Hi friends! I apologize for missing another Monday. I really didn’t mean to, but life got in the way. Over Easter weekend we headed north to my mother-in-law’s. Then about a day after returning, I headed south for a couple of days at my parents’. Then back home and getting things settled in from being away, and before you knew it BOOM my spring “break” was over. I try not to be envious of my piano students, off to Florida, Zion National Park, HONG KONG, etc. It’s okay; I know my day will come.
Driving to my mom’s, I realized I was coming up on a familiar road. I couldn’t resist the urge to turn in and drive about a mile to the very familiar sight seen up above: the house of my second piano teacher, where I took lessons from grades 8-12. Every week, we’d drive there and, before I could drive, my mom and I would sit in the entryway while my sister took her lesson, then we’d trade. We went here again for recitals several times. My teacher’s husband was a retired band director, and often when she wanted his opinion on a piece she’d call out, “Woo hoo! Leslie!” The house looked better back then, 40 years ago (at least in my opinion). I’m not a fan of that brown siding on the ground floor, and the garage needs paint. But I suppose I look a bit different then I did in the early ’80s, too. It was a fun little 5 minute trip down memory lane.
This week, I’m plunging into my final six weeks of piano lessons for the year. I wrote my monthly newsletter/reminders to parents, and this week I need to lock in all of the students’ recital pieces. It’s an exciting time of year as they prepare songs to “show off” what they’ve learned all year. I don’t have as many more advanced kids this year, so I’m anticipating the recital may be a bit shorter. That is okay. Today all five students are coming early (e-learning day at school due to THE ECLIPSE), and I think we’re heading over near my organ church to view the spectacle.
The menu plan:
Monday: Hamburger Vegetable Soup (left from last week) and 1-hour Amish dinner rolls
Tuesday: I plan to cook chicken breasts in the crockpot with some new BBQ sauce that I’m testing for a company. Then I’ll have other things out for some make-your-own burritos.
Wednesday: Famous Jennifer Aniston Salad — I get hungry for this every now and then. It’s good, and makes a lot.
Thursday: Moroccan Chicken and Lentils — I think I’ve made this before? Can’t remember if it’s good or not …
Friday: gone to an event.
And that’s the week! How have you been these past few weeks? I hope you’re getting spring weather. We were spoiled by some in mid-March, but lately it’s seemed like a lot of cold, wind, and rain.
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I SUPER APPRECIATE those of you who had the extra minute or two last time to help with Amazon views on my vella story about King Ludwig.
This week a request with it that’s a bit different. Someone contacted me this week and told me that various episodes aren’t showing up. This is concerning, since they show up for me. if you wouldn’t mind, check it out and let me know if the first 10 episodes are showing up for you (there is no charge to scroll through episodes until number 11, at which point they’re a dime each). Thanks. I will contact Amazon on this, but their customer service for authors seems to be outsourced to countries with non-English speakers and it’s challenging to say the least.
Girls in White Dresses 
Very familiar sight!
What a fun trip down memory lane!
We’re supposed to have 80% totality here, but it’s cloudy, so I don’t know if we’ll see anything.
Oh the hours I spent sitting there in our car, sitting on their porch, sitting inside their front door, and sitting at their dining room table. Some family must have upset the apple cart b/c in later years families were banned from coming any further inside than the first little room. I remember when lessons began with Mrs. Gilkey, it fell on Labor Day. Mrs. G. said, “Well, we will be laboring on Labor Day, so you might as well come take your first lesson that day!” The rest is a time in our lives we will NEVER forget!
I enjoyed your trip down memory lane about your piano lessons and getting to see your teacher’s house. I hope by now you are having nice spring weather although I remember how cool and rainy April was in southern Indiana when I was growing up there. As you know, I’m a warm-weather person so I couldn’t wait for summer. I had to watch the Eclipse on TV and that was great. Our Florida location had nothing to see. Our Daughter #1 drove to northern Ohio and what she got to see was spectacular. She sent me lots of pictures.