Now _that's_ a color

Another Dakota street house. Finished off our T'day left overs last
night - that's one down side of not having a turkey - we're usually
eating off the bird (what with sandwiches, pot pie, etc.) until
Christmas. Sunny, 44F with a high of 52 - the wind seems to have died
down. I noticed as I turned into the driveway this morning after the
Sunday morning grocery/paper run that all the leaves are even off the
oak in the yard, most likely a result of yesterday's bluster. Time to
rake? Am working on my vest, a sweater & a sock (in varying
thicknesses of yarn). The trouble with not being a project monogamist
is that any one project takes that much longer to finish. Oh well,
can't have everything - where would you put it?

Interesting siding (or is it shingling?)

From our very own Dakota street (if I remember correctly). From our very own Dakota street (if I remember correctly). <http://tinyurl.com/yd9y2ek> A very blustery day here - though the rain's subsided so I imagine I'll head out for a stroll soon. Then perhaps some laundry (though there's been so much accumulated because of the rain that I don't know that I'll have room to hang it all), tootling & stitching. I'm doing my best to follow Julius Baker's advice that the nearer the performance comes (first - well, only - Nutbuster rehearsal 11.Dec) the slower one practices. It worked pretty well for the Melrose Nov. concert, & he was, after all, flutist with the New York Phil, so, hey, why not? A very blustery day here - though the rain's subsided so I imagine I'll head out for a stroll soon. Then perhaps some laundry (though there's been so much accumulated because of the rain that I don't know that I'll have room to hang it all), tootling & stitching.

Final flowers

This from almost a month ago (I'm that behind in my photo diary). Rain, rain, rain here today - so much for a walk I guess. I headed out yesterday around 4PM - lots more people out & about then than mid-morning - though it was a holiday so I suppose normal weekdays are quieter (or not?). I only got 1 round of practicing in yesterday - was heading in to do my second when Andy told me dinner was ready. Even though we had a vegetarian meal (vegetarian shepherd's pie with seitan,* haricot vert/brussel sprouts & mashed potatoes/celery root) & who wants to to practice on such a full stomach? We're already only 1 degree shy of our forecast high of 46F today - and there are sounds of a cat fight in the kitchen. Why can't those sisters get along???!!!

* <http://www.vrg.org/recipes/vjseitan.htm>

Day of thanks

I'm taking a moment today to remind myself of how rich my life is because of the many friends and family in it. Today's photo is a detail of the one from yesterday. The lid on the glass is because Snitch assumes that any container containing water, wherever it happens to be, is provided for her personal consumption. :)

My own little corner

Here's another of my own little corner series - it's a picture of the book shelf in the guest room where I sleep now to avoid Andy's snoring. Rain forecast throughout the Thanksgiving holiday weekend - or at least through Sat. 46F with a high forecast of 53F. I'm heading out soon to the auto shop to have the oil changed - figure (hope) there won't be many people doing that the day before Thanksgiving. Then the uzhe, practicing, stitching, watching movies stream over Netflix.

My favorite lap warmer

Though in this pic she's on Andy's lap. Heading out soon for an Alexander lesson - and maybe to pick up a size 11 circular needle for the aforementioned bulky yarn project. Then it's lunch, tootling, & some housework. Thereafter, stitching, of course. Still the occasional sneezing coughing fit - I hope not during said lesson. Wouldn't want to spread the wealth. :| Overcast & rainy here with a forecast high of 48F.

Golden explosion

Potter's sleeping on my cardigan on the office chair I usually sit on when composing these missives, but she doesn't seem to mind that I've brought the desk chair over & am typing next to her with the keyboard on my lap. Heading out soon for the daily walk & to deposit the check I got for 1/2 the payment for my old picc. Yay! The total is only 1/4 of what the new one cost, but every penny helps. :) We're due for rain later so they say but I find cloudy days nicely contemplative & my friend, Jim Dennihan, who's now living in MN, likes them best of all. Heading into the home stretch on the cardigan & then on to a vest with some lovely Fleece Artist yarn <http://www.fleeceartist.com/>& something with a bulky yarn for the more immediate gratification. :) Tootling in my future as well. I'm going to nail that lick yet! :)

Christmas colors

Well, the stores are doing it (pushing Christmas already) so why not moi? Anyway this photo is from late October. I was by the house the other day & the red is all gone. Ou sont les feuilles d'antan?* I will go near no more grocery stores until after Thurs. The local one was already a madhouse before 8AM this morning! Lovely sunny day here. 47F with a forecast high of 50. No wind yet. So much for weather forecasters.

Some tootling & stitching in my future today (& maybe some library vacuuming) - I'm working on that horrendous The (French for tea - for the Nutcracker movement) Bb picc lick SLOWLY with a metronome (which, as Tom Nyfenger pointed out, could be a dwarf that lives in the Paris Metro) so we'll see how that works. Otherwise, am picking up stitches for the button band on the cardigan I'm working on and then, after sewing up the pockets I'll be done, done, Dr. done with that project! It's turning out quite nicely, happy to say, despite all the alterations I made to the pattern. Hope all's well by you.

* In case you missed the reference <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fran%C3%A7ois_Villon>. Who knew it was Villon?

Fool me once, shame on you

Fool me twice, shame on me. Here's an overview of some of the arguments against health care that you'll hear today. Turns out they're retreads of arguments that have been around since as early as 1935 - and have been trotted out every time an attempt to overhaul the health system is proposed.

http://tinyurl.com/ylg4za6

Feeling a bit more energetic today. Flute student just left & now to laundry, tootling & stitching. My copy of the Flutist Lexicon , all 900+ pages of it (!) & to which I contributed three articles arrived this week. Now where is the 10 euro fee I was promised in exchange??!! 53F with a high of 56 forecast and sunny - we're apparently in for a blustery day tomorrow - which will most likely remove most of the rest of the leaves from their branches.

Late asters

Even with most of the leaves down around here, these blooms are still hanging on. Raining cats & dogs (again) this AM. Andy's working from home so I hope I can entice him to venture out to the local pharmacy (to pick up a prescription 4 him) & the local yarn store (they're having a 1/2 off sale & some yarn @ $2.00/skein - who can resist?) later on. FINALLY this cold that has gripped me (pun intended)* seems to be easing up.

* <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/grippe>

Is symmetry beauty?

I was watching the tail end of a PBS show Closer to Truth that's on btwn. 7 & 8 AM here. (though I've yet to find where they hide the transcripts). They were talking about science & the arts & the narrator stated as fact two things that I immediately said "Really?" The first was that symmetry is part of beauty - and since I tend to find it boring, I immediately wondered at that one. The other comment: that Nature is beautiful, which I found a bit sappy (and not in the tree way). The Nature is beautiful comment had as its backdrop a lovely forested area in front of which the narrator was standing. I immediately thought of a jaguar bring down a gazelle & wondered how that was beautiful, or as I said to my friend, Pam, as we walked through a butterfly garden and watched a bird attack a butterfly, "Mother Nature: the downside."

Heading off to my walk soon & then to Cambridge for my bi-monthly grocery shopping @ Whole Foods & Trader Joe's. Andy said it was "too soon" to think of getting stuff 4 Thanksgiving (I think we're having a vegetarian one). Fine, as long as he doesn't expect me to go out the day before & battle the last-minute crowds!

Harlem

Unfortunately Potter's sleeping on the chair in front of the other computer so I'll have to send something from this one in the library - it's from the street near Margi & Michael's apt. in Harlem where I spent several days in August @ the flute convention. Sorry for the size - I don't have Fireworks on this machine to filter it down to fewer kilobytes. Feeling a bit better today but think I'm going to clear the decks of appts. tomorrow & Friday to save energy (my own - would take public transportation to & from but who wants to get into an enclosed space with (potentially) other sickees when one's not feeling well? Pas moi as they say in frogland.) Heading out (again) to the Post Office and then to a neighborhood stroll then on to tootle, vacuum, & stitch. One of these days I'm going to tackle that dissertation.

It was a purple day when I took this shot (19.Oct.2009) - too bad the shadows of the (is that a ginko?) tree disguise so much of the house. Am heading out soon at least to the post office thence determined by how I feel once I get there. I'm thinking of postponing my semi-monthly treks to Cambridge to visit Whole Foods & Trader Joe's
until Thurs. hoping by then to have more energy. After the constitutional, the usual tootling, stabs @ housework & stitching (still awork on the aforementioned sleeve - one nice thing about doing them top down is the rounds go faster & faster as you get to the cuff - by the end, one is quite dizzy). A student/colleague coming for a lesson tonight (and hopefully bringing the check for the first 1/2 of payment for my old piccolo that he is conveniently buying from me) - I think I'll sit on the other side of the room to avoid spreading the wealth. :|

Last rose

Whatever this thing is that's got me seems to be turning into a horrible cold. Thank goodness I don't have much to do next week.
Outside is beautiful with all the gold & brown & red in the leaves - most of which are on the ground now - except for our fire bush (that's really more like a tree) outside the window here. 57 outside with a forecast high of 62(!)F today. Dove-grey overcast skies. Lovely (no, really, it's beautiful). :)

Purple lady

Feeling somewhat the worse for wear from my trek (2 hours' worth) to & from the sewing machine place - they called Friday re the machine I'd left there saying they were "getting ready to throw it out" and what did I want to do with it. Not exactly the way to win my business. Raining cats & dogs (so far we haven't let any in) so driving was fun.

Off soon to get some caffeine stimulant in my veins to see if I can muster the energy to practice - gotta keep the lip up for the Nutcracker picc stuff next month - not to mention practicing that expletive deleted Bb scale to try to whip it in shape. Gotta say it sounds a lot better on the Keefe which I've decided to name Konjee (a word I heard on Flash Forward - though I'm having a hard time tracking down whether their interpretation of its meaning was correct) or Kiki for short.

Porch pot

Back on Thurs. from NYC - with a slight fever - hope I didn't pass it along to
Bill & Dale. Had a great time seeing cousins Watty, Eddie & Anne &
spending a couple days in museums with Dale. This is a photo from
19.Oct.2009. Off to stitch & hopefully to practice if my energy picks
up. No walk today. We've already reached our forecast high of the day
& rain is forecast. Hope all's well with you. OXOXOX JR

Sunday walk in the woods & October sky

I thought you might enjoy the video linked below. It reminds me of the woods around Lake Michigamme.

The concert went pretty well last night with one major clam by the flutist (but anyone who didn't know the piece probably didn't notice - only the entire orchestra). Am much relieved that the Shostakovich is over & looking forward to NYC! Meanwhile, laundry & picc practice trying to whip that expletive deleted lick from the Nutcracker on my new picc that's like buttah. :)

hope you enjoy this Sunday walk through the woods in Berg en Dal, near
Nijmegen in the Netherlands. Features alto flute played by John Devitt:

http://vimeo.com/7486077

Demon kitty

Should have sent this on Halloween. A student's showing up in a bit & then off for a Polarity treatment* & then the orch. performance tonight & off to NYC Monday to stay with friends Bill & Dale (whom I haven't seen in years) & the Bauhaus show @ MOMA, the Vermeer show @ the Met Museum, the Kandinsky show @ the Guggenheim & the O'Keefe show @ the Whitney (all in 2 days - whew!). With round-trip bus fare of $11.50, you can't beat the price with a stick. :)

* http://tinyurl.com/yzq2uz9

Thin on top

A tree like me.

Heading out at some point for the daily walk. Took a circuitous walk back from the subway yesterday to get at least a partial 1/2 hour in & to walk off some of the anger over being stood up by the dentist. I saw two sweet kitties en route, one of which engaged me in actual conversation (Me: what a pretty kitty, Cat: mew, me: such a sweetie pie. Cat: mew. Me: are you enjoying your day? Cat: mew). The other was a beautiful gray cat sunning herself on her porch. Not a conversationalist that one, but at least she didn't run off when I stopped to admire her. So something pleasant happened after all as a result of being stood up by the dentist.

Martians in disguise & what would you do?

Well, I headed out this AM @ 8:15 via subway for my 9:15AM appt. with
the dentist to fit my night guard (a repeat visit since when I showed
up last week he wanted to redo it). When I arrived @ 9:05 & finally
got to the check-in @ 9:10, the receptionist told me she'd "tried to
call" to tell me that the dentist "wasn't happy with the case" and
wanted to reschedule my appt. (When I got home, the time stamp on the
msg. was 8:20AM.) I told her I couldn't be coming in every week for an
appt & I first asked to see the MD & when she said "Take a seat," I
suggested we reschedule and then said "On second thought, I'll call
you." WHY I didn't say "have him call ME when the thing's ready" I
don't know. They charge for missed appts. with less than 24 hours'
notice - how do I charge HIM for giving me less than an HOUR'S notice
re rescheduling, causing me to waste 2 hours in transit time plus
subway fare two days before I have a concert? At this point I'm just
going to wait for them to call - and would like to arrange the next
meeting when I'm there for a cleaning in a few months, but by then my
teeth might have moved more & the guard . . . well you get the
picture. Who loses in this case? ME. Grrr.

Any way, on a lighter note - do you ever wonder whether we're
surrounded by Martians in disguise?

Khaki lady

This is some kind of halfway house around the corner from moi. Off soon to stroll (at a brisk enough pace to raise a light sweat so says the MD) through the neighborhood for 1/2 hour before heading out to grocery shop. Then the usual tootling, stitching, laundry, etc. 42F right now with a projected high of 49 and bright sunshine. Time for the woolen hat & middens.

Blue lady

Here's one of my favorite houses (at least color-wise) in the neighborhood. Went out to vote early today - split the bill - voted for the same city councilman @ large & for a change in the mayorship. Heading out soon for an Alexander lesson & to bring mom's sewing machine to the fix it shop to see if they can get it to do more than make a grinding noise when I press the pedal. I imagine it's _at least_ a decade since it's been used, so fingers crossed. Then I plan to get some lessons on it so I can finish my needlepoint cushions myself & not pay someone $80+ for sewing a square.

Red lady & martian in disguise?

OK it's already 50F here & the forecast high is 51 - I figured out that the sun is in the same position now as the end of February (I think - math never being my strong point - yesterday I couldn't see that 28*4 would be more than 20*5 - DUH. Color me blond.). Heading out soon for a morning walk. Then tootling, attacking the pile by the desk (again), perhaps a bit of stitching & then off to the Melrose reh. our concert is Sat. & we have another rehearsal Friday. What with that & having to head out Tues.-Thurs. for various things it'll be a busy week.

Gray & purple

I think I like it better when we spring ahead (it's the only thing I like better about spring ahead). That means I get to the grocery store @ the same time on a Sunday and NOBODY's there yet because they all think it's still 6AMish rather than 7 already. Other than that, you can have daylight savings time. Oodles of trick or treaters out last night but none at our house since we keep the light out (and don't have candy anyway). What's the Halloween version of Scrooge? This house is on Allston not too far from 16 Tremlett. I've GOT to get at the pile of stuff next to the desk today.