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| Lemon Centerpiece |
Today, I slept in, again, and then, did a load of laundry; more bedding from my daughter's bed - this time, the quilt she used when she was having her cold and cough.
We had planned to go to the post office in the afternoon, but, daughter was not quite ready with the gifts she wanted to mail to her friend. I wrote out a check to pay my gas bill, but, I didn't mail it, today, as I was going to drop it off at the collection box at the post office; will do so, tomorrow.
I put water to the front garden, today. Not a lot, but, just enough to keep the little osteospermum seedlings growing. Some of the seeds are just starting to germinate and I want to encourage them to grow. Then, I picked more lemons from the backyard to create a centerpiece for the dining table.
I also picked some flowers and greenery from the garden to create an "ikebana-inspired" flower arrangement for the living room:
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| Ikebana-inspired Flower Arrangement |
I am sure the placement of the flowers are not quite correct, but, I enjoyed creating the arrangement and that is what counts, right?
In the evening, my daughter and I went over to neighbor S's to dinner. We enjoyed the dinner, which included traditional Armenian New Year's food, such as kufta (sort of a stuffed meatball) and blinchik (a type of meat filled crepe, that is fried), and a yogurt soup that is served with the kufta. There were also some really delicious oven fries one of her daughters had made, which she knows I like - coated with mayonnaise and seasoned with paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper. After dinner, we were treated to a variety of desserts including dried fruits, chocolates, homemade cookies and baklava made by S's mother, and a type of gingerbread cookies, which S had bought:
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| Lebkuchen Cookies |
Afterwards, we exchanged gifts and S sent some food home with us, as well.
But, the best part of the visit is - S is a piano teacher (she taught my daughter to play) and she will be giving me piano lessons, starting this month! I had taken piano lessons as a child and then, stopped. Since then, I've played mostly by ear, using the few chords that I know. I can read some notes, as long as they are not too many octaves above or below middle C, but, I'd like to be better. I am not very good at teaching myself to play so, S is going to start me off with a very basic beginner book for adults and we'll take it from there. I have to order the book and then, once it arrives, I will start my lessons! For now, I will go once a week, although S thinks twice a week is better. I am looking forward to learning to play the piano, again!
After we came home, daughter and I started on the other jigsaw puzzle. I did a little bit, but, daughter is making good progress!
Today, I am grateful for:
- Dinner with S and family
- A working washer and dryer
- Water for the garden
- Garden fruits and flowers
- Starting piano lessons
Today's joyful activity was having dinner with S and family.
Plans for tomorrow include going to the post office and, in the evening, going to cousin R's birthday party.
How was your day? What are your plans for Friday?
Very pretty centerpieces! It is so nice when someone in the neighborhood gives piano lessons! Andrea
ReplyDeleteThank you, Andrea. Yes, it will be very convenient to go to my neighbor's house for lessons; I won't have to drive anywhere!
DeleteHow exciting! Piano lessons. I wonder if it will be hard to go back to music if you've been playing mostly by ear. You'll have to let us know.
ReplyDeleteI am excited to take lessons, again! My daughter, too, is excited for me. I don't know if it will be hard to start reading music, again, or not. S showed me the book I will be using and I was happy to see that I could sight read the first few lessons without any difficulty. I have my daughter's piano books at home, so, I am thinking that I will play through her beginning books and do a mini refresher course until my book arrives.
DeleteHow wonderful that you are returning to playing the piano. I am sure this will bring you a lot of joy. I like your lemon & the floral arrangements. Right now we have snow, days old snow so it looks very dirty, not pretty at all, but it does make me smile to see all the squirrel paw prints - such busy little creatures.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the encouragement! I've been saying for at least the last year that I will take lessons and I finally did something about it! I am looking forward to starting.
DeleteI'm glad you've found something to smile about with all that snow! I spent six winters in Green Bay, Wisconsin and learned all about snow during those winters! LOL.
You made me smile with counting a washer and dryer as blessings...me too!!! I am so used to having electricity, working appliances, and canned /boxed foods...I tell my children if I had to be a pilgram, we'd all still be in Europe. LOL Maybe not so much when I was young...but certainly now that I am set in my ways. Blessings to you, xoxo, Susie
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you and yours, Susie. Ah yes, a working washer and dryer. I limped along for several years with a dryer that didn't dry (it still tumbled, but, there was no heat!) and a washer that was iffy at best! Often, it wouldn't start and I had to poke at it with a chopstick to get it going. Then, it wouldn't drain properly and the laundry had to be wrung out by hand before being hung up to dry (because the dryer didn't work). It was also rather small, so washing my quilts was difficult. Just over a year ago, my daughter finally nagged me into getting a new washer and dryer and I must admit, doing laundry has been so much easier!
DeleteThe meal at S's home sounds delicious, especially the spicy oven fries and the kufta.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy the piano lessons. Please will you let me know which book you will be using?
It was a good meal; my daughter loves the kufta while I prefer the blinchik. In fact, one of my former neighbors showed me how to make the blinchik because I liked them so much, but, I haven't made them, recently.
DeleteI will certainly let you know which book I'll be using. My daughter took a picture of it with her phone, but, she's sleeping right now (we were up past 5:00 a.m., last night!)
The lemons make a lovely centrepiece and tie in nicely with your flower arrangement. I'm delighted to hear that you will be having piano lessons to encourage your playing. What a great venture for the new year!
ReplyDeleteI slept in past 10 am yesterday, but today I had to get up early as I had planned to meet a friend for breakfast! Then after Mass I dropped her off and went grocery shopping to pick up some things on special.
Thank you, Bushlady. I want to have a centerpiece of lemons for as long as there are lemons on my trees and some fresh greenery in a vase, even when I don't have flowers. The piano lessons are something I've been wanting to do for at least the past year (one of the things I was going to do once retired). I'm looking forward to them. :)
DeleteBreakfast with a friend is reason enough to wake up early! Sounds like you have had a very nice morning, with meeting your friend, going to Mass, and grocery shopping, afterwards. Hope you have a lovely rest of the day, too, Bushlady.
Piano lessons are a great idea. I'm sure you'll be able to pick it up quickly once again. X
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jules. I hope so! In any case, it will be good for the old brain cells to try to read notes and learn to play some new music instead of the same couple of songs I already know! :D
DeleteBoth the lemons and your flower arrangement are so pretty.
ReplyDeleteThe food at your friend's house all sounds delicious. I am hungry just reading about it.
And what a wonderful thing to do - your piano lessons- Already knowing how to play, I'm sure you will improve quickly with the lessons.
Debra
Thank you, Debra. 2020 is the year of "self improvement" for me! I have no more excuses for not doing things I would like to do, such as learning to play the piano, again, arranging flowers, planting my garden, etc. I have plenty of time, now, and I am relatively healthy, again. It's time to try new things and come out of my shell!
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