Flute Lessons

 I had my second flute lesson this morning! I've set up weekly flute lessons before I go into work, and it's going to be great! This is my first adventure with the flute, and I'm very excited about it! My goal is to get proficient enough to join a community band in my area. 

I do have a musical background, learning piano as a child, picking up the violin as a teenager. This is my first woodwind, though. I'm so excited!

New Year's Resolutions

 As usual, I made some New Year's Resolutions recently. I gave them some thought ahead of time, and so far, things are going pretty well.

One of my main goals is to work on improving my health. For years, I've worked on this, with varying results. Staying healthy has been a struggle during the Covid-19 pandemic, but I've been fortunate not to get Covid-19 yet. I signed up for an eight-week nutrition class, which meets twice weekly on Zoom, and I've started tracking on the Lose It! app. 

For years now, I've been wanting to learn a new musical instrument. Growing up, I took piano and violin lessons, but want to learn something different. I have an alto recorder, but haven't been inspired to work with it yet. I read an article recently about different instruments, and reasons for learning them. The writer suggested learning the guitar if you like bringing people together! Wow! So, I've been researching acoustic guitars, and they aren't terribly expensive for a beginner like me. I'd like to buy one in the next few months and start taking lessons by the end of the year.

Another goal involves reading, one of my favorite hobbies. In addition to my regular bookshelves, I have an Amazon Kindle. I've added a ton of Kindle books over the years, and quite a few of them have slipped through the cracks. I forget to start them, or start them and don't finish, as other books catch my interest. So, I'm going through my Kindle and playing catch-up. It's been nice to pick some books back up, or to give myself permission to delete them if I'm not interested anymore.

Happy Birthday, Chubby Checkers!

Today is Chubby Checker's birthday! He's 65 years old. In honor of his famous song, "The Twist," here's a list of songs (in no particular order) that make me happy when I hear them:




1. "The Twist," by Chubby Checkers


2. "Crocodile Rock," by Elton John


3. "September," by Earth, Wind, and Fire


4. "Old Days," by Chicago


5. "Your Smiling Face," by James Taylor


6. "Mockingbird," by Carly Simon and James Taylor


7. "Joy to the World," by Three Dog Night


8. "Dancing in the Streets," by Martha and the Vandellas


9. "Respect," by Aretha Franklin


10. "New Attitude," by Patti LaBelle

11. "Pink Cadillac" by Aretha Franklin