"The Time Has Come...,"

The Walrus said, "to talk of many things.  Of shoes and ships and sausages and sealing wax and kings."

Okay, so that's not how it really goes.  But sausage and cabbage does go so well together!  This pic is from a great family tradition of sausage making for the holidays.  My cousin, Brian, and I were the official apprentices this time around during my visit to Ohio in November.  Rumor has it that they're at it again this week for the Christmas feast.  I can still smell the garlic!

I've been busy this past month.  The fall concert for my string groups has come and gone.  As I said above, I took a trip to Ohio -  for the Thanksgiving holiday.  I'm up to my eyeballs in rehearsals and concerts.  (Tonight I will play in the orchestra for a church performance of portions of the Messiah, Shortwaaave will be performing at Faithbridge Church on Christmas Eve and Mark and I will be performing with a band that calls itself Buddy's Notes at the Inn at Grand Glaize for New Year's Eve.)

Next week, the Surf office is closed and I'm looking forward to having some crafting time at home.  As I'm not nearly ready for Christmas this year, I think I'm going to turn back to my old tradition of making all of my gifts for 2011 and next week will be the perfect time to start!

Something in the air...

When you look out your back door and are greeted with the handiwork of God, it's a great time to stop, give thanks, and take a picture so that others can experience the joy.

Crop Circles

I took this pictures just outside my front door this fall.  Just what in the heck are these things anyway?

Immediately my mind starting to conjure up an image: tiny aliens (I pictured the Marlboro toking skinny guys from MIB) making crop circles while they talked down about their bosses at break time.  One of them is leaning against the siding with one foot against the wall, puffing smoke rings into oblivion in the morning mist.  I hear them making coarse and gravelly giggles when the one that is sitting in the boxwood bush remarks that the "head cheese thinks his shicoogfzfnt doesn't stink." 

On the lighter side, literally, I've lost an official 4 pounds since I started my diet.  Nothing to put in the evening news but definitely a step in the right direction.  At this rate, I think I can safely set a goal for losing 10 pounds by New Year's.

Happy Halloween!

I found these cute aprons at Hobby Lobby and just had to make them for my nieces.  Happy Halloween, girls!  I wish I could be at that party, too....

October in Full Swing

I travelled to San Antonio this past week for business (more on that later).  On the way home, my boss commented that his October was almost over as he had two more trips that he was going to take before the month was up.  Mine, hectic as usual, is just beginning.  Here's what I can remember off the top of my head:

October 11th, orchestra rehearsals
October 12th, band rehearsal
October 14th, lessons
October 16th, wedding in Camdenton
October 17th, performing at the Lutheran church in Camdenton
October 18th, orchestra rehearsals
October 19th, performing at the Baptist church in Camdenton
October 21st, lessons
October 25th, orchestra rehearsals
October 26th, band rehearsal
October 28th, lessons
October 30th, judging the Miss Missouri pageant in Lake Ozark

And this is only my evening schedule. Oh, yeah, and I have to prepare for all of this, too.  Yikes!

Again, really?

Well, it must be that time of year. In perusing my old blog posts, I see that the last time I seriously thought about losing weight was on September 13th of last year. Well, I have lost some weight but it sure wasn't the dieting way.

Since then, doctors found a tumor on my pancreas, a mass on my liver of unknown origin and many kidney stones. After an incredibly invasive surgery in December, I now how have less intestine, stomach and pancreas and lost about 22 pounds just in the first two months of recovery.

Since then, as previous posts attest, I have been extremely busy with my music and then, of course, the summer season at the park. The long hours this summer were difficult and my days off were spent trying to recover. I still have days of serious pain but they are fewer and further between with every passing week.

My digestion is still a matter of concern for me. I have long periods of "irregularity" followed by a day of not being able to stop. And with the loss of part of my pancreas, I am now experiencing blood sugar problems - not often, but enough. The worst part is the need to sleep off the aftermath. It's a great thing that I have such an understanding boss!

Anyway, since the initial loss of 22 pounds in December, I have regained about seven of those pounds to land firmly on 222. It's time to give up the excuses and get busy on getting this weight off!

When Miles Davis Comes To Dinner

My husband and received a very unexpected surprise this evening. Miles Davis came to dinner at our house, just as we were opening a bag of Cheetos.

He played a piece from his new album "Kind of Orange."

My iPod Doesn't Work...

My busy life went over the top last night with three different appointments all converging at once, luckily all in the same spot: my basement.

You would think with my fabulous iPod Touch that I would be more organized than this, but, alas, such is not the case. I had already scheduled a guitar lesson and a review of music with a fellow violinist for an upcoming musical, each at 5:30.

If that wasn't bad enough, I told my husband when I got home from work that I was free the entire evening and he set about bringing a myriad of audio gear downstairs through which he wanted me to play my fiddle for an upcoming gig. Of course, as soon as all of this heavy gear was hooked up and ready to go, the students started coming in. Yikes! It was a regular Grand Central down there.

Everything worked out in the end with my husband the last in line to get my attention, as usual. God bless him. In the end, everything was done and everyone was taken care of. Now if I will just start USING my iPod.....

Many things...

This is my first post of the new year. I decided that I should do one the moment I realized that it is almost February. Where on earth does the time go?

Anyway, I'm 90% recovered from the surgery on my pancreas. I still have a few occasional serious pains and a tube that is stitched in surrounded by some ongoing aches but I'm mostly back to normal. That's a good thing because this spring looks to be a challenge in many respects.

I'm playing in the pit orchestra for a production of "Guys and Dolls" at the local high school. That will go on until February 21st. Then back to the surgeon to have my last tube taken out. Then youth orchestra rehearsals will begin again. Big Surf is in full swing for planning and there is much work to be done there. (I'm one of the few unbelievable lucky people who really love their job.) Then there's the normal stuff like bills, laundry. You know. Life.

But today, I'm going to take some time and do something that I've wanted to do for a while now. I'm going up to Bagnell Dam to see if I can get some good shots of the bald eagles that nest there.

I hope they're out and in the mood for a paparazzo.