Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Suzuki Workshop in South Florida
The Suzuki Ass. of South Florida had a workshop March 19-21 and I was able to take my granddaughter. The workshop was near my sister's home, so she was able to come get Hallie after her classes while I stayed for the teacher workshops. It was a great weekend. I am always amazed and how I continue to get new ideas after 12 years of Suzuki training. One reason is that the method is always evolving, with teachers coming up with new ideas as they are teaching.
Hallie was a little nervous the first day.
The next day was lots of fun.
Everyone had to play their guitar at the same time when the ball hit the floor.
Music theory is lots of fun- keep the beat with your feet.
Now it's time to write music- using popsicle sticks.
Lunch break practice session, before running off to play with the other kids.
The Conductor Game- play your note when the conductor points to you.
Now Hallie is the conductor.
The monkey game- 1 monkey for each correct
repetition. Then the hard part- bow with the
monkeys.
We had some extra time after dinner in Melbourne before it was time for the concert.
On Saturday I finally got my bird feeder up and planted the flowers we bought at the plant sale in Port St. Lucie.
Hallie was a little nervous the first day.
The next day was lots of fun.
Music theory is lots of fun- keep the beat with your feet.
Now it's time to write music- using popsicle sticks.
Lunch break practice session, before running off to play with the other kids.
The Conductor Game- play your note when the conductor points to you.
Now Hallie is the conductor.
The monkey game- 1 monkey for each correct
repetition. Then the hard part- bow with the
monkeys.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
March Comes Marching In
It has been a very busy week. Marie closed on her new house a week ago today. Her furniture looks so nice in her new home and she has plenty of room for everything. So far she has done well with 3 days of her long commute. It isn't taking her as long as I thought it would. She gets out of school at 4:00 and I think she was at my house by 5:15 yesterday to pick up Hallie and Aiden. A lot of people commute that far in Philly and this house she bought is much nicer than anything she could afford closer to Fort Lauderdale. It would be nice if she could get a closer teaching job, but it really isn't advisable now. She has tenure in the school she is at. They are looking to hire teachers in Port St. Lucie because they need to reduce class sizes. However, they want to change the law that says they have to keep all class sizes under a maximum size to have it say only the average class size has to be under the maximum size. So if they are successful, they will lay off the new teachers they hire. So, Marie will probably stay at the school she is at for at least another school year. We are close by to help with babysitting. The commute would not be possible without grandparents nearby to help out. Brian will stay in Fort Lauderdale after he goes to work Thursday evenings until he gets off work on Sunday. He works nights at a night club.
Sunday I played guitar at my new parish. I like it there a lot. Unfortunately, John was lectoring that day at the old parish. If I had known my music wouldn't fit in there, we would not have registered so soon. Apparently the pastor does not like classical guitars because they are not loud enough and I don't play fast enough. Even the new church plays songs faster than we did in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, I was not given a chance to play faster.
After I helped Marie out some more at the new house, I took Hallie and Aiden to the playground for a little while, since Hallie was getting restless. She hasn't met any kids yet in her new neighborhood, but there has to be some. The house next to their house is vacant, there is a vacant lot next door, no houses behind them, and an old man lives across the street. We are sure there must be kids farther down the street though. She does have two friends at my house. There is a 7 year old girl next door and a 7 year old girl behind us and they like to play with Hallie. The girl that lives behind us is small for her age and Hallie thought she was her age.
Back to our house after the playground, we cooked a birthday dinner for John. Marie came and helped out and Brian came later. He is getting a new TV, which will come later this week, because the colors have been going in and out on our TV. I also bought him some new shorts which he will need since he will be wearing shorts more often in Florida than in PA. The unseasonably cold weather here has begun to warm up.
Monday night I wanted to go to the mission at church. The guest priest gave a very nice talk on Sunday at mass. It is a little bit of a drive to my new church- I have to go across route 1. I got to route 1 and I had to wait for 2 rounds of red lights. Then I got to the next red light and I couldn't even count how many rounds I waited for. The traffic was backed up for 2 red lights getting into the church. Then I had to find a parking space when there weren't any left. I found a place to park on the side of the grass and grabbed my folding camp stool because I knew the seats would be gone too. There was another lady with a cane coming in late with me. She said she hoped she could find a seat because she couldn't stand. I found a chair in the entrance way and dragged it into the church for her. She said she would share the chair with me, but I said no, I didn't need it and sat on my camp stool. The priest gave a very moving talk. If you want to book a dynamic speaker for your parish, go to www.parishretreats.org Everyone loved Father Dan. Tuesday I debated going because I had a student till 6:30. I left right after my student and actually got there on time because there was no traffic jam- everyone had gotten there earlier. Tuesday night I bought his book and got it autographed. Wednesday I had no students and knew I could get there early, so I asked the pianist if I could bring my guitar and join her. I got there at 6:30 and still could not find a parking space!
I thought I was getting there early to play guitar and the church was already full- people had started arriving before 6 pm for the 7 pm mission to get a good seat. I had never even seen a full church for a mission before. We were lucky if the church was half full at St. Eleanor's.
Today I am going to pick up Hallie and Aiden at 9:15. I will take Hallie to story hour at the library, then back her for lunch, and then she goes to preschool from 1:00 to 4:00. Preschool is free for 4 year olds in Florida. They have a half day preschool and then they have a full day kindergarten when they are 5.
Muffin, Marie's cat, is still missing in Fort Lauderdale. Brian will go early before he has to work today to look for her again. He found her once and left her at a friend's house while he worked and she then she ran away again, this time in a strange neighborhood. We hope he can find her.
Sunday I played guitar at my new parish. I like it there a lot. Unfortunately, John was lectoring that day at the old parish. If I had known my music wouldn't fit in there, we would not have registered so soon. Apparently the pastor does not like classical guitars because they are not loud enough and I don't play fast enough. Even the new church plays songs faster than we did in Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, I was not given a chance to play faster.
After I helped Marie out some more at the new house, I took Hallie and Aiden to the playground for a little while, since Hallie was getting restless. She hasn't met any kids yet in her new neighborhood, but there has to be some. The house next to their house is vacant, there is a vacant lot next door, no houses behind them, and an old man lives across the street. We are sure there must be kids farther down the street though. She does have two friends at my house. There is a 7 year old girl next door and a 7 year old girl behind us and they like to play with Hallie. The girl that lives behind us is small for her age and Hallie thought she was her age.
Back to our house after the playground, we cooked a birthday dinner for John. Marie came and helped out and Brian came later. He is getting a new TV, which will come later this week, because the colors have been going in and out on our TV. I also bought him some new shorts which he will need since he will be wearing shorts more often in Florida than in PA. The unseasonably cold weather here has begun to warm up.
Monday night I wanted to go to the mission at church. The guest priest gave a very nice talk on Sunday at mass. It is a little bit of a drive to my new church- I have to go across route 1. I got to route 1 and I had to wait for 2 rounds of red lights. Then I got to the next red light and I couldn't even count how many rounds I waited for. The traffic was backed up for 2 red lights getting into the church. Then I had to find a parking space when there weren't any left. I found a place to park on the side of the grass and grabbed my folding camp stool because I knew the seats would be gone too. There was another lady with a cane coming in late with me. She said she hoped she could find a seat because she couldn't stand. I found a chair in the entrance way and dragged it into the church for her. She said she would share the chair with me, but I said no, I didn't need it and sat on my camp stool. The priest gave a very moving talk. If you want to book a dynamic speaker for your parish, go to www.parishretreats.org Everyone loved Father Dan. Tuesday I debated going because I had a student till 6:30. I left right after my student and actually got there on time because there was no traffic jam- everyone had gotten there earlier. Tuesday night I bought his book and got it autographed. Wednesday I had no students and knew I could get there early, so I asked the pianist if I could bring my guitar and join her. I got there at 6:30 and still could not find a parking space!
I thought I was getting there early to play guitar and the church was already full- people had started arriving before 6 pm for the 7 pm mission to get a good seat. I had never even seen a full church for a mission before. We were lucky if the church was half full at St. Eleanor's.
Today I am going to pick up Hallie and Aiden at 9:15. I will take Hallie to story hour at the library, then back her for lunch, and then she goes to preschool from 1:00 to 4:00. Preschool is free for 4 year olds in Florida. They have a half day preschool and then they have a full day kindergarten when they are 5.
Muffin, Marie's cat, is still missing in Fort Lauderdale. Brian will go early before he has to work today to look for her again. He found her once and left her at a friend's house while he worked and she then she ran away again, this time in a strange neighborhood. We hope he can find her.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Parkinson's Haiku
.. ..
physical therapy room-....
through the window....
antics of a squirrel (Modern Haiku 31:1) ....
....
rainy day....
the foot that drags....
squeaks
(Haiku Society of America 2006 Members' Anthology)
(Haiku Society of America 2006 Members' Anthology)
good news bad news-....
after years of doctor's visits....
a name for my illness (Modern Haiku 38:1)....
.. ..
walking in step-
music in my earphones
pushes me along
.. ..
spring rain-
slowly but surely
I give my answer
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Saturday night I was sitting in the bleachers at the St. Lucie County fairgrounds, bundled up with winter hat, winter coat with hood pulled up over the hat, and gloves, drinking hot chocolate. Who would have thought I could be so cold in Florida? Now the people in the Northeast will think we don't have much to complain about. The temperature is above freezing and there is no snow. However, it is 20' below Florida's normal temperature for this time of year and this is fair week!
Truth be known, we had gone to the fair that afternoon not dressed warmly enough and had gone home to dry out our rain soaked clothes and get a warmer coat. We got our hand stamped so we ould return without paying again. Actually, it was not our hand. They put the stamp on the inside of our wrist because it was raining so hard, they were worried it would wash off. I was wearing 2 sweat shirts and my blanket poncho and had a giant umbrella, but that wasn't enough to keep me warm and dry.
So, I was back at the fair wearing my winter coat and waiting for Charlie Daniels to come out. John has always been a Charlie Daniels fan, so we were happy to read in the paper this week that we could see him at the county fair, for merely the price of admission to the fair. That would have been $10, but we found out we are old enough in Florida to be senior citizens, so we only paid $5 each.
The concert started a half hour late and lasted just a little more than an hour, but was very nice. I only knew 2 of the songs. "Amazing Grace," and "The Devil Goes Down to Georgia," which was the last song. It was neat hearing more than half the audience singing all the words the way John does.
Joette
Truth be known, we had gone to the fair that afternoon not dressed warmly enough and had gone home to dry out our rain soaked clothes and get a warmer coat. We got our hand stamped so we ould return without paying again. Actually, it was not our hand. They put the stamp on the inside of our wrist because it was raining so hard, they were worried it would wash off. I was wearing 2 sweat shirts and my blanket poncho and had a giant umbrella, but that wasn't enough to keep me warm and dry.
So, I was back at the fair wearing my winter coat and waiting for Charlie Daniels to come out. John has always been a Charlie Daniels fan, so we were happy to read in the paper this week that we could see him at the county fair, for merely the price of admission to the fair. That would have been $10, but we found out we are old enough in Florida to be senior citizens, so we only paid $5 each.
The concert started a half hour late and lasted just a little more than an hour, but was very nice. I only knew 2 of the songs. "Amazing Grace," and "The Devil Goes Down to Georgia," which was the last song. It was neat hearing more than half the audience singing all the words the way John does.
sing along breath clouds-
Florida county fair concert
this frigid winter
trying to stay warm-
we stamp our feet
to the music's beat
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Pictures
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