Playing Catchup

Wow. It's been a long time. I had such great hopes for the things I was going to do this year. It seems school and family kept me busier than I anticipated. Hey, that's ok!

Above are a few photos to give a little synopsis of our last few weeks. Mike continues to play every chance he gets (which, as a professional musician is a lot!). I don't go to very many gigs because, frankly, they start too late for this early bird. The photos of him above are from two special shows, one with a friend Dan who put out an amazing CD and another was with a friend from High School celebrating the 20th anniversary of a CD he recorded for his 30th birthday. Fun times. 

The boys have been busy too. Nolan finished up his Junior year with the prom. Aren't they are beautiful couple? (only friends, though!) He has been accepted into the Culinary program for his Senior year at the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center. Way to go, Nolan! He's very excited.

Nathan graduated from high school and the Career and Technology Center Baking and Pastry Program. He also received a senior award, the Stanley Lipman Memorial Award. This was in honor of a special education teacher. We are so proud of Nathan and his accomplishments. He's searching for a full time job which is somewhat discouraging but we're persistent. 

We also celebrated the first Mass of Thanksgiving with our friend Father Don (it's still strange to say that!) who was ordained just this past Saturday. It's been a long journey for him and a new chapter is just starting. We're thrilled to know this amazing man and new priest!

As for me, (no, there are never photos of me) I've finished school and teaching the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at church and am glad for some down time. We are heading out towards Pittsburgh this weekend to celebrate my oldest nephew's wedding. I finally finished their quilt (with a few days to spare) so now I'm ready to tackle some of my other projects.

More on those in another post. 

The weather has been glorious and I'm working on losing the 30 pounds I've gained in the last two years. So I'm walking and biking and trying to find some tasty but healthy recipes. Speaking of that....time for my morning constitutional with the hubby. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Because of Love

February. It's a month that is very difficult for me. What is glorious about February is that it is SHORT. It is the month in which we long more than in any other month for spring. We know that spring is not so far off as it once was. I guess that is the reason there are so many celebrations: Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, President's Day, and this year Mardi Gras and Chinese New Year. Well....for me as a Montessori educator, we look at all of these cultural celebrations. 

I have been struggling with my Creative New Year's Resolution for February. My resolution for this month was to learn more about embroidery. 

Deacon Don and yours truely

 I was asked by a dear friend (see above photo) who is going to take his vows as a Catholic priest in June, to make his Maniturgium. When you feel great love for someone, especially someone you know has been on an arduous journey toward something of great good, you want to serve them as best you can. Of course I was greatly honored by his request.

A Maniturgium is really just a simple linen. I wanted to make it something extra special by embroidering it. Thus, the Creative Resolution for February. I have been working on learning the stem stitch and stitching on the linen.

To be honest, I'm not enjoying this endeavor much. I think some of the problem is that I feel so busy with my teaching (at school full time and then also at church) and with the days being short and dark and cold, that I just don't have the energy to put into a creative endeavor.

Vinegar Creek Constituency

On the other hand I have had the opportunity to hear some amazing music in our fair city. I generally take my cameral wherever I go. I think it is a way for me to compensate for my introvertedness (I think I just invented this word). I feel safe behind my camera. I find I am much more interested in photography and music than I am in sewing these days. 

The problem is that I am much more proficient at sewing and quilting than I am at photography and music making!

So...I'm dedicated to continuing my embroidery resolution for February but I'm looking forward to freeing myself from this resolution and changing it for March. Stay tuned....

Woody and Elizabeth

Woody with his cigarette (the sign of the times)

Elizabeth and her groovy apple banjo. I wants one.

There are so many things I love about working with children. Every day is a new adventure. Currently I am working in the toddler room and that age is full of wonder (and misbehavior!) It is not the age I am certified in, so anytime there is a teacher out in the primary classrooms I am the "in house sub." I love my toddlers but I am in love with my preschoolers!

I teach science once a week to the 3-6rs and I love when they call me Mrs.Science Teacher or tell their parents, "This is my science teacher!" It is thrilling to know I am helping them expand their scientific horizons. 

Two of our primary (3-6 yr. old) teachers are pregnant. I will be taking over for one of them in the spring when she takes maternity leave. It is so wonderful to have the same children for a longer period of time. One of the things I've enjoyed doing as a sub is teaching songs to the children. They love to sing!

We have a fabulous teacher, Mr. Ben, who teaches a music enrichment and generally sings and plays his guitar with the children. One of our 4 yr. old's even dressed up like Mr. Ben for Trick or Treat! Wow.

I am no Mr. Ben but do want to have a repertoire of songs to teach the children. I may keep my uke at school since it is so small. So many of children's songs are put to terrible music. Yuk. Even songs that can be great are recorded with terrible sound tracks. 

I've been listening to Elizabeth Mitchell and Woodie Guthrie of late. Such wonderful music for the younger set. Elizabeth Mitchell covers many of Woody's songs for children. She puts the songs to such amazing musical backgrounds. Her voice is so clear and pure. And fun. We all know children like to have fun!

Woody's songs for children are so child-like but serious and fun at the same time. Glorious, really. I'm having the best time working them out for guitar and ukulele and look forward to singing them with the children. 

Musical Musings

My man's hands. Love them.

Mike playing with Steve, Marty and Aaron.

Aaron at the drum.

Steve, an amazing guitar player.

My fabulous bass playing hubby. I was so glad to see him playing his fretless.

Marty - I'm itching to sing harmonies with him.

Aaron's wife and her knitting. I was so absorbed by watching her stitches last night. Another skill I'd like to learn.

Music has always been a part of my life. As far as I know, no one in my family had any musical training. Yet we all love music. My fraternal grandparents' church (Plain Mennonite) had no instrumentation, only vocal music. Thus, the vocal music was richly harmonized. My mother always had the radio playing. Hymns mostly. She was not a fan of rock and roll. 

Church was also a HUGE part of my childhood. I have so many fond memories of Sunday School and Junior Missions. The thing I remember: the singing. I can still sing you most of those little songs. 

I can remember standing on the steps of my grandmother's farm and belting out the Sound of Music. It just seemed the thing to do in that vast expanse. Well at least to my 8 year old self. 

My parents were (and still are) very frugal. Paid lessons were not lightly given. I asked and asked for piano lessons. It was only when I moved on to asking to play the violin (I guess it was around 2nd grade when they introduce the orchestra at school) that I was allowed to take lessons. My mother says she just couldn't stand the thought of the screechy beginning violin.

I still have my piano. (It was probably 50 years old when my parents bought it. I'm not sure it has aged well.)

I was not a good piano student. Yet, I have fond memories of my piano teacher (and her dog, Petey). It is one of the skills I am so thankful to have, even if the skill is poor. It is up there with knowing how to sew and cook.

When I was about 12 I wanted a guitar. I guess by that time my parents knew my love for music. I received my first guitar that Christmas. I diligently worked on my calluses and learned the basic chords. I'm a bit ashamed to say that's about all I still know!

So what am I getting at with these reminiscences? 

It's been 31 years since I opened that guitar on Christmas morning. I used to play and sing and listen to music all the time. All of my friends played or sang. I married a musician. We used to host musical gatherings before the children were born. 

Last night I went to see Mike play with some other musicians. It is always glorious to see Mike in his element (behind a bass). The other musicians were very good. VERY GOOD. It made me realize that I don't know music the way I used to. I still sing with the choir at church, Mike and I sing together once a year on Good Friday and I sing with the kids at school and church. 

Yet I want there to be more. So I've been thinking about why there isn't more music. I think technology has actually kept me from pursuing music more. When I was in college there was no Facebook to scroll before classes, there was no email to check, no cell phone to carry, no iPod with podcasts to put me to sleep at night. I used to pick up my guitar or put on a CD at those times that now I grab my iPod.

It's ironic that I have more easy access to music than ever before and I listen to less of it than ever. 

So here's hoping I will change that. As I'm purging my possessions this weekend, I'm thinking maybe I also need to purge some of my unproductive habits so that I can get back to some things that I value, such as learning new music. 

Maybe it's time to host another musical get-together. Anyone up for it?

How to Teach an Old Dog New Tricks or Hey, I'm Learning the Ukulele!

I didn't post much about Lent this year. To be honest, I've not put as much thought into it as a usually do. I think some of that has to do with the ages of my children. In the past I looked at activities we could do to enhance our Lenten experience, to prepare us to celebrate the Joy of Easter. In fact, I was pointed to this blog this year:  Catholic Icing. Catholic Icing is a wonderful blog chock full of ideas and activities. 

What I've realized is that I no longer have children in my home. I have teenagers. Our activities need to reflect their growing maturity. So in thinking and talking with the boys about what to "give up" for Lent (they still do think of it in those terms) we've decided to limit our time on the computer. While I believe the computer is a wonderful invention (notice I'm sitting at it while writing this), it easily sucks up our time in ways that are not productive. So, I'm not forbidding them from playing computer games or looking at information on the computer, we're just being more mindful of the kind and amounts of time we are spending at this little screen.

The question for me then became, what to do with my extra time. I've decided to work on a few other skills that I've been wanting to improve for many years. One of these skills has to do with music. I sing and play piano and guitar. I do them all poorly. I've really wanted to improve my musical skills and chose to focus on them this Lent. The one problem I am running into with my musical training has to do with my husband. He teaches music students out of our home several days a week and that limits my available time for learning. 

How to solve this problem? I decided to learn to play the ukulele. The ukulele is small, portable and quiet. I can play it in my bedroom with the door closed while he is teaching and I am not disturbing anyone. Mike bought a tenor ukulele last year because he had two ukulele students. Since I know a little about the guitar, learning the ukulele isn't quite like starting from scratch but since all the chords are positioned differently it is having to retrain my fingers and mind. I'm enjoying the challenge, it's giving me something new to think about and it's bringing more music into our house!

The Innocence Mission or shameless promotion post

Don, Karen and my hubby, Mike trying hard to like photo shoots.

It's funny how often I forget that my husband is a rock and roll superstar. When I first met him the band was in the throws of a record deal with a national label. Mike was at my high school graduation party and when he was asked where he went to school (meaning college...he's 5 years older than I) he responded, "I went to the school of hard knocks." How rock and roll is that??? (If you knew my husband, this was actually just his way of avoiding all the questions about why he quit college to be a musician.)

When we started dating he was just home from recording a new album in New York. Several months after we started dating and falling in love he was off on a cross country tour while I was a college senior trying not to cry my eyes out every night. You should read the letters I wrote to him.....SAPPY! So, we got married and then he left to record another album. I have a special fondness for Glow. It was the album that happened while we were dating, got married and through till Nathan was born. So much of our early life together.

I start to forget that not everyone has multiple guitars and a giant amplifier in their living room. That most people do not decorate their dining rooms around a double bass. That when cleaning out the basement, most wives don't have to ask their husband if he plans on using the giant, metal, foam-filled guitar flight case in the future or can we get rid of it? It is just such a part of life.

Mike doesn't tour the country anymore (although I think he'd probably like to do it one more time). He'll be the first to tell you how unglamorous it is. He'll be the last to tell you that the band has been on the David Letterman show and NPR. He's the most un-rock star like person you'll ever meet. I couldn't have married him otherwise. So, maybe he isn't quite the rock superstar I make him out to be, but I love the music and think everyone should, too.

Here's the new record, My Room in the Trees. Mike is the bass player. He likes to stay in the background. Karen and Don are great friends and write terrific music. You couldn't meet more lovely people if you went out searching. That shows in the music. Click here for a free mp3 download of one of the new songs. Click here for the official web site. Now, go out and buy the CD. You'll be happy you did.

The Innocence Mission

I don't think you can call this shameless self promotion since I am not promoting myself but my husband. I guess you call it shameless husband promotion. Who else should you promote but your closest loved ones, right?

Anyhoo, my darling husband of 14+ years and his good friends Don and Karen are in this lovely little band called The Innocence Mission. They have been recording music together since before time began and are just the most amazing musicians you've ever heard (no bias here). Did I mention they are also really nice people? Well, they are, take my word on it. Mike of course is a saint just for putting up with me all these years.I want you all to take a look at this website and if at all possible buy their new, absolutely fabulous album (oops, I guess they call them CD's now). Well, come to think of it, this CD was released on vinyl too and we have a copy (but don't have a working turntable to play it on). While you are checking out the web site (I must get Don to teach me how to do all of that Web design stuff), you should buy all their old CD's as well. They are all super fabulous and I loved the band before I loved Mike, but that's a whole different story.

Square One

My fabulous hubby, Mike, agreed to play for a photography exhibition of an acquaintance. Aaron Gagne tonight. The kids and I went to Square One, a great little coffee house, to see him play. Mike played with an artist named Hiram Ring. I loved his music and watching them perform. Nathan and Nolan spent the hour playing cards and eating the free crackers, cheese and grapes.