SEROTINE TUNES

A late bloomer's musical mystery tour

It’s not always easy being a beginner in an expert world. It helps to have a website.

Why “Serotine Tunes?"

When Sue Hubbell writes about the trees on her property in A Country Year, she refers to them by their botanical names. One such tree is Prunus Serotina, which means late blooming cherry tree. Being a musical late bloomer, this struck a chord with me. Perhaps it explains why I feel like a perennial beginner. Of course, not practicing enough doesn't help!

To combat discouragement when it arises, I prunus my expectationus, and take long walks. When I return, the words of Marie Bashkirtseff welcome me home: “Art is as much of happiness for the beginner as for the master.”