Quiet Sunday

Rachel is supposed to have a lesson today.  We shall see.  She was supposed to have every other week lessons and she has had 1 lesson since Labor Day weekend.  You can see how I am not very confident in her coming to a lesson.  She is a senior this year and plans to audition to music schools for scholarships.  Well, I am not so sure she will be prepared as she hasn't had a voice lesson in about 8 months.  She had piano lesson last month.  I have picked out her audition material and I hope she likes it because they were rather specific on what they want her to prepare.  The Classical Piece must be from 1900 to today so I picked a John Jacob Niles piece that we started but never finished.  The Italian piece will be from her Italian book and I hope she brings it with her.  The musical theatre piece she can choose from a few that I have picked out.  Then there is competition, well, we need a spiritual piece and a pop piece in addition to the classical and Broadway ones.  You can see why I am a bit stressed over this.  Having every other week lessons boils down to 1 voice lesson a month and 1 piano lesson a month.  Competition is in February and auditions start next month.  I am not so stress about her little sister as she will have 2 lessons a month.  This, of course, is if the come regularly, which they have not yet.  I want her to do well and get scholarships, she is so talented, but it isn't enough.  She has to be prepared and last year at competition, she wasn't totally prepared.  She will be up against more like her, lots of talented people will be audition and she needs scholarships to go to college.  She can't just skate on by like she has been doing.  It isn't enough to have a naturally pretty voice, it just isn't.  You must have good technique and that is her downfall at this point.  We have to work on placement, most of it is good, but that isn't good enough.  I hope to see her this afternoon and we will be working hard.  She should be tired by the time we are finished.

Maggie is also supposed to possibly stop by today.  I don't know what time because she is also visiting her mother.  She may run out of time but that is okay.

Mom is now having trouble swallowing.  It doesn't seem to matter how thick or thin the liquid or food is, she chokes.  I called Hospice because I was getting very worried.  They are sending a nurse out to check her out.  They don't want me to give her anything to drink until the nurse comes.  I have read about this happening but it such a different thing when it happens.  They also want me to keep her sitting up and not lying down so gravity can help her get rid of the cloggy stuff in her throat.  I am so scared that she is at the point she can't eat anymore.  Well, we shall see what the nurse says.  The joys of Alzheimer's.  I seriously hope this is one disease they can totally eliminate of the face of the earth someday.  It won't be in time for mom, but I wouldn't wish this on anyone, even my worst enemy, not that I have one, you know what I mean.

Mom is playing with paper again.  I don't mind when she does this because it keeps her mind going and active.  That is important.  It also keeps her very busy folding, unfolding, folding again, unfolding again. Can you just picture this teeny tiny little 5'3", 82 pound lady doing this?  If I know where the camera cord was for the computer I would take a picture of it and post it, as it is, I have no idea where the cord is and the other camera doesn't have a memory card in it.  Someday that will be taking care of, I just don't know when.  It is a cute little camera, it is pink, one of my favorite colors!  If they had had a purple one, I would have totally bought it as purple is my absolute favorite color with pink as a close second.  My old room has a purple rug and yellow walls that coordinated with the drapes and the bedspread.  I had a canopy bed that mom build the frame for until that bed was changed from twin size to full size.  I love my big bed.  I sleep directly in the middle of the bed, no room for anyone or anything else, just me and I love it!

Tomorrow is Canadian Thanksgiving.  As a child, we used to celebrate both Thanksgivings, the Canadian one and the American one.  We would head over to my Grandfather's for the Canadian one and celebrate with all my aunts and uncles and cousins.  It was always fun.  We also would go there for Christmas dinner too.  We did this until my grandmother died when I was 9, then we were on our own for holidays.  We were invited to Tillie's, but with the problems Mom is having, we aren't going to go.  I am just afraid she won't be able to handle the drive.  It is an hour there and an hour back plus now with this swallowing issue?  Oh my!  So we are staying home and relaxing.  The nurse will let me know what to do with Mom so that will be nice.  She was able to take her medication this morning so that is good, but what about this evening?

Anyways, I hope this finds you doing well and having a good day.  I am just waiting for Rachel and her sister, Rebecca.

Oh, I was wrong, I misread the email, it is next week she wants the lesson.  I will get everything ready for her.  I have most of it ready.