Fiddle Recital

Madeline, Sarah Brewer, Clara Fletcher, Seth Brewer, and Ella

Madeline and Ella's violin teacher arranges a recital every year with a different focus.  This year, the theme was fiddle music.  Mrs. Spencer arranged to have adult guitar players, bass players, and fiddle players who accompanied the kids.  Madeline and Ella's age learned Old McDonald, Bile them Cabbage Down, and Camptown Races, as well as part of Orange Blossom Special.   They ended up playing with some friends they've been playing with for the past three years, so there was a familiarity with the group.  The kids were all coordinated with clothes, handkerchiefs, etc, and the music was fantastic.  The older kids played beautiful pieces.  The recital took place in a retirement center, so there were some older folks who really enjoyed having the children play.

Ella and Madeline get ready for the recital.

Madeline went to a fiddle camp last summer and learned some Irish and Swedish fiddle music, dances and songs.   Her teacher invited her to play one of the songs she learned.  Madeline courageously agreed to play an Irish fiddle song that she really enjoyed, "Brosna Slide".  She had a Bass player and Guitar player accompanying her.  She did a wonderful job.  I was proud of her for have the courage to play, but most of all I was proud of her when she forgot where she was during the piece that she kept on playing.  She felt bad afterwards for her mistake, somehow thinking she was the only one who made a mistake, and she almost let that overshadow the number of people who came up to her and me and told her what a wonderful job she did.  She was by far the youngest child to do a solo there, and people wanted to let her know they were impressed with her hard work.

Madeline plays her solo, "Brosna Slide"

The cookies and punch afterwards helped her lay to rest, at least temporarily,

 her disappointment.  I hope she learned that mistakes are inevitable, but continuing to start over again and do your best is what really matters.  It takes confidence to be able to do something with the knowledge that you might make some visible mistakes along the way.  Life is such as this.  

Minnesota Boys

We finally have some ground cover worthy to be called a Minnesota winter.  Previously, the lack of snow was masking the arctic climate we live in.  Since it's the beginning of March, the cold single digits have disappeared and it's practically balmy weather for sledding.  Any warmer and the snow would be melting.  Max and Sam have asked every day this week to go play outside.  They are mostly able to get everything on by themselves, though they like me to remind them whether to put boots on first or snow pants:)  They each take a small sled and they sled in our backyard for an hour before they come traipsing in with cold, red cheeks.

Max and Sam ready to go outside

Yesterday, Madeline and Ella had a snow day.  My tennis babysitter reminded me it might be their last ever snow day, so we tried to enjoy it.  I snowplowed while the kids built small forts on the side of the driveway.  They love to duck behind the forts when the plume of snow blows at them when I push the snowblower past.  I am amazed at the luxury of lying in snow and partaking of the landscape of the endless cloudy blue sky.  Evidently the kids are as well, because in addition to making snow angels, I saw them multiple times plop down in the snow and lie there as if on a bed.  I did shake my head at Sam who both plopped down on his back and on his stomach.  He came up with a face full of snow.

Max eating his snow cone

After playing in the snow, we made snow cones, gathering clean snow and slathering it with sugar syrup.  I think when we were kids we used an Equal and Vanilla concoction to make our snow cones.  They tasted delicious to us, and the kids were enchanted as well.

Sam with a mouthful of snowcone

I am amazed that it is March, which means we've made it through the darkest, coldest days of winter, and spring is around the corner.  I like this time of year, because there is no work to be done outside, it still gets dark around 6:00pm, and I can read a book at night and not think I should be working outside or enjoying the weather.