three is the magic number

My mother always says that everything happens in threes. I know that isn't original wisdom, but for someone to live so long (sorry Mama) and keep saying it, it must be true.

The last entry was made after a long and unusually hard week at work. The last two weeks have put that one to shame. You see, Chris has been battling gastrointestinal issues (sorry again) several times this year and we kept thinking it must be food poisoning, because no one else would get it, and it would only last a couple days, then disappear again. It did seem odd to us that he had previously been very healthy and doesn't fit into any at-risk category (unless you could count the fact that he's an alien--one of his favorite American legal terms). But we are not alarmists when it comes to our health. In fact, we both enjoy going out, seeing people, and generally being part of the action so much that we will often hide our ailments until it becomes impossible. This time it became impossible. I ended up calling our dear neighbor friends who send their baby to Chris for daycare and taking off work myself to watch Ella and tend to Chris. I would ask him his specific symptoms, but he would just moan (ala Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally) and say something like "It feels like there are small monsters with pointy sticks living in my belly". It didn't seem life threatening. I couldn't find a sub for work on Thursday, so I had to take Ella to a meeting. Then on Friday I took another day off without a sub, so I went in for full band rehearsal and pawned Ella off on my dad for an hour or so. I was looking forward to my brother Evan coming in from Austin, TX that night, so I was feeling rather light when I got the call from Chris that went something like this "Um, I think I need to go to the hospital". Oh goody. So Ella and I went to pick him up at home right away and found him hunched over like a 90 year old man. The ER is always fun, especially with a hungry baby and a miserable husband. It turned out that he was actually having an appendicitis that had been flaring up on and off for some time, and needed that baby out. Things got much better when they got him on the morphine drip, though. And to prove how crazy he is about hiding his ailments, he actually wanted me to take him REI for the family sale the day he got out of the hospital. Yeah right sweety.

That's one.

I realized I needed to take some more days off of work, since Chris wasn't allowed to pick Ella up, but I didn't realize I'd need to make multiple trips to the hospital. On the following Monday, my grandmother fell late at night and broke her pelvis. My dad took her to the ER, where she was admitted for a couple days before being sent to rehab where she'll now stay for a couple weeks. We brought Ella to the rehab center to say hi and she was a big hit with the lovely lady sharing a room with Grammy. Man babies are good at working a crowd! Though we were very worried about my grandmother's physical and emotional state at this point, she proved herself young at heart by being most concerned over the fact that she hadn't grabbed her compact when she left for the hospital. How was she going to powder her nose now!?

That's two.

My mom has also been battling some health issues and had a scheduled in-patient procedure at the same hospital the same week. Though hers was less eventful, and at least didn't start with a trip to the ER, it still counts. It totally counts. There's no way I can stomach another hospital visit.

That's three.

I feel bad for Evan too. Here he comes home for vacation, away from work, his first trip to the twin cities in about a year, and he gets stuck taking care of people and running errands the whole week. But he's always good at making people laugh. And I think he got in a little extra basketball watching on the TV while he was here, so it couldn't have been all bad. I wish the week had been less eventful for his sake, but it was sure nice having him here during it all.

We had three, which means we're done, right? God I hope so. But here's another number to think about that I can base a future entry on--270. It's the number of heirloom tomato seedlings we currently have under a grow light. We're willing to donate. Any takers? Cheers.

tubamaba? obomaboe? saxomaphone?

One of the most fun, and also most harrowing weeks of my year has just passed. 4th grade teachers and parents dread it. Music staff block it out of their memories. 4th graders themselves cannot sleep with sheer anxiety, thinking of what's to come.
5TH GRADE BAND RECRUITMENT! dun dun dun...

Here's a general script of what I did roughly 175 times last week.

Me: (grinning with enthusiasm) Hi Billy, I'm Mrs. Moore, the band director. I hear you want to try some band instruments!
Billy: (shyly, yet mischievously grinning back) Uh-huh!
(we take a seat in front of a table covered in dozens of shiny new instruments)
Me: (looking over Billy's information card) I see you played the guitar for two months. Was that recently?
Billy: (glancing at mom) Not really.
Me: (smile turning more plasticy by the second) But you want to play drums or saxophone. And you don't have any piano experience. Would you like to try any other instruments while you're here...maybe the baritone or tuba???
Billy: Not really.
Me: (eyes getting wider to add emphasis) You know we don't really have a drum section--in band we have a percussion section--and percussion and saxophone are the most competitive sections in the whole band. You might want to think about trumpet or clarinet while you're here--we can never have too many of those! You could also try some string instruments--there's always room in the orchestra!
Billy: (shaking head) Nah.
Me: Okay, let's start with the bells, then the clarinet, and we can branch out from there if you want.
Billy: Uh, okay.
Me: (pointing at the song "Hot Cross Buns" on the music stand in front of the bells) So Billy, do you know what note this song starts on?
Billy: Uuuuuuuuuuh...an A?
Me: Close--it's a D.
Billy: Oh yeah, a D.
Me: You know the tune "Hot Cross Buns", right? Can you play this for me? I'll show you the first three notes.
Billy: Okay. (he plays the first three notes I showed him and stops)
Me: Remember Billy, you have two instruments to practice in the 5th grade percussion section, so you have to practice every song twice! And do you really love that high-pitched ringing sound from the bells?
Billy: (shrugging) Yeah, it's okay.
Me: Right, keep that in mind then, and we'll go try the clarinet. (eyes discretely rolling as we walk back to the table)
The clarinet is kind of like the recorder you play in general music class, and it's the gateway instrument of the woodwind section, so if you like this at all, it's a much better instrument to start on than the saxophone. I've even set it up right now so you can just make the sound and I'll work the keys.
(Billy makes a nice sound, and I play a fast scale pattern that sounds truly impressive to the average 4th grader's parent)
(smile back in full force) Wow Billy--that sounded amazing!
Billy: (sitting back with satisfied smile) Yeah, thanks.
Me: Should we try the trumpet next?
Billy: Okay, but what about the saxophone?
Me: Let's try the trumpet.
Here's how you buzz on the mouthpiece to make a sound on a brass instrument. (quick demo)
Now you try it, Billy.
Billy: (attempts buzzing, but looks more like he's trying to send steam out his ears. laughing now, he says...) I can't do it.
Me: Sure you can, Billy, it'll just take a minute.
Billy: It's hard, can I try the saxophone now?
Me: Okay Billy, let me get one. (secretly looking for the one with the most destroyed reed)
Now blow really hard on this one--like you're blowing out your birthday candles.
Billy: (turning red in the face and making a loud, uncontrolled honking sound, much like a goose) Wow, that's cool--I LIKE it!
Billy's Mom: (finally getting off the phone) Do you want to try the French Horn, Billy? I love that one.
Billy: Nah. I like saxophone.
Me: (in desperation now) Do you want to try anything else?
Billy: No. I want saxophone. That's cool!
Me: (searching for understanding in mom's face) And it's okay with your mom?
Billy's mom: (looking right past me to Billy) Sure honey, it's your decision, whatever you want!
Me: Oh goody, welcome to band!

Okay, obviously that scenario didn't happen every time (though it seemed at times that I would never get a tuba player), but it's not that far from the truth. I love recruitment because I get to help students pick something that engages them in an aesthetic education in a completely new way for most of them. It is thrilling and rewarding. But it is also stressful and exhausting. My colleagues and I worked twelve hour days all week to get every interested 4th grader in, and I still had 17 voicemails this morning from parents who "hadn't made it to try instruments--when can you fit us in?" Right, I do actually teach most days. And with spring concerts only four rehearsals away, panic is not far off either. I just keep reminding myself how lucky I am to have a job that still excites me. That makes me feel like I am doing something worthwhile. That makes me feel that I am worthwhile. I am so fortunate. And though I joke about the students, I owe so much to them. I have always wanted to be a teacher--to share something I can do with others. To continue learning. To make connections. And I am inspired by my students to do those things every day. Now, if I could just get some of those saxophones to switch to tuba!

Dick and Jane Return

Ella had a birthday.
Ella turned one.
Ella is growing up.
Mama can't believe it!


28 years ago yesterday I was born, and all day long I was thinking, "gee, now I know what my mother was doing 28 years ago!" Ella turned one on March 24th, and my birthday last year paled so dramatically by comparison to hers that it almost drifted past without anyone noticing. I just can't imagine anything as powerful as the emotional tug a child has over his or her parent. I remember eagerly awaiting her (well, at the time-it's) arrival. I remember having her room ready with a crib and changing table, slowing filling it with clothes and toys we were given, and imagining her filling it with her personality. For the longest time I just couldn't figure out how to decorate the room, and since it was a plain white room with wood floors, it was a thrilling blank canvas which to create a whole new baby world! Chris and I aren't much for themes or official color schemes (we even chose different flowers for everyone in our wedding party, much to the chagrin of our florist) but we still wanted something special and intentional. We thought neutral colors would be best, since we didn't know if we were having a boy or girl, and because they are calming. Chris always gives me a hard time about pretending to love all colors equally yet always buying things in green, so instead of pretend-arguing about it, we chose green as an accent color, painting a wide horizontal stripe of it around the room. But we still couldn't figure out what to hang on the walls. It's a small room, with two windows and two doors, so hanging the beautifully hand-made quilts we were given didn't fit, plus we wanted to use them. Framed posters or photos seemed contrived and too grown up, and baby directed art seemed contrived and too hokey. Then we had a breakthrough.


I'm not much for antiquing, but there's a fantastic antique store in Minneapolis called Hunt and Gather that I happen to love. I have found everything there from an Elmer Fudd hat for my baby brother Erik, to a rocking chair for my hubby. I had a feeling I could at least find something inspirational there for a nursery. Sure enough, Chris and I went looking and stumbled upon authentic antique Dick and Jane flash cards. There was a wide bowl full of them on the floor--not the best place for a giant pregnant lady to browse, but with Chris' help, a worthwhile place to venture. There we dug and dug until we found the perfect combinations of words for three wall-hangings. We superimposed them over beautiful hand-made paper, which is of course green, framed the three groups, and hung them with striped green ribbon from the picture rail in Ella's room. They had the perfect balance of adult and child-like touches and fit in the room! Every day and night when I sit in the rocking chair feeding Ella, I look at them and feel pleased with the calm, yet whimsical touch they add to the room. It seems even more exciting now as Ella is really starting to talk. I can't wait to one day hear her read them out loud to me. My mother even got Ella a board book set of Dick and Jane, but I must say, as much as I love the art, the stories leave a lot to be desired!

Global Warming, Global Shmorming

Here in the Arctic North we know that global warming doesn't exist. It just man-made propaganda to sell more "green" technologies and products. In fact we've got proof: on April 1st it snowed right here in our hometown. It gusted and flurried, sleeted and accumulated. Obviously if there was such a thing as global warming we would all be wearing swim suits right now instead of Sorels. Right?

Okay, so I'm a little late for an April Fools Day joke, but this whole global warming debate does get annoying. Ever heard it called Climate Change instead? Maybe it's because I'm married to an Australian, who grew up under the hole in the ozone, that I am more concerned than some of my neighbors. Anyway, enough serious stuff. We got so sick of the crummy weather that we decided to pretend it didn't exist and plant seeds for our garden! Don't worry, they will live safely under a grow light for some time yet. But within hours they were already sprouting--how hope-inspiring is that!?! We bought a whole mess of heirloom seeds from the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, which is truly amazing--you must check it out! We started with 5 types of tomatoes, a couple peppers, some carrots, peas, soybeans, fava beans, fennel, zucchini, five color silverbeet (aka. Swiss chard), mesclun mix, and spicy micro greens. We have more seeds to plant later in the season too, these were just the ones that needed that helping hand to get started. It makes me so excited to think of going out into the garden with Ella and picking our dinner! I think that growing anything edible is a huge motivator in the kitchen. Even if all you can handle is a basil plant in the window, go for it--you'll at least have the best pesto in town!

I'll update as things grow and we actually get to taste these deliciousnesses. It'll be fun to pull together some fresh ideas for our fresh veggies!

Ella's ready to get the heck out of dodge

Red Grape Tomatoes, Dad's Sunset Orange Tomatoes, and Chocolate Peppers

Our little sprouties have sprouted!