Hum Bug

I have really been working my throat this week. It is difficult to tell how much it is helping. I do know if I give it a good massage right before speaking, I seem to get a couple dozen decent syllables. If it seems strange to you that I write so much about my voice, you are not alone. I think it is strange too. Who would have ever imagined such a problem?

Anyway, Wednesday night as I was putting Natalie to bed, I had an idea. I would try out my newly revived skill of humming. I told her that I was going to hum a bedtime tune and I wanted to see if she could identify it. I know the humming is still pretty rough, so I tried Edelweiss, a tune that is very familiar to her. I had to focus, relax, and take a deep breath before I began. I did only the opening stanzas. It was pretty bad. She just stared, absolutely no idea. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.

Last night I tried it again, with Good Night Ladies. It was much more on tune and she identified it right off. Yea for us! Tonight she asked me to do another song. I tried Down in the Meadow and she is now 1-for-3. But it is OK. When I told her what I was trying to hum, she giggled as sweet memories enveloped her. Seriously, you could see her eyes light up with remembrance and when I left the room she was still singing the tune. I have a feeling this may become a tradition even if I never hum recognizably again; I can at least tell her what I was would have sung to her!