Updates

I started drawing/painting on sheet music. This is something that I have been thinking about doing for a while. I'm getting sheet music off of Pinterest. After I saved a couple of pins, I got a bunch of sheet music in my feed. I have been saving songs that I really like. I found Never Gonna Give You Up and I suddenly realized that I am a grown ass adult with a piano and no one can stop me from playing whatever I want to learn. When I was 17, I started taking piano lessons. I practiced daily. I learned all the dumb little songs so I could move to 'real music.' I decided I really wanted to play rock. My piano teacher was an old lady, and I didn't think she would teach me rock music. I asked what it would take for me to learn jazz. She gave me a vague answer, then changed the subject. I started playing Mozart and Beethoven, which was fun, but it still wasn't what I wanted to play. I was given a very ratty hymnal book. My piano teacher insisted I was ready for gospel music. I slowly started learning the songs. I made a new cover for the book. After the first six or seven songs, I brought up jazz again. I was told I had to finish the book before we tried anything new. 

I quit playing piano. I didn't enjoy the church music. In 1994, sheet music wasn't all over the internet. Music books were expensive. It was hard to find songs. Most of the music available were in 'fake books' meaning someone who could play by ear composed how the music sounded to them. Fake books were expensive. First of all, I don't think my piano teacher liked rock 'n' roll, and second, I don't think she wanted to buy those songs. I would have paid for them, and would have even copied the music for other students. But now we're back to her teaching music she didn't like. It was perfectly fine for me to play music I hated, as long as she wasn't bothered/inconvenienced. I was 'learning' and I needed to learn all I could. As a teacher, she believed she knew everything to give lessons. Student ability wasn't in the equation. 

I started with Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star which I haven't played in over 30 years. I have forgotten a lot. I learned something new- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star was written by Mozart. I never knew that, and why hasn't anyone ever had me study a particular composer to see how all their songs compare? My musical education is lacking. I am struggling to read sheet music. After a week of practice, I moved on to Stand By Me. I couldn't read the notes. I have been writing the letters under each note so I can find the keys. 

At 49, piano is a challenge, not a chore. I am not where I want to be, but that's okay. I will get there on my own terms. This isn't costing me anything. No one cares what I play. My main challenge has been keeping the piano clean. My husband tends to dump crap on it whenever he walks by. 

I did not celebrate either Lammas or the 8/8 portal. My husband decided to take some days off. I can't get anything done when he's home. We had several fights about chickens. My husband wanted more chickens. I asked him to wait until we built a new chicken pen. I wanted the coop closer to my garden. Instead of waiting until everything was ready, he bought six chickens. They arrived in a tiny kennel. After days, I finally convinced him to move the chickens to a large dog kennel. He moved them, but didn't do anything else. 

I can't open the big kennel. Neither can my daughter. We couldn't give the chickens fresh water. We had to wait until my husband came home and then he didn't want to do anything. This is why I asked him to wait, but what the fuck do I know?

Hubby finally decided the chickens could go in the old puppy pen, which is next to my garden. The old pen is overgrown with poison ivy and being used as storage. But I spent most of the weekend cleaning it out. Last night, I convinced him to move the coop. We put the remaining two chickens inside. Three were killed by raccoons, and one just died, probably from being stuck in a nasty, wet kennel for a week. This morning, I opened the coop. Both chickens were alive. I don't know if they have started exploring their new home. I am trying to let them leave the coop on their terms because they freak out whenever anyone reaches in. I am sure now that we have a real pen, my husband will go get more chickens. 

I planted potatoes, and harvested some. They were small, but tasty. I think today I will harvest onions. 

No spells. Very little majick. However, the distraction spell seems to be holding firm. I haven't warded my truck, but I have started locking it. We haven't heard anything about our stolen guns. Middle son's car broke down, so now it is harder for him to get here. I haven't heard rumors or gossip, nor have I been hit with drama. I don't feel safer. Not enough time has passed for me to feel peace. 

I realized most of my weight problem is that my pelvis is tilted forward, probably from pregnancy. I have been trying to push it back into place. This hurts like hell, and I can't do any of the exercises for very long. I am trying to exercise daily. I do pretty good first thing in the morning, but as the day wears on, and I become tired/frustrated/overwhelmed, it's hard to remember to move. 

I am back on doing something with the shop each day. I stopped for a while, when the wards took hits, I got sick, I had high pain days, my husband got livestock before we had a place to put them, and school started. Sometimes I wonder why I can't keep up. I keep forgetting that I'm not 19 with boundless drive and energy. My mother's laundry problem is still huge. She won't put clean clothes away. I walked around her house, gathering up what I thought were dirty clothes. I found a clean shirt that I had just washed hanging over a chair. It smelled strongly of detergent. I really don't want to put away her clothes. I feel like this will be a repeat of dishes; I wash everything and she pulls it all out as soon as I leave. 

I just checked on the chickens. They are out of the coop, one is cheerfully taking a dust bath and the other is on the hunt for bugs. 

Coming inside, I remembered that I got new shoes last week. They have a nice leather braid that looks like a Celtic knot. I charmed my shoes for protection. So, some majick. 

That's all for now. I have more work to do. Blessed be, my dears. Stay safe and well.