At the cello I have been working on chromaticism. It’s so tricky.
It was standard practice to soak clothing in urine as part of the process of doing laundry during Roman times. In fact, urine was so sought after and valuable that special cisterns were placed around cities on the streets for people to relieve themselves, and then the liquid was carefully dispensed to laundry centers. The things you learn while homeschooling fourth graders!!! (I have the feeling that living in ancient and medieval times would have been very filled with a lot of unpleasant odors.)
Our neighbor, who is a veterinarian brought over a microscope slide with cat ear mites that were still alive (but trapped on the slide in oil, so as not to expose our cat). It was positively fascinating to get an up close look at the mites! They waved their legs at us and tried to pinch their claws, all in vain as they wiggled in place next to their horde of eggs. Of course we did some research about cat ear mites, after such an interesting observation.
This year my piano students cannot, of course, share Christmas music with any audience really, and especially not at assisted living centers due to the pandemic. Instead of preparing holiday music for a performance, for the past couple of weeks I have been handing students Christmas books at their level, and telling them to pick any songs they would like to learn. Nearly EVERY student has picked Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, and Ukrainian Bell Carol. This confirmed my notion that these three carols are truly the most popular with students. It makes me giggle. Also, I am always amazed how some students are so very motivated to learn Christmas music, and it makes me happy that they are so excited (even if I do listen to Jingle Bellsall day long).
I learned about Clovis, leader of the Franks.
My study buddy and I learned about Georges Seurat and pointillism, as well as James Whistler. Mr. Trouble on Feet doesn’t always love creating art, but both of us do really enjoy art appreciation. It has been so much fun to read about famous artists and their artwork and remember seeing them in person at the National Gallery of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago, and I feel like I appreciate those paintings in a whole new way. I can’t wait to go back to one of those fancy art museums again in the future when travel is easier. I might take my study buddy with me. He has such good observation skills.
I found it fascinating to learn that when Marie Antoinette crossed the Austrian/French border on her way to marry the dauphin who would later become King Louis XVI, she entered a building specifically constructed for the purpose of changing her wardrobe from Austrian clothing and possessions (which had to be left behind along with her pet dog) into gowns of French-made silk which she was then required to wear from that point on.
At the piano I learned the accompaniment for two movements of a violin sonata and a short little prelude by Bach just to liven up my mornings. I like playing Bach in the morning.
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