Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Texas 'Bonnets

About 10 minutes from our house there is a lovely field of Texas finest spring flowers--the Bluebonnet. On Sunday afternoon Muffin and I took a drive over there and found about twenty other cars stopped by the side of the road, people all spilled out with children, wee toddlers, and puppy dogs.  And LOTS of cameras.  In one corner of the field is an old tractor--the perfect prop for kids photos. Another area had a tiny picnic table, barely taller than the resplendent bluebonnets themselves. Toddlers and puppies looked very cute indeed on that table.  It was a beautiful day for photos. 

Muffin and Marmee
Close up.                                                 Closer.

Watching the other families.
We offered to take their photos so they could all get in the view finder.



Beautiful lake of blue. 




So pretty we even took photos of each other taking photos.  Cheesy, but fun. 
Thank you Lord, for your wondrous works that proclaim your glory!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Blind Side

Muffin and I finally Netflixed The Blind Side, which I had been wanting to see since before it was released in theaters.  After all the reviews, interviews, awards, articles, and other news coverage of the actors and the real Tuohy family I thought there would be nothing left to say. However,  ahem, I shall write some comments.

I found no evidence of Hollywood exploitation of either the Tuohys or of Michael Oher. That in itself is surprising and refreshing. Implications of his difficult early life were made without actually divulging his most hurtful circumstances.  Evidence of the Tuohys kindness, love, and tenderness toward Michael was obvious without that becoming the focus of the film. It was, in a word, balanced. My understanding is that if all parties are correctly quoted they would give God more glory than He received in the film version of this story, but He is getting glory.  Each member of the family, and Michael, grew and matured as a result of those relationships.  Thank you cast, writers, producers and directors for balance in telling a worthy story.  APPLAUSE!

Monday, April 26, 2010

April Concert 2010

The final classical concert of the season was last Saturday night. It was difficult. Titled "From Tragedy to Triumph" we began with Brahms. Our guests artists were my neighbors who played Vaughn-Williams rarely performed Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra. It was magnificent! 



On to Mozart's 40th Symphony--very famous!
This is my new friend, Orda, originally from Kazakhstan but now living in Dallas. He has a beautiful European violin. 

My neighbor and her beautiful daughter celebrating at Java City after the concert and their out-of-focus husband/Dad.  It's a bad photo, but he is one half of the performing duo.  Couldn't leave him out!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

In memory & in Honor


In memory of Luigi Sorabella and in honor of his beautiful daughter, Candy, my sister in the Lord. May Lou rest in the presence of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus.

Art and the Nickel




Saturday night Muffin and I participated in an event that is unique to our hometown.  Several years ago our mayor at that time had a brilliant idea to establish a museum for children's illustrated literature.  After some temporary homes and many years of raising funds the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature, NCCIL (pronounced Nickel) found a home inside a building that was reclaimed and restored by the Preservation League.  It is the ideal size and has a gallery, a shop with reading room, a foyer and combination craft room, and a caterer's kitchen.  The NCCIL organizes exhibits which travel to other museums and libraries throughout the nation.  Open for tours to teachers, children, workshops with artists and lectures for adults the NCCIL is a fascinating place for youngsters and oldsters.  The artists who visit are unfailingly grateful for a place to display their original artwork, because after it is printed in books the works are almost always stored away.  The museum is the only place of its kind where original illustrations are shown in collections by the artists who created them. 



Last Friday night the NCCIL celebrated the opening of a show by celebrated artist, Etienne Delessert, Swiss born illustrator and author of many award winning children's books.  My favorite is Full Color, a whimsical, imaginative approach to teaching a color wheel. 



Before the guest of honor spoke on behalf of his show we were entertained by the Hardin-Simmons University Cowboy Band. They entered with their signature "cowboy shuffle", performed for about thirty minutes, then tossed their hats in the air and shuffled out.  Then dinner was served buffet style by Harold's BBQ, featured in Texas Monthly Magazine as one of the best BBQ places in Texas. I agree!  The chicken was so tender you could cut it with a plastic fork. Delicious brisket and sides of beans and potato salad. Dessert was either peach or blackberry cobbler.  Of course there was iced tea. And Mr. Harold Christian was there to assist serving the BBQ himself.  He's such a nice man.


Dinner music was by Lori Sims, a lovely red haired fiddler who strolled among the tables and played classics: Cotton Eyed Joe, Old Joe Clark, Orange Blossom Special, and Faded Love, among other titles.



When all is said and done however, it is the art that made a very rainy Friday night glow with entertaining warmth and imaginative spirit. 






Saturday, April 17, 2010

Teaching and Playing: Three generations


This is what I do. I don't remember learning to read music, because I read music before I read words.  I played the piano before I went to school.  The violin dropped in to the mix when I was seven. It was a ploy to slow my progress on the piano because I couldn't reach the notes I needed to play nor would my feet touch the pedals.  After a few years I decided the violin, not the piano, was my voice, my language, my soul, and keenly connected to my spirit.  After I met Muffin, while in college as I was majoring in music, I began to think seriously about teaching music.  At first I thought about teaching general music on the elementary level.  Then I gravitated toward beginning strings classes after learning to play viola and cello and bass myself.  My student teaching assignment was with a sixth grade strings class and a junior high school orchestra.  I enjoyed both. By that time I had three years private teaching experience with violin students and a couple of summers as orchestra camp theory teacher, as well as seven weeks as a music counselor at an exclusive girls' summer camp where I taught classes, wrote a musical production, taught the music to the girls, and accompanied them during the performances.  Long story shortened, after college and marriage no school music positions were open either in west Texas or in northern California where we lived, so I began to take more and more private students. 


We moved back to Texas and had four daughters and more students. Not that I gave birth to the students, but I saw some of them weekly for thirteen consecutive years, and I taught our daughters to play violin as well and saw them every day for eighteen years or more.  So, it's a generational thing for me. A way of life. A skill I pass on. Hopefully a blessing to my children and to their children.



Now Boo is playing professionally and teaching twenty-something students herself.  Looks like one of them is going to be our Gracie!  She is delighted to play her "my-lin".  And because she has watched her mommy teach and re-position violins so many times she thinks she can position them for her grandparents.  This makes me very happy!  She is learning my language.

Planting

Irises in two colors and pink rosebuds in my garden






On a routine shopping trip for groceries I found hanging baskets full of petunias and begonias for $6.98 each.  Hard to beat when the four inch pots are often $1-2.00 each, add a pot, the hanger, and potting soil, not to mention the planting time.  My Mom gave me a beautiful fancy purplish geranium for my birthday. And another trip to the nursery netted 3 big red geraniums for the mailbox planter along with some herbs and a celosia and  alyssum for another planter.  Wal Mart garden department had these big pots of Crodyline. When I dug them up to transplant there were 3-4 plants per pot. Google sites pictured fields of them growing like corn in bright, hot sunlight.  Hoping mine will do as well as the spring warms to summer.

alyssum |əˈlisəm|
noun ( pl. -sums)herbaceous Eurasian plant that bears small flowers in a range of colors, typically white or yellow. Several kinds are widely cultivated ingardens• Genera Alyssum and Lobularia, family Brassicaceae:many speciesincluding sweet alyssum ( L. maritima), with fragrant white flowers.

Not long after Muffin and I returned from the nursery I receive a text message from a recent college graduate who wanted to come over for some comfort and advice.  She experienced a very difficult rehearsal earlier in the day and was struggling with shame and guilt as a direct result of the director's words.  Ugh!  I know that feeling.  We talked and prayed and loved on her and I trust that we planted some life to replace the hurt.