Well another year has flown by. Did it go faster or am I just realizing more how a minute passed is never retrieved and there’s less of them ahead of me than behind? Whatever the case, we’re at a new year.

On any number of fronts it was an escalating year of chaos and fluctuation. War and strife, money markets, health and food sources, and weather seemed to be front and center most every day. These issues were most often on the negative side of our concerns and news reports – and not without cause and importance. If we focused on just those issues we should have had cause to be greatly affected by them.

But, those topics are only part of the overall picture. Life is continuing on. We’re getting together with people again after the long 2 years of limited interaction. There are neighbors, families and longtime friends who are still there and welcome a visit or conversation. Longtime and past clients welcome us to their homes for a meal and relationship. Babies are being born and the cycle of living continues. The spirit of life and purpose our Creator placed within us is not being squelched (although many would like it to be).

So I hope we continue on with what is on each of our plates. We can’t fix everything, and I often find I’m not that good at distinguishing between all the needs around calling for attention and what’s my individual (and family) responsibility. But one thing is certain, I will only be accountable for what was given to me – not for the assets or actions of someone else. May I be able to look back another year from now and see progress in running the race well – and a part of that being that I’m well on my way with the studio upgrades. (Why do I keep hearing a rolling can?)

This past Saturday I traveled to the Loess Hills of Iowa to assist with the removal of some dead trees. One of the men working on this project owns cabins in that area and also a small town convenience store/cafe. Adjacent to where most of the cabins are is a small public pond that is apparently Home Sweet Home to a beaver or two (or more). So what does all this have to do with tackling a big job. Well just this, two examples of how to do it were visible near the pond – the beavers providing the evidence. They had gnawed two rather sizeable trees, causing the one to topple already and the other would have soon followed with a few more nights of activity. As we were examining the chips of wood and torn off bark, it became very apparent how these trees met their demise – one gnaw at a time. The beavers weren’t overwhelmed by the size of their job, they just tackled it a bite at a time and kept at it. Eventually they had their desired result.

So we came away with an object lesson in strategy and perspective. When faced with an enormous obstacle or task, we need to just take it a step at a time, stay at it consistently and the job will get done in due time (maybe I can apply that to getting all the studio upgrades accomplished). And oh, my friend obtained permission to remove the two tree trunks that had been “destroyed”, and at least one of them will hold residence in his store as a conversation piece (or platform for a duck decoy) – and maybe a reminder or two about tackling huge jobs.

On a side note, the studio is extremely quiet right now. The old Pro Tools system has been turned off – one major step toward the goal.

We were able recently to get a taste of flavor from our yet-to-be-installed equipment (and it whetted my appetite for sure). Tesco Productions received a call from an out-of-state producer, Helton De Jesus who was looking for a studio to record a local artist’s Spanish vocals. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles here, I’m in the process of designing and preparing to install several new hardware and software offerings. Among those planned additions are a variety of higher end 500 Series microphone preamps. So I explained to Helton that I could temporarily set up some of the new equipment (new and new to me), and we could run the session if he didn’t mind additional visible wires connecting the gear (until the permanent installation). He said the sound was more important than what it looked like (I agree, but I try to accomplish both whenever possible), and we booked a short afternoon session. A dual microphone setup was utilized with each mic feeding two preamps each, so Helton was able to provide himself and his client with four sound pallettes to choose from. He operated our current Pro Tools system and I provided technical assistance and setup. Zoey performed with Helton’s guidance and they were both happy with the results. Helton asked me to provide a runoff of the songs the next day so Zoey could have the two songs for listening and to share the preliminary product with her family and friends. Thank you for coming in. Wish you the best!