Sunday, May 27, 2012
Family from all over the country gathered today at the Salt Creek Grill for a 90th Birthday party for my mom and dad. It was amazing that all the arrangements worked out: Susanne came from LA, Sarah, Jeff and the kids from Boston, Harold and Linda from Florida, Gary and Kathy and Roy from Florida, Michael and Isabelle from RI, other friends of my parents from RI and Stonebridge. Gil and my dad were comfortable in wheel chairs and the staff at the restaurant made the day flow smoothly. My mom was giddy with delight and everyone had a great time and enjoyed being together for the first time in many years. They also loved seeing the slide show of historic photos I put together for the occasion. I’m so thankful that everyone made it to and through the day healthy and happy. What an event!
Michael and I spent three glorious days in Cape May for the NJ Audubon Spring Migration weekend. The weather was perfect, not too hot with bright sun and blue skies. We stayed at the Angel of the Sea B&B again and enjoyed the overstuffed parlor, overstuffed breakfasts and sunny porches. All the guided birding walks were fantastic and we usually got completely overloaded after two hours of mindful seeing and hearing. Highlights included piping plovers with babies on the beach, indigo buntings in the fields, pine warblers in the trees and many more. I especially loved meeting NJ Audubon legend Pete Dunne. What a character! He said when you see a bird and can name it, then you own it. Yes, there is definitely a feeling of grasping in the seeing, when you are trying to get a good look at the bird and see it clearly enough that you can really identify it. We definitely have to get better optics! Too bad the weekend was clouded by Emily’s troubles with Henry. We tried to be as supportive as we could over the phone.
I had two more voice lessons with David back in February, after I got home from Barre. He was very positive and supportive. Each time I was there with him, I felt relaxed and comfortable and my voice felt good. Each time, he gave me new and different exercises, and I diligently practiced them at home, looking in the mirror to keep my throat muscles relaxed and expanded and the back of my neck long. Yikes, I tell my students the very same things, but it is so hard to be objective with your own mechanism! 
Dear Thisbe, our 14 1/2 year old beagle, died last night, or this morning. It was very peaceful, but very sad. She had been very sick for the past year or so, having little, and not so little seizures which sent us to the vet, Animerge, specialists in PA etc. Last July, she had a bad episode which left her with one leg paralyzed , and a terrific daily pill regime. 
I drove up to Barre on Sunday, Feb. 5, and cried the whole way. The night before, Lenore and I did our French concert at Stonebridge and it was a disaster. Ok, it probably wasn’t as bad as I thought, and I’m sure they enjoyed it, but when I warmed up before the concert, on my own with the new exercises, I could tell that things did not feel quite right. 
Michael and I returned to the Ukraine last week to do another concert with the Odessa Philharmonic. Michael is on leave this semester, and Hobey is covering for him with the PU orchestra for the December concert. This time we would bring some of our favorite American music, Barber Knoxville, and Copland Appalachian Spring, to share with our Ukrainian friends. 
I was a special guest of the Tennessee State Chapter of NATS for their Fall workshop, and spent all day Saturday, Oct. 29th, working with 16 college age singers on a variety of repertoire from Bach to Strauss. In the picture, Tom King is accompanying one of his students singing Ombra mai fu. 
This was my 17th year as the rent-a-cantor for Congregation Emanu-El in Wichita Kansas. I love going there, and it feels like a home coming at this point. Even though I only see folks for several days a year, many of them are good friends and feel like family.