Another family get together has come and gone - Easter this time. There were 19 of us - Everyone except my oldest son and his family who live in Oregon. Somehow Easter felt different this year. I'm not sure why - maybe because it was so early or maybe because it snowed or maybe because we didn't (couldn't?) have an Easter egg hunt. Or maybe it was because I didn't go to Son Rise service. In retrospect I wish I had gone. Part of the family did and part didn't go to church at all so when I finished playing the organ for second service I was the only family member there. I only had to play the organ for hymns and although it made it easy for me I still like to play a "rousing" offertory on Easter Sunday.
We had our family Easter dinner at David and Sharon's on Saturday because David, the trucker, had to leave after church on Sunday. We had the usual good food, conversation and games. It gets noisy with 10 grand kids (plus one girlfriend, who wasn't noisy) from ages 3 - 21. The 3 yr old is a "wild man" but cute and funny. He kept his mom busy keeping him out of trouble. Sunday my girls and their families had dinner here along with David. Sharon and the rest of her family went to her mom's for the day. Although some of the conversation gets a bit "testy" now and then we had a good time.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
"My Wordless Prayer"
One of the pieces that the Park Rapids Classic Chorale is singing is titled "My Wordless Prayer" bye Craig Courtney. I really like these words:
My words lie still and lifeless as dust upon the sand.
I can no longer voice one request or one demand
My cup of tears is empty, I can no longer cry.
My lips have fallen silent, my prayer is but a sigh.
Spirit come and rest Your ear upon my heart,
O come and hear my wordless prayer, my silent plea and take them far away from me.
Take them from this heart of mine to the Father's heart divine.
Speak in tones unknown to man that God may hear and understand
My voice is weak from calling to You both night and day.
How long will You be silent? Why do You turn away?
Spirit, come and rest Your ear upon My heart ;
O come and hear my worldess prayer, my silent plea and take them far away from me.
Take them from this heart of mine to the Father's heart divine
Speak in tones unkown to man that God may here and understand.
My words lie still and lifeless as dust upon the sand.
I can no longer voice one request or one demand
My cup of tears is empty, I can no longer cry.
My lips have fallen silent, my prayer is but a sigh.
Spirit come and rest Your ear upon my heart,
O come and hear my wordless prayer, my silent plea and take them far away from me.
Take them from this heart of mine to the Father's heart divine.
Speak in tones unknown to man that God may hear and understand
My voice is weak from calling to You both night and day.
How long will You be silent? Why do You turn away?
Spirit, come and rest Your ear upon My heart ;
O come and hear my worldess prayer, my silent plea and take them far away from me.
Take them from this heart of mine to the Father's heart divine
Speak in tones unkown to man that God may here and understand.
Josh - again
Remember Josh - the very active piano student of mine? Well, tonight we had a GOOD lesson. And he can play "The Star Spangled Banner" with only a few mistakes. He'll have them figured out next week. It was also his birthday - although I didn't know that until he asked me if had gotten him a birthday present. :( Usually he wants to hang around to play with Ollie after his lesson but his dad reminded him of the birthday cake waiting for him. So off he went. It was a good day.
Monday, March 10, 2008
One of my piano students drew this picture for me last week. She also wrote a nice note with it. I always enjoy teaching but the last month or so have been really enjoyable. Especially with 4 of my "girls". With my permission they've been looking through my music (I have lots and lots). Each week they take a few pieces home to try - sometimes they can play it and sometimes it gets returned with "This is too hard" But that's ok because the more music they try to read the better pianists they will become. I have two grandaughters the same age (10) who both play piano very well. One is up the hill from me - the other a distance away but last year they did a duet at my recital and will do one this year, too. My daughter plays the duet with her daughter - I play the duet with the other grandaughter and then the day of the recital they play it once or twice and they've got it. Great fun for me.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Horses, ect
As we were watching an animal rescue program I thought of all the animals we have had during our marriage. And what a terrific vet Lowell would have made. He seems to have a sixth sense on how to treat wounded or sick animals. We've had cattle, sheep, geese, rabbits, dogs and horses.
When we lived in Austin we had a black horse named "Smokey" He would pick Randy up by the collar and carry him around a bit. Smokey would also eat the apples that fell off the trees with the juice running out of his mouth. One day he tried to jump the fence and almost ran a fence post into his stomach. Fortunately it didn't penetrate the stomach but he had quite a wound. I ended up having to walk him a couple of times a day for a couple of weeks so that he wouldn't stiffen up. Later when we moved up here he ran a bolt into the center of his hoof. When the vet come to look at him -he said the best thing to do wash the wound often and give him aspirin. Once when Lowell was leading him out of the barn to attend to the wound Smokey hit his foot on the sill. We think he actually cried. We felt so bad. A few years later we buried him between what we called Pine Ridge and the big woods. Now David and Sharon's back yard is near that spot and I think their dog has dug up a bone or two.
At one time we had 9 -I don't know where they all came from - certainly not for our kids because we only had one who wanted to ride. One foggy fall morning the horses were all gone. So we put the saddle in the pickup and went looking for them - hard to do in fog. Anyway we found them not too far from home. Lowell put the saddle on Missy (half Arabian) and started leading the horses home. Half way across the field northeast of us he remembered that it was opening deer season. Oops. He bent over the horse and away he went with the horses following him. He thinks he probably startled several deer hunters.
When we lived in Austin we had a black horse named "Smokey" He would pick Randy up by the collar and carry him around a bit. Smokey would also eat the apples that fell off the trees with the juice running out of his mouth. One day he tried to jump the fence and almost ran a fence post into his stomach. Fortunately it didn't penetrate the stomach but he had quite a wound. I ended up having to walk him a couple of times a day for a couple of weeks so that he wouldn't stiffen up. Later when we moved up here he ran a bolt into the center of his hoof. When the vet come to look at him -he said the best thing to do wash the wound often and give him aspirin. Once when Lowell was leading him out of the barn to attend to the wound Smokey hit his foot on the sill. We think he actually cried. We felt so bad. A few years later we buried him between what we called Pine Ridge and the big woods. Now David and Sharon's back yard is near that spot and I think their dog has dug up a bone or two.
At one time we had 9 -I don't know where they all came from - certainly not for our kids because we only had one who wanted to ride. One foggy fall morning the horses were all gone. So we put the saddle in the pickup and went looking for them - hard to do in fog. Anyway we found them not too far from home. Lowell put the saddle on Missy (half Arabian) and started leading the horses home. Half way across the field northeast of us he remembered that it was opening deer season. Oops. He bent over the horse and away he went with the horses following him. He thinks he probably startled several deer hunters.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Josh
Last week my very hyper piano student was most uncooperative so I was very apprehensive on his upcoming lesson last night. To back track a little- last week I finally had to tell his dad that Josh was not cooperating - so the dad took him in the back room and talked to him. I don't know what dad said but Josh was better - not good - but better. Later in the evening Josh called and apoligized for his bad attitude.
I tried a different tactic last night and things went better. First thing I asked him to play was his favorite piece - his face lit up and he played "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". He wants to learn to play "The Star Spangled Banner" but he's not really ready for it -- however I said that if he would play the pieces he practiced for his lesson we would work on "The Star Spangled Banner" He did and we did. I think it will take him quite a while to learn it but unless he gets terribly frustrated I think he might be able to do it for the recital in May
Hopefully next week will as productive as last night.
I tried a different tactic last night and things went better. First thing I asked him to play was his favorite piece - his face lit up and he played "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". He wants to learn to play "The Star Spangled Banner" but he's not really ready for it -- however I said that if he would play the pieces he practiced for his lesson we would work on "The Star Spangled Banner" He did and we did. I think it will take him quite a while to learn it but unless he gets terribly frustrated I think he might be able to do it for the recital in May
Hopefully next week will as productive as last night.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Milk
Some time after we bought our farm (1969) we decided to buy a cow. We thought it would be great to have our own milk. ya, right :-) I know, I know, there are some of you out there who do have your own milk. It just didn't work for us. Our youngest son informed us that he wasn't going to drink "home made" milk. It didn't seem like anything was going to change his mind. So I bought a pretty pitcher and started using it with the "store" milk. Periodically he would ask if the milk he was going to drink was "home made" and I could honestly say "no". We bought the cow and put that milk in the pitcher on the table. Son said "Is this home made milk" and when I said "yes" he emphatically said he wasn't going to drink it . So I said " we been drinking it for 2 weeks already" . "Oh" was all he said and he drank it.
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