Howdy M G,

You are one busy guy! And those are some pretty funny cat stories - I can see those antics in my head as I listen to your piece

Good luck with the whistle - that will be fun Some places will let you play a "test" whistle before you buy, so you may want to take along some of those little pocket alcohol wipes to clean it up before you play it.

And re. Simple Gifts, I was playing a song that I had written for my kids, and I realized that a couple of motifs from Simple Gifts are present, if only faintly, but definitely reminiscent of the song. However, I use a different meter for my kids' song, so it's sort of like a hazy recollection in parts of SG. SG is quite the pervasive influence I'm looking forward to hearing your completed work - a grand expansion of a good theme!

ttfn,
Sherry