Clever Title #5

The Christmas concerts are over for the year. Both Oldest Child and Child Two had concerts with their orchestra and band, respectively. Both did very well. Oldest plays violin and Child Two plays the trumpet. Two had the melody line in "Little Drummer Boy," and as I sat there listening to the cacaphonous sounds of a sixth grade band play, I was secretly pleased that Two was right in tune the whole time. If I pass nothing else on to my children, I hope they have an ear for pitch. There's nothing worse than musicians playing something just a little off and never correcting. That's almost worse than if they had no idea what pitch is entirely and just make up notes. My teeth ache and my stomach hurts when pitches are off. I do allow for age and ability, of course. I bet my parents' teeth were on edge much of the time while I learned to play the cello.

I reconnected with an old friend, R, today. R and I lived in the same apartment complex when our oldest children were still really little squirts. They moved away, we moved away. We still met up once in a while to chat and let the kids play, but then the time between visits got longer and longer. The last time we met at the park, I was pregnant with Child Six, so about 16 or so months ago. Life moves fast, time goes by. It's amazing how much time can pass before you even notice it. Maybe it's a factor of aging. When I was young, it was like time never moved. I remember asking my mother when 1979 was ever going to end. Now a year goes by and I hardly blink.

While we sat and caught up, R knitted a mitten. She's the one who got me into fibers and taught me how to spin wool on a spinning wheel. I can also spin on a spindle. These are very cool, if obscure, skills to have, I think. Although I haven't ever done much with it, I like to know that, given a hunk of carded wool, I could make some yarn. Then I would hand it to R to make something wonderful with it (I can crochet, but I don't knit very well). She also has a loom, on which she has created many beautiful textiles.

Those aren't her only talents, of course. I was just reminded of them while she knitted the blue sparkly mitten for a Christmas present.

That's it for me. I have nothing profound to say, no other news to report, no witty comments (if I ever had a witty comment). 'Bye, now.