Beyond

I hope I never lose my sense of wonder. If that makes me naive, then so be it.

Tuesday 31 March 2009

and on it goes

Spring seems to be really here, with no March snowstorm to mess with the robins' puny brains and bury the first brave crocuses.

Of course, in so saying I have doomed Ottawa to a storm.

The fields are that browny-yellow that always looks as if they are thinking and planning the summer green but can't get the time to put it all together. Driving anything through the fields would leave ugly churned tracks, assuming that the vehicle itself didn't get stuck, so there they sit in their yellowed expectancy as the rain clouds glower overhead and rain swells the creek. March is, to my thinking, the ugliest month on the farm. May and June, with their fresh, lush green, are its apology.

The past few weeks have been busy ones as R & A finished their enrichment program projects, did their final tests, and presented their history projects for the school-level Historica fair. With R taking first place and A second, both are on their way to Ottawa's Regional Historica fair. While part of me would have been happy to pack the projects away and be done with that phase of the year's schooling had they not advanced, I was so proud of them for their presentations and all their hard work.

Meanwhile, the CD does continue on its slow way. Last Tuesday we got the bass tracks done for three of the songs. With drums, bass and piano, some of the songs finally sounded complete - especially 'Let it Go' with its slow jazz feel, not surprising as drums/bass/piano is a classic jazz trio. Tonight we're heading to the studio for more work on that. I feel kind of useless there, as I'm just sitting and listening, and pitching in the occasional comment and deciding what I like, but I know it's part of the process. The synergy we had going last week was great, with ideas getting thrown around, tried, altered, then changed more or laid down to be the Real Live Recording. In a way it's nice to just sit and listen, and enjoy the sounds. I know my days of more active work on it are coming.

Tuesday 10 March 2009

where am i again?

Wow, things are pretty dusty in here.

I've had a 5-week-ish hiatus from blogging, not for any amazing or earth-shattering reason other than that I really didn't feel like I had much to write about. How very dull. Not even feeling particularly witty.

So to summarize since last time (warning: it won't be too exciting):
- spring is teasing us again, with a warm sunny weekend followed by freezing rain
- the chickens came outside and seemed shocked that the grass had really, truly been there all along under that awful white stuff
- I still miss Tash. Every time I look down the creek I think of her.
- the older girls completed two big research projects, one on a French-Canadian explorer and one on a chemist. The quote of that session was from A, who learned about atomic researcher Niels Bohr: "Daddy, what's quantum mechanics?"
- I got a new vacuum cleaner (see the above disclaimer on excitement, or lack thereof), since the old one had broken beyond repair and while I can sweep, there's just carpets you can't do. I pondered wrapping the dog in saran wrap or duct tape, but he doesn't stay still long enough.
- the girls are involved in a kids' choir and still enjoying riding lessons on days when it's not too cold. They'll be in a short March Break camp next week for riding.
- D and M shared one of those moments last week, the time when a father passes his knowledge on to his progeny and one sees how the wisdom of one generation is taken up by the next. He showed her how to use a spreadsheet. M was delighted.
- a group of youth from our church will be heading to North Carolina in June for World Changers - like R did last summer, a week of hard work helping people in a community who lack the money to fix up their homes. R is very keen and excited to go, and will mark her 13th birthday while away. I'm proud of her but of course the mommy in me is "but ... but ... my little girl's going to be away?"
- I rewatched Becoming Jane and was amazed at the liberties they took with the plot. Good movie, yes, some great lines and wonderful moments - but so much fabrication! I'm not sure Jane would have approved.
- oh yes, the recording. I knew that was in there somewhere. I got the drum tracks back, all mixed by Tim, and after having not listened to the songs in a while, I fell in love with them all over again. Uberdrummer did an amazing job, and while some songs weren't what I had had in my mind, when I heard them with drums the drums just made sense. Next is bass and guitars, and we spent an evening with Uberguitarist hearing some things he'd come up with. WOW WOW WOW! I was smiling the whole time I listened. Next stop is the studio for him.

So, nothing monumental, just life - and life is good.