Today, it was nice so I went downtown to busk...Harry and me..There were homeless men with signs also in the vicinity.. Four men, one on each of three corners and one in the middle of the block.. all on the same block.. I went to the fourth corner to play music.. One of the men across the street started yelling at me to go home.. I only busk for a max of 1 1/2 hours and only on good days.. Those guys are out there 8 hours a day, almost every day... yet they feel threatened by me....Anything that makes people want to spend time downtown can only be an asset to the homeless looking for donations..so, in that sense, my presence probably benefits them in some way.
I've seen people give them money and ..that's ok...but somehow they think that every dollar I receive is a dollar that they would have gotten if I wasn't there. That just isn't true...... But I'm not homeless and I'm not looking for a handout.. I'm working as an entertainer......It is disheartening to be yelled at... I don't yell at them to 'get a job !'' Such is life.. Also, donors often give them enough for a meal...not just a buck or two.. $5 $10 tips are not uncommon for them... My tips average $1..I'm not complaining...but THEY are.. Fortunately, those who don't like what I do are the exceptions..Most street people are very kind and polite to me.. Merry Christmas...!

WoW.. I got through that without an 'edit'!!!

After a very fun day of busking the thought came to me that being on the street busking is like Facebook without a computer... I see countless people who I know and have known and it is fun 'catching up' on their lives, and sharing Harry Hare with them. We get to give and receive 'likes'.....Facebook, and the Hangout offer similar opportunities but Busking is a face to face encounter ..Life is good.

Was in Bloomington today looking for a busking rabbit and the guy what brung him.
Asked a college kid. He knew the rabbit!
Maybe next time!

Yesterday when I was busking, the main tune I played was Indian Ate The Woodchuck, in D.. A young girl of about 10 years old gave a tip and asked her if she would like to play my fiddle.. I had NO idea if she could or not, I ask just to get people involved.. She took my fiddle and played the first part of Indian Ate The Woodchuck.. I was surprised.. I asked where she had learned the tune and she said she learned it from ME, just listening for the past few minutes... THEN, she said that her brother, who was about 20 feet away, leaning against a building.. could play it better . I called him over. He seemed to be about 14 years old.... Yes, he played the first TWO parts of the tune with proficiency after just having listened to me play it for a few minutes.. I'm so impressed with how talented some people are.. That tune is NOT easy to play...Another day..another surprise.

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Originally posted by dulcimer bill

Was in Bloomington today looking for a busking rabbit and the guy what brung him.
Asked a college kid. He knew the rabbit!
Maybe next time!

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I'm heartbroken.. next time, give me a 'heads up'..!!

Not Quite a busking story.. Today, me, Larry and Harry Hare got to put out our tip jar at a local farmers Winter market......I've had cabin fever lately and am chompin' at the bit to get out on the sidewalk.. Tomorrow it is supposed to be 56 degrees..50 is my cut off, so Watch Out World..!!

I saw you had posted and thought, “is it that warm over there?”

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Originally posted by ChickenMan

I saw you had posted and thought, “is it that warm over there?”

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Sunday  it should be  57, Monday 58 , and Tuesday 57... Summer weather!!! Don't forget Billy, you live in a different time Zone... Us Easterners get that Gulf breeze..!!  ( I forgot to mention that the Winter Farmer's Market where we were today  is held INDOORS..!!)

Well, I've bowed to the pressure.. I'm not the best 'dresser'.. and at times folks have even though that I was homeless.. (not that it is a shame to be homeless)..So, finally, I had a friend (stylish dresser) go with me to Macy's and I purchased an entire new wardrobe of clothes..I took 90% of my clothes from my clothes closed and donated them to our local homeless shelter.. It will be interesting to see how the public reacts to the new 'well dressed' me...as compared to the old, shabbily dressed, me...(Harry Hare has a new shirt as well...

It just occurred to me.. Remember last year when I said that an Obama look alike stopped by while I was busking? Hey, it MIGHT have actually been him!!! Why not? Nashville, Indian is just about a 5 hour drive and is a touristy town that a lot of Chicago residents travel to..He is out of office and he may have been living in Chicago at that time..!!Dang, now I'll never now..!!!

This Sunday, Harry and I have been asked to busk at a "Soup Bowl"... Potters around the area make bowls and people  pay around $35 to get  a 'free' bowl of their choice and 'free' soup from local restaurants and all proceeds go to charity.. My lovely wife is one of those potters.. Unfortunately she slipped on some black ice about two weeks ago and broke her arm...will have to put throwing pots on hold for a few months..

Dang, that has to hurt. 

Edited to remove the string of question marks that always appear behind the emojis (again). 

Great day on the sidewalk today.. but I cut it short to save my energy for the Charity Soup Bowl ... Little Leo (about 4 years old) brought his fiddle to 'assist'.. He started almost two years ago just trying to mimic while not actually making any sounds on his fiddle.. However he now can clearly play open strings and understands that his fingers change the sound.. His dad says that he will be getting formal instruction soon... It is so much fun watching this little tyke learn.....

The Soup Bowl busking event went well.. Harry and I donated our tips to the event.. We made about $30 in an hour.. That is good, but the 11 year twins fiddling in the next room brought in $260 for the event over the same length of time.... Busking rule number 25... "You can't compete with CUTE"...! BTW, those two nice kids were in the string band that took first place in the youth string band contest at Clifftop last year.!!

@Lee Mysliwiec

Obama: I wonder if that actually was Lee Mysliwiec ... !

Michelle:  You're STILL not saying his name right!

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Originally posted by Old Scratch

@Lee Mysliwiec

Obama: I wonder if that actually was Lee Mysliwiec ... !

Michelle:  You're STILL not saying his name right!

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Obama?   I"M still trying to pronounce my name right!!!.

Busking stories never seem to end..Another day, another adventure.. I'm just heading home from busking during the True/False film festival..Five days of beautiful weather..Today's busking was a record FIVE straight hours on the street corner. I'm a regular busker at that festival and  it was nice to hear from Many people that they looked forward to seeing us on the sidewalk...There is a school of journalism nearby and as usual, I was photographed busking by no less than ten students...They NEVER send me photos even if I ask..!! Go figure.

Some guy came by with a wolf/shepherd dog that looked to be 99% wolf.. He raised it from being a pup, when it was removed from the home of someone who owned it illegally.. The current owner is a DNR employee..

A drunk woman stopped by and said that she just purchased a fiddle and only yesterday realized that the bow needs rosin in order to work... obviously a 'newby'.. I wound up giving her a little lesson right there on the sidewalk...Such fun that was............and then she proceeded to spill a beer on my vest..
Ideas about busking were enforced.. that is, bigger crowds don't mean more tips.....people will be more willing to tip if they see someone else tip..and it is always amazing to me to see how many people want to give me FOOD.!!!

All of the tip money....suspect Corona Virus material!!!  LOTS of bills handled by strangers... Not ready to panic yet, but it the virus gets to my hometown my busking days may be limited until things calm down..

Finally, I've been wanting to put a tune to the tune name, ''He rides the whirlwind".. The first phrase came to me yesterday and all day today I polished and polished and now have the tune ready. I'll be playing it soon for Hangout members..

I appears that us buskers (me, at least) may be out of business for a while. Most of my tips come from tourists or other people from out of my area..and I did a little research and discovered that the new virus can survive on paper cash for from two hours to two weeks...I suppose I could deposit the bills in a bucket and leave them for a couple of months!!????

Or keep bleach spray handy

It was such a nice day today that I thought I'd just take my fiddle downtown and see what happens.. When I arrived I saw that there were maybe 200 parking spots to choose from.. Normally there are NONE.. The Governor has ordered restaurants and bars to close to eat-in customers...So.. I went home..

This virus will NOT stop me from busking, even though I'm in self-quarantine.. My lovely wife is walking a route between the kitchen and the living room and I set up to busk.. So far, not even one tip. bummer......

I'll bet you thought we were done with busking.. Oh, NO... Harry and I will be at this week's farmer's market..keeping MORE than a social distance...

Be cautious out there, Lee. I don't want your desire to busk to be your ticket to Covidsville.

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Originally posted by ChickenMan

Be cautious out there, Lee. I don't want your desire to busk to be your ticket to Covidsville.

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We'll be 'off to the side'...and a good 15 feet from any passersby........Any economic  stimulus will be left in the tip bucked for a few days before being handled..

I'll bet Harry will have some stories to tell when you go to pick him up!
Around here, one Farmer's Market has reopened as a virtual market. You look at the products online, make your selections, and then pick them up curbside.