Monthly Archives: July 2005

Except for having some of my wonderful students for lessons, it was such an uneventful day. I woke around 4:00am when I heard the rain and I immediately turned off the air and opened the windows. A cool breeze moved … Continue reading →

Irving Berlin didn’t know what a heat wave was when he wrote the song – had he been alive today he would have certainly known. It hit 94 degrees and the heat index hit 114. It was horrible outside. The … Continue reading →

Today is what we call GOTCHA DAY. I have one student, Anna, who was adopted from Korea by some wonderful people. They told me that they celebrate the day she arrived and they call it GOTCHA DAY. So, I adopted … Continue reading →

People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

I woke to Katie Curic and Matt Laurer’s breaking news of another set of “possible” bombings in London. I remember the last time I heard breaking news from this duo… I was teaching a first period general music class at … Continue reading →

Happy Birthday to Aunt Norma, Aunt Joyce, Uncle Danny, Uncle Dick and Uncle Raymond! Today is my great-aunt’s, Norma Barmes-Abbott, 76th birthday, and last week was my Uncle Danny’s birthday. Norma and Danny are Grandpa Leroy’s younger sister and brother. … Continue reading →

I went to bed to such cool breezes and woke to smothering humidity. Ugh! I have one family for 90 minutes on Tuesdays, and this morning, the older brother, a former student now in college, returned to take the one … Continue reading →

Just a mundane Monday. I was hoping to get the boys to the pool but there was a threat of afternoon thunderstorms and I did not want the boys caught at the pool while I was teaching. I taught in … Continue reading →

We just returned home from a wonderful Hoosier weekend. Sunday morning, Mother and I talked alot, had a cookout with Dena and the boys, talked some more, put in Mother’s screens, napped and then left Elwood around 6:00pm. We drove … Continue reading →

We had been looking to an afternoon by the pool with Dr. Carter and AJ Hunter for almost a week and the weather cooperated slightly. Dr. Carter is the director of the Ball State Singers and is just a truly … Continue reading →

Experience aboard a tall ship inspires a vision that transcends into motivation that has the power to overcome ALL barriers. People who have a vision control their destiny and lifestyle. For people without a vision, their destiny and lifestyle is … Continue reading →

Another damp day here in the Miami Valley. One of my students, Zach, is coming over for a make-up lesson and bringing his brother, Caleb. Zach is a year younger than my son, Matt, and will be a freshman this … Continue reading →

Yesterday was just a typical day of teaching and dinner out with some friends afterwards. Came home and worked on the musical and while searching some Wright Brothers items on the internet, I discovered all these new musicals on the … Continue reading →

For my summer schedule, Mondays and Tuesdays are my longest days of teaching. I have a morning session from 9:00am until noon, then the afternoon session from 3:00pm until 7:00pm. Wednesdys I have four students in the morning, and then … Continue reading →

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about aging that you think in fractions. “How old are … Continue reading →

A mother becomes a true grandmother the day she stops noticing the terrible things her children do because she is so enchanted with the wonderful things her grandchildren do.  – Lois Wyse For the past several years my mother has … Continue reading →

Saturday morning I rose and immediately began working on the editing of the Wright Brothers’ musical. To my horror, I discovered I had made an error in a particular area of research. I could not allow it to slip through … Continue reading →

This August, my mother’s family, the Barmes side, will have its first full out reunion in over 40 years. Last year, following my grandfather’s death, I realized that our family had been in the United States for 170 years. They … Continue reading →

Thursday afternoon my sister, Dena, 32, and her two sons, Jonathan, 7, and Andrew, 6, arrived to spend a few days with us. I always enjoy being with my nephews, who, like many of my former students, were the extra … Continue reading →

I’d rather be the ship that sails,And rides the billows wild and free;Than to be the ship that always failsTo leave its port and go to sea. I’d rather feel the sting strife,Where gales are born and tempests roar;Than to … Continue reading →

The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.~ Winston Churchill Every heart that has beat strongly and cheerfully has left a hopeful impulse behind it in the world, and bettered the tradition of mankind. ~ Robert Louis … Continue reading →

Two of my most favorite figures in American history are John & Abigail Adams, parents of the American Revolution. If you have a chance, read two great works on this fascinating, courageous couple: Irving Stone’s Those Who Love (Abigail Adams)and … Continue reading →

I walked into Border’s Books & Music by the Dayton Mall as I had many times before. With barely a look as to where I was heading I walked directly to the rock music section, straight to the CD’s alphabetized … Continue reading →