Blessings

Any time I think things are not going so well all I have to do is look at what I have. I get to watch Carson 5 days a week and we have become very good friends. And on Monday's I have an assistant in Amy who does whatever is needed to help with her little cousin. She is such a little mother. She will fuss over him and do what is needed to make his life more pleasant. And, for the most part, he appreciates her efforts. Sometimes he would just rather see older, more experienced hands, but most of the time he is pleased with her 4 year old hands helping him out. Always makes me wonder if they will have a special bond later in life because of this shared beginning, Sometimes it works that way.

And just in case you think all the beautiful sun sets play themselves out in the summer months I took a picture to prove you wrong. We have some of the most beautiful sun sets in the colder months., Maybe it is because we have more clouds, a reality of life, or maybe because we are more in need of the beauty they provide as compared to the rain they bring. Love rain but I love sun sets even more. I loved the variety of colors in this particular sun set, all the way from yellow to deep reds and purples were there. And then the beautiful reflections in the water to add more depth to things....yah, it was a really good day to be watching my front yard from the warmth of the house.

I loved general conference with the theme of gratitude. I think many of the talks reflected on our expression, or lack of expression, of gratitude. It is like the sun sets, absolutely free, and equally as beautiful. If it is so easy and so beautiful why is it that we do not show more gratitude? Interesting question that reflects so much on our society. I hope I am not one that fails to say thanks and fails to appreciate all that we do have. Yes, there are things I don't have and some of those things are really big, but nothing is as big as the sunset and as big as the things that I do have. Life is as good as we will allow it to be!

Every once in awhile I get to step back a bit and look at my world in a different way. I think that comes when you learn how to look through someone Else's eyes, and this past week I have been allowed to do that. My Cousin Jim and wife Lauri from Nebish are here for a few days. They are staying in Freeland but they are stopping down here a bit too. They are a wonderful couple and he has always been one of my favorites from the beginning. Life always put us together as a team, and I feel much more rich because of that. And his finding Laurie was a true gift, she is remarkable and seems to bring so much pleasure to those around here.

Last night I invited my brother's family down for dinner at the beach. I try to do that several times a year. It isn't much, but it is trying. We all had a good time, or so it seemed. It has never been an easy task to keep them all together with no effort on their side. In the 30 plus years I have been back on Island I have been invited to their place exactly once! When I think about that my 3 or 4 times a year seems like a lot, and it certainly does not hurt me in the least.

Now I will say that Nephew Robert and his family is a totally different deal. We get together frequently and I find them such a fun family. They work when the work is do be done (and sometimes in place of family time, sad to say) and they play equally as hard. Their boys are easy to deal with a I love conversations with them. It is just a wonderful thing to have them close by.

Family takes time and investment, but the pay off is massive. I really enjoy my family, those close genetically and those a little further away too. Heck, I even enjoy those that don't enjoy me all that much!

Carson has arrived.....

Linda certainly hangs on to her pregnancies as long as is prudent, and then a little longer. But when she decides she is done, well....believe, she is done! She had a terribly elongated labor, maybe 45 minutes and then we had a handsome young Carson Lawrence Kincaid. He was just shy of 8 pounds and almost 22 inches in length. He is not a tiny boy, more favoring Logan than James I would say. He came out hungry and got right to task, took a nap and went right back to the eating routine. If his beginning is any precursor to his personality he will be a very easy to please and happy kind of kid. Needless to say, Linda is doing great, she will get more rest in the hospital than she has in months I suspect. They are talking about keeping Carson 48 hours and will keep Linda there too (and hopefully not in a chair like they did to Nancy).

Emily took Linda up this morning at 7:00 a.m. for check-in and stayed to assist and entertain. It is a pretty powerful experience to do that, I know, I have had several opportunities to do same. Both Mother and Aunt fared well this day, but I think both are kind of tired. Emily presently has Logan and James for dinner. Larry was watching James but he was at her house so James is blended in with her kids. Logan has been my side kick most of the day but ended up in Emily's care too. Larry will bring the boys to the cabin after dinner for some play, and then they head off to their own beds where he has offered to spend the night with them. Tomorrow the boys will be mine for the most part, and James will be able to meet his new little brother. Logan had that opportunity today and was almost pleasant. Children do not comprehend hospitals and are pretty Leary of interaction.

Here's Hank....

Meet the newest Campbell...this is Hank, one bonenified Russian Terrier puppy. He isn't new to the family but a new Campbell. Curtis purchased hank when he was a couple of months old, but his life style didn't work out for the long run and he gave Hank to Emily and James. I think he is something like 7 months old and definitely still growing. He has beautiful black curls but has been clipped short as his hair was totally matted. He is handsome young lad but all puppy, all very big puppy. Daisy says we should send him back to where ever he came from, but she tolerates him kind of. He can not make sense of the snipped little white dust-mop on the floor but is so curious that he puts his gentle nose down and Daisy snaps at him. He bows to her geriatric demands and all is well for a time, and then he forgets and tries again!

And while meeting the newest Campbell we are also hoping to meet the newest Kincaid. Little Carson is way past due and Linda has an appointment today to see what is next, we are thinking induction is next and, believe me, Linda is more than on board with that thought!

So life is complicated but it sure is good too. And we might even have a sunny day to thaw out my cold little Daisy. I don't think building a fire is called for when you know the cabin will heat up with solar energy eventually....and it isn't all that cold really. I think the cabin is 62 degrees at present, the day is in the low 50 range, but it is still early and the sun is already out there doing what it does.

What a cute set of cousins we do have in our family. How similar and how different. Amy has those amazing turquoise eyes and Logan has green. Both very unique in coloring and neither showing well in the picture but I know they are amazing even if the picture does not confirm the fact! Amy loves to look out after Logan and he is not so sure he wants to deal with his older cousin as a care-giver. They are just so cute when they interact.

The rewards....

My friend Gloria came over for a short lesson this afternoon. You know, there is a reason that I do what I do. It is hearing someone like Gloria play that makes all of it worthwhile. You spend so many hours with children that do not have adequate support to succeed, adequate interest to suceed and many others area that fall short. But in life there are those that come along with all their ducks in a row and they are the reason we teachers do what we do. Gloria sat down and played the 1st Excursion for Piano by Samuel Barber. What an experience to listen to her play that. I have played it and it was a pivotal piece in my life, it taught me there was music that didn't follow the rules established by Bach but that was still wonderful music. What a joy to hear her play and to know that I had a real part in this journey. I listen to her today for free but there is a day coming all too soon when I will not be able to afford the tickets to hear this young lady. She plays my recital on the 4Th of June and Benaroya on the 5Th for big money. Yah, this one is going places and I will enjoy every step of the way knowing that she will succeed because she has family support and willingness to invest her considerable talent.

And the other side of the recital, we have lots and lots of beginners playing this year. It is always good to have beginners and most are from Emily. She does a great job with introducing students to the piano and I think the recital will show that. And the other positive side.....having the recital done means I have yet one more chunk of time open up for summer kind of things. Yah, it is a good thing.

Not the way it was planned

I invested my afternoon into food preparations, and some mighty fine soccer play by Peter. Let's see, I started out with making a chocolate pudding to use up some milk that was getting kind of close to the pull date. Then I cooked some potatoes to make twice bakes for dinner tomorrow night. I had J-bers for a couple of hours so he helped me empty out the skins so that I could refill them. He was great about putting the mashed potatoes back into the skins and I think he will take great pride in serving them tomorrow evening. Then I cooked up 3 whole chickens so that I could pressure cook them and get them into jars to cook tomorrow evening. And fixed dinner of spiced mashed potatoes, Meat Loaf and Carrots with the pudding for dessert. And how have my efforts been received....not at all. My one and only is certainly not one that you can depend on and I know that, but I thought he might at least make an appearance, I was wrong.

And why do I do what I do? Heck if I know, I guess it is just a habit that is hard to break. But I did have some wonderful mashed spuds and meat loaf for my dinner alone. And I am well on top of the family dinner for tomorrow.

Joyce made comments about eating alone and how sometimes she goes to D.Q. just so there will be people around when she eats and conversations in the area. I get it, fact is I really get it. Unlike Joyce I have been doing this alone stuff for many, many years so it is not as devastating for me as it seems to be for her. In my pretend world I would fix healthy nutritious meals and my family would enjoy them with me, then sit down afterwards (and during sometimes) for good conversation about all sorts of topics. Boy did I miss the boat on that one! It worked while I had kids at home but the minute Nancy left for school it all crashed. But as I said, I enjoy my own company so it is not all that bad and most of the time I really don't care all that much.

So tomorrow we will have a family dinner, wilted lettuce salad, twice bakes, barbecued chicken and conversation....sounds perfect to me! Might even make cup cakes! I love having the next two generations well represented and close, I miss those not close but I celebrate those that are close.

The purpose of TV

I have come to the realization that there actually is a purpose for television. Allow me to explain. I got up and cleaned the bathroom, did four loads of laundry (I know, everyone else did more but there are only two of us!), folded, swept and all those things a woman does on the average Monday morning. Then I picked up my stuff and headed off to teach lessons in Oak Harbor.

I worked with 8 young people, some perfectly fine individuals but not stimulating students, and a couple that are just fun to work with (that would be Cara and Taylor). Did the wal-mart run to purchase some window cleaner on a stick, so to speak, for the front windows, which, after a winter of salt water spray are looking pretty opaque!

Drove home, took care of the things I purchased, picked up the dirty dishes that seem to appear while I am out of the house and looked around for something to fill the last hour of the day before I try to get a good nights sleep....rare recently. I could sew but I hate starting a project with no potential of finishing it. I could read a good book but I don't have one on hand right now. I could read the scriptures and will after this but I want entertainment, brain dead stuff and the scriptures are not that! Hence TV...it is what one does when one arrives at the end of the day with nothing left to shuffle into thought or productivity and still some time to fill.

Ah the challenges I do face....OK, not much, but they are mine and real to me. Guess life is pretty good.

9 and counting....

Monday the 26th Nancy and Jace had their son Easton Ray in St. George, Utah. He is a perfectly average little guy with an amazing head of dark brown hair. I flew down to help them manage but had little to nothing to do. At least I was able to do some cooking, something that I enjoy doing and they seemed to enjoy having. And you will be pleased to know the grand state of Utah offered up a varied plate of weather, from 5 inches of snow on Tuesday evening, flurries on Wednesday and cool sunshine on Saturday. This does not feel much like spring to me, but this is what is happening. Makes me wish I had packed a few more warm articles of clothing, but I am managing without chilling myself too much.

Easton Ray had to go back into the hospital in Cedar for a day under the Billi light when his jaundice levels got too high, that was an unpleasant experience. They care for the babies well but the mom has a chair on which to live. We took turns staying in the hospital so that Nancy could get back to their house and get a nap. My insomnia pays off sometimes and this was one of those times I think. He came home the second time on Thursday morning and has remained at home since then. He will have to go back a couple of times to have blood work done to check his levels but there is no reason to believe things are not just fine.

He is a pleasant young man, rarely fusses and just accepts things as they come. I hope he keeps up this style because he will be an easy baby if he is able to maintain what he has started.


The 9 and counting refers to grandchildren...3 girls and 6 boys will soon be 7 boys with the birth of Linda's little one here in 4 weeks. Just thought I had better explain that comment as there is nothing in the writing that refers to that!

April Fools Day

I was thinking back on April Fools days in my past. My father used to prepare us "Special pancakes" on this particular day. Mind you, he fixed pancakes most mornings for breakfast so that was not unusual....but trying to cut the special ones was always a treat. He would pour the pancake batter on the griddle, then gently place a well cut piece of cotton sheeting on top of the pancake, covering it with more batter. It made a perfectly acceptable pancake but it was impossible to cut and eat. He really had us all going the first time he pulled that prank, but after that the fun part was watching him crack himself up. My father was always the little boy when it came to many things, and his pancake pranks tickled his sense of humor greatly. We all knew what was coming but no one ever gave it away because it was just so darn much fun watching dad try to maintain a straight face as he presented his rigged pancakes to each of us.

I have always admired people that can maintain that sense of innocence into their adult, responsible years. That is what it is all about when it gets down to the bottom line. We are to nurture that child within each of us, that innocence and that wonder, while we go about our lives in a very managed, adult like way. It is the balance that makes it all worth the effort. So am I going to celebrate this day of fools....no, probably not. I am going to take the few empty hours that I am offered and finish a project that is on hold, put the beach that is living in my house back outside where it belongs and then head off to lessons and rehearsals. A good day to be the fool and enjoy life, but no pranks coming from my place in this world.

Rafts of ducks

There is a huge raft of ducks that love to come and harvest the flats in front of the cabin. They are really rather attractive birds but they sure do leave a mess. And then the noise, I kind of like it but it does get old after awhile. I find that the gulls leave when the ducks are in the area, a couple stay but the majority head to another bar. I get it, the ducks just power clean the beach. They come in waves and eat everything there, then they move on to another area. They were here for about an hour and now they are gone. I took a short video of it because it was interesting and different. I never remember seeing the large rafts of ducks in years past, although I have heart such existed in the last several years. Ever changing eco-system I guess.

I am supposed to teach a class on scripture cases tonight for the beehive girls. Not such a problem except you you hit the reality that 2 of 3 do not know anything about a sewing machine and I have a total of 50 minutes from beginning to end of this project. Could be interesting at best. I am glad Kristin will be there to make her own and then, hopefully, the other girls will see that it is possible for girls their age bracket. I also have Avery coming to help and that will be a big difference. If Kristin works alone and Avery and I take the other two girls on one to one then I really do think we might be able to accomplish the task. It certainly is a simple project, I simplified again and again and think I have it down to a minimum of seams and all easy seams! More than that I can not do.

And now I will have my dinner and get on with my project. Dinner is corned beef with red potatoes and carrots. Not an every day kind of thing but something I do enjoy on an once a year basis. Left over corned beef with mustard is really good, and fresh is good too. At least it is different and that is a plus.

Not such a big deal

Sometimes we invest a lot of wasted energy into believing something is a big deal, when, in reality, it is no big deal. Here a week or so ago I mustered up all my courage and decided that I would stop talking about doing something different with my hair and do something different with my hair. So, with Emily as my back-up eyes, I went to Bristol and told her to make magic. She did and I am now some sort of a blond. I thought it would be a big deal but it seems to be a big deal only in my eyes! Such is life. She put a rinse on my hair that took away the gray but made no attempt to go as dark or as red as my hair really was. I didn't want to be one of those older ladies that has dark hair with old skin. That looks so bad in my eyes. But, truth be told, I am not sure I like this either. It just looks so washed out and dead to me. I will live with it for awhile and see how it "grows" on me. All comments have basically come down to an "Oh"...not much change. I am thinking I want to go a bit darker next time and see if I can pull that off. I just have a really hard time seeing myself as any form of a blond, no matter how dark it is.

So my blond head and I are at Nancy and Jace's place. They are both at work so I am entertaining myself with the computer and with my book. It is nice to be able to just sit and read a book without the phone and other obligations like family and work. I love my family, the phone and work, but it is nice to be able to sit in the quiet all the same.

So there is my grand revelation.....and so life goes. Utah walls are nice for a change!

Winter Sunset at Maxwelton

Sometimes one gets to thinking that the summer has all the great sunsets. But I need to tell you that you are wrong. The colors were reflecting off of the water, off of the sand bars and everywhere. The picture hardly does it justice but it is the best I can offer you at present.

So, after assuring you I live in the most beautiful part of the world, I tell you I am flying south tomorrow to Cedar City and Nancy. My desire is to pack cloths that are for warm weather as I am always there in warm weather, but today it is not the case. We are warmer here than they are there. Sometimes it happens that way. Heck, a week ago we were warmer than Miami and several other places that are supposed to be winter havens. Such is life.

Now I am off to a basketball game. Stuart and Peter are in rec-league this season. Tonight will be my first Stuart game. Their team came out well last game, winning 25 to 4 I think Emily said. And Stuart scored a couple of shots and was a great factor in rebounds. Not bad considering he was by far the shortest kid out there. He certainly is not one to back down from some good physical play for the ball. That boy is not afraid of anything when it comes to a sporting event. I think he could be good at almost any sport...well, maybe not ice skating as the pictures posted awhile back will testify!

Something new....

I know I should include a picture but my card reader doesn't work and the computer has issues anyway....so you will just have to take my word for this. On Thursday I made a huge step in a different direction. The jury is still out but sometimes you just have to try something new because it is there. All my daughters play with their hair. Nancy's blond becomes black, Michelle's black becomes reddish, Linda's curly becomes straight, Emily straight becomes, no, not curly, that will never happen....but it does change colors on a somewhat frequent basis. So what have I done? I took Emily over to Bristol's salon and we picked out a new look and I am now the new me.....I will post a picture here really soon, but until then you can just imagine it!

Am I happy with the results? Yah, I think I am. I am not big on change so I dislike things at the beginning but I know I do this so I don't make up my mind for a bit. I am still in the bit. Emily gives it a total thumbs up, and Linda seemed OK too.

Oh, did I forget to say what I had done.....oops.....later......

growing older

Today Sue's grandmother was honored on the "Today Show". She is celebrating her 107th birthday. That was not a typing mistake, she is one hundred and seven years old! What an amazing thing. I think I remember meeting her years ago, but I know I have heard much about her. She is sharp mentally and physically strong for her years. I think it has been only the last two years that she has lived in an assisted living situation. I know Sue speaks highly of her, she talks about her positive outlook and her kindness to others. That seems to be the key to a long life, to live in such a way that you gain strength from the good things of others. And to stay invested in the future, something she seems to do well.

Her situation is interesting. She was aware of world war 1 and 2 and all the other conflicts that have come our way. She has seen the world go from horses as a mainstay to space travel. She has seen the beginning of transistors, of computers and, almost, of typewriters. What an amazing life span she has had. Talk about perspective on many things, this is a woman that has pretty much seen it all and been there to learn from it. It would be wonderful to sit down and just listen to what she has to say....but that can't happen so I will reply on Sue to share her insights with me. And if anyone can do that it is Sue, she is so gifted with words and has that same kindness that her grandmother has.

Am I concerned with growing older? No, not really. I will admit it sounds strange to my ear to say that I am 60 but it is not a bad strange. I have just spent 10 years saying I was fifty this or that and saying I am 60 feels strange. But I am expecting an amazing decade. Like my children's wonderful birthday thing, a decade of travel is what I am looking at. The first travel will be this weekend. Kristin and I are going to the Ballet in Seattle on Saturday. OK, not major but it is a beginning and we both really do enjoy dance so it is big for us! Sleeping beauty should be beautiful, I have never seen it nor has Kristin. Each day is another adventure and I look forward to almost all of them.

Competition

This is the season of competitions for the young musicians and the older accompanists. The Saratoga competition is already done, the North Solo and Ensemble is this Saturday and the South Solo competition is next Saturday. Those three represent a tremendous amount of work for the soloists and for their accompanists. That in mind, I have tried to figure out why in the heck I do this again and again when I detest competition as much as I do. And, truth be told, I think most of the kids are in my camp, the "I don't like it" camp! So why do we put . Yah, I like that!


Adam plays Fenzi 's five bagatelles for Clarinet on the 6th of February. 2 of the 5 bagatelles are this years offering. He has gone from thinking the Choral was too easy to realizing that playing musically is never easy and counting complex rhythms is never going to be a simple thing, to thinking he could never master the Fhughetta. He plays them both extremely well now and is a pleasure to listen to. Will he win the covetted nod to go to state? Probably not, he is only a Freshman and they always weight it to the older kids and I agree with that for the most part. Will he win? Oh yes, major big win. He grew in understanding, in self discipline, musically and in self respect. He knows he is playing well and he knows he is playing stuff that is very difficult. Yes, he will walk away a winner no matter what any judge says to the contrary.


And that is the reason I put myself through this year after year. I love to watch these young musicians open their eyes and realize that they need only please one person, and that person is themselves. Besting a piece of music is a heady thing and it is fun to watch them discover what it feels like to best something. Will I do it again next year? Probably, but I will not do it with this many students. Some will have to move on to another accompanist as this one is getting tired of the routine. But I will still keep the few that I consider magical, the few that I feel a real connection to and marvel at all the things they have taught me as we perfect music.


And no more saxophones! It taxes my limited hearing in a major way. I play blind as I cannot hear myself at all. One of these years I will have to admit I just don't hear well enough to do this super sensitive work, but not yet. I will cross that bridge when it comes.

We had ourselves a memorable day down at the Center Grounds and their ice skating rink. We went down knowing that none of us were going to be stars of the show, but came home with the sure knowledge that one of us can actually skate pretty well. Little Claire Mo is a going concern on the skates. She fell down (photo one) but got up again and just kept at it. She put in many more laps than the rest of the family added together! Kristin was a trooper and tried her best but I think the face says it all. Stuart is a mad-man on the ice, legs every which way and Peter managed to leave some leg skin there. Don't know how he managed but the blood showed he had success! And sweet little Amy did her best to skate around in her shoe and cast....not a really fun day for her but she had a great attitude all the same.

We then walked a block or so and had some amazing pizza for lunch, collected our tired bodies and came back to the Island. I love these kinds of low key outings that are just designed to have fun. How can you go wrong?

Got home and talked to Linda on the phone, then Emily and James came over with brownies to celebrate the day. You don't do much better than that! So the adults played a few hands of Peduncle and called it a day. Larry even agreed to learn how to play the game and did a fine job holding up his end of the game. Emily, true to form, had the winning hands but we expect that so it is OK. James managed to pull of a substantial win too....but the geriatric set didn't get any hands dealt to them. Bummer....but a good game all the same. It is nice that we are all learning how to play so we can do it en mass. Peter, Stuart and Kristin already play a pretty descent hand of peduncle. (how do you spell that game, I swear that is not right but it is what the computer gave me!)

New Decade world

Another decade starts for the world and for me. I couldn't let this date pass without writing it down, today is 01-01-10. I think that is a cool date, nice symmetry and unique. So what do I expect of this decade? I expect to expand my sphere of influence. In more direct words, I plan on traveling more than I have in the past. I am going to visit a few of the places I have talked about visiting and I am going to have a wonderful time doing so. I have also made a commitment to spend a little less time at work and little more time at service. I love teaching lessons but it is becoming more of a job as I see things I want to do and can't do them because of the lessons. I figure this coming decade is my best shot at travel. I am young in an older sort of way and old in a younger sort of way. I have really good health, mental and physical abilities so I need to use them. The following decade will bring challenges I suspect. And, besides, I want to do this!

And I will welcome two little boys into my posterity. After starting this generation with a definite lean towards female we have certainly turned the corner to having more boys. My three little Campbell girls seem to be unique in the family what with Linda coming on board with 3 boys this year, Lawrence with one and Nancy with one. Then add Luzvie with 2 boys, yah, we are going heavy to the male gender these days. I am fine with that, I get to go to the Ballet with Kristin whenever I want, and I get to enjoy boy things too. Not a bad way to do things.

And now I will celebrate the day by practicing the piano. I have said I will do a solo for church in February and I like to do things that are challenging to me and not just brain-dead notes. I am going to do a Rachmaninoff that I have never taken to performance level. Not only doing, I intend to take it to performance level but it is extremely demanding on my very weak Left hand so it is therapeutic too. I swore I would not play pieces that so greatly exposed my handicapped Left hand, but, you know, no pain no gain. Maybe I need to face the monster and just see what happens. The piece is huge but still Sacrament OK as it is not showy. It sounds rather easy but it is a real bucket of notes with a miserable key signature and technical challenges. Yah, it is a huge step but I feel pretty good about it. Page one is memorized and the rest is coming along. I will not play from memory but I will played from open book memory.

There it is, the plan.....now the reality is that I must make it happen!