Singing in Spring

This is our crazy busy time.  My singing group, the Treble Clef Singers, are busy singing, just about every day.  Last week, this week and next we will be making joyful sounds.  We sing to convalescent homes, assisted living centers and sometimes we sing at community events.  We give the money we make (yes we get paid!) to a doctor who does cleft palate surgeries in developing countries.  Its a pretty good cause and singing with this group is so much fun.  I never thought my average voice would ever find a place in an actual singing group but here I am.  Maybe they take me because I bring Layne along with me.  His bass voice sounds pretty fine when he sings the various solos that our leader assigns him.  He's not into solos he keeps saying.  But I guess he is now.

Here he is, crooning and charming all who hear him.  The men in our audiences especially seem to like him; maybe they tire of so many women!  One of the ladies who heard him asked if he was married.  "If you weren't married, I'd go after you," she said with a wry smile.

For this concert series I talked the ladies into using hats as part of our choreography.  There was some resistance to the suggestion.  Hats are not good for hairdos you know.  Personally that's why I don't like them.  But I could see how cute it would be to use them so I put forth the inspiration I had.  Since they put me in charge of choreography, they have to put up with my ideas.  Once they got used to using the hats as I directed, they changed their minds and decided to like the idea!

Since singing, and especially since getting a new piano, I think I'm beginning to figure out music a lot better.  I wish I had taken lessons when I was young since, being old now, I can see how much work it is really going to be to be musically capable in any significant way.  But I'm going to continue my small effort, at least to learn a little more than I do now.  Here's a picture of Layne and me just before one of our performances.  

On a different note, the whistle pigs which fill our empty fields are also filling our lawn this spring.  Our neighbor, Jim, says the cold winter gave them more time in their holes to reproduce.  Maybe so because they are everywhere.  Our cat, Cherry, has caught a couple but must be on the job a whole lot more than she has been to make a dent.  There are times when she and her chubby sister just sit and watch them play and dig into the lawn.  But here you can see her on the prowl.  The whistle pigs are hidden in the wood pile, as she knows very well.

I know I probably bring pornography up way too much, but our porn assignment is picking up!  We are speaking at a stake conference tonight and again tomorrow.  And then again next week. Wow.  After feeling a little let down that we haven't been reaching our members, things are starting to move.  At least that is how it feels right now. These things seem to come in bunches.  Who knew that the day would ever come when we would specialize in the problem of pornography.  Every stage of life has its surprises.  

Easter

I've been feeling a little discouraged about our addiction calling.  We just aren't making much progress in getting the word out to our members, which is the most important part of the job, in my opinion.  But this month has brought something of a change in that area.  Our Stake President has called an "addiction committee" to discuss what to do about addiction, especially pornography addiction, in our stake.  We are on the committee.  I'm excited about that!  To add to that, we are speaking at another stake's conference on pornography.  Later in the month we travel to California to present yet another talk in Rayne's singles ward.

Speaking of Rayne, she is engaged!  It sounds like her man of choice is a good one.  Other good news; Chase got a job, after looking for 9 months.  He and his little family will be moving to Provo to begin working for Visa next month.  Such blessings!

I don't like holidays away from family.  So I was excited when Audrey told me that she and Dorothy were coming on Easter weekend, with Scott and Allegra, on their way to Rexburg and BYUI.  I had visions of a bit of family for Easter.  But they decided to rush their trip so that they could drive back to their homes for Easter.  Well, that is the decent thing to do when you have family at home.  That is the thing when your children have families.  They are the first priority.  Which is only right.  But I still miss them.

Here is our visiting family:  Allegra, (Layne), Audrey, Dorothy, Scott.

They arrived for a quick visit Thursday afternoon.  They drove through lots of snow, especially over the Sierras.  The shocker was that the snow accompanied them all the way to Star!  Yes, it snowed here!  All over our daffodils and tulips.  And all over the tree blossoms.  For awhile it was winter again.  In fact, their whole visit was accompanied by storms.  It was snowing as they left Friday morning and only cleared up when they were well down the road to Rexburg.  The storms seemed to covet their company!  But I'm happy to say that they traveled to Rexburg and on back to California with no weather issues.  I'm imaging that they are finishing up a lovely Easter.

Snow on the daffodils!

The kids depart in a spring snowstorm!  By afternoon it was all gone.  You can see their red van in the center of the picture.

With no family at hand, we invited our friends, Carol and Larry Wintersteen over for Easter dinner.  We combined dishes and had a wonderful Easter feast.  This year, throughout the weekend, I marked Christ's activities as they occurred 2000+ years ago.  It was a sweet way to honor Him as I imagined Gethsemane, His trial and crucifixion on Friday; His burial and visit to the Spirit World on Saturday and His resurrection on Sunday.  That, combined with an inspired Church service, brought the meaning of Easter closer to my heart.

Here's Carol, with a delicious cake she contributed to our Easter feast.

Larry and Layne bonding after dinner.

 

And...spring is back, with all the snow gone and sunshine again at work bringing out the hidden life outside.  Good times!

Looks Like Spring

We have had a nice normal week.  No big events but I still feel busy and unenthused about doing anything.  It seems to be an extended cycle.  I suppose if I pushed myself a little, I'd come out of it.  But, so far, I haven't pushed myself to push myself.  So there.

The drama of nature is picking up outside.  Darkness doesn't come until 8 PM now.  It's so nice to have more light!  The yard is exploding with life.  It is amazing to see what appears to be dead coming back to life.  Sort of like the Lord's resurrection, don't you think?  Walking among the emerging life fills the soul with happiness.  It can't be helped.

Daffodils are the first sign of life and our yard is exploding with them.

The trees are full of blossoms. 

Here are our future apricots!

I've been practicing songs for our singing group and using my small keyboard to find some of the notes.  I can do that now...I'm so proud!  Anyhow, Layne offered to buy me a better keyboard.  We went looking and he bought me an electric piano.  So exciting!  I am having such fun playing it.  Or trying to.  I have a book of piano lessons and am trying to get though it.  But I'm having trouble making my fingers play scales using flat keys and minor chords.  I hope my brain can eventually wrap itself around it.  I'll keep trying.

It looks like the owners of our open spaces are going to begin building.  Oh how some of our neighbors are howling!  With promises that the land in our actual Hillsdale Development will not be developed, but only the land beyond us, I see little to complain about.  It'll be interesting to see how the dust settles on this.

After a weekend of General Conference, we are feeling pretty relaxed and inspired.  Conference weekend is one of the joys of the year.  I came out of it with some new goals in mind.  Now if I can just rally myself to actually do them!