Cathy's Grace Notes

View from the Owl Cafe

View from the Owl Cafe, originally uploaded by catnipper.

View from Owl Cafe in Apalachicola - April 10, 2009.

Blessing of Shawls

We blessed blankets for Levi's Hope, an organization for those who have experienced a loss of an infant through miscarriage or stillbirth.

We also blessed a shawl for someone who has had some long term health issues.

Piano - 4 hands

Today my mother and I were driving home from eating out and we were listening to pubic radio. Featured at the time was the music of Dohnanyi, a 20th century composer who was a conductor in Hungary, and became a WWII refuge and ended up in Tallahassee, Florida at Florida State University as a composer in residence until his death.  
 They had a recording of one of his compositions for piano for 4 hands -- and the recording was of him and pianist Edward Kilenyi, who was professor at FSU.   I found the selection of them playing Dohnanyi's composition Valse Boiteuse from his Suite en Valse for Two Pianos. The ONLY connection I have with Kilenyi was he sat in on one of my juries for end of the year assessment. When I was there, he only taught piano majors, and I was a music therapy student.

Anyway, I thought it was pretty cool when I found the recording on Youtube, so I share it with you.

Lift Every Voice

Today we had a school program for Black History Month -- several teachers coordinated on putting this together and did a fine job with involving many children and presenting an educational program together. For the month of February, every day our news program has featured an African American and their importance in history.
I just wish....

we did this for people of every color, regardless of their heritage. When we do this, I believe we will be making a step forward in becoming blind to the color of the skin and become increasingly aware of the talent and importance of every person.  Maybe one day that will happen.

One song sung today was "Lift Every Voice" --- I found this video which was a tribute to President Obama -- but I thought it came close to presenting history a little better balanced, bringing in people of importance of what they did and not only because of the color of their skin.

Ash Wednesday

I'm here

I've been AWOL from the blog -- since Christmas things have been off kilter, from Mom being sick in the hospital, to me with bronchitis, to some stuff that is going on at work that is not bloggable for me, but difficult and I ask your prayers for all involved.

IN addition, I have pondered about going back to Blogger -- I am trying to justify paying for this blog -- I am trying to see the advantage of using Typepad over Blogger. I don't want to lose my years of blogging on here and transferring them seems to be something that would be near to impossible (and if there is a way, let me know).

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. As a lay person, it snuck up on me. Lent is not my liturgical season of choice. In fact, I really wish that we didn't have Holy Week all crammed into a week. It's too much.

I've been Facebooking quite a bit. I've connected with those who I haven't seen in a long time. And for those I do know, I have connected in a way that I can keep up with them on a more personal level. 

For Lent, I will attempt to be more intentional on my blog, in some way every day.  it may be a personal note, some music video that speaks to me or a Lenten message.

More of this and that.... and it's cold

Kind of a few busy weeks -- Mom is mending and we return for another appointment to the doctor tomorrow. Hopefully we will get a good report that the antibiotic has done its job.

After 14 years, my paraprofessional is student teaching and her daughter in law is her substitute while she is on leave. Talk about feeling out of sorts! I am sure she will do a great job, but she is/was my right hand and so I am having to regroup. After having someone in the same room for half of your career, I knew it would be an adjustment.
And it is.

I know you folks up north think it is hilarious when we think it getting down to the teens is frigid when you all are having even colder weather, remember we are not equipped to handle the cold!

I am trying to start reading again after about a month hiatus. Hopefully I can get into blogging also --- ever feel a dry spell???

Bundling up for a cold couple of days here -- what are your plans for this weekend?

Happy Birthday and more!

It's been a while since I have posted here, have been posting status statements on Facebook as it is easier to post a sentence or two. But here is the news:

• Lovely time at the beach. We loved being on the bay side. Beautiful sunsets, constant changing of the water and effect the weather had on the bay, from fog to white caps.  Weather could not have been nicer on a couple of days where we could actually sit on the beach and take in the warm sun.
• On the flip side, we left on New Year's to come back home with Mom being puny. Friday morning, she woke me up telling me she was sick. So we went to the emergency room. Severe urinary tract infection with a white blood count of 21,000. The weekend was  HARD.. she was one sick lady. Monday morning we saw a turn around. Her white blood count is up, but it is better. Now we are working on getting the strength back up so she can get home soon.
• We got a Wii for Christmas. Wii are enjoying it. Wonder how many injuries from Wii Sports are the doctors seeing?
• School has returned into session and it has collided into Christmasbeachhospitalschool. I tie tie.
• Today is my birthday -- 53 years old!

Dancing on the water

We spent an afternoon at St. George Island State Park, watching the beauty of a winter beach. Others were doing the same, some coming from up north, to escape the winter, but also to see the birds as they winter or migrate even further south.

We did get a little lesson in about tidal pools, and how they occur (and this may have not been "official tidal pool", but it gave us a moment to discuss how they work.

At one point, dolphins, close to shore, showed off for us playing hide and seek with their fins. Those were quite exciting to watch, but my camera never got to capture them.

However it did capture this.....

Dessert? Uhm, no.

Rachael and her cousin thought it would be a good idea to build a gingerbread house today. We have been waiting for the perfect time, and this seemed to be it. A ten and an eleven year old seemed to be able to put one of those directions. Well... maybe.

The building of the house began and things had to "set" --- so they left to allow it to do whatever it needed to do. They were all excited about their "dessert" to eat after the creation was finished.

Well, the quiet time we appoint for an hour after lunch occurred.  My "hour" lasted longer, and some "work" transpired.   Here is our dessert.... Think I might pass...