Day: November 8, 2013

another day inside

I was up most of last night with excitement. I couldn’t believe that I am living so many dreams simultaneously!  I was tossing and turning until it was almost time to get up…and then I spent the rest of the day paying my dues. Currently, I have a throbbing headache (going on hour twelve) and almost skipped blogging because I just want to go to bed.

But Grandma, I am blogging for you! Mom told me that you read this on your iPad every day, and I want you to have new material tomorrow, so here’s how the day went:

I practiced piano for hours while the kids tore up the living room. I finally figured out a barricade for the stairs, so now the kids play next to me while I practice. Half the time they clamber to get on my lap and “play” the piano themselves, so it’s a little inefficient in terms of practice–but super efficient in transmitting a desire to play the piano. (That transmission is one of my chief goals in life, after all.)

Around 2pm I finally decided to change out of my pj’s (into yoga pants–a very big upgrade!)…and climb back into bed. Mary was taking her very short second nap, so I squeezed in some more of The Paris Wife. It’s a novel about Ernest Hemingway’s first wife, and it’s been a very fun read. The author uses dialogue to terrific effect; I feel like I’m coming to a new understanding of just how fresh the 1920’s were for those who lived then. The closest comparison I can think of is the 1960’s…it was a time full of innovation, art, creativity, rule-breaking, and slang. But the slang seems to encapsulate it all in a wonderfully revealing way.

I also listened to a TON of piano recordings throughout the day, and read a little bit about Chopin’s opinion on wrist movement: For Chopin, the wrist was a vehicle to communicate respiration at the piano. I’m certainly not going to compete with a nocturne, but I did replay the nocturne op.9 no.1 a ton of times with that direction in mind. It was so fun!

And then, of course, we had to have a go at some of the library books we checked out yesterday. I played with the girls and read to them, and then toted them downstairs for a snack. While they were eating, I busied myself making dinner, and my dull knife slipped and sliced open my middle finger on my left hand! I was so thankful the cut wasn’t worse, and for the rest of the evening I just practiced with my right hand.

Here are the pictures I took during the day:

Even though I was half dead with exhaustion, I dragged myself out of bed to take a picture of the sunrise. Abe pointed it out and I just couldn't believe the intensity of the pink sky...it didn't come through as much in the picture, but it was still a great start to the day.
Even though I was half dead with exhaustion, I dragged myself out of bed to take a picture of the sunrise. Abe pointed it out and I just couldn’t believe the intensity of the pink sky…it didn’t come through as much in the picture, but it was still a great start to the day.
Lydia and I played catch a little. Actually, I called it off right after this shot, and I convinced Lydia that what she really wanted to be doing was singing Primary songs and playing the piano with me. We proceeded to do that for the next hour. Oh, and she can tap rhythms now! Maybe just waiting a couple months helped, but getting her to tap rhythms did not end in the Apocalypse, as it did when we tried this exercise approximately six weeks ago.
Lydia and I played catch a little. Actually, I called it off right after this shot, and I convinced Lydia that what she really wanted to be doing was singing Primary songs and playing the piano with me. We proceeded to do that for the next hour. Oh, and she can tap rhythms now! Maybe just waiting a couple months helped, but getting her to tap rhythms did not end in the Apocalypse, as it did when we tried this exercise approximately six weeks ago.
Mary really LOVES books with textures.
Mary really LOVES books with textures.
Here is Lydia trying to convince Mary that Mary should play with her. Mary thinks she would rather be reading her book.
Here is Lydia trying to convince Mary that Mary should play with her. Mary thinks she would rather be reading her book.
My barricade. I also have pictures of Mary trying to figure out a way over this, but so far she has been unsuccessful in her attempts.
My barricade. I also have pictures of Mary trying to figure out a way over this, but so far she has been unsuccessful in her attempts.