Random Notions

1. Last Wednesday we went caroling at a nursing home with a group of people from our church. It was a complete blast. Not only did we get to ride to the nursing home on a school bus (BIG news for Mr. Sneaky Pants), I was just overjoyed to be singing carols in a loud voice for shrively, wonderful, elderly people who were singing along too, in off key voices. I KNOW I would be a lot less of a scrouge if I could only spend part of every day wandering through the halls of various nursing homes singing Christmas carols. The excursion came at the end of a series of long, chaotic days, and was just what I needed.

2. There were two days of the last three weeks where The Banana did not have a runny nose and was cheerful because she wasn’t cutting any teeth, but now we’re back at it: giant, enormous molors creating huge bumps in her lower gums. She’s so miserable.

3. My students had their Christmas recital in my living room. It was a lot of fun, and they did wonderful. Sarah had chickened out of playing “Deck the Halls,” (and I was fine with that) until she saw the plates of yummy Christmas cookies that the students were going to partake of after the recital. She dug out her music and began practicicing and decided she would play after all, since it was quite clear that she wasn’t going to be eating any cookies if she didn’t play. She did a marvelous job, and she got to eat SEVERAL cookies, and drink a glass of apple juice from a fancy glass, which she was very excited about. It’s amazing what a motivator sugar can be.

4. We’ve been getting a lot of boxes in the mail, and as soon as I open them up, small hands snatch the empty cardboard away. They are stashed in Sarah’s room. There are so many boxes in there I can hardly walk. She’s cut doors and windows in some of them to make houses, and turned others into sinks, refrigerators, stoves, chairs and tables for her restaurant.

5. I have been having a blast playing bass clarinet. What an instrument! I love it’s low grumbly sound.