Blue Christmas

Last night our trio played in our church's first ever Blue Christmas. This service is for people who have a hard time during the holidays, for whatever reason. Even though I am not blue at Christmas, and I was part of the service as a musician, I found it beautiful and meaningful. People were invited to light candles, and by the end, a tableful of candles was blazing.

Waiting for Snow . . .

I'm not actually waiting for snow. There's plenty right now on Mt. Baldy. More to come tomorrow. Good time to stay warm and read.

I just finished our book for book club which we will discuss on Sunday. It's a memoir by Carlos Eire, Waiting for Snow in Havana. Eire grew up in the 50s in Havana, and most of the book is about his wild childhood, the son of a judge. Throughout the book he talks about how his parents sent him and his brother to the US after Fidel Castro came to power.

WINTER!

Rain and snow yesterday, blue skies and great views today! It is pretty darn cold (for Claremont). (Disclaimer: I stole this photo from Facebook since I didn't get outside with my camera today.)

Winter Workout

The rain has started today, for which we are thankful. However, I didn't exactly feel like riding my bike to the gym, so I decided that I could stream a workout video from Netflix and start the day in my living room. I tried the Cardio Sculpt which is cardio mixed with weights and reminds me very much of my body shaping class I took while in Chicago. However, this workout was a little bit beyond me. If I worked at it, I could get it. Next time I'll find something easier, and probably do some yoga, too.

Winter in Claremont

Continuing the prep for winter, Hal cleaned out the gutters today in anticipation of the rain moving in tonight.

I wore a sweater for the first time today. Brrr. I am such a So. Cal. wimp!

Winter Gardening II

December in Claremont means:

Raking leaves with more still to fall

Waiting for the promised rain to start soon

Adding to the vegetable garden (planted broccoli, onions and green beans today)

Picking the remaining the persimmons

Fridays at Noon

One of many things I like about my Life in Claremont is that I have Fridays off this year. (Well, I have one private student for a 1/2 hour in the afternoon, but that's more like fun.) Another thing is that the Claremont Colleges offer a rich variety of opportunities for concerts, plays, talks, etc. Today I went to the Friday Noon Concert Series at Scripps to hear the Quartet Euphoria play the Brahms Quartet Op. 51 #1. Balch Auditorium was nearly full.

RIP iPod

On Monday, my 3 1/2-year-old iPod died. It was not a natural death. It was an accident. It took a 3-foot fall without its protective case and smashed onto a tile floor. Hal did all he could, but he pronounced it unrevivable.

Since I rely heavily on my iPod for teaching, I will need to replace it, and I have my eye on a new nano. The questions I have to answer first are 1) what color 2) what to have engraved on it. Also, should I wait until Christmas so Santa can bring it to me?

El Roble and CHS Orchestras

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending the winter concert for the El Roble and CHS Orchestras. It is especially gratifying to see students of mine from elementary school still playing their instruments, and doing so well. I have to admit that string students are the very best!

Monitoring the 'Ole Heart

So, today I got my Holter monitor to follow my heart for 24 hours. Since I am feeling so much better, nearly normal, I'm sure it won't find anything. I am left wondering, though, what if I really needed it? Here is the timeline: saw my regular doctor on a Monday, saw the cardiologist on Thursday, took a week to get approval from my health care, then another week to schedule the wearing of the monitor.