Category Archives: Blogroll

I was leaving the post office today and noticed a sign indicating holidays when the post office is closed. I laughed out loud when I saw Columbus Day is still a holiday. I have not thought of Columbus Day in … Continue reading →

This morning we took off about 9:00am and headed south towards Cincinnati – destination: Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens. What a beautiful place this is. I highly recommend it to everyone. Rather than create two separate sites, they masterfully combined … Continue reading →

Well, a year ago tonight Matthew and I stood in the concourse of the Dayton International Airport, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Jose. Our first telephone call was September 3rd and I had a nice 30 minute chat until Matt … Continue reading →

Matt started his new job this past Tuesday, working in the dining hall of the posh, reputable One Lincoln Park – a retirement community across the street. I had several students work there throughout the years and have provided a … Continue reading →

Last weekend when my eldest son, Matt, was dealing with some issues, he commented that I was always pushing him to make friends. The boy went through fifteen foster homes, and was never in any one school and entire year … Continue reading →

It is already the middle of September. Yesterday was the first part of June… and somehow I lost several months. The summer was delightfully busy and for the first time in years I was fortunate to have some fun time. … Continue reading →

Friday evening the boys, Flyer and I piled into the car and headed west towards Elwood. It was an uneventful drive, but excitingly since I knew I would be home with family. We arrived shortly before 8:00pm and pizza was … Continue reading →

Whew… it is Monday night and the weekend has finally passed. And what a weekend it was. Friday night, Brian drove to Mason to stay at the Best Western across from Kings Island. The boys had an early supper – … Continue reading →

The boys woke Tuesday morning and it was not any different than any other week day except they were off to a new start of another school year. Throughout the summer they rose at 7:00am, unlike many other teenagers who … Continue reading →

What a fun weekend! FRIDAY, at 2:00pm, we packed our overnight bags and packed the car. One of my seniors agreed to stay with Flyer for the weekend, and we headed east for Columbus. By 4:30pm we were checked in … Continue reading →

Last night, my very dear friend, Brian, who lives in Massillon, Ohio, called to see if I would be interested in going to a concert with him in Cleveland. I have been to Cleveland a few times and I was … Continue reading →

We arrived in Elwood after an exhausting three and one half hours of driving – construction at the Ohio/Indiana line was a mess. We moved 2 miles in 45 minutes. Arrived at Mother’s and she was already in bed. The … Continue reading →

The fall of 2000 I was called by the director of Sinclair College, asking if I would consider auditioning for Into The Woods, a delightfully dark musical by Stephen Sondheim. This musical brings together all the characters from beloved fairy … Continue reading →

Tonight Willie Nelson was across the street at the Fraze Pavillion. The pavillion, set in lovely Lincoln Park, was built with donations from the Fraze family whose patriarch invented the “pop tab” on soda cans. Nice! I have always been … Continue reading →

Tonight I saw the most adorable movie! Ladies in Lavender assembles those two great Dames, Judi Dench and Maggie Smith, and sends them off to play sisters sharing a cozy little cottage on the Cornwall coast. That is an inspiration. … Continue reading →

Friday, Jose and I went with our dear friend, Valerie Lockhart, and her two children, Jackson and Sophie, to visit Ohio Caverns, about 60 miles northeast of Dayton. Jackson and Sophie are both piano students of mine, and Jackson and … Continue reading →

Jose & Dad, 2005 We returned home from the family reunion and received word that Jose’s adoption was finalized July 29th. He is legally Jose Angel Jolliffe-Haas. His middle name was from his birthmother and he loves his middle name. … Continue reading →

Wow! What a great day Saturday! I am still reeling from this weekend’s events. The Barmes Family Reunion to celebrate 171 years in America was held Saturday, August 6, 2005, in Hope, Indiana where the family originally settled. From all … Continue reading →

August 1st is here and I cannot believe summer is almost over. Today is supposed to get as high as 91 degrees, and tomorrow they predict 93! Ugh! This past week Kettering was the center of the golf world as … Continue reading →

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 →