Showing posts with label Sound Fourth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sound Fourth. Show all posts

Monday, July 6, 2026

Sounding Fourth, High and Low

We have apples! Whether we get to eat any of them depends upon two things: How much the birds and squirrels leave us and if the weather cooperates. We planted this tree the summer after we moved in, so about seven years ago.



Just a few inches of knitting to go to finish the Summer Sorrel top. I turned it right-side-out to get the photo, but the directions have you knit with it inside-out, because the outside is reverse stockinette, so purl stitches, which are a little more cumbersome than knit stitches. I hope to be able to wear this by next week. My Ravelry page for the project is here.



Most of the week was spent getting ready for Independence Day, July 4th, which didn't come until Saturday. Putting out the flag was easy.



The hard part was learning the music for the Sound Fourth Concert.



We had a total of four practices and then the performance. The practices were fun, but hectic. The last practice was with the band, and then the big day! I got this photo from my seat when I arrived at the auditorium for the concert.



I had a ride with a friend, and Charlie came later. He took this photo about 20 minutes before the start of the show, when we were warming up. Can you find me? I'm on the stage in the back row, sitting between a Bass 2 and a Soprano 2. It's like "Where's Waldo?"



I'll make it easier. So why am I not sitting with the Soprano I singers? Well, we needed some more people on the section in "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," where the TTBB parts are highlighted. Our director asked if any of us ladies could sing low enough, to please join in. We wouldn't be singing during that part anyway. So I sang Bass I, which was the melody, and easy to sing. There weren't any notes too high or too low for my chest voice. The hardest part was getting enough air without breathing in the wrong places. I was separated from the rest of the Soprano I singers, but I could still hear them. I was also singing a descant in "My Country 'Tis of Thee." The people on each side of me said I didn't bother them, so it worked out well all around, and it was a lot of fun.



Soren's birthday was yesterday. I can't believe he's 14 years old! We were at the hospital when he was born. I remember looking out at the fireworks display over Portland from the hospital window. 



Karen's lawnmower broke down in the middle of mowing the grass. Charlie did a little research to find out what kind they needed and ordered a new one. They had to assemble it, but it wasn't too difficult, and now Daphne has mowed the whole lawn, including the part that got left out. It's battery-powered, too, so she likes not having to get her hands smelly filling the tank with gasoline.



Someone on Blue Sky noticed that I had reached 90,000 followers and thought I needed a congratulatory post, so she made me this neat picture. I thought it was clever how she worked in so many of my interests in the picture. I think she put a lot of thought into it.



We did some walks, although not every day. I did the usual amount of cooking and laundry. I had a routine medical appointment. My new book is waiting for proofreading to be completed, but there's no rush. Summer choir starts this week, so I will have new music to learn. That should be fun. If I finish the Summer Sorrel, I will have something new to start or some UFO to finish up. Busy, busy.


I have a lot of difficulty responding to comments to my blog posts because of technical issues beyond my control (my lack of understanding of how things work). Message me on Facebook, Ravelry, BlueSky or Spoutible if you need information.


If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon or B&N and search for Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart". Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of any of our books, including Emil, Mariah, Classic Tales RetoldOur Favorite Verses, More Classic Tales Retold or Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.

Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: The Summer Sorrel top is almost done. All I have to do is finish the second sleeve.

What's on my iPhone: Still listening to Regime Change by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan on the Audiobooksnow app. 

What's on my sewing machine: Put away until the next project.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: When Emil was fairly new to the family, he didn't know about Jolena's summer trips to the Southern Hemisphere. In this story he finds out all about how they have winter there, so the Doll's Ski Team can go and practice. Read it here.


What's my tip of the week: If you sing in a choir and you listen to the piece you're learning on YouTube, you should know that you can slow down the speed of the video without changing the pitch of the notes you hear. Just click on the little cog (found in different places, depending on whether you're using a computer, a tablet or a phone) and change the speed. You can go in both directions, but I find it helpful to hear it slowed down, so I can follow the notes in my sheet music. Then, when I get more familiar with it, I speed it back up to normal.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog, and they are reproduced in print with a few changes.

The stories in Billy: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Talking About Boys, ChangesShhhhh!, Staying After and Money in a Jar.

The stories in More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Welcoming a StrangerThe RescueUnmaskedFuzzy Town––A Play and Sky Blue.

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook. Poems included are Valentine's DayKeeping PetsBack to School, Victor the VultureThe Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Little Green GreatcoatThe Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

The stories in Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Best BudsGetting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The stories in Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Being LittleBesties, and Distraction.

Book #7 is in the works.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less, only 8%, because the vendor gets a cut. My author's page at Book Baby is here. Scroll down and click on any of the books that interest you. Find my books at Barbara's Bookstore as well, or ask your local library to order the books.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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Monday, July 7, 2025

Finishing Things

Now that the swags in the border of the whole-cloth quilt are finished, I'm filling in the rest of the border up to the edge. Some progress happened during the week. I started the week with only the corner completed and most of the swags done. Now I'm a couple of feet in from the corner and moving along.


We had another Madroña pop-up "meeting," basically a wine-lovers online party. I had to sneak out early, though, because we had another rehearsal for this year's Sound Fourth concert that night. We had a Madroña Grenache Rosé with the pumpkin pasta leftovers. I only had a little of the wine because I was driving myself to practice.


We got in some walks during the week. We had been admiring the lovely ground cover at one point along the trail where the homeowner had put up some pairs of jeans filled with potting soil and plants. You may remember this photo of the arrangement in my June 2 post, showing the little astronaut the homeowner had made out of the porthole in the fence for his dog to look out. The plants at the base of the display were of interest.


They have grown and filled in since I took that photo, and the ground cover is impressive now. We wanted to know what it was, so I took a couple of photos and did a search. It's called Spotted Dead-nettle. It's related to Coleus, and it's a perennial. Now we have to find some.


Thursday evening we had our final rehearsal before the big performance. This is how it looked when I walked in.


Friday was the Fourth of July. The concert was at 3:00 PM, but we had to be there at 2:15. This was my view with still 20 minutes to go before the concert began. By "curtain-up" the seats were mostly filled.


There are always a few glitches, and this year was no exception, but it was a lot of fun and the audience really seemed to enjoy the performance. I'm getting pretty good with the kazoo, which we used in the "Colonel Bogey's Grand Old Flag" piece, which is a combination of George M. Cohan's "It's a Grand Old Flag" and Colonel Bogey's March from the 1957 film "The Bridge on the River Kwai."


When the fireworks started later that night, Dusty went and hid, Charlie went out to the trail for a better view, and Sandy and I got up on the daybed in the workroom, where we watched the fireworks through the window. It was hard to get a good photo with just my phone camera through the glass with the dark sky and the moving lights, but Sandy and I had a good time watching. The fireworks don't seem to distress Sandy, which is a blessing.


Earlier in the evening, Charlie and I started watching "1776," one of our favorite movies. After the fireworks were done, we watched the rest of it. Dusty came out of hiding only after the fireworks stopped, which was very late at night.


We're going camping for a few days this week, so I've been preparing food. I baked this sourdough loaf on Saturday.


I also made my no-boil lasagna and another batch of carob brownies to take with us.


Soren turned 13 on July 5th. He's a teenager!




I have a lot of difficulty responding to comments to my blog posts because of technical issues beyond my control (my lack of understanding of how things work). Message me on Facebook, Ravelry or Spoutible if you need information.


If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for More Classic Tales Retold or Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart". Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of any of our books, including Emil, Mariah, Classic Tales RetoldOur Favorite Verses or More Classic Tales Retold, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.


Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still working on The Love of Spiders shawl by Melanie Berg, but very little progress this week.

What's on my iPhone: Finished listening to music for the Sound Fourth Concert on Friday. Now just starting The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles.

What's on my sewing machine: Still waiting on something.

What's in my hoop: My whole cloth quilt. Finished the swags. Now filling in the rest of the border.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: In Working Dolls Dolly and Gabi return from a long stay at the yarn shop, showcasing The Writer's knitting and sewing patterns and helping sell a few books. 



What's my tip of the week: If you have two dogs, you can use one to help you train the other. Both dogs barking? Find a moment when one isn't barking and praise him. The other will notice and quiet down. Feeding both dogs and one won't eat? Praise the other for eating. They notice their brother/sister is getting praised for not doing something or for doing something, and they want the praise, too.


Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with a few changes. 


The stories in More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Welcoming a StrangerThe RescueUnmaskedFuzzy Town––A Play and Sky Blue.

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook. Poems included are Valentine's DayKeeping PetsBack to School, Victor the VultureThe Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Little Green GreatcoatThe Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

The stories in Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Best BudsGetting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The stories in Mariah are Being LittleBesties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less, because the publisher gets a cut. Find my books at Barbara's Bookstore as well.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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Monday, June 30, 2025

Life at Home

The boys are back to having their grooming sessions together. Here they are, relaxing after their spa day.



I picked up that pink poodle body pillow during a grocery-shopping outing. It was on the clearance table at Freddy's. Sandy has been taking his Lamb Chop toy, which is as big as he is, out to the backyard and getting her dirty. When "Pinky" caught my eye, my first thought was: It won't go through the dog door easily. So far Pinky has stayed indoors. We'll see. Lamb Chop made another trip to the backyard and was wiped around in the dirt, so she went into the laundry, protected by a zippered pillowcase.

Before I dropped the pups off at Deschutes Dog Salon, we stopped at Ponderosa Park's off-leash park for little dogs so they could get their wiggles out.


Here's how they looked after grooming.



The whole-cloth quilt is coming along. The swags are almost done. Look at the bottom of the stitched area, and you will see one swag partly done and one more not begun. All the others are finished.



Just the rest of the border out to the edges to finish. There will be a lot of fabric and backing to cut off when it's done. In this closeup of the same photo, the arrow points to where the edges of the border are, so you can see, there won't be too much more work to do.



Rehearsals for Sound Fourth continue. Friday afternoon is our performance. It's a lot of music to learn in a short period of time, so I've been listening to the practice tracks and going over my part. It's fun to see people at rehearsals I haven't seen since last year's event.


Charlie has been working on the garage, which has been half-full ever since we moved in. We didn't know what kind of home we would have when we moved here, so we brought things we ended up not being able to use. Most of it has just been sitting there. Our photo albums were in trunks buried in the middle. I think I inspired him to get at the huge job by mentioning wistfully how I wish we could get to our photo albums. He made a big pile of trash, which will take a few weeks to have picked up in our regular trash pickups. Another pile was stuff to give away. We still can only fit one vehicle in the garage, but it's easier to walk, at least.


Our rhododendrons are blooming. Charlie brought me this lovely flower he clipped off from one of the bushes.


Karen's family made it home from Europe after a delay of a day due to a mixup in their return tickets.



And the new book has gone to my proofreaders!

I have a lot of difficulty responding to comments to my blog posts because of technical issues beyond my control (my lack of understanding of how things work). Message me on Facebook, Ravelry or Spoutible if you need information.


If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for More Classic Tales Retold or Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart". Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of any of our books, including Emil, Mariah, Classic Tales RetoldOur Favorite Verses or More Classic Tales Retold, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.


Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still working on The Love of Spiders shawl by Melanie Berg. I finished a row while waiting for my doctor.

What's on my iPhone: Finished listening to The Library of Lost Dollhouses by Emily Rankin on the Audiobooks Now app. Now listening to music for the Sound Fourth Concert on Friday.

What's on my sewing machine: Still waiting on something.

What's in my hoop: My whole cloth quilt. Almost finished with the swags. Then just fill in the border to the edge, and it will be done. 

What's in The Doll's Storybook: The dolls say goodbye for now to Gabi, and Dolly will be leaving soon. They will be working as project models at the yarn store showing knitters what they can make for dolls in Earning a Living.



What's my tip of the week: When I'm ready to put my dirty dishcloth into the laundry, I rinse it out well, wring it out and use it to wipe the edges of my kitchen floor. There are always spots where something had dropped on it, and I can use my foot to wipe. Then it goes right into the laundry.

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with a few changes. 


The stories in More Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Welcoming a StrangerThe RescueUnmaskedFuzzy Town––A Play and Sky Blue.

Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook. Poems included are Valentine's DayKeeping PetsBack to School, Victor the VultureThe Week Before Christmas, Insomnia and Veronika's Vocabulary Verses.

The stories in Classic Tales Retold: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Little Green GreatcoatThe Boy Doll Who Cried Wolf and Lost in the Woods.

The stories in Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook are Best BudsGetting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

The stories in Mariah are Being LittleBesties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less, because the publisher gets a cut. Find my books at Barbara's Bookstore as well.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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