What was that?

Yesterday morning the Trinity choir presented its special Christmas music.  In the middle of the second piece I heard a loud bang from inside the piano, and the damper pedal stopped working, leaving the dampers off the strings.  What a weird thing!  We finished the song, but a few minutes later we were able to look inside the piano.  I hoped the rod that connects the pedal to the damper bar had come loose and we could just put it back in place, but no such luck.  I played the final piece on the organ, which scared me a bit since I hadn't practiced it that way.  After the service we looked more closely but could find no loose connections.  So we have a call in to the tuner/technician, hoping he can fit us in this week without it costing too much.  Julie and I had planned a couple of flute/piano duets for the Christmas Eve service, but I will choose alternate pieces just in case we can't use the piano.

Play-Doh

For her birthday es received the Play-Doh Toolin' Around Playset, which includes molds, scissors and a pocket knife.  Before you start to worry, these last two items are totally safe for a toddler.  I don't think the scissors will cut anything other than the soft clay.  And the various "blades" on the knife are also just for the play-doh; the can opener tip is perfect for opening the tin of play-doh.  Two of the molds are like cookie presses; you fill a tube with the clay, then use a pusher to press the clay through a shape at the end.  One extrudes skinny spaghetti-like strands which es calls hair.  Yesterday she stood on the stool at the bar in the den for close to an hour playing with this new toy.  Part of the time I played with her.  She directed our activity--she was DaDa and ran a barber shop.  I was Bilbo and came in for a haircut.  For my part I had to mold a figure and put the strands of hair on him, then wait for my turn in the chair.  Once two goblins were in front of me.  I discovered if I rolled out a chunk of the pink clay then cut out Bilbo he was much sturdier than if I shaped the body parts separately.

Standing

He pulls up so easily now that it's hard to remember the days when ec just stayed where I put him.  He crawls quickly and pulls up at the wall, the sliding glass doors, the couch, dining room chairs, even the foot rest under the bar.  Anything not flat on the floor.  He releases his hold and stands unsupported for 5-10 seconds.  He transfers his hold from one thing to another.  It's fun to watch!  And he's getting so strong, able to walk/stumble along holding on to just one of my hands.

This morning when he finished his egg and fruit I dampened a paper towel and began to wipe his face and hands.  I removed the tray from his high chair.  Oops!  More Cheerios and blueberries in his lap!  What a grin as he carefully took those little pieces from my hand.  I expect we will go to Target this morning for a couple of things, maybe to Kohl's.

Cascade colors

This pair was finished in early November; I took the picture at that time, but forgot to post it.  The yarn is Cascade Colors by Patons Kroy.  It's a little heavier than the first sock yarn I used but still very comfortable to wear.

For the next pair I decided to try a new pattern, Cath, that features a basket weave of sorts.  It's rather free in that the leg portion is the "fancy" design, then the directions say to use your favorite heel, then knit the foot, then use your favorite toe.  For the leg I had to follow a chart, a grid of 16 stitches across and 14 rows, to be repeated four or five times (I chose four, that was long enough), so I dug out the magnetic strips and plate I've used for years for cross-stitch projects and laid the chart on that, making it quite easy to keep track of which row I was working.  I have made it past the heel now and am working on the foot, having decided not to continue the curvy pattern on the foot but to do plain stockinette.

Holiday movies

One of my favorite Christmas movies is The Bishop's Wife.  I can't begin to say how many times I've seen it; it's the first holiday movie I watch at the beginning of each December.  Years ago I recorded it on 8mm tape, then more recently I bought the DVD.  It was featured at the local theater as a classic film, so I got to see it on the big screen, which was a lot of fun.  Apparently Cary Grant started as the bishop and David Niven the angel; a new director came on board and realized the two men were in the wrong roles.  He persuaded Cary Grant to drop the title role, which he had wanted, and to play Dudley, which became one of his most praised roles.  After seeing the film I can't imagine the two men in reversed roles.

Yes, Holiday Inn, White Christmas, Elf, Love Actually, One Special Night, La Pastorela, It's a Wonderful Life, and more are on our shelf, but this is the one I pull out first.  There's just something about the premise of being unaware of angels among us, answering prayers.  In 1996 this film was re-made with Denzel Washington as the angel, Courtney B. Vance as the minister, and Whitney Houston as The Preacher's Wife.  I haven't seen it.  Cary vs. Denzel...both are good, but after seeing the older one, it would be hard to like the new version.

Round and around

Round and around the little boy goes, where he stops nobody knows.  This VTech "Touch and Learn Activity Desk" lives in the family room.  Both children play with it, though in different ways.  es uses it as intended, playing the alphabet games, identifying parts of the body and colors, dancing to some of the music.  Her brother loves to push the desk and pull the legs out of the stool.  Sometimes he manages to turn it on, but I imagine it's a total accident.  Today he pulled up by it and cruised around it three or maybe four times.  The fun part came as the desk moved.  It sat against the cupboard, so to get on the back side ec had to push it out a bit, but as he progressed to the front side he pushed it back against the cupboard.  I had to laugh.  And so did he!

Twinkle, twinkle little bug

Sunday I gave es a new book which has two stories about Sesame Street characters.  In the second one Big Bird captures a lightning bug and puts it in a jar with holes punched in the lid, much as I did as a child.  Since fireflies have not crossed the Rockies es has not seen one but she seemed to understand the concept.  The bug twinkled for a couple of Big Bird's friends, then stopped.  So Big Bird tried giving it a cookie, a pillow, various things, but it would not twinkle any more.  Finally Grover asked, "Would you twinkle if you were caught in a jar?"  Big Bird released it and it twinkled brightly once more.

We had fun acting out the story, taking turns being the bug, captured, sad, then set free.  She amazes me with how often she can repeat, with minor variations, the same game.