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Mr. Keys guitar

Mr. Key is a super nice guy who generouly has let me care for his lawn for the last seven years. About 1 1/2 yrs ago Mr. Key asked me to remove some rather large limbs from his roof that had fallen from his poplar tree. I sugested removing the tree before something landed in his bed. He agreed and I convinced the tree company to let me have the trunk which I took to a sawmill and had sawn up and waited paitently for it to dry.

I knew that the Poplar was destined to be guitars and the Mr. Key would appreciate something made from his tree. So when it was ready I started building a guitat completly from the Poplar, upon completion I delivered it to him. At first I just let him look at it and strum it. He knew I built intruments and always liked seeing what I had done. This was just before his birthday in September, so after a few minutes I told him "Happy Birthday".

Mr. Key smiled really big and began to giggle. He then stummed even more, Itried to show him a couple of things and thirty minutes later he was still giggling like a school boy. I asked if he had ever played before and he said that this was his very first instrument and he had never played anyhting before. Mr. Key was 96 on birthday in September. It is sad that someone could live this long and not experience music, but he was surely enjoying his music that day.

When I would speak with Mr. Key he would tell me that while watching the Cardinal baseball game he would sit and strum the guitar during the game and anytime he walked by it he would pick it up and stum it a couple of times.

I got the call that I hate to get, the Friday after Thanksgiving Mr. Key passed away. I am grateful to have had the opportinity to share music with him before he passed, and to know that he enjoyed playing on his Poplar guitar. no one should walk through this life without experiencing the joy of muisic.

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Comment by gary herget on December 24, 2014 at 3:01am: Oh, and Happy Birthday, Mr. Ross.

Comment by gary herget on December 24, 2014 at 3:00am: Thanks Gary, it does seem like all of my customers do become friends and it's hard when they go. I'm sure there will be someone for you and I hope you make it another 30 years.

Comment by Gary Ross on December 24, 2014 at 2:45am: Looks like you cared for more than his lawn over those years. Sorry for your loss. I'm reading this on my 64 th birthday (today ) and thinking " I hope I have a friend like that when I get old"
Gary

Comment by gary herget on December 18, 2014 at 4:24pm: Thanks Wayfinder, and Turtlehead. Putting the folk back into music, a life journey we all should enjoy.

Comment by turtlehead on December 18, 2014 at 1:14pm: I'm going to quote the last line whenever I get the chance Gary. Great post!

That's what we are doing here - putting the folk back into music.