The Mysterious Mist and Mutant Carrots

    A Tripod Carrot. We got the little mutant from the farmers market.
              Where did the lot go?
      The stack of Eucalyptus trees hidden in the super thick fog
                         The real Gorilla in the Mist

I will admit I am getting soft after living in Hawaii for six years. But living in the Pacific North Wet we gardened in the rain. We exercised in the rain. We played frisbee with the dog in the rain. We walked to classes in the rain. We trick or treated in the rain. And we never seemed to notice it or complain. So our neighbors think we are nuts when Alex and I do those exact same things on rainy Hawaii days. And when I say I'm getting soft, I DO sometimes find myself feeling cold when it's anything below 70. I complain when it's cloudy. When it is incredibly rainy I think "School has GOT to be cancelled today right?! Nobody can teach in weather like this!" 

In this blog entry you will hear my notorious monkey call. I haven't made that sound in about 5 years so it's a little rusty. I prefer to make this silly noise in the privacy of my own house and not in public where neighbors and children can hear and  become confused or scared. Although, the last time I publicly made my chimpanzee noise we were all in the underground parking garage of the movie theatre after seeing Planet of the Apes. I made my chimp sound and it echoed throughout the parking lot so all the other people who had just seen the Ape movie could hear. Alex was a little embarrassed at first, but then admitted "Wow, that was actually pretty perfect!" 

And finally, I wanted to tell a little story for my Grandpa John, who loves my blog. I was asked to be a guest speaker on Thursday for the rotary club. It was held at a nice restaurant in town, so I also played my violin while people ate. Then I stood behind the podium and talked about my teaching philosophy and what music education has meant to me. Normally I find public speaking to be very painful for me. But I felt very comfortable and confident talking about music education. Alex was there (as a member of the rotary) and said I did a great job. I thought of my grandpa John and my grandpa Pop Pop the whole time because I know how much they both love the rotary and would be so proud of me!