For the first 50 years of my life, my perfectionist self mistakenly believed it was all about knowing more, getting it right, planning, attempting to prevent bad things from happening, and keeping all of my chicks in a row. It took me this long to discover that the JOURNEY is all that matters. This quote from Gilda Radner sums it all up:

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.
"


Monday, June 6, 2016

Beautiful!

 My birthday was a few weeks ago.  I am now 57 years old.
I'm creeping closer and closer to 60.
(Why is it that when the "tens" digit changes it seems like something major?)
My 57th year was a really good one - exceptional, in fact.


The past few years since the kids have not been living at home 
have been a transition.  I've been learning what else brings me happiness
and makes me feel fulfilled.  I thought that would be a photography business,
but discovered I was wrong.  After so many busy years of raising my kids,
I didn't need (or want) to fill my days keeping schedules and sitting in front 
of a computer.



I'm also not willing to fall into the trap of letting my life get smaller as I get older.


Instead, this is the time to seize as much life and joy and adventure 
and learning and novelty as I possibly can.


 I can enjoy my kids as the adults that they are AND have a life separate from them too.


My husband and I have evolved over the past few years too.
We have found things we enjoy doing together that will keep
us active.   We do many things with our children and look forward
to our time with them, but we also enjoy our time without them.


My husband's birthday gift to me this year was a trip to NYC to see a Broadway show.
We went to the city a day early because he had business meetings.
So I had almost two days to explore on my own!


I told Adam where I wanted to go and he assisted me with the logistics
of how to get there.  Armed with my list of trains to take and places I wanted
to go,  I set off alone on a beautiful New York day!  
First on the list was the High Line.


The High Line is a 1.45-mile-long  linear park built in Manhattan 
on an elevated section of an old railway line.  (Can I never escape
nude sunbathers???)


After visiting Chelsea Markets,  I took the subway to Union Square.


While browsing at the Strand Bookstore, these made me laugh.


I had a late lunch at the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park.


I highly recommend the Chicken Shack - and the lemonade!


Madison Square Park is right across from the Flatiron Building,
which I've always wanted to see.  Beautiful! Shopping was also very
good in this area.


Next stop - the new transportation hub near the World Trade Center.


It was beautiful from the outside.  It looks like the giant wings
of a graceful bird.




However, on the inside, it was breathtaking in its simplicity.


The shiny white marble floor reminded me of a skating rink.


It is called the "Oculus", and it does feel just like an eye open to the world.


I saved the Brooklyn Bridge for the evening.  I've never been on it
before, and I wanted to walk across it at night so I could
see the lights of Manhattan on the way back.


It is a 1.3 mile walk to cross the bridge in one direction.


Being a suspension bridge, there are many cables heading skyward.


The stone towers and wooden walkway made me
feel like I was back in time to another era.






























Unfortunately,  I didn't get the sunset I was hoping for.  Before I made it
to the Brooklyn side,  I looked back and saw clouds enveloping one of the 
World Trade Center towers.


The walkway split into two paths in Brooklyn.  One to "downtown Brooklyn" 
and one to "DUMBO".   I had never heard of "DUMBO" but it sounded
fun and most of the people were going that way, so I followed.


I discovered that "DUMBO"  stands for
"Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass".
It's a beautiful area with shops, restaurants, and cobblestone streets
on the waterfront under the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.  

There is also a park with great views of the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge.  I could just picture it with a sunset in the background!


Before heading back,  I grabbed a slice of pizza and walked in the
dark to the stairs taking me back up to the bridge.  There were plenty
of people around still.


It was beautiful!


There was a glow over the city through the mist and the clouds.  
It had begun to rain lightly.


When I got back to the Manhattan side,  I asked Siri to help me
find my way to our hotel in the South Street Seaport area.
She didn't let me down.


I still had most of the next day to explore on my own.  I got up early, but
I was disappointed to find out that most of the stores didn't open until 11AM! 
I headed to SOHO and sat in a coffee shop to pass some time.


The store I really wanted to visit didn't open until noon!  I had read about
it on Tripadvisor and didn't want to leave the city until I got there.
It is called Purl.
I fell in love with it the moment I entered the door!


Not only was it visually beautiful, but they had gorgeous yarns that I
had never seen (or felt) before!  So incredibly soft!  In addition to the yarns
was beautiful fabrics and felt.  What I loved most were the examples of
beautiful things made out of those incredible soft yarns and fabrics!
I bought 10 skeins of Blue Sky Organic Cotton yarn to make a throw
for my couch.  I can't wait to get started.
Almost as good as actually visiting their store is visiting their website.

Not only can you buy everything online, but you can browse for hours
in the "CREATE" section with beautiful pictures of beautiful things
along with free instructions on how to make them! 


To top off my time in the city,  Adam met my husband and I
for dinner before we all went to see "Beautiful" The Carol King Musical.




It was amazing!  We loved every minute of it!


The final song in the show was "Beautiful".  I remember it like 
yesterday from my teen years.

You've got to get up every morning with a smile on your face
And show the world all the love in your heart
Then people gonna treat you better
You're gonna find, yes, you will
That you're beautiful as you feel

I think the key to this next phase of my life is to face each
day, open to all of its possibilities, with a smile and
appreciation for all of the beauty around me.  I hope to never
lose my curiosity for the world around me.  Old age will
continue to creep up on me, and there is no way to prevent that.
But I hope to always feel young and beautiful on the inside!

"Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old." ~ Franz Kafka

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

The "Baby" Grand

Seven years ago, my Dad had just passed away and we were
cleaning out my family home.  


This was my father's workshop - the basement.  He spent
a lot of time down there, puttering around.
Our fear of spiders prevented us from venturing down those stairs.
 After he was gone, though,  I was drawn to this place.
Amidst the chaos, there were treasures to be discovered!

One of those treasures was an old piano - 
a real "baby" grand piano.  It was really beaten
up and missing a leg, but when Annie saw it,
she wanted it.



It's been in our basement for the past seven years. 
Last week, we finally got around to refurbishing it!
A mother/daughter project.


It was my "piano" when I was a little girl.



The paper covering on many of the keys had peeled off.


A series of graduated metal tines inside the piano is 
what actually makes the sounds.  


When a key is pressed, a hammer is raised, 
hitting the corresponding metal rod for that note.


The wooden hammers are attached by a piece of cardboard. 
There is a little piece of felt on the back of the keys to
prevent wear and tear on the cardboard.  After more than 55 years,
it is amazing that all of these hammers were still in good shape!


The piano box was cracked in a few places, so I needed
to glue and clamp it until it dried.


The piano originally had 3 legs, but one was missing.
We couldn't duplicate the same leg, so instead added
a more decorative one.  


A good sanding and coat of paint
was next.



Next, the keys needs to be covered.   We used sheets of
dry-erase paper.  Since each key was a slightly different size/shape,
Annie glued the paper and then used a razor blade to shave the
edge of each key.


While working on the keys,  we noticed there was a lot
of dust under the keys, so we pulled a rag through
to clean it out.


A nice new set of 20 keys! 
Now it's time to assemble to pieces!


The metal tines are screwed in place under the top of the piano.


The new leg was screwed into place.


We used the original screws to attach the bottom
of the piano.


Mother/daughter hands.



Annie had a little fun before touching up 
the paint and painting the screw tops.





Finally,  she cut shiny black paper to simulate the
black keys.


Ta-da!  BEautiful!


Just the right size for Maddie!


Although it has only 20 keys,  it really does play!


Annie will be taking this piano with her
to her new apartment when she moves in
at the end of this month.  She will use
it as a little table, maybe with a vase of
flowers on top!

I love that Annie wanted to give my old toy a new purpose.
I love that she could envision its possibilities.
Most of all, I love that we worked together to give it a new life!