Spoiled Grandchildren

"You might want to order Generation whistles from this
website..." part of some advice I asked for and got
back in January about tin whistles. I filed it away
for future reference in the back of my head, and when
Grandma S. and my aunt Langenariza Schnickleheimer
offered to buy me a couple of whistles, I readily
agreed and pulled out a C and a Bb at Lark in the
Morning Musique Shoppe (sp?) in Pike Place Market.
Little did I remember about the Generation whistles,
nor did I even check the brand. Now I'm playing
whistle music lower instead of higher and am quite
delighted. Unfortunately, Grandma J.'s house doesn't
have any acoustics worth speaking of (when it comes to
whistles, that is), so I have to wait to go home and
check it out in our concrete block apartment.

Anyway, life is VERY busy right now. I am going to
have to go. Write more later. Gotta get ready for Mt.
Tahoma (a.k.a. Ranier. Why did they change the name?!)
Saro

On the feast of Stephen...

If we were to be doing a COMPLETE Christmas-in-July,
today would be St. Stephen's day, also known as the
"feast of Stephen" in "Good King Wensislaus" (sp?)
Instead, the tree comes down and the Stuarts and
Schnickleheimers come up.

The highlight of yesterday was a yummy yummy turkey
dinner, but the presents were fun, too. I don't like
to play favorites with things like presents, but I
have to admit that Mum (with Daddy) and Auntie hit the
high ones. Hopefully (to combine their Christmas
presents), at some point I will be braiding hemp
jewelry (marijuana not included) (no, I wouldn't try
that) (it grows "wild" back on that li'l town on the
river...) under the bead tray of which I stash some
old bubble-gum cards (a result of the 70s and a dig in
a closet) while listening for (this was the
best!)..."When Winter Calls"...when it comes. It
didn't come in time, for which I blame no one. I'm
probably going to be haunting the mailbox when I'm not
doing tourist-y stuff with my family (they are the
infamous Stuarts and Schnickleheimers).

Grandma J. is just thrilled that I keep doing
mock-French twists with the clips she got me. They're
perfect for my thick hair in their shape and size and
design.

Yesterday we met a little striped kitten that was very
friendly. I give people and animals I don't know
names, like I said before. I "named" him Alfred. It
means elf-friend, I think, and I think it fits him.
You should've heard Auntie talk. "I made friends with
a little kitten in the back yard. He climbed up the
apple tree and promptly fell out of it." Alfred was
sniffing around and making friends and licking anybody
he could reach. Several times he would roll over and
when you'd pet him he'd start going with the
"sandpaper". My hand must be nice and smooth. You
wanna paint it, Alfred?
Saro

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

No, that is NOT a typo! Merry Christmas tomorrow!
Today is "Christmas Eve"--we're celebrating Christmas
in July. I've got presents ready for everyone. Just
little token gifts, but I can't wait until
tomorrow--actually, more for the turkey. I'm going to
see if we'll sing carols.

Merry Christmas, then!
Saro

P.S. Feliz Navidad
Catalina

Balkanarama--Live

That's the name of a new CD and also, in a nutshell,
what we did today.

Sort of. I mean, saying "we saw Balkanarama" is
something someone with SERIOUS sleep deprivation or
something would say, because live concerts by really
good artists are NOT things you put in a nutshell! If
they WERE, well, then, practically EVERYTHING could be
put in a nutshell.

Balkanarama played today at 12:00 in Kirkland. And we
left before 10 to get there (12:00 noon, not midnight!
though I could see that happening). Of course, the
first thing my sister noticed was that their lead
singer, Eva Moon (to quote my father: "a voice to die
for" :)), had grown her hair longer. It's amazing what
changes in a year! It's NOT the same place we left.
I'm dreading seeing the new Sound Transit station
where South China used to be. But I digress. That's
another story...

I have a terrific sunburn to show for almost an hour
and a half's worth of dancing. I cannot stop my feet
when Balkanarama's around. The music enters my soul
and I can't keep still. There are times when I know
I'm sadly off-beat and I can barely hear, I'm so
tired, but something wills me to keep moving. And so I
move. Now I've got to explain to the folks at church
tomorrow that I am terrible about sunblock...

Their music wasn't quite the same. It was still
wonderful--but part of the different-ness was because
their virtuoso violinist, Matty Noble, wasn't there
this time. But they sounded more like they used to,
because they lost a guitarist, picked up two new ones,
and then one left and the other was out of town. Sooo,
their old guitarist filled in. In fact, except for the
cimbalom and the absence of one person, it was like
the time I first saw them (when Matty Noble was
somewhere on 520--don't get me started on traffic!).

I still remember that time. I can picture some of the
dancers in a line, enough to recognize them
again--yes, I have, once before--and could draw them
if I were a good enough artist. I gave two of them
"names"--I name people I will probably never meet and
don't know their names and it keeps images in my
memory (that's Tracy on the left with Terry standing
off to the side...), which probably helps. Of course,
sometimes this gets funny, like if I see a person in
the airport and I later find them at the same
conference my parents are at and find their names are
completely different--or similar! That happened once
in Kunming. Somebody I "named" Brita was Britta or
Brina or Brinna.

Anyway, I got off the topic. My sister was the only
person who didn't dance. And, between songs, she
filled me in on certain things: "So-and-so glanced in
your direction! So-and-so was looking at you!", etc.
That must be what little sisters are for. Humph. I
don't NEED to know if I have an "audience". I'm just
dancing, all right? People can look at me, enjoy
looking at me--I like to make people happy by or with
doing something I love!!!--but Susie teases me about
it. Hmm, at least she stopped eating my hair...(the
condition was that I'd stop asking her to dance. Then
she'd stop biting my hair. WhatEVER works!)

We got their new CD--FINALLY. It didn't come out 'til
after we left, and it was recorded on February 26,
last year at the Seattle drum school...to quote the CD
cover: "A dozen of our [that must mean the band. Hey,
this has my favorites, too!!!] favorite songs from
southern Europe, recorded late one night in one take
before a live audience." (back cover, capitals added)
One reason this CD was important for us to get (one of
three reasons) lies in the last two words--"live
audience". It was a small crowd of people kind of just
sitting there and watching, and listening (nobody, not
even me, danced. :( ). I know I sound like I was
there--I was! So this brings back memories of a fun
night, and also many fun nights before and afterwards.
This is their best CD yet. This is what they REALLY
sound like, currently, and have sounded like, pretty
much, since the last time I saw them. If you get the
first CD, Nonstop, you'll get music that sounds, I
don't know--more like any other act at Folklife--and
Black Sea is a wonderful one, but I believe it was
also a bit outdated soundwise by the time I heard it.
But all three are great. This is the best ever!!!

That's about it, except--one word of advice. If you go
see Balkanarama, see them late at night practically
everywhere, or in the heat of the afternoon with a
grassy dance floor.
Saro

Life is good!

Well, we tried out our Star Wars DVDS--we were unsure
if they'd play for us. But they did without a hitch!

My aunt let me dress two naked dolls that have sat
around for years--Linda and Lucia. Linda is black and
I dressed her first in a loose white blouse, navy
skirt and shawl. I braided yarn in her hair and it
looks super (pictures in September). Lucia is very
pale with reddish sandy hair. Her eyes are blue. I'm
just starting to knit a skirt in...um...is it stocking
stitch or garter stitch. The one that curls up on you.
Anyway, life is really good.

A few days ago we watched the Song of Norway with
Toralv Maustead (spelling?), Florence Henderson, and
Frank Poretta. The latter two can sing. The other guy
can't. But it's a great movie. I can't believe that a
lot of people hate it! I'm going to have to add it to
my favorite movies list.

That's about it. Though I was a bit pessimistic about
actually LIVING with Grandma for eight weeks, there's
only been one incident so far that I would exchange
with practically anything--yes, even a sleeper bus on
a REALLY hot night!--unlike Matt (the Australian guy,
remember him?), I've never had an experience with baby
chicks in a box peepin' all night long!

Celeste, the cat, is probably going to heave a sigh of
relief once we get out of here and back home to the
town on the river in the lonesome valley (the actual
name means dark blue apprehension or something!).
Saro

Hola, amigos!

Greetings from...no, not Mexico...Grandma's house!
Today we went to Azteca Mexican Restaurant where the
food is YUMMY. That's the best word to describe it
with...yum yum.

I hope you don't mind that I called you "friends".
Most of you are family or close friends. In fact, I
can't think of anyone who's a regular reader whom I
don't know...

If you've commented, I can't check those until
September. But, please go ahead and comment...I'll be
reading and answering as soon as I can.

Yesterday at Wapato Park I was playing at a playground
and a little boy said a few words like "It's my turn
for the slide" or something like that, and I said,
"Oh, I wasn't using the slide--" (how can I when he
was obviously and quite soundly put on it?) "--I was
just looking at the view from here." He slid down, and
promptly seemed to ignore me, so I slid down and got
on an empty swing. What do I hear emitting from the
playground than, "she's gone!" The tone of voice he
said it in was SO funny! I wish I could videotape it
(Mr. M (Kiana's dad), where are you???) and send it to
you, but nobody can go back in time and duplicate
anything like that. I love little kids.
Saro

Home again

My loyal readers:
Greetings from Tacoma, Washington, United States of
America, North America, Northern Hemisphere, Eastern
Hemisphere, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy, the
Universe! (That's my expanded address!)

We're home again. In Kunming I was wishing I hadn't
left. In Hong Kong, I wished it were just a short
vacation there. In San Francisco, I just wished I
could bring back the milk shakes and leave the rest
(the Chinese, for all the mouth-watering things they
make, cannot make milk shakes). I had to spend the
night in Seattle (Tacoma, actually) before I REALLY
realized I was in the right place.

So, what have I done? Read the novelizations of the
original Star Wars trilogy (I recommend seeing the
movie first, but they're great, especially A New Hope)
and played the piano 'til I was like to drop. I've
also read this book, "Splinter of the Mind's Eye".
It's actually okay. My aunt had prepared me for much
worse, but I've also been immersed in typing up
ANOTHER unlikely story by me, so I suppose I was in
bad fiction mode. I've got three new dresses (once
home to a fast connection I will show you a picture)
and three new pairs of socks. I also have a new skirt
and new shorts. I've eaten plenty of American food
(cups of AMERICAN ramen, of all things!) I'm getting
used to seeing things in English and Spanish instead
of English and Chinese. (Ramen cabor a pollo, anyone?)
We went to the LIBRARY and I found some of my old
favorite books. Yesterday, July 4th (American
independence day, if any non-Americans are reading
this), we had a quiet day and finally set off piccolo
petes and sparklers. I wrote silly things with my
sparkler, pretended it was a wand, and conducted an
impromptu chorus of "God Bless America".

In transit, I ate Cantonese food, burst into "God
Bless America" with Mum as we landed on American soil,
met a new guy who's going to replace Uncle Charles
(waaa about Uncle Charles leaving, yaayy about getting
a guy that we've all taken a liking to). Also got sick
of KFC. That's about it, actually. I haven't been here
long enough to:

1. Dress a couple dolls that have been naked for years
that really ought to be clothed
2. get complaints about the tin whistle (or play it
for that matter)
3. Set the world chattering when my friends become an
awesome trio who know smidgens in two dialects of
Chinese and English and do something, like...uh, hold
another burping contest?

I'm in a silly mood right now...you gotta be, when you
got a silly family.
Saro