Happy Mother’s Day!

R

One of my favorite pictures of all time. This one too:

Oh yeah, this one too 😀

They are the best Mother’s Day gift. 😀 Even though they look different now, a big girl and boy – they’ll always be like this in my mind.

House Music

Growing up, there was always music in the house. Both my brothers played various instruments, but particularly my second oldest brother played piano and particularly well. I played piano for a few years but never came close to being even a fraction as good as he was. But my brother played all the time. If he was home – there was music in the air.

I miss having music in the house. For awhile, Rachel was taking cello lessons, and when she’d practice – there was music in the house again. But this year we’ve had all kinds of issues with her and her grades and I needed to cancel the lessons so she could focus on getting her grades back up. So it is silent again.

When my mother came to visit us recently, she brought with her a new instrument she’s been playing for the last year or so. It’s called a mountain dulcimer. For kicks, I had her teach me a little bit. It’s simpler than playing piano, so simple it reminds me of playing one of the kids toys – but the sound is beautiful. She taught me a few songs and how to read “tablature” – music specifically written for the dulcimer – it’s very easy to follow. Rachel even picked up her cello and played along with my mother and I. (She hasn’t played her cello since we stopped lessons).

So now I’m on a quest to find a dulcimer. I want music in my house again.

Paradox

It’s May now. In my mind, I thought that, come May, I’d be able to start running outside again (I decided running indoors was not my thing this winter). I was looking forward to warm weather, putting away my winter coat at least until the fall. So far, I am extremely disappointed. We had a weekend or two at most in April that vaguely resembled spring – but the rest of the time, it’s been cold sometimes to the point of snowing. Last night we went to dinner up in Park City. It started snowing – which at this point isn’t all that surprising – we’ve been getting snow on and off for the last week. But then it REALLY started coming down. Driving back down the canyon – the snow was coming down so hard we could barely see where we going. All over the road, people had to creep along on the highway so slowly, not because the roads were slick, but because it was like driving through a sheet of white. Basically a blizzard. On the first of May.

I’m so fed up with the weather here that I’m seriously ready to move. Where, I have no idea – but I’m not a fan of the cold. And this is really making me long for some place new.

Trying not to judge but worrying just the same

I know for a fact that my family sticks out like a sore thumb where we live. We are very different here. Who knows, maybe people look at us and feel there is something seriously wrong with us. (In some ways they’re right. LOL!) Whether they’re right or wrong, it’s who we are and we’re ok.

Every now and then I run across a kid or family that I just get a strange gut feeling about. To do anything more than ponder would be to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong. Recently it’s been this one family I’ve been worrying about. I see the boy and he looks so terribly terribly sad. Every day. I see his sister and she looks awkward in her own skin and also sad. I see their father and he seems to be barely notice the two of them and just rushes to get away from them. I see them every morning and it’s absolutely none of my business but I worry about them. I worry about those kids and wonder if they’re alright and hope there’s someone whose business it is, is making sure they’re ok.

You hear terrible stories on the news about kids being hurt, and you think – couldn’t someone have done something?? Didn’t anyone notice anything strange? But really how do you draw the line between being nosey? I just have to walk away and try to ignore my gut feeling and hope I’m just imagining it.

Cheaters and Murderers

When the news broke out about Tiger Woods, honestly I really didn’t care. It was none of my business. He wants to go sleep around, the tabloids report about it. Certainly I thought a lot less of him, but I didn’t have my nose glued to every article about it because I really could care less. (And actually, I would have been fine if they taked a little less about it. Is the news really THIS slow that Tiger’s love life is the most interesting thing to report about?)

BUT I did happen to notice an article this morning about other “disgraced” athletes – Time magazine lists their “Top 10“. Tiger is of course at the top. But what I’m confused about is that O.J. Simpson is number 3. Wait a minute. So a guy that everyone pretty much suspects got away with murder is number THREE. That doesn’t even qualify for making the number one spot?? People really confuse me.