Monthly Archives: December 2020

Christmas morning, keeping with my personal tradition, I sat in the living room to open and read through all my cards; all except for one. I simply could not open the last card written by my Aunt Joyce who passed … Continue reading →

One of Dayton’s own, multi-award winning actress, Allison Janney, starred in the Broadway hit, 9 To 5, based on the popular movie starring Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Lily Tomlin. In the musical, the clerical trio sings this brilliant, invigorating … Continue reading →

At 4:00 PM, I settled in with Joshua and David in London, Anne and Phil (Dave’s parents) in Boston, to watch the musical, HAMILTON. Last July, we were all caught up in the HAMILTON bubble of excitement as it premiered … Continue reading →

It’s 9:19 PM on this beautiful winter evening and I’m trying to decide if I should place myself in a place prepared to sleep. Sleep was rough last night; the restlessness and frequent bathroom trips made for sloppy interrupted rest … Continue reading →

This past year, I’ve known so many friends and social media friends who’ve lost loved ones and are heading into the holidays with heavier than usual hearts. Many friends have lost a parent. One dear friend lost her mother and … Continue reading →

Today would have been the 123rd birthday of my great-grandmother, Mary Belle Jones-Clary. December 20, 1897 – January 28, 1969 Belle was the daughter of Joel Monroe Jones & Anna Greenlee Jones, and the older sister of Alpha & Harry. … Continue reading →

Since my birth in 1964, I’ve been blessed with sixteen great aunts and I was fortunate to know each of them, except the Jolliff aunts. My paternal great-aunts: (The Richardsons) Shirley, Corrine, Mary Ruth, Kay, Sue, Carolyn, and (Jolliff) Jean, … Continue reading →

Someone posted this story on Facebook. I’ve no idea who wrote it but it is definitely worth the read. When I was at one of my lowest (mental) points in life, I couldn’t get out of bed some days. I … Continue reading →

It’s almost time to teach my private lessons for today and I’m eager to plunge in with the hopes of raising a sluggish spirit. I like to keep my Christmas cards for opening on the night of Christmas Eve. Last … Continue reading →

My grandmother and her sister were two of the best fun-loving, creative pranksters I’ve ever known and it is especially telling given I’m descended from a number of hilarious pranksters, at least four to five generations preceding me. Grandma Donna … Continue reading →

11:40 PM, on this 43-degrees Saturday evening, I’m sitting out on the deck while Erma lays on my foot and as the others explore he yard. Twice I’ve checked the temperature because it is really comfortable, even with a tiny … Continue reading →

Friday evening at around 11:30 PM, while writing my previous blog of what a wonderful day I’d enjoyed, I learned my 87 year old great aunt, Joyce Clary Riser, died unexpectedly from a brain bleed. I completed the blog of … Continue reading →

My Friday was filled with Zoom-lecturing for 5 different blocks from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, some research, and three different surprises. Thursday morning during my coffee chat with my son in London, the topic somehow turned to me describing … Continue reading →

I was first introduced to Judaism in college when I met graduate student, Elaine Broad, a most fascinating composer, conductor, and one of my theory instructors whose techniques I continue to use with my own students. Elaine Broad’s choral and … Continue reading →

The past several days, today, and the next few days finds The Miami Valley of Southwestern Ohio with temperatures in the mid to high fifties and I am loving this unexpected deck time. My Thursday morning was filled with an … Continue reading →

I love this story from Katharine Hepburn’s childhood; in her own words. “Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one other family between … Continue reading →

This story is from the 2015 Facebook post of Lisa Sarber Aldrich. Picked out a cake at Meijer. Asked bakery-looking-employee if she could write on it for me. She said she would, and after a long time, she came and … Continue reading →

“I feel so privileged to be the first person vaccinated against Covid-19,” Ms. Margaret Keenan, who is originally from Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, said. Margaret Keenan, 90, was the first recipient of the new Covid vaccine and her uplifting spirit of … Continue reading →

This article is, for me, spectacular in that it directly targets my own philosophy of our current state of life. In my downstairs bedroom hang three images of Mrs. Roosevelt, one of which dominates the wall. I call it my … Continue reading →

I honestly do not get bothered by how I am greeted, one way or another, and what is more, I rarely care how I greet others. If someone says to me, “Merry Christmas,” I will return the sentiment. If someone … Continue reading →

This poem was written by my great-great-grandmother, Mary Frances Noble Clary, following the loss of her infant son, Leo. Mary Frances Noble was born into the line of Nobles who were pioneers of Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana, having migrated … Continue reading →

It is now a few minutes past midnight and it’s December and we can finally meet the last thirty-one days belonging to 2020. Today, my dad’s obituary appeared in the paper and online. Reading an obituary always seems to make … Continue reading →