Music Rug Update

An update on the Music Rug front. We have collected almost half of what we need of the $750 to buy this great rug for the Music Room at Vista del Valle Elementary School. We are happy to accept donations in ANY amount, large and small. Send your tax deductible donation to

Vista del Valle Elementary School

550 Vista Drive

Claremont, CA 91711

with the notation "music rug" in the memo line.

Thank you for your support!

Being Sports Nerdy

A few weeks ago we bought a digital tv tuner to plug into our computer. Now that we don't use a VCR anymore and don't have TiVo, we can use our new tuner to record shows off the air if we're gone. We haven't done that yet, but tonight, while both Brett Favre and the Dodgers are on tv, we can watch both simultaneously.

Small Things

Sometimes it's just the little things that make my day. Here are two new flavors of Trader Joe's nonfat yogurt that appeared in my local store and just happened to jump into my cart today. I haven't tried them yet, but what can be bad about chocolate and blueberry?

Picasa Collage and Cactus

This morning our cactus was blooming, so before the flowers closed up, I grabbed a few shots. I had heard that one could make photo collages with Picasa, so after playing around for a bit, I figured out how to do it. In Mac it's pretty easy, once you realize that photos in iPhoto are integrated with Picasa as well as Blogger. Huh?

Here is a youtube video tutorial which is helpful. You have to download Picasa 3 from the internet, I think, but it was already on my computer, so I must have done that in the recent past.

Once I created the collage I saw the blogger button and then this posted to my blog. I had to publish the photo and then edit it to add text.

End of Summer Garden

Just when I am about to give up and pull out my wild, overgrown garden plants, I find more food hidden underneath the foliage. Tonight I made one of my favorite dishes with an onion, pepper and tomatoes from the garden. After sauteing the onion and pepper, I added squash (from the store since the squash plant really is done, I think), broccoli and some of the tomatoes with a little Arrabiata sauce from Trader Joe's. I pour the mixture over about 10 4-cheese raviolis from Costco (those are really tasty) and sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 1/2 hour and eat.

Secret Garden for Grown-Ups

On Tuesday our book club will add two new members (that will put us at 8!) and we'll discuss The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I like a good epic novel, and this one fits the bill. A 4-year-old girl steps off a boat that has just landed in Australia with no accompanying adult. A young man finds her, takes her home to his wife and, after finding no one to claim her, raise her as their own.

How did this little girl come to travel from England to Australia by herself? Through flashbacks, research and journeying, Nell, and then her granddaughter, Cassandra, finally find the answers. The writing is lovely, the story compelling.

Saturday at the Movies

There's nothing like a hot Saturday to make you want to cool off at the movie theater. Hal suggested that we see Get Low a few weeks ago, and it was still playing at the Claremont Laemmle.

Duvall is great as a backwoods misanthrope in this American fable. This movie goes to show that you can have a good film that specializes in the human character without a lot of big budget for special effects. We also enjoyed Bill Murray as the undertaker.

Quarter Century

Twenty five years ago today, I became a mom for the first time. Happy Birthday to my sweet Liesl! Here's a picture from Liesl's second birthday party. We celebrated with five friends in the backyard on what looks like a pretty warm day.

New School Year at HMC

Fall classes have begun at the Claremont Colleges, and here are some shots from the goings-on at Harvey Mudd. Harry Potter fans will enjoy the renaming of the dining hall. The second photo is from a poster session given by students involved in summer research. This is the second year for this opportunity. It didn't hurt that food was involved to entice all students into the gym at the Linde Activities Center.

First Orchestra Rehearsal of the Semester

Not only first rehearsal of the semester, but also for our new conductor. After going over the syllabus for 30 minutes, that only left us an hour to practice. Rehearsals are now 90 minutes long, but twice a week instead of one 2 1/2 hour rehearsal. I was amazed how much energy I still had at the end of the short rehearsal. I'm still not sure about giving up one more evening each week, but I enjoyed the playing that I am more than willing to give this the old college try!

See my music blog about my audition for the orchestra.