time flies...

Hard to believe our one & only child is off to college at the ripe old age of 17!  Not only has she decided to attend Northeastern U in Boston (the opposite side of the country), but her first semester will be in Dublin, Ireland. Having gone on our "womenfolk" tour of Eire & to Usk, Wales this past summer,  I'm pretty comfortable with her being so far from home (it helps to have cousins just an hour away by plane). Even though we'll miss her terribly, I know it'll be a great adventure for her.

Mid-Winter nights

* * * 

At least we are now past the winter solstice and the days are growing increasingly longer.  This is the time of year for a rash of winter concerts in Claremont beginning with the Claremont Symphony Orchestra this weekend, the CSYouth orchestra in 2 weeks after that, and in another 2 week span we hold the the Claremont USD concerts. I begin to wonder how I got so involved in all of this!

To take my mind off of present things and create some light at the end of the tunnel, it seemed like a good idea to plan a "womenfolk" tour of Ireland next summer with my sister and daughter. Since Xandie will be headed of to college next fall I thought this would make for a memorable grad present and create some lifelong memories. More on that as it develops...

Autumn equinox

In 2014, the autumnal equinox brings the fall season to the Northern Hemisphere on: September 22 at 10:29 P.M. EDT. (7:29pm west coast time)

I look forward to the changing colors, but not the shorter days...

Ginko Leaves: P. Kuenning

I'm also looking forward to: time for gardening, hot meals once again, cooler weather, getting out my warm & snuggly sweaters and holiday gatherings.

"In spring when maple buds are red,

We turn the clock an hour ahead;

When autumn birds in flocks

Fly southward, back we turn the clocks,

And so regain a lovely thing,

That missing hour we lost in spring." ~ Phyllis McGinley

Summer...

If nothing else, I thought I would post quarterly for my own benefit. It's been a busy summer for some of us and relaxing for others in the Kuenning household.

Washingtom Monument~2014

Schwabish Hall

Pat's tomatoes

Daughter was off for 2 weeks to study journalism/communications at American U. Had a quick roundezvous with cousins Tom & Shelley who were kind enough to meet her at Dulles Airport and transport her to DC after an overnight visit.


In the meanwhile, husband Geoff was socked in with summer research at Harvey Mudd but did get away for a quick conference in Utah at Snowbird which, in the summer, has none (snow).


Daughter returns home for a week and then is off to the Goethe Institute for 3 weeks of German language and culture study in the picturesque Medieval German town of Schwabish Hall.

My summer has been a mixture of teaching cello, catch-up appointments, gardening, and home projects.

It has been somewhat of a preview of next summer when Xandie goes off the college of her choice and we truly become empty nesters.

Spring...

A one week break before the end-of-year onslaught of activities! Looking forward to slowing down my teaching activities but will be "on the go" with the visiting German exchange high school students.

 The patio project is now complete (after the sad demise of the largest acvocado tree) and we'll be able enjoy the redesigned space as the good weather approaches. A small potager garden is also in and I hope to keep salad vegies and herbs coming through the growing season ;-)

purpose

I saw this photo today and it made me stop and reflect on the power of music on many, many levels.

Image credits: salvemasnossascriancas.blogspot.com

"Diego Frazão Torquato, 12 year old Brazilian playing the violin at his teacher’s funeral. The teacher had helped him escape poverty and violence through music."

Seasonally yours

Autumn.
It sounds so much more poetic than... fall.

And where has the time gone since I visited my blog? Too busy with family (pre-college trip in the summer) and work (pre-program prep in late summer/early Sept.) to be able to slow down and reflect on day-to-day living.

The hectic rhythms of the school year have begun and I've just finished week two of string classes, have all my private students scheduled again, and I'm about to play the first symphony concert of the season this coming weekend.

With many of our peers looking toward or experiencing retirement, the desire to slow down a bit hits me every so often. But once I readjust to the "busyness factor"of teaching and playing, life seems manageable once again.

Spring

Wow, spring break is at an end and I'm so looking forward to summer at this point in the school year! 

The next 2 months will see me accompanying 35 children to the annual LA Phil field trip at Disney Hall, collecting/counting PlayAThon donations from a district-wide music fundraiser, preparing for the Spring concerts in May and finally, progress reports, music participation certificates and year end school instruments inventory.

Then there are my private cello students to tend to, a few more Claremont Symphony concerts, and a possible joint string teachers recital to go. I must remember that I'm thankful to "just be teaching strings"!

music mug and roses from thankful students

Boxing Day "Tea"

Ready to celebrate the holidays at last! The shopping is done, presents wrapped, concerts played and now I can finally enjoy time with family and friends. While Christmas is anticipated with excitement and wonder, one of my favourite (UK spelling) celebrations of the season is Boxing Day, observed the day after Christmas. 

We hold an annual Boxing Day party for those near & dear to us and share a potluck buffet, gifts for children, and a $10 or less gift exchange for "grown-ups". The main idea is to make it a fun and stress free afternoon for all involved.

Informal Boxing Day Tea

Not this! ~ Formal Tea 

But if the weather's warm ~  Outdoor Tea?

One of the BIG ones (birthdays)

OK, I know that aging is part of life and thought I had come to terms with the process, but big numbers are scary! What makes it much less scary is fun. . .  and surprises!

Turns out I had lots of both this weekend starting with returning home from teaching on Friday evening to the sound of "Happy B-Day" coming from a wind-up music box in the kitchen. What I didn't know was who was playing it. My sister, Carolyn, from Seattle had secretly flown down the night before to be here for my special day. After that shock wore off, Geoff arrives home from "work" with my bro-in-law (I didn't know he had also flown down at that point) and with Chinese take-out. This was somewhat strange because I had been told we were going out to dinner in LA; turns out the continuing surprise plan was to go to IRIS (cirque du soleil) in Hollywood :~)

A great time was had by all but the next day, after lunch at Maniac Mike's Cafe at Cable Airport, I arrived home to another surprise; a houseful of family and friends. Turns out a party and BBQ was in the making and it went on 'til the cows came home. It was wonderful to spend time with so many people close to me and I was truly taken by surprise; twice!

The B-Day girl

(photo: C. Van Ryswyk)

Road trip

It's been many years since we've done a proper road trip. This summer we needed to move Geoff's mom to a more intensive assisted living residence and so I suggested we drive and take our time along the way to see my sister in Seattle and weave our way back from Montana through Utah and Nevada.
3 weeks later we had many memories and photos to remember our Great Road Trip of 2012.

California

Oregon

 Seattle, WA

 Montana

 Utah

Vegas!

Music meetings and registrations!

Been busy this week with scheduling private cello students, starting a new Cellogarten class (ages4-6) at Claremont Community School of Music, and getting the Claremont USD music program up and running.

It's always a challenge to get back into the routine, but I'm feeling recharged from our summer travels and "ready (or not) to go!"

Summer painting...

Wednesdays are my Art days. I go for my "art therapy" session (at least that's what I call it) in the mornings and Xandie goes in the afternoon. This came about because of the wonderful local artist, Lynn McCallion, who teaches a group of children in La Verne. The mothers became jealous and asked her to consider teaching a painting class for just moms.  Voila!

still life after Cezanne

prickly pear in bloom

lakeside vista (still in progress)

Summer is a'comin' in . . . & a new bathroom!

3 days to go until the end of the 2011-12 school year!

Looking forward to a new master bath remodel this month, a quiet July at home next month, and a road trip sometime in August that will take us through Seattle and Great Falls.

I'll continue to teach a few students over the summer and attend my weekly painting class (love the time spent in an altered state). The garden is also beckoning; the front will need summer pruning and the back needs the back border to be completed. Also working on turning the defunct pond into a "wetlands" garden (sounds better than swamp or bog garden, Xandie says).

Looking forward to "Summertime"...

Bath ideas:

End result:

Winter Strings Concert

The conductor in "serious mode"

"Bravi" to our CUSD gr. 4-6 string students once again!  

A great concert and with record numbers: 81 beginners and 65 in elementary orchestra. 

Beginning Strings 2012

early to rise....

A new semester brings a new high school schedule for Xandie and so I am now rising 45 minutes earlier on school days. As I have learned over the years,  I am not a "morning person" and so this is not an easy transition for me.  After all the initial grumbling, I've decided to look for the silver lining in the cloud:

• I get to watch the sunrise
• I can now make a U-turn in the time restricted intersection by the high school
• There is no line in the student drop-off zone
• I have an extra hour (+/-) of quiet time in the a.m.
• There are more birds visiting the feeder at this hour ("early bird catches the worm")

So, if I continue to search, I'm sure I'll find a few more "positives" in this getting up earlier routine.  Like time for another cup of coffee?

Concert season

Winter concert season is upon us and in full swing. Last weekend Xandie performed in her first youth orchestra concert since returning home from NZ and I have a Concert for Young People with the Claremont Symphony Orchestra this weekend. In two weeks time nearly 400 students from the Claremont School District elementary instrumental music program will be performing over two evenings at the intermediate school. It is an exciting but somewhat stressful time the music teachers! ~I always have both a sense of pride and relief when it's all over.