What we've been doing.

So it's been almost a month since I last posted.  Shame on me!

Overall, things have been pretty routine.  There's been one major issue that is affecting our schedules.  Dh's back suddenly wonked out on him, badly.  If that wasn't enough on its own, he had a sciatic attack on top of it.  He was on medical leave for a while, then hobbled back to work rather than extend the leave further.  Walking is one of the things that is recommended - one of the few things he can actually do - to help his back out, so he's been walking to work pretty much every morning.

Lately, Youngest has been getting up early to walk to work with him, then she walks home on her own after they part ways.  That last part bothered him quite a bit at first - she's still his baby, after all!  She's also 15 years old, for crying out loud, and I think she can navigate a straight path for 20 minutes! *L*  Okay, so yeah, the walk *does* involve navigating aggressive panhandlers along the way.  They tend to be out in greater force early in the morning.  I have more concerns about them than the prison up the block from our place.  About the only thing to worry about there is the sweet medicinal smoke wafting through the windows of the healing centre.  Sweetgrass, I think.  That's only in the evenings, though.  At least that we've noticed.

Eldest has a lot on her plate these days.  She's working hard to get the first few chapters of her web comic done before she goes live.  She also wants to get a few paintings done to replenish her inventory.  There has been some delay in all that, as we had a hot spell.  Working with pen, paper, ink, watercolour paints and markers does not go well when one has sweaty hands.  We moved the portable air conditioner upstairs, which made it livable up there, but that was about it.  It's cooled down a bit since, and she's finally getting a bit of work done.

One of the things she likes to do while working is listen to lectures from the Great Courses.  Here's a sampling of what she's been listening too.

The History of the English Language (in several parts - and Youngest has been listening to this one, too)
Consciousness and its Implications
Popes and the Papacy: a history
Skeptics and Believers: religious debate in the Western intellectual tradition

That's on top of the books and movies she's been taking out.  I really ought to bring back the library lists.  They have been remarkably eclectic!  We've been doing a monthy movie night with our co-op, so she's always on the lookout for some rare gem.

Youngest has spent the summer plowing her way through the library's mythology and manga collections.  She avoids Greek and Roman mythology in favour of Nordic and other Northwest European tales.  At the moment she has several different versions and translations of Beowulf, which Eldest is finding fascinating as well.  The use of language is quite refreshing to them, I think. Quite the contrast with the manga series she's been reading, like Fruits Basket, Ouran High School, Nausica (the books are better than the movie), Death Note, Rurouni Kenshin, and so on.

Youngest's guitar lessons have undergone a bit of a change up.  Her instructor has been having a hard time finding a balance between lessons and his job.  It's a long bus right and, buses being what they are, he would sometimes arrive late.  Not that we noticed much.  I always bring my crochet project bag and Youngest keeps a book of word searches in her purse, which she does while listening to music on headphones, so we don't even notice the time much.  Still, he was having problems, so he's reworked his schedule to have days just for teaching.  We're pretty flexible with our schedule, so when he asked if we were good to change days, we were okay with that (the alternative was to have the same day, but a couple of hours later).  So starting today, her lessons will now be on Mondays, and a bit later in the afternoon.

I'm glad she's interested enough to keep going for another year.  It's been quite different from her voice lessons.  She started those off very eagerly, but by the end of the year, she wanted to move on.  She's also interested in adding piano and has asked me to each her.  I can teach her to read music, but I'm trained in organ, not piano.  We do have a piano - a 200 yr old upright grand (they don't even make those anymore) and family heirloom - so the option is there.  I picked up a book for beginner piano that is aimed at adults that will be very useful.  Every now and then, after she practices her guitar, she'll head downstairs and work on the piano.  Unfortunately, the piano is like all flat surfaces in the household.  It doesn't take long before it's covered in stuff.  My fault for a lot of it, as I look at my committee binder, paperwork, file folders and other stuff scattered all over the bench and front of the piano.  :-(

This piano is a fascinating instrument.  Being an upright grand, it has a number of removable parts.  When the keyboard cover is lifted, there's a front panel that tilts open at the bottom, as usual.  The front half of the top is hinged, so you can open that up, which allows the front panel to be removed completely.  Then there's the panel under the keyboard, above the foot petals.  That can be removed, too.  Take those out, and the that grand piano sound is in its full force!  It's a beautiful instrument, too, with it's carved panels, trim and columns, in a deep, rich dark colour. It's an honour to have inherited it (it was supposed to go to the eldest of the family, but they didn't want it).  On the down side it's 1000 pounds and, on its own, cost about $1500 to have it brought out here.  The movers had a heck of a time getting it up the stairs.  When they were done, the owner told me that if we move, don't call them! *L*

So that's a bit of what we've been doing for the last while.

Pretty boring.

I'm good with that. ;-)