Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from July 7, 2011

Magical Moment 524, "A Discovery"

The song from yesterday was " Chim   Chim   Cheree " from  Mary Poppins . Quite a few guessed it right! In keeping with the music theme, here is a piano memory of mine: ~~ When I was about 7 or 8 years old, I remember having a get together of close family at our house. I don't know what the occasion was, but my grandma brought us a gift from her best friend in Germany. It was a hand painted music box that played a little German tune. I remember it sounding fairly similar to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."  Chairs were set up in a circle around the living room and the adults visited and caught up with each other. The kitchen was busy with food, and there was a lot of general commotion going on. I remember listening to that music box, then going to the piano, certain I would be able to play the tune. Nobody really noticed what I was doing, but I did play the song from start to finish, using both hands, with little or no trouble. Not thinking anything about it,

Magical Moment 523, "Name That Tune"

As a ballet accompanist, I am always trying to expand my repertoire so the dancers don't hear my same pieces over and over. I've found that every instructor wants something different. Some prefer more classical, some prefer music from actual ballets, but most don't care what I play as long as it fits the rhythm and feel for the combination.  One thing I enjoy doing, is taking a song I've known for years, and discovering it can have a "ballet make-over" and sound completely new. This song was like that. Because of the chord progressions, square phrasing, and 3/4 time signature, it made a perfect adagio when I slowed it way down and added some languid arpeggios. Like most of my improvisation, the result seems to be the love child of a dark, angry Russian, and Honky-tonk music. See if you can hear what song it is. I play the familiar melody about a third of the way through... I'm sure most of you will get it, but just in case, I'll post the answer tomo

Magical Moment 522, "Nourishment"

He walked through the crowded wet streets, stretching his stride as long as possible. If he could cover more ground quickly, he wouldn't need to break into a jog to make his train on time. He watched his feet, not glancing up at the people who passed by him, or the street performers hoping to attract an audience, or the preachers who handed flyers to whoever was within arm's reach. He adjusted the backpack on his shoulders so it wouldn't rub against his collar bone as he picked up speed and his heavy books began to bounce up and down uncomfortably with his movement. He turned up the volume on his iPod so he wouldn't be distracted by surrounding sounds. He just wanted to make his train without being bothered. Now only one street stood between him and the station. He could see that the cross walk light was green, and not wanting to miss the light, he ran. When it turned orange, he sprinted. And just as he made one final leap from the street, to safety of the curb, the l

Magical Moment 521, "Random Acts of Appreciation"

Once while on active duty, I went to a beach that charged $10 per car. I stopped at the toll both, holding a $20 bill out my window, when I remembered to ask, "Do you give any kind of military discount?" The man in the booth was older. He had white hair and was wearing a security uniform. He reached for my money, but as soon as I asked that question he handed it back.  "Yes. Well, no. We don't officially, but  I'm  going to," he said. I sat with my foot on the brake, waiting for him to tell me what the discount might be, maybe $5 instead?  "Just go on through, please." Surprised and grateful, I thanked him and drove through.  Another time, while in uniform, I drove my sister to the airport on my way into work. We stopped at McDonalds for breakfast, and after we ordered at the register, a man stepped up beside me and said, "I'd like to pay for the Lieutenant's meal please." More recently, my husband was on his way to drill for th

Magical Moment 520, "The Quiet Game"

I read  this post  at Robin's blog,  Ramblings with a Cantankerous Old Mule  the other day (great blog, check it out), and it reminded me of this story from many years ago: My older sister, Regina, and I were quite spirited little girls. Before our little sister was born, it was just the two of us together all the time, either playing or fighting. I remember car rides when she and I would sit in the back seat and drive my mother nuts. But our mom soon discovered a trick that may have saved her sanity. It was called...The Quiet Game. You may have guessed, the object of the game was to see who could remain silent the longest. It just goes to show, you put the word "game" at the end of anything, and children will buy it. But here's the kicker and what puzzles me to this day. My sister and I took this game  very  seriously. We were  very  competitive. And though we didn't enjoy being quiet, we would do it with the focus and concentration of an Olympic athlete, for

Magical Moment 519, "Not Flowers, Part II"

Here are the  rest of the pictures  taken at a local greenhouse of all things  not  flowers. It's just more proof that beauty is everywhere, in likely and unlikely subjects. The camera I'm using is a Canon Power Shot S95. We've owned the camera for a few months, but I've always kept it on "auto" and am just now starting to explore the many settings on it. It's so easy to use and I'm always impressed with how most photos turn out...it's making me wonder if maybe I'll work my way up to an SLR camera one day....hmmmm. :) I gave them all names...they're not the technically correct names of the plant species... Squiggles Soft Star Pointy Star Praying hands. Burnt leaf Leaves on leaves Flowers on flowers Beautiful, soft colors. This turned out to be my favorite.

Magical Moment 518, "Not Flowers, Part I"

I've enjoyed experimenting with our new camera. One of my favorite places to take pictures, is a greenhouse at the park where my husband is a National Park Ranger. The other day, I decided to find beauty in all things  not  flowers. I never thought much of cacti, but I discovered they can really be quite beautiful. (Click to enlarge) These slouchers made me laugh. Not your typical prickly cactus, but soft and fuzzy. This is what I'm used to. Looked like this cactus was waiving to me. There were so many different varieties, and they were all so neat! I'm not sure why, but this might be my favorite picture of all the cacti. "A creative person has to create. It doesn't really matter what you create. If such a dancer wanted to go out and build the cactus gardens where he could, in Mexico, let him do that. But something creative has to go on."  -Katherine Dunham (1909-2006) ~~ You might enjoy: Color The Unobvious Beauty