Maybe if I put away all the Christmas songs, winter will give us, in Christmas Valley, snow.
***
We had a snow a couple of weeks ago. It’s been cold enough that the snow on the north side of our house (teens) is still there. I’m tired of useless cold.
By the way, I’m still working on some of the harder songs and putting notes on the disabled as to when to pull them out (Halloween or later)
One book may stay out. It is a violin/piano duet book. So I’m getting out the violin again. Don’t know how to fit the time and frustration within my every day.
Most of my life, at least since I was 5, I’ve played piano. I must admit to a love/hate relationship with that instrument.
Mrs. Skinner made piano not only tolerable, but actually fun. She used everything in her power to bring joy to my musical soul. She introduced me to accordion, ukulele, and vocal fun.
Being adventurous I would seek out any keyboard,or music maker. I still feel her love when I play.
So when my family decided to take the hour drive to visit my aunt and uncle, I sought out my cousin’s chord organ. I found it such fun playing the flat accordion. It looked a lot like this one.
I learned to play Sukiyaki. I’m now inspired to learn the words and play on piano or my electric Yamaha keyboard.
When my brother died in a car crash, my parents donated money for the pipe organ at our church. He was 21, I was 23.
I always wanted to learn to play all those buttons and foot pedals.
When I finally started back to school after my fourth baby turned 3, I got new types of pianos to enjoy. Electric pianos, and the glorious baby grand on stage in my voice/piano accompaniment classes.
During those years I was given the piano I have now and a foot pedal organ. (We couldn’t bring the organ when we moved.) So I got lessons on the organ. I loved it! But I understand now why organ benches develop a butt-groove. Organs can be quite the work-out!
If my parents had not taught me self-censorship, I could use the prompt two more times here.
Per Linda: Your prompt for #JusJoJan the 10th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “don’t get me started.” Use the phrase in your post or just write about the first thing it conjures in your mind. Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!
Just don’t get me started. I won’t quit. I’ll need more. An example I’m on my umpteenth binge-watch of Grey’s Anatomy. This time I have my husband joining me. I know he’s in as he took note of the season and episode so he could keep up when he went to our room to put his feet up. My favorite episode. But the beginning is not for the squeamish.
Two Octobers ago I decided to play piano. I started with a scale or melody. Now a year and a couple of months I’m up to an hour of playing. I’m enjoying the heck out of what I’m learning. And don’t get me started playing Christmas songs. Due to the Charlie Brown jazzy/bluesy songs I can’t quit. (We did finally take down the trees and decorations.)
I seem to get addicted to things, like Duolingo.
And don’t get me started on this cutie (Milo) who can’t get close enough as we both enjoy the warmth of the electric lap blanket.
Yesterday I shared one of the reasons I prefer acoustic piano, or voice, as we can control volume according to emotional intensity within the artist and directed by composition.
Rhythm and how fast or slow a piece of a portion of it can affect or reflect our emotions.
A piece can hold many speeds from grave to presto. Like conversations. We don’t speak one or the other. Well, except certain chemistry teachers in my past during the first period. Hence a C… But that’s another stream.
Music reflects life which is both fast (is it already the third of January?) and slow (why does Christmas take so long when we’re kids?)
First of all, I want to lead you to Barbara’s take on ‘Magnify’ as it reflects my own journey with screens and reading and tools that can help those issues. Click here.
The reason I love the acoustic piano more than my electronic keyboard is that you can express emotions on it. With signs, you can guess how hard or soft a touch you need to bring out the depth of a song.
See the less-than sign?
It means to gradually
minimize your
touch.
The greater-than sign <
<
It means
You play quietly and
Magnify your touch
I have not found the ability to do that on my electric keyboard with feeling. Nor can I do that on my recorder. I know you can with a violin. But it is most satisfying when singing with a choir, and the director and music ask you to unify as you and your fellow singers magnify the sound.
The voice magnifies so well. Sometimes you need to whisper. But there are times for an actual
Today is the day I reflect on possibilities. I don’t resolve. I have never found change in pure willfulness. Instead, I think globally, universally, and down to cellular possibilities. The things I want to delve into with thought, prayer, and desire. Some say cellular is universal. Reflecting on how the atom looks like a solar system keeps my thoughts meandering. When we think of the word ‘enthusiasm,’ we learn that it breaks down to ‘God in you.’ And that is when I draw the conclusion that if I feel excited, and if I spend the time being mindful about it, I can breathe a spark into a flame. Writing about the ideas helps me to decide if it’s worth it for me. We can’t be everything; we can’t be perfect. But we can grow in areas we feel drawn to.
Last year, in October 2024, on the advice of a friend (thanks, Yve), I found an old financial journal and turned I into a piano journal. In a few days, I will have filled all the pages. I started by sitting at the piano just long enough to enjoy the feeling. Sometimes that was to play a scale or diddy, as long as I could feel the joy. The minute it felt like work, or was in any way painful, I got up and walked away to do something else I might enjoy. But I wrote the bits I did, how long, feelings about the piece, and a bit of a grade of how well I did. Not to judge myself, but to watch for improvement and have a recording of what worked for me.
I have gained confidence and skill, going from five-minute gigs to over an hour. I even did a couple two-hours stints. I loved being deeply into the music, filling my heart with beauty. Not of my skill, but how it all works. I will be looking for a new music journal. It doesn’t need to be much, and I am sure I have an empty something with lines around here.
What I won’t use is my everything journal. My husband gave it to me for Christmas. Isn’t it gorgeous? It came with its own pen (I may replace it with an erasable, as a perfect journal will hurt me if I have a bunch of scratch-outs).
Now I need to write my first entry. Shh! No peeking! Possibilities are popping. And I must meet them with mindfulness to cultivate enthusiasm. New habits await.
Woke up to Christmas hatching out in the living room. My brother decided it was time to try and see how the furries will deal with trees and decorations.
Our John Deere Santa hanging on the room divider, with mermaid tail looking for a home.
Nutcracker trying to hide the stationary bike.
Dragon coming along.
Challenging piano solosNice easy carols, easy font to read. Fun, quick to master.
More challenging less known carols like the Wookiee one.
All 7 pages of When Christmas Comes Around (Polar Express)Probably the most challenging to me sounds the easiest, Linus and Lucy. And one I want to sing with (and my hands take all my concentration for now) Oh Holy Night.
For next year, I hope I start Christmas music before Halloween. I’d like to be more proficient by this point. And I hope I know those last few songs with very little brush up time.
Oh, in case you need to see how gentle goals help:
I started back to piano last October. The goal: sit and play as long as it’s fun, then move on to something else. At first, I’d only play a song, or five minutes. Today I’ve clocked an hour and a half! And it’s still fun! And I’m not hurting as much as I used to.
Ties waiting for their turn in the light.
The two frogged and reworked. Still not striping up like I’d like.
And a new writing goal: 500 words a day starting today. And work 4 scenes a day on Folie à Plusieurs. But TrackBear is being a BEAR! So I need to find another way to keep track. I did get 637 words in a zoom sprint with Yvensong.
I’m finding myself at loose ends. Yet editing happened in the morning. One hour of Christmas pianoing happened. I finished the balloon diamond painting. Duolingo gave me ad-free time so I spent a lot of time on French, Spanish, and German.
Did NaNo drive me so hard? maybe knitting will settle me down.
Or should I aim to keep writing like a mad person?
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “something you enjoyed.” Write about something you thoroughly enjoyed. Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
I know my life might seem boring to others, but this blog is the place where I talk about the things I enjoy.
Would I love to travel or go to amusement parks? You bet. But my life seems to be on a different path. I find my joy where I live.
Learning something new gives me joy. Bring creative expresses my joy. And also do arts like drawing and diamond painting, music, like piano and my other recent pursuits, writing the story popping up in my head brings me joy. Yarning is delightful.
My favorite is visiting with family and friends. But that doesn’t happen as often as I’d like still it’s the icing on the enjoyment cake.
Upper left purple striped socks. Just the toes. Straight down are the watermelon socks. Well into the arch ribbing. Middle row, top, lavender/pink socks, also to arch ribbing. Can barely see the white yoga socks in the middle but one sock is nearing the heel cast-off. I hate working a sock at a time. One sock syndrome is real. The bottom is new yarn from my son. I couldn’t wait to see what happens with this blue and white yarn. Upper right is the lonely yarn from my daughter. I will receive the new needles for this pair on Monday. They will be so cool!
While my daughter was here she bought black and white yarn skeins to teach herself colorwork. It looked like fun. So I pulled out contrasting colors to see if I could do it. Hey, this is fun. Now I need to try this on socks! And cabling. So I’m going to experiment on the pairs I’ve started.
My possible future young adult granddaughter had on a white sweater that inspired me. I printed up this pattern from Ravelry. But that much yarn will cost a fortune! And I’ll need needles. I like working in the round so I hope to get really long cables.
Does anyone else get like this? I want to try so many things?
Middle part in progress.
Printouts to practice from my 60s book.
One of my favorite composers. I have three volumes of his work . I’m sight-reading through these next.
Love this one. Ready to print it out and learn.
My brother found this for me. Now I need to look for John Denver songbooks
Yeah, moving right along. Italian is still my favorite.
I loved my week with loved ones and traveling. But I’m finding my equilibrium and energy levels blown to pieces. Bike and treadmill shame me this week. The weather is getting colder, less stable. I’m so glad my family members are safe and we can face the bad stuff from our homes.
Not to mention NaNo prep and character development is far from my focus right now
I’ll find my way back while teaching myself new passion.
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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