Late Afternoon Serenade

Ahh, the world is full of music...and surprises...today I hosted a Mariachi band for the kids at school...the colors were bright..the music just wonderful..and the floor was flled with dancing children and teachers...The band was from Indinapolis, speaking only Spanish...and played everything we loved from the Chicken Dance to Tequilla!!

At the end of a long day I was in charge of little Jonah (my little grandbaby of 7 months)..although in all reality he was in charge of me. He cried all the time his Mama was gone. Finally at dusk I noticed the neighbor boy, Ed, practicing his trumpet in his back yard. I hollered over for him to come over...so bringing his case and music stand and gently carrying his trumpet he came over to the front stoop. He set up his one man band and played for Matthew and Jonah. Sometimes we listened, sometimes we danced and the neighbors peered through curtains wondering what was going on now at the House at White Picket Gardens. We heard everything from his own version of the Chicken Dance to America the Beautiful to Clair de Lune. What a great way to end the day.

By the way, this is Ed's first year as a trumpet player. I think we will see his name on a CD in the future!!

Sonnet-a-thon

Today I am hosting my first "annual" (that is yet to be determined) Sonnet-a-thon to honor William Shakespeare.

Now the truth is, I have particited in other Sonnet-a-thons with professors and writers and teachers and literary experts...it was glorious listening to the words roll off their tongues.

Today, however, it is being hosted by a fourth grade class. They have worked for a couple of months on this...committee work, their first, and hard to understand the concept that you do your work and someone else does theirs and it all falls into place..or so it should.

As of right now..the belief was that Shakespeare died and rose again (a product in conservative Indiana, typo, what?)....the reception consists of one large 7-up, a gallon of punch, one punch bowl, one tray, one package napkins...there are no cups, cookies, tablecloths.

We are still struggling with the pronounciation for the emcee cards of 'university' and 'graduate' to introduce our guest community readers.

The flu season still continues so we might miss an important fact or two in their 'facts of Shakespeare' part of the program. But, who really cares when he was born, died, what he wrote, thought...

All I can say is, all's well that end's well, and Shakespeare didn't even say that!

Florence M. Ball

Yesterday while having coffee (raspberry-chocolate) at Rachael's coffeeshop..just a few blocks from my house..I was reading the paper and came across an obituary:

Florence M. Ball, 99, of Ashley, died Friday, April 22, 2005. Arrangements by Johnson Fueral Home, Hudson.

I tore it out of the paper, stuck in my jeans pocket and walked home with it. Later I took out the crumpled piece of paper and placed in on my desk.

I want to know more about Florence, but all I have is this obituary. She lived for 99 years...think of all the changes that she saw in the world. Did she like the color ruby? Did she garden? Did she marry and have children? Did she ever see the ocean or built a sand castle? What color were her eyes?

Do you know Florence? If so, tell me about her.