Let's catch up again

Whew!  These past two weeks and the upcoming two weeks!!!!  So much to do, so little time....

Thanksgiving week started with Steve and me in a serious push to finish our books so we could take advantage of Blurb's 50% discount offer.  I was working on the second book of my mother's life history and Steve on his quote book.  Every spare moment found either Steve or me at the computer putting on the finishing touches so that we could order on Saturday, the 25th.  For my mother's final volume in 2024, I WILL have it completed by the summertime to avoid any more of the crazy last-minute panic we had this year.

Oh, and to add some more "fun" to the beginning of that week, the Kia had a flat tire when I went out to drive to one of my schools.  Hooray for having the backup Honda Element, for USAA roadside assistance and for Bates Tire and Auto and two new front tires....  

Thanksgiving in Columbia at Steven and Tamara's was so nice!  I just love their home... so much space.  Our "alternative Thanksgiving food" idea was delicious.  I particularly loved the bacon wrapped sweet potatoes and the stuffing stuffed mushrooms.  The pecan pie bars that I brought were delicious and so was the apple pie ice cream.  And, I got a free used ice cream maker out of it.  WIN!

Beckie drove to Columbia and back with us that day and it was fun to have four hours of visit time.  Friday morning, we loaded up the car again - this time bringing Sally - and we drove eastward to Indianapolis to spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday with Julina and Alex.  We took Shiloh to dinner at Golden Corral Friday night (that girl can pack it away!).  Steve, Juli and I attended the temple Saturday morning and, on our way home, we visited the nearby Giving Machine and donated some items.  

We enjoyed Jett's Pizza and brownies with ice cream for my birthday meal that evening.  I am now sixty eight years old... On Sunday, Steve and I headed back to St. Louis right after Julina's sacrament meeting so we could attend our choir rehearsal at 4:30.  Below is a cute photo of Banjo and Sally from our visit.

This past week was pretty crazy because of the Civic Orchestra.  We had two rehearsals (Tuesday and Friday) and our performance last night.  It was a fun concert to play - the first half was classical: Corelli's Christmas Concerto and Prokofiev's Lt. Kije Suite and Ravel's Pavane - and the last half was all Christmas pops with my favorite being the Polar Express Suite. 

 And, in between all the rehearsals and all my school teaching, we have been trying to  decorate the house for Christmas.  It is almost unheard of us not having our tree up by December 1st but this year, it is the truth.  We hope to get a tree tomorrow.  Most of the other inside decorations are up.  None of the outside are.  

Today, we will be getting a new Bishopric.  Below is the old Bishopric:  Steve with Tracy Rivers, the executive secretary, Matt Morgan, the moving away bishop, and Greg Farley

 

As if last week was not already packed to the gills with stuff to do, I had a bit of strings class drama to deal with, too.  One of my students has been struggling with the whole concept of playing the cello since almost day one and had become increasingly disruptive in class as a result.  Refusing to play or playing random notes very loud and out of place.  So, Monday, I had to email his mother asking that he not return.  Of course, that resulted in a flurry of emails involving the coordinator of the after-school strings program and bla bla bla.  In case I have not already announced this on my blog, I will NOT be continuing to do this string teaching after this year.  Too much time spent driving meaning too many trips to the gas pump, not enough compensation, and having to deal with difficult students and parents.  Thankfully, almost all of my other 31 students are sweet and trying hard and succeeding at playing their string instrument so, in spite of the hassle, I DO enjoy the actual teaching part.   

Briefly

 I have been busy all week working on the St. Louis Civic Orchestra program and on completing the second volume of my mother's life history.  

The printer likes to have a two week window to print the programs and our concert is on Saturday, December 2nd but, with two days off next week for Thanksgiving, they needed everything by the end of this week.  Most of the pages stayed the same from the October concert so collecting the information for the rest should have been easy, right?  Ha Ha!!!!  My amazing proof reader, Jayne Hanlin, has been in Italy celebrating her 80th birthday until Thursday so she was proofing at the Heathrow Airport!  And, happily, everything was sent to the printer Thursday night!

Steve and I finished transcribing my mom's book Monday evening and every spare moment since then (when not teaching or working on the program) I have been thumbing through five photo albums and scanning and cropping pertinent pictures to accompany the text.  I have two more albums to go through and then I have to upload everything into Blurb before their 50% off Black Friday deal begins.  Steve is also working on a quote book so he and I have had to (and will have to) share the computer these next three days.

But, we did take some time off yesterday to drive to Ballwin to help celebrate Noah's 16th birthday!  Following a delicious dinner of street tacos and a raspberry chocolate cake (Emily saved some of the frosting, filling and gnash for me to make my own concoction with a couple of gluten-free chocolate cupcakes I bakes - delicious).  Our gift to Noah was to take him to a St. Louis Symphony concert.  The music was pieces I had never heard before:  Rustic Suite by Kapralova, the Violin Concerto by Korngold and the 7th Symphony by Dvorak.  All so beautiful!  We topped the evening off with ice cream at Oberweis Dairy.  Below is Noah singing the happy birthday song along with the rest of the family...

It has been awhile

I go out of town for a weekend and it completely messes with my blog routine....rats

I might as well start with last weekend:  I was invited back in the summer to play cello with a women's choir for the Columbia Stake conference on November 5th.  It is a rather tricky part because half of it is in treble clef which is not typical for the cello.  I needed to be at a Thursday evening rehearsal (November 2nd) so Steve and I left as soon as I finished teaching my strings class in Oakville Elementary.  Beckie was able to watch Sally, thankfully, and we left at 5:00 pm.  But, we forgot about the going home traffic so it was pedal to the metal all the way and I was only fifteen minutes later than planned.  Steven and Tamara hosted us and we had the lovely downstairs bedroom and full bathroom to ourselves for the weekend.  Steven took Friday off and he accompanied us to do some shopping at the Amish.  After lunch and a nap, I went over to Elizabeth Crippen's to help her with a clothing purging project.  She has lost a hundred pounds so she really needed to get rid of all her 2X and 3X clothes.  That evening, Steven, Tamara, Elise, Steve and I had dinner at Shakespeare's South.  Saturday, I was able to use the office - which also had the piano - at Steven and Tamara's for cello lessons - one with Ethan in the morning and one with Roberta in the evening.  It was so nice this time to not have to drive all over town to give lessons.  Ethan's house is about as far away from Steven and Tamara's as one could possibly get and still be in the city limits of Columbia.  That evening, we attended the evening session of stake conference so we could connect with as many old friends as we could but the talks were also super good which was an added bonus.  My cello solo went without a hitch in the Sunday morning session (keeping my brain in treble clef mode is tricky) and it was neat to see the creation of a brand new stake  - the Chariton River Stake - out of the Nauvoo and Columbia Stakes.  We also saw many more old friends and it was hard to break away but we really needed to leave so we could eat lunch (taco soup by Tamara and gluten-free mint brownies by Elise - YUM!) at Steven and Tamara's and then make another mad dash down I-70 back to St. Louis to attend a stake Christmas choir rehearsal.  We got home with time only to unpack the car  and only I ended up attending.  Honestly, if I wasn't a co-conductor, I would have stayed home, too.  On the way home after rehearsal, I got a call from Sam Carpintero asking if I could take her to the ER because her blood sugar was over 500.  I was still in my Sunday clothes, I had not eaten dinner, I had not unpacked but I loaded up the book I was reading and off I went to take her to the hospital.  We tried Barnes first because it was closer but they had a four hour wait time!!!!  So, we got back in the car and I called Mercy South and they had no wait time!!!  Twenty minutes later, we arrived and, sure enough, the waiting room was completely empty.  Nevertheless, Sam was there for over three hours.  Good thing I brought my book (which I finished).  I didn't get home until 11:30 and I went straight to bed.  I didn't even brush my teeth because 5:30 comes very early!

Well, that was a long narrative! We spend Halloween day shopping for clothes at Savers.  Now that I am teaching four days a week, I needed some dress slacks. Steve also needed some slacks. And,  because Tuesday is Senior Citizen day with 30% off, it was a very successful shopping experience.  That night, we went to the Southerlands.  Emily fixed chili and I brought gluten-free corn bread.  She took the three youngest out trick-or-treating and Steve and I stayed back at the house with Joe and Noah (who handed out candy as a headless Sir Thomas Moore).  It was a bitterly cold night so I was happy to be indoors.  Lucy was a haunted carousel.  Quinn was a scary something and Larkin was Sylvion, a Pokemon character...

Steve and I had several medical appointments over the last two weeks:  I had an eye exam and got new glasses.  Steve saw the dermatologist and had some skin cancers frozen off of his face and ears and one cut off on the back of his neck.  It was biopsied and he needs to return for more removal.  He also had his annual appointment with his nephrologist (kidney) doctor in Columbia.  Originally, it was the Thursday of the weekend we were going to be in Columbia so I could have gone with him to help drive but that was moved to a week earlier.  I had to teach and I had my eye exam that same day so Steve had to go it alone, poor guy.  

Two weeks ago, it was announced that a portion of our St. Louis Hills ward was going to be divided off and be made into the Tower Grove Branch.  Our street, Bates, is the southern border and, for a while, we thought we would be in this new unit.  But, because we are on the south part of Bates, we are still in the Hills ward - barely.  

We had our first hard frost right around Halloween so I spent some of my spare time last week digging up my elephant ears and dahlias for winter storage.  I am also still watering things outside due to the persistent drought we are experiencing.  

Since that hard frost, temperatures have returned to normal November readings - cold at night, but not really cold enough to freeze - and up in the 60's during the day.  Steve joined the young men, all three of them, on a campout Friday night (the 10th) at Lake of the Ozarks.  He said it was pretty cold overnight and the sleeping bag he brought was just not adequate.  Poor guy.  While he was out freezing his tail off, I was home making more applesauce Friday night.  I put up five quarts this time.  Yesterday, the 11th, I started off my day making pancakes and a gluten-free cranberry orange layer cake.  Then, I headed over to Carondelet Park to help with an invasive honeysuckle eradication project for two grueling hours.  It lasted three hours but I could only make it through two.  There were many people there and we chopped down a lot of invasive honeysuckle.  The photos show the area where we worked and the piles we made along the road to be collected at a later date.  

After I came home and recuperated in front of another episode of Loki (I watched 2.5 episodes on Friday night while processing applesauce), I went out to paint the new garage side door that our neighbor, Sergio, installed.  Here it is after the second coat...

Sergio was a head chef at a downtown sushi restaurant when they first moved in next door.  But, he is extremely skilled at repairs so about a year ago he started doing that full time with his oldest son and brother-in-law and other assorted friends he has from Mexico.  He noticed that our door was warped and terrible looking - that is because it was an interior door that couldn't withstand outdoor temperatures and humidity - and, evidently, among all his handyman jobs, he acquired an exterior door that was the right size and he installed it for us about a week ago.  I have a doorknob that I will put in once the paint has a chance to harden a bit - maybe next weekend.

So, I think this brings me up to date.  Steve and I started watching the live action Little Mermaid last night but we had to stop it and go to bed.  He was falling asleep in his chair and I was getting dozy myself.   My string teaching is going well - I still hate all the driving I have to do - and I have decided that I will not continue next year.  Sorry, Mehlville School District.  And, in spite of being so much busier, I still find time to do little creative things that feeds my soul.  So, all is well....

Back in the saddle again

Monday, October 23, we dropped my sister Juli off at her daughter's place and we headed west for Julina's in Indiana.  It was Alex's birthday and we really wanted to make it for his birthday celebration / dinner that evening so we put pedal to the metal.  We stopped only to get gasoline or change drivers (which was every hour).  The autumn scenery through the Allegheny Mountains was just magnificent.  In spite of our valiant efforts to make it, we didn't arrive until an hour later.  Alex was still awake and downstairs and we had a short visit with him before he headed up to bed, all worn out from the festivities.  He tires so quickly nowadays.  

Tuesday we left Julina's at 8:00 am and got home to St. Louis a little after 11:00.  After a short visit with Beckie, who was our dog-sitter, we ate, napped, and then jumped right in to life again - unpacking, doing laundry, watering. Steve and Beckie got to attend a chamber choir concert of Emily's that night at the Sheldon but I dared not miss a second orchestra rehearsal so I didn't go. 

Wednesday was back to strings teaching, grocery shopping, and Steve had a dermatologist appointment.  But, instead of getting to go to the Fenton office, which is about twenty minutes away, he had to go to the Wentzville office which is about fifty minutes away!  This is because the Fenton building had a flood in August and is still being repaired!  He had some tiny skin cancers on his head frozen off and another small one on the back of his neck cut off. 

Thursday poor Steve had to drive AGAIN to another doctor appointment - this one to his nephrologist in Columbia!  I keep suggesting he find one here in St. Louis and maybe some year that will happen. I couldn't go with him because I had an eye exam - I will get my new glasses in a week or so.  

Friday, it was so nice to not have to hop in the car at the crack of dawn to teach string lessons.  On Friday mornings, my students come to me either in person or by FaceTime.  That night was our ward chili cook-off and Trunk or Treat but we could only stay for the food as I had an orchestra dress rehearsal to attend.  Steve came along as he prefers them to the actual performance.  He likes to stretch out, take his shoes off, and be comfortable as he listens and that is not really possible at the performance, as you can imagine.  

Saturday morning we had the assignment to clean the church building and that lasted from 8:00 to about 10:00.  Temperatures dropped so we had to turn on our heater.  Good thing it had just been serviced on Friday.  The only other big thing was the orchestra concert that night.  It was a fun concert to play and, even though Steve was not in the audience, several ward members were.  One of the percussionists is a teenager in our ward (I recruited him last year) and his mom took pictures.  Not super great photos but you can see me under the conductor's left arm.  We had a large crowd for the performance - maybe one of the largest we have had since Covid.  

Our Epic October trip

 Steve, my sister Juli and I left Sunday afternoon, October 15th for a road trip eastward to eventually land in Rockville, Maryland for the baptism of Juli's grandson, James Jensen, on Saturday the 21st.  Here is the day-by-day description of our journey:

Sunday, October 15th - we drove as far as Greenwood, Indiana, to spend the night with Juli and Alex.

Monday, the 16th, we drove through Ohio, stopping for to enjoy lunch with our great-niece and nephew, Rhiannon and Nick Fischer.  They are the grandchildren of our sister, Judy Worth Saniger and the children of Janice Worth Fischer.  After lunch, we found a cute roadside collection of shops called Grandpa's Cheese Barn and Sweeties Chocolates where we indulged in our chocolate addiction and we also briefly visited the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to check out the beautiful Brandywine Falls. We stayed in a hotel outside of Cleveland that night.

If it looks wet, it was.  We had rain off and on all day.

Tuesday, the 17th, we spent the day in Kirtland, Ohio touring the historic church sites:  The Whitney store area, the Kirtland temple and the John Johnson farm.  It took all day - time we definitely did not regret - but it caused us to drive until after midnight to reach our next destination near Binghampton, NY.  

 

Wednesday, the 18th was when we visited the Priesthood Restoration site on the banks of the beautiful Susquehanna river.  The church has restored the homes of Isaac and Elizabeth Hale (Emma's parents) and the nearby home of Joseph and Emma Smith.  The stone that make up the fence in front of the Smith home are from the original foundation and the steel hook in the fireplace that holds kettles was found in the rubble of the foundation so it is likely original to the house.  We saw the gravestones of Isaac and Elizabeth as well as Joseph and Emma's first born child.  The autumn leaf color throughout our driving was just gorgeous.  This tour only took the morning so, after a picnic lunch, we drove through Pennsylvania to be in Rockville for James's birthday celebration that evening.  

Thursday, the 19th, we drove up to Gettysburg (only an hour away) and spent our day there.  It was a day of learning about, of remembering, and of honoring all who fell during those three days in July of 1863.  We ended our day back in Rockville at the Silver Diner where we had dinner with cousin Dave Fraedrich and his wife, Laura.  

Friday, the 20th, found us on the road again - the same one we took to Gettysburg on Thursday and the one we came into Maryland on Wednesday - for a visit to Hershey, Pennsylvania.  We picked up James to come along (he's got home school flexibility).  I have to say we were disappointed that there was not as much to do and see in Hershey as we had expected.  We visited Hershey Chocolate World and started with the free factory "tour" which was really just a simulated ride like you would find in Disneyland.  Still pretty interesting and we got a free Hershey's mini candy bar at the end.  Then we joined the herds of people taking part in rampant commercialism in the huge Hershey chocolate store.  SO MUCH CHOCOLATE!   We had never planned to go to the amusement park and that was a good thing - it was closed for the season.  But we had hoped to wander through cute little gift and curio shops in the town of Hershey but those didn't exist.  Weird.  Has no one from the Hershey city fathers ever visited Sedona or Barr Harbor or Lake of the Ozarks???  So, we just headed back home with Steve and James catching a nap along the way...

Saturday, the 21st of October was James's big day.  His baptism was at 10:30 and his mom went all out!  Brad's dad and brother flew out to be here.  Jesse and Kat and Jeremy were here as well as Jeff.  We all congregated at the Jensen home for lunch.  That afternoon, Steve, Juli and I attended the Washington DC temple and we again gathered at the Jensen's for dinner.  We caught some of the BYU football game afterwards before returning to our lovely Airbnb.  

Today, Sunday the 22nd, we attended church - with a building that has an actual pipe organ!  Ed Fraedrich and his wife, Eileen, came over for dinner this evening at our Airbnb and we had a great visit.  Ed is Doug's older brother.  Dave is their brother who lives in Phoenix and who we did things a few times while on our mission there.  I had never met Eileen.  She is an elementary school band teacher - flute is her instrument -  and Ed is a free lance musician/teacher - saxophone is his instrument.  He is an adjunct professor at George Mason University.  The three boys were born and raised in Virginia and their family never ventured west to meet Fraedrich family so Eileen was very interested in hearing what we knew and remembered about our grandparents and aunts and uncles.  Interestingly, Ed and Doug are both celiac.  

I close with a photo of our Airbnb.  It has two bedrooms and two bathrooms and and everything is very new and lovely.  It has been a great home base these last few days.  We head west tomorrow to go as far as Julina's.  My sister, Juli, will stay one more day and fly home on Tuesday.