1. Oh the “bones of summer”!! Why most people would feel sad that summer is lost, I am filled with joy. Why, do you ask? All summer, I long for the crisp & cool days that Fall brings! In every season, I sing new songs which express the beauty, joy and wonder of each new day. The summer was quite strange, as everyone is aware of. Having music/art in my life made my days more entertaining and exciting. Singing, my passion! I took voice lessons with my sunny and beautiful teacher, Anne. My lessons were done over “Zoom”, a new experience for both of us. Having voice lessons kept me accountable to practicing & kept my repertoire list up. Something happens to my heart when I sing; it feels lighter, happier and I kick myself for not singing more, since it brings me so. much. JOY! A second way which I engaged in art was playing Piano. During the summer months, I sat down somedays for a few hours, and tinkered on the ivory keys. I find it fascinating how time can slip away when I’m on the bench at the piano. Needless to say, I engaged in a lot of music this summer, which was one of the most beautiful things of the season for me!
  2. Hm. What a good question…This first thing that came to my head when I read the word “powerful” were the clouds. I was driving today, staring at the car in front of me, and my friend commented on how beautiful the clouds were. I regarded the clouds then, looking so puffy and majestic. How often do we look at the sky and consider the beauty of the clouds-a beauty that I don’t often think about. Creation is a powerful thing; the way our world has been crafted & formed, wow-powerful. When I think about the word “powerful”, I assume that something powerful must be bold and colourful, or something that draws you in because of its boldness. However, love really is one of the most powerful things on earth. I am getting married in November, and the love I have for my fiancee, Ben, is SO powerful! What a beautiful & powerful (what a GREAT word!!) thing to have in my life!!!
  3. What an interesting exercise simply paying attention to the noises around me has been. I was outside quite a bit this weekend, and when I was still, I heard the tweet of fluttering birds, the whizzing of cars, the quick bumps as my car tires veered slightly outside the yellow line…Today I hear the sound of Pearl, my white bird’s beak as it grinds her seeds, the sound of Leo, my golden doodle licking at his water bowl, the white noise of the kitchen fan…These are all happening in succession, and if I close my eyes-one moment please-they all occur at different volumes. Interesting.
  4. “Free time only works if you steal it.” Funny that I am asked to address this question because yesterday I had a conversation with my friend about time being a GIFT.  I have found that as I get older, life gets busier with more commitments, people I want to see, and things I want to do. Living in a culture that is-go, go, go, I find myself getting swept up in that mindset, thus, free time to do things that fill my soul gets moved to the back-burner. With so many things vying for my time/attention, I need to mindfully make free time a priority, if I want to be rested and recharged, doing things I love. There will always be something to do, and if you say yes to doing one thing, then you’re saying no to another thing. Perhaps there is a list of to-do’s for the day, however, I may need to take a break and have free time rest and do something I love, such as play music.
  5. I must say, I find Leslie Laskey a fascinating man. One thing that I noticed/admired from the beginning was wow, he is 90 years old & he is still making art. What a beautiful thing-to be able to carry on our skill and passion into our old age. I see that Leslie Laskey is very in tune with the “sounds” of his collages, which I never would have thought about before watching this video.