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
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.
I’m sorry A-Z Challenge, I’m so behind. But I’ll try to make up the alphabet soup on Monday. I’m two book reviews behind, too. My brain thinks we have a newborn. And Finishing Friday is sadly behind.
I did finally get to the doctor’s office for my routine physical. Yay, ME! Now for all the follow through.
Shiloh is making herself at home. During my piano/diamond painting time she sleeps on the Yamaha keyboard while Sammie found the bed I set up for him under my hobby-table. Sorry no pics yet but he’s getting braver.
Milo is equally happy with Chris so I can spend time with the cats.
I did make a small dent in the pre-Fleegle heel. The birthday socks will be done on time.
About halfway through sunset beach. I’m going to need to find new projects soon.
I found this on one of my favorite groups on Facebook, Returning Piano Students. This group is inspiring and challenging.
Speaking of piano, I gave myself all Fs a couple days ago. And gave up at 10 minutes. Lack of sleep can make the brain into mush. I couldn’t stay in any key signatures and misread ledger lines. But today all went well. It was fun.
I was going to do a couple of reviews but my back is hurting and I need to blog something a bit easier.
Bottom 1/4th of the beach sunset diamond painting is nearly finished. I’m loving the colors.
Chris’s socks are coming along. I need only a couple more rows of the arch hug and then the heel. It always seems so much faster once the Fleegle Heel is done.
With the furry ones much of my creative ventures are curtailed. But I feel a win. With so much going on finding music time without distractions is impossible. And I need to leave the screen open so Milo doesn’t freak out. So I’ve found myself able to play in spite of an audience or distraction. In fact, I found myself enjoying it. Yes, I will soon record a session or two.
And the bonus… Shiloh is a musical kitty. She hits the ivories with soulful, quiet feelings. Then she lets me know it’s my turn. She stays in my music room while I play.
Though I don’t have as many finished projects, I feel happy and content with our accomplishments of the week.
Not my piano or sheet music. It’s a free source picture.
Such a sweetie. This is rare. Rather four adult humans are taking turns taking him outside, preventing his too exuberant play with Shiloh and soon, Sammie.
As of today we’ve named him Milo. He actually comes to that moniker.
Chris goes to bed early and gets up at 3. That’s when I go to bed.
I keep reminding myself of the days when we first got Kali. I often said she was harder to deal with than my 4 children ever were. But years later when she grew old, senile, blind, and ill, I loved her so dearly, a year later I’m still getting tears thinking of her. So, I know this new stuff will fade and our friendship will grow solid and strong.
We miss Sammie and his confidence. Today he finally came out to the living room. He and Shiloh met. I think they will be friends. But poor Milo has so much energy and it scares them.
It’s a work in progress. Oh, did I mention we got spoiled by two days of 70 degrees? Yeah. Beautiful. Walk that pup!
Today is cold and windy. Rain and snow is expected by tomorrow and for the rest of the week, into the weekend.
Walking in this cold is hard for me, especially while trying to train Milo to heel and do his business. So far he only waters little bushes. He saves the other for the warmth of the kitchen. So yeah, a lot to learn for all of us.
That’s it for Shiloh, Milo, Sammie and their humans.
Oh! I almost forgot! Shiloh loves to play the piano. For that I nearly renamed him Ebony.
So, yeah. That snap, crackle, and pop and trio of groans are from my son, my brother, and I after rearranging Dar’s Dabbling Den. It was a LOT of work. But worth it.
Part of this is for the exciting thing I don’t want to jinx by speaking it.
Also, I wanted my keyboard to work on improv and composition for this year’s goal.
Nothing much changed with the piano. Except in all the music I found one of my favorite songs, Ash Grove. I can play it on my soprano recorder. But this is the one I learned in voice class. It was worming through my head as my family and I gathered when my grandmother was passing. I felt badly when my cousin asked me to sing. I couldn’t remember the words, nor could I come up with another song at the moment.
Oops! I forgot to move the wig stand and vases. Of course, they’ll need a new home. The silver thing at the fold of the keyboard stand is a music stand. His name is Fernand.
This is the diamond painting area, or other art attempts. The little shelf behind stands on our old dining table. It’s still strong but we never use it due to surface damage. For now, it holds bottled water and now my ‘arts’ shelves.
Stepping back, you see my room dividers a bookshelf and an old screen. Sorry, I accidentally left the box of cleaning supplies. Oh, well. You get the idea.
I’m going to be happy with this new room. My body is going to hate me. I’m so blessed to have David and Dana here to help out.
Dude! Crush is nearly finished just stray gems to be placed.
Nearly finished with my hubby’s slipper socks. Toes done, ribbed arch next.
Still just in the toes on the purple Knit Picks
About the same for my watermelon shorties.
The poor basket weave hat hasn’t progressed at all so, no pics. When it can show off on its own, it’ll share the limelight.
I want to start walking, but we woke up to this this morning. Still too cold.
Sammie finally discovered his fun-house.
While Sammie is happy, we got a phone call from my son with good news for us. And I hope for Sammie. I’d tell but I don’t want to jinx it
Today I went back to Phantom of the Opera. I used to play and sing these. Thirty years ago. Not for an audience, just for fun. My friends and I gathered at the grand piano on stage after voice class and sang our hearts out with these. I was surprised at how much my fingers remember, though there was a lot of sight reading. I can’t sing at the same time, yet. Soon. I am doing daily vocal warmups now.
Anyone out there go through this? I find a saturation level on pieces and put them aside for other songs. Those seem to draw my passions and energy.
Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “open book, close eyes, point, write.” When you’re ready to sit down and write your SoCS post, open the closest printed matter, close your eyes, point to a word, and use it as your prompt. Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!
So I have a couple books teaching Japanese on one side and my ‘How to Play Piano Despite Years of Lessons,’ on the other side. Thinking about the possibility between Hiragana or Kanji characters or some incredibly boring music theory term, what else could I use?
I immediately looked down at my cell and closed my eyes and pointed. But my fat finger seemed to straddle two lines of Linda’s prompt page. The top word was ‘incredibly’ and the word below was ‘else.’
But my thoughts took me to the incredible difficulties of learning the pentatonic scale in the penultimate measure of Going Home with the added timing complication of duplets versus triplets. What else can I do but grumble and practice some more.
And the YouTube lesson trying to teach me:
What else can you do? It seems simple but it is incredibly hard for me. Time for a nice cup of tea.
Here are some of the projects I’ve been working on this week.
I’m nearly finished with Smiling Turtle, my friend named him Crush.
Oops. The needle is pointing to some weird stitches, so I frogged these toes and started again.
I’m caught back up to where I left off.
I had enough watermelon yarn to make another pair. This yarn is easier to work with than those above.
There was leftover yarn from my brother’s socks to try another pair.
Here are a few of the songs I’m enjoying lately.
They are Beau Soir, God Bless The Child, Going Home, Over the Rainbow, Ave Maria, and Just the Way You Are.
Beau Soir is a leftover from my voice lessons with Alis Clausen in the 1990s. And because it showed up now while I’m playing with the Duolingo French language, I decided to start doing my vocal warmups and challenge myself to learn to play and sing the song. A few others I’m playing are fun to sing, too.
Check out how Beau Soir is supposed to sound. You can see why I love it.
Just for review: these were Turkish cast-on. Chiaogoo needles Two at a Time socks. Then arch ribbing. Fleegle Heel, my favorite.
I thought I was finished at a 2″ cuff, but my brother needed a longer one for his boots. Otherwise, I would have been finished on his birthday.
Towards the end I had to rely on Advil and Aspercreme. But now my hands can rest a bit.
I found a bunch of unfinished WIPs. Here are a couple calling me:
Maybe I make me watermelon socks?
Or, should I make another pair from these?
Now I can finish the larger size basket weave hat.
I’m nearly finished with Smiling Turtle!
Just got the top little bit. I like this so much it may go on my bathroom wall. I think the blues will blend or compliment the vague color palette. Besides, that smile will make me happy.
I think next week I’ll record my favorite songs. I’m loving Going Home, God Bless The Child, Just the Way You Are, and a few more. With my new enthusiasm for improv or composition I now have a keyboard within reach of my every perch. (Recliner, bed, Dabbling Den)
I didn’t get ‘Dar’s Dabbling Den’ rearranged yet. I want to make more room for my Yamaha keyboard near my piano. Maybe this weekend?
I’d like to make it easier to switch gears, bring in violin, ukulele, recorders, art challenges, podcast or book narrations.
Since COVID months ago, I’ve not been able to get faster than 5 miles in 35. But I’m still trying. And now that spring may have arrived I need to find walking time. Still a work in progress!
Oh, and I am three book reviews behind.
Duolingo still plugs along. I seem more focused on Italian. It’s easier. I still visit the other languages when the spirit moves me.😉
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.
Books, games, music, and life — filtered through the mind of a writer, drummer, and philosopher who thinks too deeply about all of it. If it moves something in your chest, I'm interested.
Darswords 
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