Two more books by Joan Uda — plus two others

At the Water's Edge: God's Grace in Everyday Life ~ by Joan Uda, 2012, devotional essays

An inspirational book of short essays with a gentle tone.  It probes deeply into life's important matters, celebrates life through telling real-life stories and hopes to bring readers more in touch with the all-loving force in the universe that the author calls God.  It has broad appeal to religious and spiritual people, providing only the author's own answers to life's great questions while assisting readers to consider their own answers.  Written with simple and compelling honesty, it is easy to read and can provide a basis for personal meditation, group study, and even sermons.

At the Water's Edge: God's Grace in Everyday Life II ~ by Joan Uda, 2012, devotional essays

This is Vol. 2 of At the Water's Edge: God's Grace in Everyday Life, in which Joan Uda offers a new collection of simply-written stories showing how God moves in her life and the lives of people she knows.  Joan's goal is to show how exploring one's own experiences opens the heart to receive God's grace ever more abundantly.  She writes of love-based faith and overcoming fears by learning to trust in God.

I added both of these books to my Kindle last week and have started reading the first one already.

Two more books arrived

I got two copies of this book for Gail and Debbie, who want me to teach them to play the piano. The books were on the delivery table when I went down last night to get my mail and see if any deliveries had arrived.  These came in separate packages, one from Lexington, Kentucky, and one from North Las Vegas, Nevada.  One was supposed to arrive today and one tomorrow, but both showed up today.

I had talked to my friend Ginny, a music teacher, because I was not happy with the book the two had gotten, as I mentioned early last week.  So we'll use these instead.  I'm a lot happier with this version, which does teach the left hand to play the bass clef, as opposed to chords only for the left hand.

Belwin Complete Adult Keyboard Course ~ by Sandy Feldstein, 1991, 1996

A practical, enjoyable approach to learning to play all keyboard instruments.  This exceptional beginning method has sound teaching philosophies, music of all styles, strong visual reinforcements and modern technology components.  Well-suited for either class or individual instruction, the method includes familiar folk songs, well-known classical themes and popular favorites.  It includes theory workbook pages and writing assignments that reinforce student lessons.

Friendship, an owl, piano lessons, and kayaking

National Women's Friendship Day has been observed the third Sunday in September since 1999.  So today, as the name suggests, is our day to express gratitude for all our women friends.  Let's share some names (it's okay to share only first names).  Who is your best friend?  Or which woman has been your friend the longest — and still is?  Ginny is the one I thought of first.  I met Ginny in August 1955, when I started high school by attending marching band practice at City High School (CHS).  Officially, CHS means Chattanooga High School.  Ginny was a year ahead of me in school, and we are only the same age from April until August, when she gains a year.  She has visited me here in St. Louis, and I've visited her in Tallahassee.  Let's see, 1955 to 2021 is ... wow! ... 66 years that we've been friends!  Love ya, Ginny!

A gorgeous owl ~ Someone shared this photo of an owl on NextDoor, our neighborhood group.  Those who chimed in seem to agree that it's a barred owl, after arguing that it is not a barn owl (which is smaller) or a great horned owl (which is larger and "has feather tufts on its head — the so-called horns").  Anyway, I think this is a beautiful picture of an owl, whatever kind it is.

Learn to Play Piano in Six Weeks or Less ~ by Dan Delaney and Bill Chotkowski, 2009, self-help, 111 pages.  

I've made the photo small because I'm not happy with this book.  It is not really a beginner's book, but a fake book.  Do you know what that is?

fake book /fāk bo͝ok/ noun = a book of music containing the basic chord sequences of jazz or other tunes.

The first sentence in the Introduction even admits that it's a fake book:

"Throw away your bass clef and give your left hand a break — melodies in the right hand, chords and rhythms in the left hand."

This looks like a beginner's book, and in one sense it is.  But the women who bought it so I can teach them how to play the piano will be learning only half of what I expected to teach them.  It's something.  It's a beginning of sorts, but I feel like I'll have to either come up with a way to teach them how to play with the left hand or get us "real" piano books that teach fingering for the bass clef.

My daughters have taken up kayaking.

No, I wasn't out on the water with them. 

One of them took this photo of the other.

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz hosts The 

Sunday Salon.  Bloggers gather in the 

Sunday Salon — at separate computers 

in different time zones — to talk about 

our lives, our books, and our reading.

Why am I feeling joyful these June days?

Joyful June Calendar says:  "June 4 ~ Take a photo of something that brings you joy, and share it."  So I took this picture to share today.  I want you to enjoy the splash of color of these beautiful flowers outside my building, too.

We gathered to acknowledge our losses.  Fifteen of our neighbors died between March 2020 and May 2021, one of whom was my friend Sheila.  We met outside, wearing our masks and socially distanced from each other, but we gathered!  That's me in the center of the "crowd" photo.

The group of friends was permitted to play Bananagrams again on Saturday evening as they did weekly before the lockdown last year.  Donna, Sandy, Miriam, and Gail played on a table outside, since it's warm now.

Floyd scrubbed the patio this week.  I hope that means our Circle@Crown Café will open back up before too long.  A lot of us miss being able to socialize with friends in the Café.

Deb at Readerbuzz hosts Sunday Salon, a place for us to link up and share what we have been doing during the week.

Clawdia on Caturday

Last night, when I took Clawdia on a walk to the other end of our hall and back, she stopped at this door.  She knows where her friends live.

• She nearly always leans her head down to sniff or listen under Sharon's door to determine whether she's home or not.
• She always enjoyed getting invited into Gail's apartment to look around and explore while Gail and I talked.
• And she used to insist that I knock on Tiny's door, until she finally figured out that Tiny no longer lives in the apartment just a few steps from our own door.

I sent this photo, saying, "Clawdia misses visiting you."  Unfortunately, her caregiver is allergic to cats, so we probably couldn't go inside her apartment to visit, even if we didn't have this pandemic lockdown with social distancing.

Another friend named Sharon emailed me a musical Christmas card of cats on a player piano.  I love the lively tune and the antics of the cats.

Embracing my inner sloth

 

This sloth sentiment is dedicated to Donna, Miriam, Gail, Sandy M, and Marie.  These friends played Bananagrams together and soon discovered an "ai" is a three-toed sloth.  Knowing it's a legitimate word is valuable when playing their game, so they adopted a sloth as their spirit animal.  I hope this shirt will encourage my friends to embrace their inner sloth in what's left of 2020, since they can no longer get together every weekend in the Circle@Crown Café.

This design is perfect for this season.  There's a Christmas tree on the left for my Christian friends which is also an eight-branched menorah for Hanukkah for my Jewish friends when turned around.

This poster from Cool People Care is like a to-do list of ways we can make the world a better place for all of us.  My motto has long been Embrace Kindness and Practice Compassion, both right there in the middle.  And I talk to strangers.  One of my friends said I can make a new friend during an elevator ride.  I can't do that in 2020, though.  Since it's impossible to socially distance in an elevator, we have been told to ride our elevators at the Crown Center one person at a time, except for those who are family or have caregivers.  We all need to stand up for justice and offer hope to those around us during this life-altering time of COVID-19.

New normal ~ going on a bear hunt

People in my neighborhood have been taking their children on bear hunts.  The idea came from a children's book (below).  I found the author of the book acting and singing his way through the story on YouTube.  What fun!  I have found several different YouTube videos of it, or you can get a copy of the book.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt ~ by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, 1989, children's, 10/10

"We're going on a bear hunt.  We're going to catch a big one.  Will you come too?"  For years, readers have been swishy swashing and splash sploshing through this award-winning favorite, as a brave family romps through sweeping land-scapes.  The version shown here features pop-ups, flaps to lift, tabs to pull, and sound effects.

Now I want you to imagine going on a "bear hunt" where what we are hunting for is all the encouraging things people are posting for how we can use our "stay at home" time.  That's OUR bear hunt for today.  One "bear" I found:  Parkway United Church of Christ posted this poem on their website today.  Thanks, Parkway UCC.

Don’t Quit

by John Greenleaf Whittier

Contributed by Ellie Svenson

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is strange with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns
And many a failure comes about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow—
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out—
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell just how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So, stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit—
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

I had to memorize this poem when I was a child in school, so reading it put a smile on my face and put my memories in overdrive.  Here's another "bear" I found on my hunt for encouragement, a book whose title is perfect for our time:

Finding a New Normal: Living Your Best Life with Chronic Illness ~ by Suzan L. Jackson, 2020, health

Based on Sue’s almost 20 years living with chronic illnesses in her own family, writing her blog, writing articles on chronic illness, and leading multiple support groups, she provides support and practical advice you can use.  Whether you are in the early days of living with chronic illness or have been at it for years (or decades), there are always challenges in living a life framed by limitations and restrictions, where isolation is a common issue.

This guide provides inspiration, advice on emotional coping, and guidance on living your best life with chronic illness from someone who’s been there.  Though it seems impossible at first, your life will eventually settle into a new normal, and while that life may be different than the one you had planned, it can still be a vibrant, fulfilling life based on strong relationships, a healthy emotional state, and finding joy in every day.  The emphasis in this book is on LIVING your life, not just enduring it.

We are all "coping with isolation, anxiety, grief, living a separate life, and looking for small joys each day," Sue Jackson wrote on her blog, telling us her book is now out in paperback, as well as in an ebook.  Don't you love it that she emphasizes LIVING, not just enduring?  Some of her chapter titles sound perfect for our "new normal" in the time of coronavirus:

• One Day at a Time
• Finding Joy in Every Day
• A Plan B Day
• The Restorative Power of Nature
• What Makes You Forget?
• Reading Expands Your World
• The Importance of Play
• The Wide World of Online Learning

Thanks, Sue.  We can use these suggestions NOW, to alleviate boredom and frustration when we'd rather be out and about.

Okay, let's keep "bear" hunting.  I have one more inspiration for now.

Rather than sitting around in a funk, we'd be better off doing some exercises.  Donna Rae Jones is working on a way to help us do just that.  I'll let you know when she'll be leading us live in the mindful movements of yoga.  She's sent me a connection so I can practice getting connected tomorrow.  In the meantime, check out her website.

Our new normal is checking on each other:  yesterday and today, I've checked-in by phoning, emailing, texting, and Facebook with Donna, Donna Rae Jones, Dora, Mary, Sandy, Susan, Tiny, Rosie, Gail, some of my family members, and maybe others that don't come to mind right now.  Have you checked on your neighbors?  Your friends?  Your elderly family members?

And last, but not least, the little black "bear" at my house.  Clawdia is doing her daily hibernation thing near me, as you can see in this photo.

Coloring pages ~ about women

As I posted yesterday, March is Women's History Month.  Today, I changed the bulletin board by the elevators on my floor to reflect this (using the image above).  I also gave my friends and neighbors a challenge:

"Color a page, and share it here."

Click to enlarge image

See those words under the image?  I hung the coloring pages I shared in yesterday's post.  Folks can choose any of the five (as of right now).  At top left is the image of Rosie the Riveter that I talked my friend Donna into coloring yesterday.  Gail, who lives on my floor, took a copy of the Jane Goodall picture.  Which one would YOU color?

By the way, Rosalind P. Walter, the original inspiration for "Rosie the Riveter," died Wednesday at the age of 95.  According to NBC News, when the United States was in the midst of World War II in the 1940s, 19-year-old "Roz" wanted to join in the war effort and became a welder at the Sikorsky aircraft plant, a job usually reserved for men.

Monday Music ~ with Gail and Emily and Dora

Emily playing "our" piano

Friday
Gail asked me if I could read music.  I took piano lessons at the age of five and played bassoon in the Chattanooga Youth Symphony as well as my school's concert band and orchestra.  Gail wants me to teach her to play the piano.  I'm willing.  When I suggested a book for beginners, Gail was able to find a copy at the Barnes and Noble near us, and her daughter will pick it up.  Crown Center has two pianos we can use.  I gave my piano to Emily when I moved to St. Louis, since I was afraid playing would disturb my neighbors in an apartment building.  The first year I was here, I'd go down and practice on the piano in the Weinberg Lounge after 9:00 pm, when events are over and I wouldn't bother anyone.  Robert, evening support staff at that time, would leave the door open so he could hear me play while he was at the link desk.

Me playing my piano in 2010

Saturday
I heard Dora playing the piano near the fitness center in the Tallin building and went to listen.  She's one of our Russian residents, who told me months ago that she studied piano at the Conservatory.  We talked, even though she claims her English isn't good (it is), and she wanted to hear me play.  I didn't keep up my late night practicing downstairs, so my fingers have forgotten the melodies I once knew.  I stumbled around on the keyboard, playing for Dora without music, as I tried to remember pieces I'd memorized decades ago.  My music sits idle on a bookshelf.  I miss playing.  I need to save up to buy an electronic keyboard, so I can wear earphones and play without disturbing my neighbors.

Mine looks a lot like this one

Sunday
I got down my cedar flute to play "Whippoorwill" by R. Carlos Nakai, the one song I've memorized for wooden flute.  Here's the composer playing it on YouTube.  I know only the slow part that he plays at the beginning (0:55 to 2:05), which is all that's on page 63 of The Art of the Native American Flute by R. Carlos Nakai, 1996.

Monday
Apparently music is in my bones, and I need to let it out.  I've got to get a keyboard soon!  In the meantime, I could pull out that book of music and play my cedar flute.  (And go downstairs to practice the piano.)

*** Another variation of Carlos Nakai playing "Whippoorwill," which was posted on YouTube in 2018.  I think I like it better.  Here's a third YouTube version from 2015, and a livelier 2018 YouTube version.

Clawdia's excursion

Clawdia screamed all the way down the elevator that she was being kidnapped, but she relaxed into Tiny's lap at the jigsaw table in the lobby and soaked up the love as Tiny crooned to her.  Tiny, who used to live one door away on our floor, is one of Clawdia's favorite friends.

After visiting with Tiny and Dodi and Sheila and Gail and Barbara in the lobby, we went out back near the gazebo, where Clawdia enjoyed nibbling the grass (photo at right), scratching her back on the rough concrete of the sidewalk, and exploring various nooks and crannies.

Then she marched herself across the grass toward Donna's building, with a few detours to look at this and that or sit for a moment to ponder her surroundings.  When the grass and winding walkways ended, Clawdia jumped up onto Donna's windowsill and surveyed the world around her (photographic evidence at the top).

We stayed outside until mosquitoes swarmed around Clawdia and she had her mouth open panting in the heat.  (Temperatures reached the 90s in St. Louis today.)  When we got home, she went straight to her food and water while I scrubbed my mosquito bites with alcohol.  After all that, Clawdia decided a cat nap was in order, so she curled up and slept near my feet as I stretched out on top of the bed to read.

Chanukah Dinner ~ an update

Here's a photo of the two friends (Gail and Sandy) sitting across the table from me at the Chanukah Dinner last night. The dining room was indeed packed, and the six of us at my table were delighted with all of it, from the latkes with applesauce before the main meal to the not-so-miniature jelly donuts at the end.  Thanks, Crown Center!

Sunday Salon ~ friends, family, and books

FRIENDS

This is "my" usual table when I eat dinner here at the Crown Center.  I wasn't there when they celebrated Cardinals Night.  Left to right are Gail, Susan, Sheila, Mickey, Adeline, and Donna.

FAMILY

My youngest grandchild graduated from high school yesterday.  Congratulations, Cady!  She'll be starting university life in the fall.

BOOKS

The library loot I wrote about last week hasn't been as difficult to get through as I had expected.  I've already completed three of the seven books...

• Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer ~ by Barbara Ehrenreich, 2018, sociology, 9/10
• The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale ~ by Carmen Agra Deedy, illustrated by Randall Wright, 2011, children's chapter book, 7/10
• Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor ~ by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Raul Colon, 2016, children's picture book, 8/10

...and have gotten well into a fourth library book.

• Counting by 7s ~ by Holly Goldberg Sloan, 2013, YA fiction

These are quotes I want to remember from Ehrenreich's book, Natural Causes:

"Once I realized I was old enough to die, I decided that I was also old enough not to incur any more suffering, annoyance, or boredom in the pursuit of a longer life. ... As for medical care: I will seek help for an urgent problem, but I am no longer interested in looking for problems that remain undetectable to me. Ideally, the determination of when one is old enough to die should be a personal decision, based on a judgment of the likely benefits, if any, of medical care and — just as important at a certain age — how we choose to spend the time that remains to us" (p. 3).

"Not only do I reject the torment of a medicalized death, but I refuse to accept a medicalized life, and my determination only deepens with age. As the time that remains to me shrinks, each month and day becomes too precious to spend in windowless waiting rooms and under the cold scrutiny of machines. Being old enough to die is an achievement, not a defeat, and the freedom it brings is worth celebrating" (pp. 12-13).

Quoting physician John M. Mandrola: "The default should be: I am well. The way to stay that way is to keep making good choices — not to have my doctor look for problems" (p. 9).

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