Camp Mansfield - Chapter Eleven

"How do I look?" asks Alice Hammer swirling around and then coming to a complete stop with her back left leg in the air attempting to pose as a graceful ballerina " Do you like the feathers?"

In complete awe Jennings admires her best friend's delusional ability to believe that she still has the grace and fluency of a ballerina as a no-longer-can't-even-remember-being-size-2 grandma cascades and descends in front of her and then stalling for a unintentional moment struggling to keep her balance.  "Perhaps there is still a chance at a circus"  amusingly thinks Jennings to herself  with a chuckle.  Noticing the oversized checkered autumn colored feathers protruding from Alice Hammer's hat, "Hmmm ---- it's interesting.  Where did you find that treasure?"

"I found this beauty at the vintage store of the historical victorian house museum.  I love the large round beaded leather belt of pearls attached as the head band and how the edges gently slope downward of the Maitose hat. The feather plums just add the perfect touch, don't you think?" gazes Alice Hammer at the design admiring herself in the large antique mirror posted next to the doorway with the attached bench and coat rack. "I think that I was born in the wrong generation.'

"I think you would be considered very special no matter what year you were born" sincerely remarks Jennings releasing and smile with a chuckle. "Is this what you are wearing to the concert tonight?"

"Oh yes.  I've considered my outfit for several days.  Too bad the gentlemen couldn't join us tonight.  I will miss my sweet-pa-tutti tonight" geninuely remarks Alice Hammer "I know  Mr. Woodhouse and he are preparing for the Thanksgiving service tomorrow, so it will be a girls night for us."  Then examining her decidedly less fashionable friend, "Is this what you are wearing tonight?"

"Yes" defiantly replies Jennings feeling that her outfit was quite an accomplishment of effort "I'm even wearing a skirt too."

"Yes, you are" acknowledges Alice Hammer "it's quite khaki with the matching Northern Staff Band polo shirt that is at least twenty years old."

"I worked very hard for this.  It's my badge of honor" sharply replies Jennings putting on the matching coat with logo "I want to show them my support and for all the other young female musicians out there too. It look a long time for some of my music to be published because it was such a rare thing to have a woman composer. Believe it or not, I actually now have somewhat of a following."

"I think they would follow you whether you had been in the band or not" markedly replies Alice Hammer rather impressed with her friend's loyalty to the band.  "I was never much of a bandsman.  My corps band master told me so."

"What do you mean?" asks Jennings wondering where this story will go.  She cannot recall Alice Hammer ever attempting to learn an instrument.

"Lt. Grant, the corps assistant, at the Crestwood corps years ago started a junior band.  I tried very hard but I just couldn't get the off-beats.  This whole one, two, three, four nonsense was a bit much for me and then wanting to hit a note in the in-between, how did he really expect me to do that" explains Alice Hammer and then to explain her rationale  "All I remember is that if the beginning of the line had a four in it, it meant four beats, but I couldn't understand how there could be so many notes in a measure if there were only four beats when each note is a beat."'

"That might have been a problem" agrees Jennings trying to discover Alice Hammer's thought pattern which could be quite complex at times.

"I couldn't understand why there couldn't be 7 beats in a measure if it was a really good one" continues Alice Hammer.

"What?" whispers Jennings trying to figure out what she means by that.

"For instance, let's say it is a really pretty phrase, sometimes I just wanted to repeat it again.  But Lt. Grant would get so mad at me.  He said I wasn't playing it correctly.  Of course I was, I was just playing it again because it sounded so lovely".

"That might be a problem if you were playing with others" astutely remarks Jennings wanting to understand her friend.

"Sometimes I use to sing my part rather than play it. You know some parts would sound better if they were sung rather than played. He eventually told me that I would be a better candidate for songsters" admits Alice Hammer.  "I still remember the names of the instruments though, or at least names I gave them".

"Really?" wonders Jennings anticipating some interesting answers "What were they?"

"Well there was the bigger trumpet, the captial P, the tiny berries, trouser legs, and the bagels" admirably states Alice Hammer impressed that she could remember all of the names at once.

"Let's see if I can translate" thoughtfully considers Jennings "I think the bigger trumpet, might mean the flugal.  Is that right?"

"Yes, I forgot that is what it is called" pleased announces Alice Hammer as if playing Family Feud.

"I'm at a bit of a loss about the 'Capital P's', I really don't know what you are talking about" honestly replies Jennings feeling a bit miffed that she wasn't able to transpose all of her vocabulary.

"You know, the big Umpa things in the back row.  When they sit them down to rest they look like big "P"s written in calligraphy" sincerely describes Alice Hammer.

"Oh, I never thought about that.  Let's see the "tiny berries", are you talking about the tenor horns?" inquires Jennings feeling at least she got a couple of them right so far. "I get it, instead of a smaller baritone, you called it a berry."

"Yes, that's right.  But now that I think about it they look like they are shaped more like a small acorn, don't you think?" nodding her head in delight, Alice Hammer asks "Can you guess the others?"

"Trouser legs would be trombones.  I'm guessing the cornets are the bagels".

"Yes, I originally got them confused with the word bugle but after discovering that thought that bagels sounded like a cuter name" replies Alice Hammer "There is one more I forgot, the Key of B and the cinnamon"

"What?" curiously asks Jennings scratching her head.

"Well I didn't understand when someone first explained what a euphonium was, I thought they had said cinnamon like a cinnamon roll.  I must have been hungry at the time" explains Alice Hammer "the key of B was short for B-tone which seemed like much too long of nickname for the baritone so since it is in the key of B and begins with B, this seemed much better."

"The "key-of-B" is longer than "B-tone" though" accurately points out Jennings not fully contemplating the logic of her friend.

"No, there is just one letter in the title of the key"  counters Alice Hammer "I don't understand that key anyway."

"What do you mean?" asks Jennings afraid of what the answer might be.

"You know how warm-ups are usually in the key of C or sometimes G depending on the instrument.  I still don't understand why it was permissible for a cornet to start in c while the tenor horns were in G.   Why don't band masters ever let you play a scale using all of your favorite notes if you have to warm up anyway" continues Alice Hammer "My favorite notes were E flat, F sharp, and B flat.  I don't understand why sharps and flats couldn't be in the same scale together either.  If you have to bother to warm up, why wouldn't it be all right just to play your favorite notes instead.  The bandmaster didn't appreciate my creative touch to the scales."

"I can see why Lt. Grant said that you would be a better candidate for songsters" agrees Jennings "Maybe band wasn't exactly the thing for you."

"Come on let's go, we're going to be late at this rate" offers Jennings feeling as if her mind has been expanded a little much for a day.  "Watch your hat so the feathers don't crumble going outside the door".

"I love my hat!" exclaims Alice Hammer modeling and nodding to the ghost audience as the walk down the hallway of the Silvercrest Residence.

As the exit the lobby, Alice Hammer and Jennings climb into the large people mover with significant signage to point out who the vehicle belongs to and where to call for donations just in case anyone needs to be aware of that particular piece of information in any spare moment of time.

Sitting next to each other, Alice Hammer reaches into the depths of her endless bag and pulls out a single size serving of chips, turning towards Jennings  "Would you like to share?"

"No, thank you.  Dinner was very good tonight in the cafeteria" remarks Jennings "Ever since your sweetie starting volunteering in the kitchen the food has greatly improved. Give my condolences to him".

"What?" asks Alice Hammer reflecting on the definition of her vocabulary for a moment  "Why condolences?"

"I imagine that you have already provided an alternate menu with some of your special recipes" suggests Jennings knowing her friends less than stellar cooking skills but being entirely oblivious to it.

"How did you know?  You really know me so well" pleased remarks Alice Hammer  "I gave him my dressing with jalapenos, jello with jolly ranchers, sweet cornbread and fried pickles, and a few of my other favorites for him to try."

"Remind me that I need to start looking at the menu each day on the Silvercrest web site" sincerely  replies Jennings "Then I'll know when to buy my groceries."

Alice Hammer raises one eyebrow and glares at her dear friend for a moment, "I don't know whether you are being sincere or not."

"I am sincere, but in my opinion you will just have to guess" replies Jennings enjoying the company of her friend "It looks like we're about here.  I'm looking forward to the concert tonight and seeing a few of my old friends again."

"Yes, I've been missing some of our friends who use to attend Crestwood but have been transferred to other places.  It will be fun catching up with them" admits Alice hammer correcting the angle of her vintage hat of turkey feathers for the performance as they approach the entrance of the corps.