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Milo volunteered to be the socks background. I finally knitted to the arch ribbing.
Only managed one row on the watermelon socks. Milo shows off the colors.πŸ˜‰

I have to admit that three furry babies take a lot of time and energy. Even when they are the best audience and supportive friends. I’m surprised at my slow progress on everything.

Nothin’ but blue sky…
Shiloh loves music, especially keyboard and piano. This is her before I started my session.

See what I mean?

Sammie is already asleep under the diamond painting table.
Shiloh finally secumbs
Sammie prodding his bed.

So here is the best of my Warts and All. Please don’t feel obligated to listen. I know it’s still way slow and bumpy. I am enjoying learning bluesy songs. Classical is predictable; key signatures make sense, rhythms aren’t wonky. Sure, I still make mistakes but I understand why. Modern, blues, jazz I understand in theory but my hands don’t get it sometimes. It doesn’t flow. Modes instead of major and minor throw me off. The one and three beats of classical are now the second and fourth as main beats. Sorry. A lot of excuses for why I’m not perfect. My purpose of this blog and YouTube is to veer away from perfection that is in our faces everyday. So here is God Bless The Child.

Bless you!


A Lesson in Secrets: A Maisie Dobbs NovelA Lesson in Secrets: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As the next world war is just rumors and philosophical differences, Maisie works for Scotland Yard to help sort things out at a college. She takes the role of a professor to learn what she can.

As usual with this whole series, the story feels immediate, real. Jacqueline Winspear writes with all the research handy and dispels it in all the senses so you feel you are there.

With Orlagh Cassidy’s narration, the scenery and characters are alive.

I highly recommend this series. I can’t review them fast enough. I am already three reviews behind! I have to get into the next one as soon as I finish the first. So I’ve already borrowed #11 from Libby so I need to write these quickly!

View all my reviews

One-Liner Wednesday


Found on Facebook, Baby Yoda Memes

A part of Linda’s One-Liner Wednesday


The Mapping of Love and DeathThe Mapping of Love and Death by Jacqueline Winspear
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love, love, love this series! I have a hard time separating individual books as they blend in together after a while. Especially if I finish at an early hour, during my bedtime reading, and I have to check out the next one on the Libby app.

But this book caught me with the search for the wartime map maker. I have always loved maps. I miss them in our new GPS age. That just shows the road you are on and maybe a bit more, but a map gives you a freedom to know more areas, other roads to enjoy. But who thinks about the importance of a map during a battle? This book taught me a lot about how important that aid can be.

Orlagh Cassidy’s voice gives all Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs a feeling of being in the story. Even better than radio. I can see what is happening, the characters, and the surrounding area.

Thank you, Kay, and Libby for these books!

View all my reviews


A Deadly Education (The Scholomance, #1)A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a fun, young adult read. The writing amused me. Naomi Novik presented literary fun.

Anisha Dadia narrated the audiobook from Libby, which I was privileged to read. Sometimes I wish I could have glanced at a word in a real book. There were fantasy/magical words that I didn’t recognize. Still, Ms. Dadia kept the characters and story more fun than I think it would have been in a dry paper book read.

I think if I were into YA right now or Harry Potter-type stories, I would love this, but I just didn’t love it. I think it is me not the book. So I don’t think I will move on to the rest of the series. But, hey, you may love it. Give it a try!

View all my reviews

Happy Mother’s Day


To those here and above

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is β€œfavorite place.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

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

Thus Thursday


Fits my lessons of the day. Found on Facebook.

One-Liner Wednesday


Found on Facebook by Word Nerd

Part of Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays

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