Old Sweet Songs

I can do it! When Gene and Amy were here on Saturday they installed the software on my computer and showed me how to convert my old vinyl records to digital files. It really is not that hard but I'm glad I didn't have to figure it out myself. The younger generation can do it in less than half the time it would have taken me to set it up. Once it was ready to go I could simply click my way through the process and viola! I'm hearing music I haven't heard for many years.

It is going to take awhile to play and convert all my old records. At the moment, I am working on the three-record set of Handel's The Messiah by the London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra. Leroy gave it to me for Christmas back in the 70s. He didn't have much appreciation for it in those days but knew I loved it. He didn't know anything about the artists but thought the name "has enough big words in it that it should be good." It was! And it was one of the best and most treasured gifts he ever gave me. After we no longer had a record player I always found it on the radio somewhere at Christmas but I haven't listened to the records for many years.

Some of the records are vintage 60s, bought before I was married. While I am writing this I am listening to one that we used to play on almost every date--an instrumental of The Old Sweet Songs. Naturally, there are some scratches on these very old recordings and some cracking is reproduced in the conversion process but at least we can listen to them again.

Eventually I'll get all the records done that our children listened to when they were growing up. I'm sure they will bring back a lot of memories. And when I finish the records I also have a cassette player to convert a stack of cassettes to digital files. It could take most of the winter to get everything done but then it can all be stored on an MP3 player and we can hear all the old sweet songs again.