I grew up with music.  My mother was a piano teacher and both pianist and organist for churches from my earliest memories (Baptist, Lutheran, Wesleyan)  Family gatherings in north Florida ALWAYS included several hours of the entire family singing hymn after hymn - my Granny was a choir director and soprano, my Denden an amazing bass, my uncle a choir director and amazing baritone/tenor, my aunt and mother altos and all the rest of us cousins rounded out the choir from one end to the other.  My father played the radio...


Hymns certainly were not the only tunes to be heard in my home - oh no, 50s classics, country (old style), blue grass, folk tunes, 50-60s rock - music always.


I suppose it is no surprise that all my children play instruments and carry music with them always as well.


Because music played such a large roll in my life from birth on, situations almost always bring some song to mind.  Key phrases uttered by people can trigger a song - my kids often are startled when they say something to me and suddenly I start singing some ancient song at them - You've got your green alligators and long neck geese...


So here's the deal - I've found myself singing this over and over the last few weeks...




I know not why God’s wondrous grace
To me He hath made known,
Nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
Redeemed me for His own.
I know not how this saving faith
To me He did impart,
Nor how believing in His Word
Wrought peace within my heart.


I know not how the Spirit moves,
Convincing us of sin,
Revealing Jesus through the Word,
Creating faith in Him.


I know not what of good or ill
May be reserved for me,
Of weary ways or golden days,
Before His face I see.


I know not when my Lord may come,
At night or noonday fair,
Nor if I walk the vale with Him,
Or meet Him in the air.

..... pray....

Now seriously, I can kind of understand losing your place in the song - but she is a professional right?  Been singing in public since she was knee high to a grass hopper? So at the end of the day there is very little excuse - I've watched 8 year olds do a better job with it.  And all of you future singers of the National Anthem?  It is not your song, it is our song, so please... for the love of God and Country.... sing it as written.  Stop playing with the words, and go easy on the improv.

Thank you.

(There is a better vid of Whitney's performance on YouTube - here , but it is not embed enabled)

I still miss him.  Reagan, The President.  The first I voted for.  I've never since been more proud of any vote I have cast - not one.

Vive la Reagan Revolution!

This shot would seem to say that Fiona is happy about it all.  She isn't, I just happened to catch her mid pant - Gus's expression speaks for itself...


Miss Rose is doing well.  At least I think she is.  She's sound anyway.  Hard to know what is actually happening in her foot without hauling her down the mountain for a new set of x-rays - but the vet assures me so long as I don't go riding her down a paved road or doing 5 foot jumps (yeah right) she will be fine.  Without that nerve sending signals to her brain she feels no pain anyway - which makes us both happy.  She's energetic and ready to do far more than her mom is in any shape to do, but with temps in the mid to upper 50s the last several days I've plunked my butt in the saddle and we've trotted around a bit together.


...


This is a little corgi I felted, stands about an inch and a half high .


And a felted heffalump... I mean effalent...I mean elephant.

and a woozzle - well, a 'possum.  He hangs by his tail (as all 'possums should) from the cork board behind my computer.



After a workout a girl's gotta lounge about with her chewies and squeeky toys...

And Gus is lamenting his short legs as he cannot reach his tennis ball perpetually under the couch.  You should hear the mournful sounds emanating from his silly self.

And of course, as it is 5:15pm and dinner isn't until 5:30 pm, a corgi must simply collapse from starvation as the cruel humans force him to wait...

And the beat goes on....

To be honest, there are a couple references in here I didn't get.... yup, I'm that old.

"Government should not intrude on private family matters," Obama said in a statement - USA today


What? Like what to feed our kids?  Or how much trans-fat or salt we eat?  Or whether or not we choose to buy health insurance?  Or whether or not we choose to smoke in our own cars or homes (I don't smoke, I've never smoked, I've never even tried a cigarette - But I support the right of those who wish to smoke to be able to do it in their own homes, cars, or even open air areas such as IDK.... city parks?)  Family matter such as end of life planning?  How about what sort of light bulbs families want to screw into their sockets?


Oh yeah, I forgot - Government should intrude on ALL family matters except in the instance of abortions.... then government should simply pave the way.  You know, shovel ready projects.  

Love the faces, love the voices, love the beat - hmmm, that's at least three loves

I have the bug - need to make something, create something, learn something new.

There are a few things I have decided to try.  One is engraving with a rotary tool and the other is painting on dishes in something like a polish pottery type style.

 I have the paints for the dishes (did some research then bought the paints at a large crafty type store yesterday) - but no dishes to play with yet.

Have the rotary tool (ordered it from Amazon, it arrived yesterday) and some bits of wood so I'm starting with the wood thing.

 Also got my own camera yesterday so here is a picture of my first attempts to engrave.  Keep in mind I've never done anything like this and I have no idea which bits will work well for the job so there is a lot of experimentation going on and none of this is as clean as I'd like yet.


Did the fish last night, the birds this morning.  I need to find a better way to transfer my designs to the wood.  I can see the design well if I transfer it to the wood without the stain, but then as I work I have trouble seeing what I have carved away because the carved surface is the same color as the uncarved surface.  Staining the surface before I carve solves that problem, but then I can't see the design I transfered anymore.  I'll keep at it until I get it figured out.  Though there is only so much wood lying around here for just messing around.

update - another practice project done: