December 12, 2014

Taking Mom Out for

Dinner and a Concert

December 12, 2014

FRIDAY!  What a happy word.  Most of us like that word a lot!  I made one quick stop on the way to the office and didn't have a lot to do when I arrived.  My computer that is dead continues to sit on my desk - I guess we could start removing it, but the technician may prefer we leave it as is for now.  I will check Monday.  There is little can do of my work until my new computer arrives and is set up - that should be on Monday or Tuesday.

Late morning I left and picked up a prescription for Mom and delivered it to her. I visited a little bit and then went by my dermatologist's office to pick up the report from the biopsy he had done on a place he removed a week ago from my eyelid.  All is fine and I go for another checkup in 6 months.  Then I picked up some lunch and returned to the office just as my grandson arrived.  He got the filing done and a little bit else before he and his brother left to work with the man from our church who is teaching them electronics and computer repairs and systems.

Ron went out on a job for a while and I had several customers.  I did well with all except one and that was probably a homeless man who is a Vietnam veteran who spoke so softly and mumbled so much that I could understand little of what he said.  Interesting encounter but not very productive.

During the afternoon I paid some bills and took care of some other mail.  I cleared my desk fairly well for the computer man to be able to work next week when my new unit arrives.  There is still a little to be done, but it can be done quickly.

Ron and I were not able to do our usual Friday night dinner with friends since his brother and sister-in-law are still in town.  When we closed, he headed to his mom's again and I headed to mine.  After checking with Jeff's wife, we made arrangements to have dinner with them - we took the dinner.  Mom had not seen Jeff's family after arriving back in town, except for Barbara who went with me to pick her up at the airport.  At the time she was concerned she might come down with the flu that my sister and her husband both have, so she stayed away from Jeff's children.

Cotton Candy brought by their aunt Cristina.

We picked up a stack of pizzas and two chocolate chip cookie "pizzas" and went to Jeff's.  What a delight to spend the evening with the happy bunch!  Jeff was already home when we arrived and later showed us photos of the office decorating that took place in McAllen's City Hall.  They have some very  creative people.  They had a costume contest as well as a decorating contest, and talent contest.  They had some very fun events that are used to build teamwork and friendship with the staff.  Fun times were had by all.

These next several photos are my grandchildren - Jeff's children:

 Son #3 playing a Christmas piece for us.  He is doing amazingly well in his first year of piano lessons and heads to the piano the first thing in the mornings (even before a trip to the bathroom).  He loves learning to play and has already finished his first book.  He never looks at his hands, only at the music.

Daughter #2 loves to play and although she is rather shy, her mom says she is not nervous at competitions or recitals. She is the one who loves to sew.

Dinner was a noisy event.  My Cochlear seems to pick up young voices better than older voices.  You think maybe it is that they are louder?  There were times the sounds got a little overwhelming, especially when their little cousin (the one who followed me around at my house a couple of weeks ago talking all the time) arrived and two or three of them got out a microphone to sing songs in the next room!  Yikes!  Briefly the door between the rooms was closed, but they noticed it and opened it so we could hear their wonderful singing.  It really was a nice evening!

 

 Daughter #1 looks so beautiful at the piano as her posture is so perfect.  

She is a lovely pianist to both listen to and look at.

 Son #2 loves to play!  He is quick to memorize his music and will always play the maximum number of pieces allowed at competition.  He is a quick learner on the new pieces and will play anytime or anywhere he is asked.

After dinner the five children who take piano lessons played for us.  The four oldest have a competition event Saturday and then the baby of the family who does not take lessons, played her own piece for us.  A lovely way to end the evening.

Son #1 plays with wonderful emotion and feeling - not just memorized notes.  He has not been pleased to continue lessons, until this year when he has been allowed to find and order pieces of his own choice on line.  He will get a new piece and work on it for a couple of days for hours at a time, until he has it down perfectly and is now really beginning to enjoy playing for fun, and for the love of the music.

I took Mom home and got her settled and arrived home around 10:00.  After getting the mail out of the mailbox, I was too tired to read it and went straight to bed.  I have no idea what time Ron got home from his Mom's house, but I slept well.

Daughter #3 won't start lessons for two or three years yet, but loves to play and will be wonderful at it when given proper instruction.  She loves to sing while she plays.

This is son #4.  You will note his healing scrapes from his bike crash this week.  I don't know how he will do at piano - I am afraid he will just want to jump off of it.  He is probably going to grow up to be Superman or Batman or some new, yet undiscovered super hero, but his time at the piano will come and hopefully, to quote his next oldest brother who just started this year, he will come out of his first lesson saying, "This is the best day ever of my whole life!"

The music was hard on me.  I could not pick out the melody.  Our oldest grandson played arrangements of two favorites of mine, Carol of the Bells and Amazing Grace (special arrangements),  but I could never find the melody in them.  I know it is a limitation of the Cochlear Implant and Sound Processor.  I would like to try sitting in a silent setting with just one child playing and no other sounds and see if it is any better, but at this point, I doubt it.  I do believe the music hearing is improving, and it will hopefully come with time and listening practice.  I tried standing by the open top of the baby grand piano, but it helped very little.  I hope by senior recital time I will be able to truly enjoy the music, not just enjoy knowing how well they are doing, but to really hear it and enjoy the music.