Catching Up

After returning home from one of his heftier performances Keoni shed all formalities and sat down at my piano to relax.

I enjoyed the train ride into the city to attend a "heftier" performance at Kimmel Center...

...where Keoni had his first time onstage as PYO Concert Master. The orchestra's whole performance was especially good and included the magnificent, ground-shaking organ for two of the pieces...

...note the trumpeting between organ and orchestra.

Three days before, Keoni's high school orchestra had its performance and Keoni had special roles there, as well as their Concert Master.

The local area schools have proven to be a wonderful school district, contrary to what has happened in Philly over the last four years. I have read the pro stories for Philly school funding slashes, and the opposing stories that reveal the very political nature of it all. Please Harrisburg, get it together and put the Philly schools back on a decent funding track. The kids need it. You need it. We all need it.

On the home front, we are sated after a traditional Thanksgiving dinner that keeps on giving. Alessia from Tucson, now an NYU student, is visiting. Yesterday, she and Keoni went to Center City with Nathan who is home between semesters at U Penn. Youth has stamina that is distant in my memory.

This morning, very, very early Aidan and his dad headed out to somewhere near Delaware where the last two (maybe three if they win first two) soccer games are (brrrr--17 degrees at dawn) being held. Oh, oh. I just heard from Wendy, they lost their first game and are starting the second.

About the same early morning time as Aidan and John, I left with Keoni headed for the train station so he can get back into Philly for orchestra and other music happenings today. Alessia will follow, shortly.

You've no doubt noticed this timeline is very scrambled. Don't worry about figuring it out; I can't either. Talking with Wendy this morning for a minute, she disclosed she doesn't know the day's agenda either, so it isn't all my own disorganization, nor entirely aging memory. Life spins along. We smile.

The day before Thanksgiving. Soggy, wet snow stopped by late afternoon.

One of Wendy's three pies hot out of the oven.

She takes a break to consult with Keoni on one of the college apps. He finished the last one by week's end.
I think there were six he's been filling out. 

Keoni set the table. Alessia's family sent the flowers.

The three youth and I went for a walk on Thanksgiving morning.

Alessia and Keoni.

And with brother.

Grandson and Grandma.

John worked on Wendy's barn honey-do list. Replacing some broken steps was paramount.  John brought this old one in the house. The dowel speaks to a begone age. No doubt it is original.

This was Monday morning...THIS WEEK!

I miss my fur ball in the early mornings when temperature keeps me indoors. He takes advantage of the barn for the cold times. Though his fur is thick and dense, I think about how he's faring. John says he observed him Thanksgiving afternoon flaked out asleep in the middle barn stall, so he must be fine. He and Jasper have a tentative, cautious truce; now with minimal hiss and spit. They will never see the love, I'm sure, but hey, life spins along. We smile.

Detail Swirls

Well, we'll do without the pictures today since my machine is backing itself up right now and I thought best to let the iPhoto file alone; plus, it is getting late already!

The report for tonight is, there are too many details in a blur of my pony Subaru transporting family all over the place along with all the usual life-sustaining humdrum of living.

Highlights include Keoni's two concerts we all attended, one the high school orchestra on Wednesday, the other PYO at Kimmel Center in Philly. He played in a quartet at the high school and soloed, as well, with some of the best of his music performances. At both of these concerts we witnessed his first moments as Concert Master. An achievement, yes. A three-year-old's dream brought him there.

Sandwiched into everything were Keoni's practice and recording sessions, some in Phllly, readying the recordings for the conservatory/college auditions and applications that occupy every other waking moment of his young life. He said this afternoon, while I whizzed him to the train station again, that trying to choose which one of the recordings was best to submit was like making a choice between drowning or freezing to death.

And, Aidan continues his pursuit of soccer despite the challenges of some very cold days and practice nights on the field. He and his trusty cello are accompanying the church choir during a concert before Christmas. Sue Ellen the music director gave him a brief lesson on the organ there this afternoon. A beautiful instrument and it was built by the same person who built the huge Kimmel Center organ that we got to hear and feel its building-shaking sound waves, during the PYO concert on Sunday.

Dark, dark, dark. That's the hardest part for me right now. Eight and a half hours of sunlight in unclouded 24 makes for a long night.

The best of the mornings lately was the balmy 63 degree dawn on the porch one more time with coffee, my e-news and Toby happily purring and squirming in my lap.

Out and About

Wendy's birthday was celebrated with Keoni's offering of wonderful candy followed by a family visit to get Harleysville's finest chicken wings that we all devoured like hungry cave dwellers. Came home for cake, ice cream and a little more celebration.

Happy Birthday, Wendy!

Part of her birthday present was a complete cleanup of her pickup truck; John took it to the car wash for the outside after Aidan and I got the inside washed, Windex-ed and Armor-All-ed.

The foggy morning was soon followed by the first snow of the season late Thursday evening.

Early Friday morning.

Aidan and the soccer team are soldiering on. Saturday they had three victories out of four games. Whew! They played from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The snow had melted back enough for the fields to be playable.

Warm-up in the large sense of the word. It was 35 degrees.

It warmed up to 37 degrees by noon. Wendy is on the left. Aidan says the fans (parents, families) look like homeless people.

A shout-out to Janie: When Aidan started middle school this fall he came home and said he had two great gym teachers; one, is a guy, and the other is a gym woman.

I found a photo I'd missed of one I snapped when Toby emerged from the woods the other day.

Today Snickerdoodle was watching me take my walk and calling plaintively while I was in sight. Guess the little guy was lonely.

Other places nearby...

These beauties hanging on someone's porch are probably indoors by now, but so pretty at the last of their outdoor season.

1-2-3

Ah, an early morning on the porch again...never say never again. Who knew this mild day would happen.

As you can see there was a cloud cover and lots of fog. Right behind, there is weather coming that's been tormenting the Rockies and the midwest. Still, nice to appreciate Toby sitting next to me or on my lap while I sip coffee and check the e-news.

Keoni and I took a walk together around the property a couple days ago and out of the woods came Toby to join us on the walk. The little devil was happy as a clam in a bucket of warm sea water. He follows in spurts; hunkers down watching everything, then a 20 yard dash to catch up, repeat. In the interest of luring him back from the siren call of the woods I've finally purchased wet food for him and started an evening regimen of wet food on the porch in hopes that a tummy full of meat will diminish his hunting forays into the wild.

In the house, Karma has caught a couple of mice that trespassed the kitchen. She just plays with them, and Wendy calls Sebastian, the Rat Terrier, in to finish the job.

That bit of savage news out of the way, I'll post that I've been busy writing for the church e-newsletter which I'm liking quite a bit since I'm writing about the unsung people mostly, and taking some pictures here and there to help illustrate the stories. So far, I talked to a rocket scientist, a woman who's a PhD electo-chemist, and our Tai Chi instructor who's a business communications consultant. It's a satisfying endeavor.

Thinking about savagery again, I'm reading parts of the Old Testament. God really knew how to get Pharaoh's attention! Reading Exodus, I was able to forget Charlton Heston when the spiritual Go Down, Moses started playing in my head...let my people go! It stuck in my head. In case it is now stuck in your head, here is an a cappella version with printed words... Go Down, Moses

Soccer continues. Aidan is glorying in it. This weekend another all-star tournament will take place. Yes, the teams are still practicing on Tuesday and Thursday nights at various lighted parks in the region. I don't know what will happen when all that cold weather gets here. Aidan made up a team spirit shout/chant...

Aidan: 1-2-3!
Team: Work-Hard!
Teammate: 4-5-6!
Team: Together!

They have been using it before fielding.

Music continues. Both grandsons are immersed in it. Keoni has his SATs and ACTs out of the way, and applied to several higher learning places and is readying audition materials. Also, he's making connections with the network of musicians and teachers he's developed. John and Wendy are taking him to Cleveland to work with an instructor there on a weekend in December; tonight he is doing the same thing in the Philly area. I took him to the train for that and John is picking him up. Wendy still coaches Aidan's cello work so stayed here while I did the transporting to the train station.

My little room is pleasant. Daytimes, I enjoy the light from the Southeast facing windows this upper corner of the house. It is quiet and private.

It is time to stop and take in another murder story on my laptop. Midsomer's Murders holds my interest, and, recently, I discovered Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

The Day After...

Aidan trick-or-treated a nearby neighborhood. It could have been the last time he'll want to do that.

He kept a tally. Candy in, candy out.

Fading away.

All that's left. He had lots of help eating his swag.

Aidan propped up his iPad in the yard to take practice shots for him.

We had time for a hand of Gin Rummy. Shoutout to Nathan: Hey we miss you!

Nathan taught Aidan how to play last summer. I'm sure glad since I'd not played for decades. We watched Judy Holliday beat Broderick Crawford in Born Yesterday on YouTube to get us started.

Born Yesterday Gin Game

Guess who won.

After the Eagles' game, Keoni and Aidan played Ave Maria last night.

Backward Music

Then, they were tired and finished with a little Bach before bedtime...

Lazy Musicians

Carol sent a dazzling Tucson sunset right from her backyard.

Ah, excellent memories. Thanks, Carol.