The Growing List Of Things To Do In January

Well, certain people in my house are still constantly thinking about the K9 issues but it has slowly wound down to researching future possibilities. I am glad it has calmed down. I just really don't know what to do about all of that. We can't even afford to buy or keep a puppy until next year so there can't be a rush about it.

Logan expressed a possible interest in playing baseball yesterday. I am totally clueless about how to get him involved in that. I am a bit concerned over the fact that at ten he would be a beginner and how that all works out. He played tee ball when he was five but that is the extent of his experience with team sports. I asked one of the other mothers who was picking up her Brownie from the meeting yesterday and she said something about baseball starting back up in January. I will have to find out the details. I feel so "in the dark" as a mother some times. I was never allowed to participate in anything except for playing flute so I don't know how that all works.

He also has shown an interest in learning to play guitar. Coming from a family full of musicians and not knowing how to play and not having the ability to access the dozen or so people and zillion instruments in the family who could actually teach him, is yet another reminder of how disconnected I am from where I came from.

I always wanted my mother to teach me guitar but it never happened. I don't know why. I always supposed it was because I was left handed and she was right handed but I am guessing it was more because she was disinterested in showing me anything she knew or letting me use her guitars. Maybe she thought I would never get it. Maybe she didn't care either way. She played and sang all the time though when I was little. I think it was theraputic for her and she kind of went into her own little world. Maybe she resented us so much she didn't want us in that world. It was her thing. Whatever.

So, as soon as the van is gone there is a list of things to do. It goes something like: vacation, guitar, baseball, dog.

Another homeschooling mother who plays flute (very very well I gather) has offered to come over and teach the girls to play recorder. It is a beginner instrument. I may look into aquiring a couple of those. It would get them used to an instrument and help them learn without all of the reach and heaviness of a flute for such little arms and fingers. However, I think I could probably teach them myself. I can read music and I am sure the recorder isn't hard to learn. I think I just kind of want to be the one who does that with them if I can. Weird, I know. It is that bonding thing I didn't have.

Actually, I have two pentatonic flutes and a few song books that I bought when we were planning to do the Waldorf curriculum. I should get that all out this afternoon and learn some songs so that I can teach the kids starting next week. Good idea.

I mentioned having a flute to her this past week and that I think there is something wrong with one of the keys and that it had been repadded about twelve years ago and that I rarely play now so I suspect that it has a bent key or something. She asked me to bring it to park day and said that she would love to hear me play. Even though I played for eight years in school I was never very good to begin with and I am extremely rusty now so I am a bit nervous about playing anything in front of someone who plays regularly and is talented at it. I don't know if I will take it or not. I would like very much to have her look at it to see what is damaged though. It is just a student flute and it is twenty years old. Christ. Twenty years. I have had it for twenty years. God. That just floored me. No wonder the very few pages of sheet music I have kept since grade school look as old as they do. So now I feel the urge to go practice. I only have two days if I am going to play for her in front of all the moms. The kids like it when I do that.

Posted by gwendolyn on October 15, 2003 at 10:51 AM