Bob and I have February birthdays one day apart. We are not big celebrators or gift givers, but Bob had always wanted mark the occasion by hosting a musicale – an event that would gather all of our musical friends together to spend an evening sharing their talents with the group. There was one thing that stood in our way. We lived atop a bluff by Lake WI and to get to our house one had to go up a steep and sometimes unplowed road. Not an event for a February birthday. Not going to happen! But then, in late 1992, we moved to Madison. Problem solved. By February of 1994 we organized the first event. It was a success – just as we had envisioned it. The Musicale has become an annual affair with the exception of a couple of years missed because of the pandemic.

We started off inviting both Prairie friends and some neighbors and now have a list of folks who generally attend. We keep adding to the list – 4 ‘newbies’ this year and one already on the pending list for next year. Attendance ranges from about 20 to over 30 depending on people’s availability. Our kids all perform if they are around. Mischa and Robin were regulars in the early years until they moved to California. Sometimes we have had them participate from afar. Ian, and now with his wife Layla, are regulars, often doing a duet. Everyone looks forward to that.

Our kitchen and dining area were in desperate need of remodeling and we finally got around to that, basically finishing by the end of 2010. Jim and Lisa Glueck have been regular participants in the Musicale, basically from the beginning, so we called on Jim in his role of architect to help design the new space. He talked us into pushing the front wall out 3 feet which made a remarkable difference. Since he knew how we used the space for gatherings, his plan took that into account. At the 2011 Musicale I noticed him standing in the kitchen surveying the gathered crowd with a look of immense satisfaction on his face. His design worked as he had envisioned it with a smooth flow of people gathering in the new space.

So the tradition carries on. We generally meet at our house but, for my 80th birthday, we were able to widen the circle as we met at Prairie. We invited the whole congregation, the Raging Grannies, and our out-of town family. Some of the California contingent was there plus my cousin (think granddaughter) from Boston. We had a full house, or church as it was. Tavery and Casey hung out in the kitchen making sure everyone was served. Mischa passed Scotch out to many of the Grannies. (It was an extra fun performance. We acquired two new Grannies because it was clear we were having so much fun.) The performances went on until at least 10 o’clock.

Our current dilemma is parking. They reconstructed Hammersley Rd in front of our house and now there is no street parking. We had a new driveway put in which can accommodate up to five cars so, this year, Bob instructed some people to park in the driveway and some to park down the hill on Hemstead, a short block away. Wouldn't you know, it snowed in the late afternoon so he was out there shoveling both the driveway and the walks between our house and Hemstead where the overflow would park. I’m sure some of the folks on Hemstead were surprised to wake up Sunday morning and find their sidewalks already shoveled.

So how did this year’s event go? The arrangement of cars seemed to work. We had 17 guests including four ‘newbies.’ No Casey, Ian or Layla at the last minute because they were all sick, and some of our “regulars” were either out of town or had other engagements, but that certainly did not dampen the appreciation of those who were here. Several people sang original pieces, either written by themselves or someone they knew. Usually there are a couple bottles of wine consumed during the evening, but that didn’t happen this year. Not that there wasn’t wine, but I made hot cider and that was a big hit. Somehow cider seemed to go with the fresh snow. I had worried that the parking would be a real problem, but all went well. Next year we will carry on the tradition, probably with more folks here. Someday we will run out of space, but so far, so good. The tradition continues.