The Sound of the Fiddle, Reeling and True

Yesterday was delightful. We awoke at 8:00 to a damp breeze blowing in the bedroom window, the leaves dripping with fresh rain. After a ride to school, a successful exam, and an honest day's work for James, we headed home for one of my first evenings off of the week. I snuggled up on our old velvet green couch with a book, At Home in Mitford (a delightful story of the mishaps and adventures of an Episcopalian minister in a small North Carolina town), and read with the rain until I fell asleep. James woke me up at 5:00 p.m. with a delightful surprise...Nickel Creek, a fabulous bluegrass band, was playing downtown in the square at a free concert! We looked out the window at the teeming rain and grimaced at the menacing thunder, but decided to brave the elements with the hope of hearing Sara Watkins (fiddle) and the world's best mandolin player, Chris Thiele. We arrived at the square to a beautiful sight...crowds of ponchos and multi-colored umbrellas, and the sound of a fiddle reeling. We found our way to some soaking wet seats on the side of a statue, and settled in for the show. I was thrilled to hear the opening notes of their first song...The Fox. You can't help but smile when you hear the runs and reels of this song, laughing through the rain. All around us, people clapped and danced as the rain poured down, puddles of music and joy at our feet.