January 2021- Let's hope it will be a better New Year!

Jan.1 Getting ready to make the video for #12 of the Covid Cello Project was Corelli's Christmas Concerto Grosso. With great technical help from Dan - he set up the iPad in a good place and I was able to play the entire piece without stopping. That's the hard part. If there is a wrong note, it's back to the beginning to start over. For me, that makes it worse, so I try to do it in one shot. That 12 minutes was nerve-racking, but it worked.

463 cellists from all over the world premiered on January 23.  https://youtu.be/mhrm5d0CjkY

Jan.2  Sadly Elisa and Zoe went back to New Jersey. On-line school was starting on the 4th, and Zoe was missing her longtime "bubble" friend. Lockdown continues only allows a few "bubbles". Zoe is an outstanding student with all A's. I'm thankful for that as so many students find it difficult to keep up their standards when constantly at home.           

In the afternoon, I had the opportunity to play Beethoven piano trios with my "bubbles" - a violinist and pianist. We meet once a month, working through the first 5 trios. Somehow, we don't manage to get up to the speed of the Barenboim, Zuckerman and Jackie du Pre!

Jan. 4. Dan surprised me by taking me to the Ford dealer to look for another car. My birthday present! Although I was very fond of the Rav4 that Steve gave me 4 years ago, I found it tiring to use the stick shift all the time around town. I hardly ever go out on the highway - locally, it's lots of stop and go, especially up the hills. Dan had done a lot of homework on the computer, and we thought a SUV Ford Escape would do well. We tested one in Chapel Hill, but I didn't like the white color and although it was a newer car, it had a high mileage. We went to the Durham Ford dealer and found the perfect Escape there. Although it is a 2008 car, the mileage was only 83,000. One owner from Chapel Hill and well maintained. It is a clotted cream color. We drove it around and took the car to my auto mechanic to check it thoroughly. They gave it a good report, except for a couple of items. Dan was very good at negotiating those items with the dealer to replace what was needed. With that and together trading-in the Rav4, we got a good deal. It is perfect for me, I feel so comfortable in it. It's so easy to drive. I do need to review the manual, so many electronic bits!

 

Before he left, we had fun making a team of Dan, Maggie, me and a neighbor for a Virtually Conqueror Challenge. It's all about setting yourself a S.M.A.R.T. goal. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, and Timeframe). There are lots of ways to exercise, but we mostly walk (which we have been doing throughout the year). www.theconqueror.events. We chose an easy starter - together we make 90 miles on Hadrian's Wall in England. We walk in our areas and the steps are automatically sent to the operator. Postcards are emailed to us showing maps where we are on the Wall and how many miles we have walked.  When we pass certain places, trees are planted. It didn't take us long to walk the 90 miles, and the medal is impressive! Our team name is Wolfe Pack (Wolfe, a family name and Dan's college NCCS Wolfpack). He names each challenge in their language.  Hadrian's Wall team were the Latin "Agmina Luporum". We did the 90 miles in 8 days!

Here is a 5+ mile Dan and I walked along the Bolin Creek trail before he left. It's one of my favorite walks. 

                                                         Chapel Hill's Hadrian's Wall 

                   The real McCoy!

                                                 A lovely souvenir of our exercising efforts. 

We are planning the next one - the Camino de Santiago Virtual Challenge, 480 miles along the pilgrims’ ways leading to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.  That's going to take us longer.  

Jan.18. Dan left for New Jersey (he rented a car) which, in the end was a fancy Jeep which he really enjoyed listening to the satellite radio and could sing his heart out! The original car which had a push button was inoperable, because someone took the key fob. I'm glad I have to have a key to start my car up.

Life was very quiet with all the family gone, but with walking, practicing on 2 instruments, playing chamber music and teaching my few students, looking after the cats, cleaning, tidying up the house - an unending effort it seems, the days go by quickly. 

Earlier this month Kate competed in the highest level of a gymnastic meet in NC. Here's her video on the bar. I'm so proud of her achievements, she works very hard on her classes, sports, and this year, performing as Sherlock Holmes in a mystery play. 

Jan.20 of course was monumental, and life became so much calmer with the new president. Back to normalcy!

Jan.26, an important day, my first Covid-19 vaccine shot. Earlier, day after day Dan and I had filled out 4 applications for an appointment, but the response was there weren't enough shots available.  As always, it's not what you know but is WHO you know. Jennifer came to the rescue and was able to arrange through a clinic worker friend to get an appointment for the NEXT day. It was out of town, there were hardly any patients coming in to the clinic. I was in and out in 25 minutes (including the 20 mins rest to make sure I wouldn't drop dead). Didn't feel the needle and no side-effects. I go back for the more serious shot on February 23rd when I'll take some Advil or something beforehand, to ease the after effects. I've been told to enjoy an afternoon nap in bed to get over it. 

The rest of January was quiet, but had good chamber music playing with friends - Mozart, Beethoven and viol music. 

Jan. 30 The excitement revved up this last weekend with the announcement of the 13th project of the Covid Cello Project! The piece is "The Saga of Harrison Crabfeathers" by Steve Kuhn, a jazz composer.  The music is printed out and I'm raring to go!

Jan. 31 A great way to end of the month on my birthday - lovely flowers, a delicious brunch with Jennifer, Kate and James, phone calls and of course, my new car, and and and!   

Yummy brunch in the old Carr Mill factory. 

Delicate gentle roses. Thank you my NJ family for these beauties.

 

The hardiness of the South African veld. We are fortunate to have a florist in Chapel Hill whose parents lived in George, Knysna, South Africa where I was born. Thank you my sweet Wolfe nieces for the remembrance of our births in Africa. 

I am truly blessed.