A week of firsts

 Tuesday, it was my first time volunteering at the Refugee and Immigration Services office (RIS).  I will do an assortment of jobs.  For my first day, I worked at trying to remember names, I did some research on the four major countries where our refugees come from (Eritrea, Somalia, Republic of Congo, and Arab states), I sat at the reception desk, and I drove a Somali client and her son to a doctor appointment in one of the agency vehicles.  It looks like I will help with a photo/writing task to highlight some our clients in a refugee awareness effort – similar to the Humans of New York project. 

Saturday was Steve’s and my first day as workers in the St. Louis Temple.  We will work 1^st and 3^rd Saturdays from 11- 8.  As can be imagined, we were really tired afterwards but it is going to be great. 

It was my first piano lesson with Noah.  Every time we come to the temple, I will give Noah a lesson.  We might try Face-Time lessons on the alternate weeks.  I am so excited to be doing this. 

Friday was NOT my first time to play music at Candlelight Lodge.  This time it was the Mother’s Day Tea.  It WAS my first time to play Broadway and Movie hits with Suzanne and Tamara Kitchen.  We had a fun time with this music. It will likely be my LAST time playing with Tamara as she gets married in a month and will not be in Columbia much after that.  I guess unless her husband finds a job here.  That would be nice.

 

On our bike ride to the pharmacy one foggy morning last week, look at what we saw in this evergreen shrub – highlighted by the moisture in the air…. (bugs, BEWARE!!!)

  

 I got this pitcher and glasses from my cousin, Jan Winfield.  She inherited them from our Grandma Fraedrich (notice the etched initials in the pitcher - MHF: Mabel Harris Fraedrich.  The glasses are also etched).  She no longer wanted them and her son didn't either so she asked if I wanted them.  SURE THING!  I helped her with the shipping costs (I have NEVER seen so much packing peanuts and bubble wrap!) and they arrive on Thursday.  What a treasure

 

 Remember the amaryllis in the dark closet story?  Well, here is one of them today.  It is just stunning!

 

 This beautiful plant was a gift.  

 A week ago, I snapped this photo of the lone hybred yellow iris among the more common purple iris.  There is a life lesson here....

 

 The purple iris lining my walk way are all gone now but the daisies have just outdone themselves this year...

 

 Finally, Happy Mother's Day!  Steve didn't have any traveling assignments today so he made me waffles and bacon and fried eggs for breakfast.  When we saw Emily yesterday, she gave me this azalea 

 And Steve's gift to me is this little water fountain that I wanted for the lovely sound of running water and to provide water for the birds I feed on my back deck.

Music at the end of April

State music festival was on Thursday and my one student, Ethan, played his Haydn concerto and got a “one”.  Here I am with him and his voice teacher, Michael Straw, and his accompanist, Judy Shaw. 

 

 He will have a senior recital in cello and voice sometime this summer so I will continue to teach him a couple more months before he heads off to college.     I don't usually get to teach "advanced" students so it has really been a joy to teach him this past year.

I had my studio recital on Saturday and I forgot to get a group shot.  Here are a couple of photos with individual students, though. 

 This is Erica.  She is becoming "advanced" (she is in Suzuki 5) but she is also a pianist and, when she started with me, her mother made it very clear that piano was her primary instrument so pushing her on cello is not an option.  In spite of this restriction, she is still a very good cellist.

 

 This is Nathan.  And this is a sad photo for me because he is now going to study with another cello teacher.  Someone who is more "impressive" but, in my opinion, in name only.  I have first hand knowledge of how he teaches and it is pretty pathetic.  I will be surprised if he can help Nathan much.   He has just blossomed this past year on his cello - starting to take it seriously.  He has an amazingly mature sound and a very nice cello.  And, now he is leaving.  Sigh. 

 On my way to and from the recital, I got to take care of Sarah’s dogs (yes, plural) since she was in St. Louis all day celebrating her birthday with friends.  Sarah is considering adopting this puppy. 

  shown here visit with Bacon in our back yard.  

 Her name is Lilly and she is a blue heeler / Australian shepherd mix.  One of my piano students, Kiersten, needed a ride to the recital and it was a good thing she was with me because Bones and Lilly were a handful  - just ask Steven who also helped with their care yesterday. 

Steve helped me pit some thawed-out frozen cherries on Friday night while we watched Sherlock so I could make two batches of cherry jam and one batch of cherry jelly (thawed out cherries are REALLY juicy) on Saturday morning.  Mmmm. 

Steve and I enjoyed dinner and wonderful conversation with friends twice this week:  Monday it was with Jean Pry.  Friday it was with the missionaries and Marilou Bellamy (I visit teach her) and her husband, George. 

Steve and I had a fun outing Friday during the day.  We loaded up our bikes in the truck bed and first went to visit teach Jenna Herron up in Hallsville.  Then, we drove down to the Grindstone Wal-Mart for an oil change and while it was being done, we rode our bikes the short distance to Jo-Ann’s fabrics, Hy-Vee, and then lunch at Wendy’s.  The weather was just perfect.   

I substituted in the junior/senior class in seminary this past week.  I loved it.  It also took three hours out of each day – teaching and preparing lessons. 

And, now it is May. 

Sarah's birthday pictures

Sarah with her kayak and her double chocolate ice cream birthday cake (that was gluten-free)

Happy 29th birthday, Sarah!!!

I will have photos of her birthday to share later on….

Here is a photo of the Mid-Missouri Community Orchestra just before our spring concert yesterday at Parkside Manor.  We sounded pretty good!  (most of us are wearing bandanas to go along with a couple of western songs we were performing - Theme from Gunsmoke and I'm An Old Cowhand)

 

 Here is a photo of us during the performance.  Virginia Dooley is a terrific conductor.  I wish I could say I was a terrific violist.  Ha!  It is so much larger than the violin that it hurts to play for very long.  Maybe I will play saxophone next year? 

 I don’t know about your part of the world but we are having just about perfect weather here in Columbia.  The daffodils and lilac are all gone but now there are purple iris, daisies, and these late-blooming tulips lining the front walk.  Gorgeous! 

 The journey of digitally converting dad’s slides continues…..So, I got the FHC computer all set up here at home (had to wait until I could get a mouse and keyboard) and I started scanning.  And, I realized the scanner was seriously washing out many of the slides.  I could hold the slide up to the window and it would seem perfectly normal but, when viewed via the scanner, it was too bright.  And, this particular scanner has no brightness adjustment.   So, I went to good old Amazon and found a scanner that does have brightness adjustment (and color adjustment) and it does NOT need a computer (with Windows 7 or 10 or anything) and it was under $100 and I just bought it.  When I finish, I can always sell it back used.   So, back to square one.  Initially, when I began this whole slide converting endeavor, it seemed there was no way to determine when they were taken.  But, during the scanning – when I was handling each slide more closely - I noticed that most of them have a date stamped (embossed) into the cardboard sleeve.  It is kind of hard to see unless you really look.  This is GOOD news because now I can sort all these slides by date before I begin scanning again. 

Otherwise, a pretty normal week for this time of year. I have been sewing up little boy teething bibs and I have watched “Great Expectations” (the 2015 BBC version) and it was pretty good.  I watched “Peggy Sue Got Married” and it was pretty “meh” but it had a surprising the number of stars (a very young Jim Carrey, Nicholas Cage, Joan Allen, and Helen Hunt plus the actress from Star Trek IV -  Catherine Hicks). 

Final note – as I was switching summer clothes with winter clothes, I found that my “Christmas” amaryllis that was supposedly in dormancy down in the basement closet had decided to bloom no matter what (minus light, water).  

It had a completely white stalk with blossoms starting to pop out.   I guess because there was no light, the stalk got REALLY tall.  But, the flowers were too heavy so I had to cut them off.  They are in front.   Another bulb was not as far along and it looks like it will bloom this week.  When it was first brought into the light, it, too, was albino but you can notice it greening up.  This stalk is also exceptionally tall.  Isn’t that crazy?

Beautiful April!

Everywhere you look, it is so beautiful!  I love the violets growing in between my rock path in the back yard.  

  The St. Louis temple grounds are just stunning.  

 I ordered some fancy iris all the way from Holland and I planted them Thursday morning.  Lizzy and I went in on the order to get a discount.  I hope two years from now to have an entire blog post dedicated to pictures of my iris! 

It was a nice week all around.  I picked up my pottery projects.  

  I went to the Family History Center and learned how to scan slides with Jean Pry’s film scanner.  Her device will not work with Windows 10 and thankfully, the FHC computers are still loaded with Windows 7 which is what we needed.  I actually brought home a surplus computer from there (on loan) to finish, here in the comfort of my own home, the massive slide scanning project ahead of me.  Plus, it saves me 40 minutes of travel time to the FHC and back.

I went visiting teaching on Friday to the family who can’t ever seem to throw anything away.  I guess you would categorize them as “hoarders”, I don’t know.  They are also “collectors” – picking things up from trash set at the side of the road.  Well, ahem, actually, I do that, too.  I have no shame.  But, at our visit on Friday, their collecting turned out to benefit me.  They had acquired some discarded wooden Adirondack rockers but realized they were too low to the ground and asked if I wanted them.  You bet! 

 

  They need a bit of cleaning and a couple of new screws but I love them.

Friday night Steve and I and Steven and Tamara had a nice evening in Jefferson City.  First we ate BBQ at Lutz’s – as delicious as Lonnie Ray’s but sadly a bit more pricey.  

 

Then we attended a fabulous concert put on by Brigham Young University – Idaho’s chamber orchestra in the capitol rotunda.  

  This group was on a two-week tour throughout the Midwest and our stake sponsored Friday’s performance.  I was a bit worried about the “live” acoustics of the rotunda but I needn’t have – it was just perfect.  Wow – it was just amazing. 

Steve and I made a quick trip to the temple yesterday morning but had to forgo a visit with the Southerlands to return to Columbia to attend Walter Shoupe’s memorial early in the afternoon.  We got to see the entire Archuletta family at the gathering (A.J. and Alex were good friends with Brandon) including A.J.’s little 3-year-old girl, Ava.  Would you believe Albert is 70 years old?!?  He told us the nicest thing – he wished we were still their neighbors out on Route Z.  It was nice to see the slide and video presentation of Walter and Norma’s life and some of the memory presentations were touching.  It is too bad he smoked his whole life because that is what got him in the end.  He and Norma should have had many more years together.  He was only two years older than Steve.

Movie report:  Steve, Elise, and I watched Field of Dreams Monday night.  I watched two documentaries:  One was In Search of Beethoven which was marvelous.  It was filled with performances of his incredible music as well as fascinating insights into his life, personality.  For example, while not active in any particular denomination, he had a deep love of God.  He was also a people person which made his deafness all the more miserable.  In addition to longing for “normal” association with friends, he yearned to find a wife but many of the women he fell in love with were in a higher class and thus, out of reach.   The other documentary was Unmistaken Child about the search for a reincarnated high Lama (not the Dali Lama) in a village in Tibet among 1 ½ year old boys (born around the time the former Lama died).  Fascinating. 

I love spring!

Short entry tonight….because Sunday was REALLY full.  Starting in May, I will be a temple worker in the St. Louis temple and I needed to attend some training Sunday afternoon at the temple.  Steve had to attend the Macon branch conference – this is located an hour north of Columbia.  He drove up early with the stake leadership.  I drove up an hour and a half later.  Turned out, their only organist was out of town so I got to play for sacrament meeting.  At 1:00, Steve and I both left for the 2 hour 45 minute drive to St. Louis for the 4:00 meeting.  Emily met us in the parking lot to pick up a salmon (gift from Derek Ellingson) and a sugar-free dessert.  We joined the Southerlands at 6:30 for a delicious dinner and to deliver this bench

 

 (made out of an old headboard and footboard) and Lucy’s birthday gifts.  

 

 

 

Here is Lucy showing the bag I made for her to tote her matching pencil/skinny marker bag and drawing pad.  

 

  And, here she is with the tiny tea set I found.

We headed for home around 8:00 and drove back in lots of rain.  

Saturday was also a REALLY full day.  It started by going with Lizzy Crippen to the enormous Habitat for Humanity yard sale. 

 

 ( look at the "ghost" kid in the center!  I think he is reflecting a sunbeam)

 For a $3.00, I found a belt, a bust of Bach and a little primitive wooden school house.  Then, it was the stake single adult brunch at Bob Evans.  Then, it was taking interested single adults to shop at the Amish.  Then, it was an MMCO rehearsal followed by shopping.  And collapse in exhaustion after dinner. 

Other week highlights:  Lizzy came over for dinner and FHE on Monday.  I enjoyed sewing and watching Divergent and Insurgent again to prepare for Elise and I to go see Allegiant on Friday.  I did lots of yard work since spring is here. The apple trees are in beautiful bloom and the pie cherry is just starting to pop its blossoms.  Steve’s raspberries and blackberries are thriving.  I bought two blooming strawberry plants at the Amish to add to my supplement my strawberry bed.  

April Fools!

Steve got me this year.  He came home Friday from his last scheduled physical therapy appointment and told me he would have to start going three times a week – instead of two.  At $25.00 co-pay each visit, I gulped at $75.00 per week but said – “good thing we got a good income tax refund.”  April Fool!  Steve's physical therapy is now done and, while he is not completely 100% better, he is doing way better than a month ago.  He can now sleep in bed instead of the recliner downstairs. He is not dumping all kinds of pain killers into his poor stomach.  And, he is feeling like going on the daily morning walks with the dog. 

 

He still has days when he does too much and then pays for it.  Like Tuesday, when we FINALLY took the time to figure out why our Mantis tiller wouldn’t work.  Bad gasoline?  Lack of patience?  After a trip to get new fuel, and then a trip to the repair place to have someone watch how we (well, actually me, since pulling on a chain starter is NOT good for Steve’s back) were trying to start it.  After that visit, I had success and I was able to till our small garden plot.  Hooray!  However, Steve did just enough in this endeavor to have a more painful evening.

Also on Tuesday, our neighbor, Walter Shoupe, who was battling lung cancer, passed away quietly at home. 

We went to the temple and to visit Emily and Lucy and Quinn on Wednesday.  We stopped by at the World Bird Sanctuary to buy some wren bird houses, too.  Now we have three hanging in our yard.  If they all become occupied, things will get noisy!

Sarah has finally moved everything out of her storage unit and this is a shelf and dresser she no longer wanted.  

 

 

I found someone in the ward who did want them and we enlisted the help of the missionaries Thursday night to deliver them.  We then had the missionaries over for dinner on Friday night. 

Conference Saturday, I rearranged the family history room to allow for easier bed-making 

 and I rearranged the north half of our garage – the kid’s storage unit.  In between sessions, I finally made it back to the pottery studio to glaze all my work. 

Conference Sunday, we invited the Moyer family to brunch and the morning session.  Only Lorena and the kids, Makenzie and Harrison, came.  Matt, not a member, didn’t join us, darn it.  I always like to pick his brains about pottery since he is an artist who works in that medium. 

Movie Reviews:  I have been doing a whole lot of quilt top sewing for humanitarian purposes this past month so I have watched a lot of movies / Netflix.  I finished the Enterprise series last week.  Sniff.  I will miss it.  On Monday, Steve and I watched The Shoes of a Fisherman – an old flick with Anthony Quinn as a Russian pope during the Cold War.  We watched The Intern Friday night.  Charming!  And Elise and I watched The Martian last night.  Really good but why did he have to swear so much?

Speaking of quilts, I don’t know if I posted this photo of one of my efforts.   

 And, both yesterday and today, I have been at my card table with my cutting mat/wheel preparing more humanitarian quilt projects.   

  

Each folded bunch of fabric is a quilt top.  Must be about 18 ready to sew....

 I finally got this mailed to my nephew, Steve Young (NOT the football player).  He made this for my dad when he was a kid and my brother didn't want it when we were divvying up stuff when mom died.  I was looking at it a couple of weeks ago, hanging our garage, and it really has no special meaning for us so I called Jim to get Steve's phone number.  I texted Steve and he was delighted to get it.  Of course, getting to a post office, now that Gerbes no longer does metered mail, was the big task. 

Below is a photo of the house from one of my morning dog walks.  I just love spring!