Twirls 'n Curls

Like many of you, we've had plenty of time lately with our furry (and not-so-furry) friends at home, and they've been teaching us a lot. Augie is our good-natured Golden Doodle who is about ten, and Ginger is Amaya's four-month old bearded dragon. (We still technically have a 5th grade class fish named Pancake too, but she's not quite as much fun as the others.) They have definitely helped fill these long summer days, and they both seem to enjoy the extra attention they're receiving... most of the time, anyway. Here are few lessons we've picked up from them along the way, about doing life together at home:  1. Respect each other's boundaries. People often ask me how we've survived the pandemic cooped up with a fairly large family. My motto: "Give 'em grace, and give 'em space!"  2. Go where the fun is. If you're lonely and someone else looks like they're having fun, just join in! (Keeping in mind of course, Rule #1) Boredom ha

On one of the first days they canceled school due to the coronavirus pandemic, our youngest, Natalie (10), was practicing her cello when she stopped and ran over to me. "Guess what, Mom?" she asked. "I was practicing another song and the first few notes sounded kinda like 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow.' So I kept listening to the notes and tried to figure out the rest of the line playing by ear... and I did! Listen!" Then she carefully played a melody that would have made Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz proud . That conversation got me thinking: Learning to play by ear... one note at a time... without the benefit of instructions [aka sheet music]... isn't that what we're all trying to do right now? ( Note : Playing by ear in the music world r efers to  playing  compositions without the benefit of sheet music. Instead, the musician would simply use his/her  ear  to feel out the composition and follow the musical progressions.*) Maybe it's tryin