February 17, 2021 www.DesertMessenger.com 29
Ubie meets Ukie
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By Jackie Deal
"Ukie meet Ubie. Ubie this is Ukie."
Many of you are fortunate (or un-
fortunate) enough to have read my
12 episodes of "Saga of an Inept
Ukulele Student." Ubie, a ukulele-
banjo, (or is it a banjo-ukulele?)
never managed to teach me to play.
Well, now Ubie has a companion, or
maybe it's competition. She must be
Ubie's long-lost cousin because the
family resemblance isn't too strong.
They both have four strings, but the
resemblance ends there. Ubie has
a round bottom and a long elegant
neck, hence she is a she. Ukie has
sinuous curves from top to bottom,
so she is a girl too. (Sorry, this is not
a romance novel.)
Since I'm spending the winter in
Sutherlin, Oregon, thanks to the
Covid scene, a dear, sweet neighbor
decided I needed ukulele lessons.
We began with Ubie, who true to
form, screeched so loudly that you
couldn't hear yourself think. Re-
ally, it's probably not Ubie's fault,
I just can't seem to strum gently:
with fi nesse.
Kathy, my new instructor loaned
me a lovely ukulele, now known as
Ukie. Ukie has a lovely blue fl ow-
ered, quilted case that Kathy made
for her. (I couldn't begin to sew any-
thing like that.) And now poor Ubie
is shoved back into a corner. After
all, I can't play both of them at once,
I can scarcely play one of them!
When I go to Quartzsite next win-
ter (come H or high water) Ubie will
return to her rightful owner with
many thanks and apologies. She's
been "on loan" from another dear
friend. I'm so lucky to have good
friends even tho I wonder why they
put up with me. It's certainly not for
my musical talent. Maybe they just
enjoy watching me making a fool
out of myself. I learned a long time
ago: it's okay to poke fun at yourself
but watch it if you're poking fun at
others!
"Peace comes from being able
to contribute the best
that we have, and all that we are,
toward creating a world that supports everyone.
But it is also securing the space for others
to contribute the best that they have
and all that they are." ~ Hafsat Abiola
