisters and they lived first in a log cabin on the Kiamichi River in southeastern Oklahoma and were farmers. A story comes to us from the depression era telling of the family sitting down for supper to a bowl of wild grapes -- the only food in the house. My grandmother looked around at all the glum faces and started to laugh... as did the others of the family. Later one of the boys came in with a sack of flour and biscuits were served all around. (I have no idea why there were no fish because that river is full of them.)

Despite that, there must have been music... I was treated to a little jam in Missouri one time, my father accompanying with guitar a distant cousin who played the fiddle while his wife played a foot-treadle organ (truly a thing of beauty)... quite a treat!

So when I do pick up this ancient instrument, I think on those memories.

I hope you enjoyed the viewing... Have a great day!