let there be music

One of my beautiful students with post-recital glee and relief!

Sweet note from a flute student~thinking that it must have taken her a very long time to alternate inks like that.

A gift of some gorgeous diva-worthy stationery with jeweled notes!

 

Then it was jaunting off downtown to the famed little Cactus Cafe to hear a hysterical & poignant British singer.  Nice way to wrap up this long month of performances.  Here's to a new calendar page!

what can be said that hasn't already been said?

Have been mulling over what to say about this iconic and courageous woman that hasn't already been said.  At the end of the day~am simply going to quote Oprah and say that this sentence is a legacy we all could aspire to:

"She moved through the world with unshakable calm, confidence and a fierce grace."

 

As I am in the process of moving and job-hunting, this pondering of one's legacy is apropos.  And with these lofty thoughts~am off to the final three student recitals of the season.  You may find me on the floor come Sunday!

out

Always nice to find coinage.

The deers are suddenly out/about with this warm weather.

 Gorgeous catci blossoms.

 The summery clouds are back.

As is the kitty cocaine.

harbinger

The warmth of sun has returned to the land and everything green in the county has grown two feet overnight it seems.

we're a little dampish

Wild winds and a deluge of water has been the trendy weather behavior this week.

night river

Love the warm almost-summer nights we're having~perfect for strolling along with an ice cream.

San Fernando Cathedral~the oldest functioning church in Texas.  And the repository for both Davy Crockett and, supposedly, Daniel Boone.

Beautiful art deco building.

The angry penguin a/c control.

memoried

The Knot of Friendship~or some such ridiculous title for this large sculpture representing the  connection between Texas and Mexico.

The top of the post office in San Antonio.

 It was a reflective and fairly quiet crowd at the Alamo on Memorial Day.

The library~my favorite building on the grounds.

bliss

The eyes & ears were delighted by a chamber concert done on mainly baroque-era instruments.

And then the eyes and taste buds were charmed by smoked mushrooms and crispy Brussel sprouts over thin tender noodles at Las Canarias.

All topped off with a long & lazy stroll around the city center.

re-fresh

Kicked off the holiday weekend with freshly tart lemonade sipped through a paper straw.  What could be better?

because nothing screams 'summer' like a watermelon cookie

Really have no words for this current display at Target. 

Happy long weekend all y'all~may your swimming be lovely and your bbq crisp.

stumbling & unfolding

Love when a book/author falls into my day and the words resonate within.  I recently started reading books by Dani Shapiro and am re-reading them as soon as I finish.  Here are a couple of sections from her Still Writing that rang true for my current life.

"It is my hope that~whether you're a writer or not~this book will help you to discover or rediscover the qualities necessary for a creative life.  We are all unsure of ourselves.  Every one of us walking the planet wonders, secretly, if we are getting it wrong.  We stumble along.  We love and we lose.  At times, we find unexpected strength, and at other times, we succumb to our fears.  We are impatient.  We want to know what's around the corner, and the writing life won't offer us this.  It forces us into the here and now.  There is only this moment, when we put pen to page."

"If we are artists~hell, whether or not we're artists~it is our job, our responsibility, perhaps even our sacred calling, to take whatever life has handed us and make something new, something that wouldn't have existed if not for the fire, the genetic mutation, the sick baby, the accident.  To hurl ourselves in an act of faith so complete that our fears, insecurities, hopelessness, and despair blur along the edges of our vision.  We stop for nothing.  It doesn't matter that no one has ever done it before~become a blues guitarist with two working fingers, been a dwarf in a show-jumping competition, turned North Carolina into Florida.  It is in the leap of faith that the future unfolds, surprising us with what can be done."

signs

 I find this amusing as there is a huge Indian population in this region due to Dell employment.

Even a pickle can have a grumpy day once in awhile.

Southwest Voices

Bright little blooms on yesterday's hike.

Attended a gorgeous choral program featuring all living composers from this region.  Good singing and excellent poetry.  A very nice way to recuperate from the three student recitals previously this weekend!

something like that

sigh, so it begins

Am in serious need of winning some kind of lottery so I don't have to move again.  At least for a few years.

And I ought to go into the packing business with the experience I have!

new digs

Hooray for the morning sun that will hit my windows~in a land of heat, you quickly learn to appreciate the eastern exposure.

 Part of the inner courtyard.

Steps to the laundry room and post boxes.

The itty-bitty pool.

Celebratory tomato and peppadew pie.

Sigh.  Now for the dance of the cardboard boxes.

best day of springs

No pressure, but I told it it had to ripen before I move and have to give away my plants.

oooh shiny! oooh new!

Walked into work today to find a brand new piano.  So new, I got to unpeel the plastic from the pedals~and this time, it is in my very own studio!  What a joy to play/listen to this three days per week.