Another first

Yesterday was my birthday - the first without Lowell. He would have taken me out to dinner - we each would have had steaks :-) But instead I went to breakfast with my usual Sunday breakfast group - they sang to me and the waitress gave me a blueberry cupcake with a candle on it. When I got home there was a birthday greeting Karen on the answering machine; later Randy called from Arkansas - he was waiting to load for home (oregon); then Barbara called. Later I went up the hill to David's house for supper. Barbequed chicken and rice. Bria made a spice cake - one of my favorites. A number of cards and other birthday greetings. A pretty good day after all.

Except for the wind today was beautiful and warm. The first of many beautiful days to come I hope.

Music, music, and more music

I think I've had my fill of music for a little while - at least for the weekend. Two weeks ago I had my students piano recital. A friend has some of his violin and guitar students join us and it was very nice to have a variety. I think the audience appreciated it. My two 11 year old grand daugters played a duet. One of them lives south of Fargo and so the only time they practiced together was about 2 hours before the recital and they did very well. Last week end the Park Rapid Classic Chorale (I'm accompanist) had a concert Friday night and saturday afternoon. We all did a terrific job. I played the organ for the Mozart's Coronation Mass. It was a transcription so it wasn't hard but I didn't have words to follow which is one way I can know where I am in the music and there were quite a few measures of rests so I had to COUNT all the way through. We had a chamber orchestra also to accompany which made the music even more enjoyable. That was about 20 minutes of the concert so we sang other songs too. Some were in Norwegion because some of the group is leaving for a concert tour of Norway on Monday. I'm not going - can't afford it for one thing and then I'm not at all interested in Norway. Last Monday morning I rehearsed with the Pine Ave vocal jazz quartet.

Then I got a cold so didn't feel well for a few days. Then I got a call "will you help with the HS choir?" Of course I said I would. so yesterday I spent a couple of hours with Roz (piano) and finding good settings on the keyboard (me) and this morning several hours again with the HS choir. Went to lunch with Roz and then came back for another hour with the choir. At 5:30 our vocal jazz group had a 'gig' at Bella Cafe. Different music all together: Summertime, Java, Somewhere over the rainbow, Puttin' on the ritz, Unforgettable were just some of the songs we did. It is such fun!! We have a string bass player that adds so much to the sound. And the bass singer plays guitar on a couple of pieces and sax on a couple more. He's so good. Jazz is a new adventure for me - it's a stretch but I'm enjoing.

Tomorrow I have nothing to do. oh, yah, I have a wedding to go to. I don't have to play just attend. Then Sunday I'm going to Cloquet to a Spa party at Karen's. I'm not sure what all that involves I just know that I don't have to do anything for a few days. I'll write about that later.