Things that are uncertain soon become certain…

Hello, happy Thursday. We knew last night of a news conference with Governor Whitmer this morning at 10:30am. I was expecting an announcement by the Governor solidifying the ending of the school year. I think everyone knew it was coming, we were just wishing that we were wrong.

I had a friend who is a principal post a Facebook message, “YES, those that celebrate snow days can be sad that we are not returning to school.” Snow days are a surprise, a small break from the daily work of teaching. I love teaching in the classroom with all of my heart. Teaching is sharing every ounce of yourself with kids. It’s the ability to read a classroom and immediately figure out what kids need as people and learners. Who just had a tough moment before coming to your class and needs to know that music is a fresh start for them? Who just needs to move? Who needs a hug or a smile? Who needs a moment to relax and breathe before they can learn again? It’s about teaching what matters, compassion, acceptance, joy, peace and love! All of this matters before we even talk about content, state standards, learning targets, formative assessment and learning progressions. These are the things I miss terribly about my job, connecting with each student everyday. Davisburg and Rose Pioneer friends, I can’t wait to make music with you and to see you again.

On other news for today, I went on a bike ride at Island Lake Recreation Area today. That felt awesome! Today, for a small millisecond, felt normal until I drove by Kohl’s. The sight of an empty parking lot jolted me back to reality again. The riding was glorious and the spring peepers were out singing away. I’m going back with my mountain bike for a blue/yellow sometime this week. The trails looked fast and dialed in for some great riding.

Once I got back home, Campbell and I went on a ride through town together. It was fun to ride and chat but riding a bike is not her thing. She raced the Tour de Leelanau when she was two weeks in utero. I think I burnt her out on cycling; just kidding. The best thing is that she has paved her own path and discovered her own things that she loves to do.

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We took Lucy on a walk downtown later this afternoon. She stopped in the middle of our walk to pose for the passers by. It was pretty hilarious! It was this doggy moment of stop, wait and everybody look at me! This is so my dog, she is such a little princess.

We stopped by Great Harvest for some bread on our way back home. Campbell stood outside with Lucy. There was a lady that hasn’t quite gotten the social distancing rule. As I watched out the window, I watched this lady get close to Campbell and try to pet Lucy while she was held in Campbell’s arms. I watched Campbell take a few steps backwards. So, just for clarification, social distancing counts for petting dogs too. Just don’t do it!

Dinner tonight was grilled Salmon, roasted potatoes and corn. Pretty simple but oh so yummy. Take care everyone! Continue to be safe, wash your hands, stay home and stay healthy. Sarah

April Fools….. not…..,

Happy Wednesday everyone! The longest month ever has finished and April is here. We are looking at the possibility of 60 degree weather to finish up the week.

Wednesday has been super quiet. Today was filled with another dose of reality. There is more talk of the school year being finished for the year. Later this evening Governor Whitmer extended the state of emergency for 70 more days. The extension seems to solidify the possibility of not returning to school. I really miss making music with my students. There is always something magical about making music with my kiddos. I hope to return to that magic, even if it’s in the fall.

I was reading today about new research that started wearing a mask might be beneficial in keeping others from getting sick. Twenty-five percent of us could be asymptomatic carriers of Covid-19. The New York Times had directions available for making face masks. I whipped out the old sewing machine and decided to try making a mask.

Sewing machines and I have a difficult relationship. I took Home Economics in junior high school. The semester was split in half; cooking and sewing. I loved the cooking portion of class. The sewing part…. let’s just say my completed project was unwearable. I spent more time with a seam ripper than actually sewing my shorts.

My mom did quite a bit of sewing and made my dresses and skirts. She was always in her sewing room with her glass of ice water. I’d sit on the floor and watch her sew, pull out straight pins, marvel at her straight lines and listen to the whirr of the sewing machine. Sewing was her sanctuary but we only watched. I think it was just her moment, time to herself…

I started by threading my machine, thinking of the N Mrs. Newton always joked that the thread created, if it was threaded correctly, just like her name. I inserted my bobbin, pulled the thread through and turned the wheel so the needle picked up the bobbin thread. I kept trying to get the needle to engage the bobbin but it wouldn’t… after multiple attempts, I was turning the wheel in the wrong direction… ooops… Anyway, I finally got it to work! I cut out my two rectangles, cut some elastic, pinned the pieces together and sat down at the machine. Before long, I heard the familiar whirring sound and created my first mask. Each mask turned out a little better and each try just seemed a little easier. I’m glad I tried something new today! Will I wear it out in public; we’ll see but we all have one if we need it.

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One of my favorite breweries, Brewery Becker, in downtown Brighton is selling growlers to-go. I stopped for a half growler of Running Porter tonight. They de-glutenize their beers with an enzyme. I can totally drink their beer! We love making dinner at home, taking it downtown and eating out on their patio with Lucy! It’s one of our favorite things to do as a family. I can’t wait for the moment when we can sit on their patio again.

Dinner tonight was pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes and green beans. Sorry folks, no pictures tonight. I went into the kitchen for seconds and all of the pork tenderloin was gone. Lucy wanted some too and was quite upset that it was eaten. Someone told me that Matt ate all of it… hmmm…

Well, take care everyone. The numbers are still increasing, it looks like next week will still look scary number wise… keep washing your hands and staying home.

Is it Thursday yet?

It feels like today should be Thursday and tomorrow is Friday. The calendar reality check says otherwise…. Today was a pretty quiet, lazy day today.

Campbell and I got dressed this morning and realized that we were twinning today. It’s not very often that you get to publicly twin with your 13 year old. I’d say that is a win for today!

Our morning started off somewhat quiet. Campbell had an oboe lesson this morning with Carey Winans, thanks to Google Duo. She said it was a great lesson. Thanks Carey for still working with her in the midst of our new normal.

While Campbell had her oboe lesson I worked on painting trim in the basement. Matt has been working on various projects throughout our house. Our upstairs hallway has been waiting for some love since we moved into our house. We are looking at having a linen closet and built ins designed for some storage. We had a phone consult with a local cabinet maker. Right now we are storing toiletries, towels and sheets in bins. I am so excited for the possibility of not needing to do that anymore. I am excited to see plans that are being drawn up by a local craftsman.

I did the Menace at home WOD today. Matt joined in on the fun! CrossFit is most definitely a workout combined with a desire to suffer. Today’s workout included a 400 meter run, we provided lots of entertainment for the neighbors.

Lunch and dinner was leftovers extravaganza! Campbell loves leftovers as much as she loves breakfast for dinner. Sometimes it’s a necessity and sure makes evenings easier sometimes.

I am a member of a Facebook Group that is celebrating spirit days during social distancing week. Today was a show and tell, share an award that you’ve received. I shared my Paderewski Award. When I received it my senior year in high school, I didn’t understand how prestigious it really was.

When I was young, every June I would go to a lady’s house in Leawood, Kansas. She was quite eccentric, wore red rouge on her cheeks, had blow up snakes in her front yard and a giant room with two Steinway Grand pianos. Every summer, she would greet us and lead me to her basement. Mrs. Tanner, my piano teacher, would be waiting to talk with me before it was my turn to play. When it was time, I would walk up this narrow set of stairs, cross a courtyard and enter the piano room through two sliding glass doors. Sitting at a card table was a very nice and kind adjudicator. She had a judging sheet in front of her that listed my program of seven pieces and 3 musicianship phases. 3 musicianship phases counted as 3 pieces. I did sight reading, transposition and ear training. The adjudicator would ask me to play each piece from memory. She had the music in front of her. She would write down positives and concepts to work on as a pianist. I learned so much each year I participated in guild auditions. The best part about this program is that you compete against yourself, not others. Each year I was challenged as a musician, but it was a relief that the work was over each year.

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Good night and take care everyone! Keep staying home and stay healthy!

Going down the proverbial rabbit hole…

Hello everyone and happy Monday! Today was fun and filled with adventure! We all got up and got moving this morning. Once I was awake and moving, I started the WOD first thing this morning. Today’s WOD was 2 separate rounds with jump overs and squats or backwards lunges. It was nice to have a kettlebell for some weight this morning. Campbell decided to go on a run downtown so we did that together. I really cherish the times when we get to chat and just spend time. That has been the silver lining in all of this.

Once we got back home I ate breakfast, did laundry and organized a few more kitchen drawers. My kitchen utility drawer is a little bit of a mess. There are multiple supplies I use all of the time and then things I haven’t used in years. I made myself let go of the, I’ll keep it just in case excuse, and took unused supplies the goodwill pile in the basement. The real test of my organizational work will be if the drawer is still organized in 2 weeks.

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Well folks… we went down the rabbit hole today… yes, the Netflix, Tiger King, rabbit hole…. Yikes! Who in their right mind would let their toddler play with a lion cub? I know there is some crazy stuff going on in our world but wow! We watched the first few episodes, we’ll see what I think as we keep going.

So, do you remember my discussion about the chipmunk hanging out around my car? Well, he is back! I think he uses my car as coverage while he is hunting for acorns, etc. I sent Lucy out the back door to chase him down today. She did a great job of scaring him into the tree. She was proud of her work.

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Dinner tonight was a pasta/Italian sausage back. It’s a great meal for cool nights, warm and comforting. I make this quite a bit during the school year. I appreciate it because it means leftovers for the next day’s lunch or another dinner.

We finished our evening with a walk downtown for Lucy. It was really quiet this evening. We saw 2 delivery vehicles and that was about it for traffic. It’s great to see everyone staying home but eery at the same time. As we were walking, we talked about small businesses we wanted to continue to support. Local independent bookstores and shops are offering online shopping. My goal this week is to choose a small business and order something from them once a week.

Take care, keep washing your hands and stay safe everyone. Sarah

Nothing is promised…

If you would’ve asked me four weeks ago what my plans were for today, the response would’ve been, “We are going to Miami!” This was the first year in quite a while that Campbell and I had spring break scheduled for the same week. Our family planned a trip to Miami to celebrate! We haven’t gone somewhere warm for spring break in a really long time; like 15 years or so… Are we disappointed, yes but I am also grateful. We are healthy and we are safe, that’s what matters most of all! There will be other trips, just in due time.

This morning’s weather was so warm and sunny! It felt great to get outside in short sleeves and crops. We took a walk downtown, families were walking and a couple was eating breakfast on a park bench. A It didn’t last long, by noon cloudy and cool Michigan weather returned.

This afternoon’s plans consisted of watching a cocktail class with David Lebovitz, cleaning my kitchen and taking a drumming class with Kristen Arant aka the drumlady.

I followed David Lebovitz’s blog when I was planning our trip to France. He is from America but moved to France and started working as a pastry chef. His blog had lots of great restaurant recommendations. I found out about a Boulangerie Chambelland and Raccoons and Bears from his blog. He is hosting daily cocktail videos on his Instagram feed. He is a great storyteller and also makes great cocktails. The best part about his videos is that you get to see his kitchen. His videos are archived on Instagram for your viewing pleasure. If you’re a francophile he also references Oliver G, and his podcast The Earful Tower. Check it out!

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I really cleaned my kitchen today. You know how you get to those points where you don’t realize how dirty a room really is until you start deep cleaning. That was today’s epiphany. I do some things really well, housekeeping isn’t one of them. I’m okay with that!

I went to Truman Stare University in Kirksville, Missouri for my undergrad. The music department was close and tight-knit like one big family. There wasn’t much to do in Kirksville so we really had to make our own fun which meant we all spent a lot of time together. Kristen Arant went to Truman for a few years. She now lives in Washington DC and teaches drum classes. I received some grant money and bought some Djembes from her for my classroom. I’ve always wanted to take a class from her. Due to Covid 19 she did a live Facebook class. I brought a Djembe home from school and took her class. It was awesome! I learned so much today!

Tonight’s dinner was: Tortilla soup in the Instant Pot and Cranberry Upside Down Cake for dessert. I haven’t made the tortilla soup before and it was really good. The instant pot made it simple too.

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Keep staying home and staying healthy. We are washing hands like crazy at our house. Take care everyone; until tomorrow.

Connections, workouts, dinner, concerts, silliness and shopping trips.

Hello, happy Saturday! What a quiet, rainy day! Today was actually quite busy even though I left the house once… more on that later. Breakfast was biscuits and gravy… so yummy and comforting. After breakfast Campbell and I did the at home WOD together. It felt great to workout together. We warmed up, worked on overhead squats with a PVC pipe and then completed the WOD. We did Pushups, V Ups, Sit ups, jumping lunges, and jump squats.

Lunch was leftovers. We finished cleaning out the rest of the refrigerator. Shew…. glad to finish the last of the roast chicken and pork tenderloin.

This afternoon was all about connecting with friends. My friends from college, Amy and Michelle, started talking about old memories on Facebook. One evening we had an impromptu marshmallow roasting party with candles. Best memories ever… we had so much fun in college at Truman. It was so nice to chat this afternoon.

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Campbell decided to consume a whole gallon of milk this week! I have no idea how and she claims I am making it all up! I had to go to the store and buy more milk today. I am getting more comfortable with store trips but I still don’t like it.

Dinner this evening was shrimp ceviche; it’s shrimp with lime, lemon, red onion, cucumber, cilantro and avocado on top of tostados. Yummy, refreshing and so good. It is traditionally made with raw fish and the fish cooks in the lime juice. It’s a favorite around here!

Tonight was an evening filled with concerts. We started the evening with Ben Gibbard. He has one more concert Sunday night. I’m going to miss his live performances from home. Once the Ben Gibbard performance was finished we watched a live concert by Third Coast Percussion in Chicago. They performed pieces by Jlin, Phillip Glass, Blood Orange and Peter Martin. They have an NPR Tiny Desk concert available as well. I am not a fan of TV or movies but I love concerts.

Keep washing your hands and keep staying home everyone. If you have a teenager good luck with keeping food in your house. Keep healthy, happy cooking and happy eating!

Paciencia y Fe, patience and faith

Today is Friday and we’ve completed our second week at home. I played a lot of piano this morning. It was fun to work through some pieces, practice, clean, refine and just play. When I’m teaching full time, I don’t always get to sit and play for me. The next time we place an Amazon order, I’m going to order music from a few musicals that I love!

Lunch was leftovers! I love leftovers, especially during a busy workweek. I’m well known for making large dishes for dinner just so we can have leftovers for lunch or busy weeknights.

Lucy got another walk downtown today. Downtown Brighton is so eerily quiet. It’s sad to walk by Imagination Station and not hear kids scream with joy or watch them run around playing chase. Great Harvest is still open but it isn’t buzzing with customers. My favorite cheese shop is open on the weekend for pick up orders. It’s nice to see the owners and give them a wave as we walk by.

Anyway, Lucy took the idea of I’m taking my humans on a walk, to the extreme today. She decided we were just going to cross the street! Traffic??? Who cares??? She was pretty upset that I made her wait to make sure we could cross. It was pretty funny; she had a new route for us as well. I guess the garden in front of Ciao Amici’s is her new pooping spot.

Today was another Davisburg Staff meeting. It was great to see everyone again and learn more about our new normal. I am ready to start teaching again, even if it will look quite different.

Dinner was….. leftovers!!!! We had things in the fridge that needed to be eaten. One of my friends from college, Anthony Cooperwood, is a musician in Montreal. He has been playing live every Friday night from 5-10pm. We listened to him as we ate dinner. It felt like we were actually at a restaurant. We were all eating different foods, it was pretty funny. Quite a few friends from Truman have been listening too, it feels like a reconnection so to speak. Just to see familiar names and faces from years ago! One of my friends commented, it’s just like we’re at a “band lecture”.

Anyway, keep washing your hands, staying home and practicing social distancing. I think the covid-19 situation in Michigan will grow worse this week. Hopefully after that, the situation will improve… Take care friends and thanks for reading!

I know things now, many valuable things, I hadn’t known before. -Into the Woods

Happy Thursday! Today was another day of dog walks, exercise, music making, a weekly trip to the grocery store and another dinner.

I attempted a trip to the grocery store at 8;30am and immediately came back home. The parking lot was full and lots of people going in. I went back at 10:30 and tried again. The parking lot was much emptier and I decided it was a go. I couldn’t believe the plastic gloves just left on the ground in the parking lot. Really? Anyway, I guess people are just so scared they aren’t completely thinking. I got everything on my list but there were still empty shelves. Mac and cheese, pasta, rice and toilet paper are still gone. Eggs were at a minimum, butter too. Hopefully supplies will get better as the supply chain evens out.

Today’s CrossFit workout was a lot of fun from home. Burpees and jumping jacks, two 7 minute rounds. It felt great to workout today.

Lucy got a walk again today before the rain started. I’m pretty sure she loves the fact that she takes her human on a walk. She tried for the long way today, but she was unsuccessful. Poor girl…

Dinner tonight was a throwback to our time growing up in Kansas City. There is a restaurant called Big Burger on Vivian Road. They serve giant breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches. Anyway, that was tonight’s dinner. Dinner was super yummy but really unhealthy. According to Matt, mine are better than the sandwiches at Big Burger; yes!!!!

After dinner, we all sat down and watched Into the Woods. We watched the original with Bernadette Peters as the witch! I watched it when I was in high school. We had a chuckle, at the wolf’s costume which was quite anatomically correct. I love this show! There are so many lessons about following dreams, hindsight is 20/20, regrets, partnerships, not being alone in this world and be careful for “children will listen.”

Keep staying home friends and staying safe. I keep thinking about medical personnel, first responders, cashiers, skilled trades and others that still need to work. They are risking their lives to keep food on our tables, provide medical care and keep us safe.

Matt found this on twitter from a physician, Scott Gottlieb MD. Michigan’s trajectory is steeper than that of New York. Really scary stuff everyone! He is especially concerned for Detroit. Please keep staying home, we don’t know where the next hot spot could begin. On that sobering note… take care friends.

A visit to school and spring weather…

Hello, good evening. How is everyone holding up? We are doing pretty good. I think all of us are still trying to adjust to this new normal. Hospitals in New York are just slammed with Covid-19 patients and it seems that Michigan could possibly head that way too. I am amazed at my daughter’s resilience. She pretty much gave me a suck it up lecture today in the only way a 13 year old can. Was it something I wanted to hear? No. Did I need to hear it? Yes.

I received an email yesterday allowing teachers into the building to get things we might need. After I left last week, I regretted not stopping by Rose for my puppets, a ukulele and some drums. It was so sad walking into school today. My classroom was supposed to be a buzz with finished composition projects, learning low E on recorder, polishing up Michigan Musical songs, compositions about playing in the mud, singing games and musical trips to the farm. I really miss the joyful, fun moments in class.

Campbell had 2 conference calls today so our afternoon was pretty quiet. Lucy did go on a walk downtown in this gorgeous sunny weather. It felt great to get out and about. Matt went on a bike ride at Island Lake today. He said the parking lot at JC Penney’s was filled with cars. So, he parked in Island Lake instead, for the sake of social distancing.

Tonight’s dinner was salmon on the grill and potato salad. I still had celery, parsley and dill so it was perfect to use those ingredients and finish them up. Dinner was amazing, especially with Ben Gibbard’s music in the background.

Well, good night everyone! Stay safe, healthy and keep washing your hands.

Connections, shots, push-ups, kettlebells, France, and demolition

I was really looking forward to the start of today, a google hangout with Denise my principal and a few colleagues. It was absolutely wonderful too see and talk with each other. She updated us on possible learning scenarios, but more importantly it was a time to talk and connect. At the end of our call, she asked us what we missed most of all that we didn’t expect to miss. My immediate answer was my drive to work. Those that know me well know that I hate driving. If someone told me I could travel places without a car, it would be the best news ever! I think I miss the process of leaving my house, working somewhere else and coming back home again. It was fantastic to connect with friends again, I really miss them.

After the conference call, I walked up to the allergists office for my Xolair shot. It worked out just fine. They had signs on the door asking you to not come in if you had a fever, cough or chest tightness. Asthma and allergy patients can sometimes have a cough, so it can be a tad tricky to differentiate asthma/allergy symptoms from Covid-19. This has most definitely been an added stress.

Gavin, the owner of CrossFit Menace has allowed members to check out equipment to borrow at home. After my appointment, I stopped by Menace and picked up a Kettlebell and a MedBall. He disinfected it for me before it came home. I am so thankful for our Menace family.

Today’s at home WOD was push ups, burpees, air squats, sit ups and front lunges. There were 60 pushups and 196 reps of everything else. It took me 33 minutes and Campbell completed the workout in 31 minutes. Matt thought it looked miserable, he wasn’t interested in partaking in the fun.

After the WOD, it was time for dinner. This meal reminds me of our trip to France. We had chicken leg quarters, roasted in a cast iron skillet with potatoes, onions and sautéed carrots. I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper and herbs de Provence from France. At the end of our first day in Paris, our tour guide recommended that we stop at a butcher for a rotisserie chicken. It was the best chicken I’ve ever had and one of our favorite memories.

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We finished up our evening with demolition of the plaster in the hallway. The joys of living in our house is finding old treasures. When Matt pulled off the plaster in our hallway he found old wallpaper. If they only made wallpaper that looked like this…

Good night and stay safe everyone!