I hate the questions that ask what my favorite anything is. Books, kids, color, etc. All change accordingly.
So let me do my best to narrow this down. Water. Beach, pool, lake, creek, rain, snow.
I love swimming underwater, on top of water, drinking water. Inside, outside, upside down. Oh, let’s not forget forests near water. Sandy beaches. Let me dive in.
I’m still slowly coming around. I’m still doing little bits of everything. What I’m learning in my old age is how even little bits get the job done. What am I on some kind of race? Just with myself. I just need to be patient.
There are a couple rows I’ve added to these watermelon socks.
I’ve added several rows on this pair. I don’t know why I favor this pair over the watermelon but I’m nearly to the arch ribbing.
While we’re watching local news I use the stationary bike while working on Duolingo. It’s interesting how the exercise my legs helps my brain.
When I move to my Dabbling Den, Chris hops on the bike. He’s working very hard lately. He went from five minutes to 30 minutes for 5 miles (like I do). We are neck to neck in this gentle race.
I’m averaging about 45 minutes playing and learning improvisation. I try to do my vocal warmups before playing so that when I’m playing something fun I can sing along. These are some of my favs right now.
And Shiloh our black cat wants to make sure I include her song. That white and blue book? The journal I’ve been keeping up for piano and voice.
From around 10:30 Shiloh and Sammie gather in my Den. Shiloh will walk on the piano keys to let me know what I’m supposed to do. I’ve begun to call her ‘Mom’ as she gets insistent about my practice time. Sammie just sleeps in a little bed under my diamond painting table.
As you can see the sunset beach is nearly finished. Just a bit of sky. All the pinks are done. On to the blues.
This made me laugh. Milo is forever jumping and dancing about. He’s always making me laugh. And when he looks at me with his serious brown eyes, I can hear Morgan Freeman’s voice
This might be the best book of the series and the most frightening. I must admit to having a nightmare or two from reading it at bedtime.
What is weird and special is that the author, Jacqueline Winspear, has taken historical events and shows us lessons we should have learned. In this particular book, the troubles of PTSD, homelessness, and depression are on display within the context of sophisticated British literature and history.
Orlagh Cassidy (Narrator) has the acting chops to keep the reader (listener) engaged with each character. She finds a way to make each person individual.
This series is one of the best. I thank my friend, Kay, for recommending it to me. I highly recommend all the Maisie Dobbs books so far!
This was a beautiful love story. It was so unique seeing two women, a white, Irish woman, I think, and a Lakota two-spirit woman. The author takes you into both points of view during a time in American history when the whites were on the westward ho, conquering and killing as they moved.
But here is what was happening to one particular woman and her tribe, and a little about their philosophy.
I think the only thing that might have made this story better would have been to have it narrated by a person who could speak the language. The problem with Text-to-Speech is how badly Kindle’s voice pronounces words that are not English.
Still, I am happy I finally got around to reading this story. I’ve had it in my ‘currently-reading’ shelf since 2016. I highly recommend this read.
One of my favorite things to do in life is to sing. All my life!
When I was a kid on the swing I was singing. My favorite swinging songs was To Dream the Impossible Dream.
I set up classmates to reinact the Wizard of Oz. Somewhere Over the Rainbow is still a favorite. I’m teaching myself a new version to play so I can sing with it later. In fact, Ash Grove, Beau Soir, Shilo, Just the Way You Are, God Bless the Child and Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man of Mine, among others are piano accomplishments I’m learning while I’m trying get my voice back. I’m doing the vocal warmups I learned in voice classes and lessons I took for a couple years.
Allergies are messing with my throat but I’m doing my best. I miss singing. I used to do solos in churches. I was terrified when I first started but I grew to love every minute of it. Whereas the piano playing with any audience made me feel I was going to die. But the singing would take me to another world.
Sunset beach diamond painting is nearly finished. Just a little piece of sky. (Why did I suddenly hear Yentl in my head?) And I sealed the smiling turtle. As soon as I can I will hang it in my bathroom.
My fingering weight socks are coming along. Not very fast as thin needles and skinny yarn take more caution, time, eye-strain, nimble fingers.Guess who got a new watch? I’m still learning my way around it. I haven’t figured out how to capture my stationary bike time, distance, or levels. But the work should get reflected in other health numbers.
My new air plants found pinecones for homes.
Some things like the bike are hard to show progress. But my feelings about the tasks should be the quantifiable attainment. The gold star sticker is the happy accomplished feeling.
I’ve been working on “Shilo” on the piano in honor of
Shiloh. She and Sammie find their places in Dar’s Dabbling Den at practice time. I like their company as I stumble through 4 or 5 pieces a day. Once I’m bored with a song it goes by the wayside. But sometimes a song challenges me to the point of playing itself in my sleep.
I keep a practice journal and some pieces shine with my own praise of how well it went, others I actually draw faces sticking out the tongue in raspberries. I keep promising another ‘warts and all’ session. Stagefright keeps stopping me. Soon.
Duolingo is still fun for me. I do it while on the bike as the 11AM local news plays. I think movement while learning helps.
Working on my series: Haven.
Doodler (zendoodle.com)
Music major: voice and piano
Mom of four great adults
Reiki II practitioner
I have been on disability/retired for 10 years now from depression, anxiety and fibromyalgia.
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