May Day, Talent Show, and More...

The past few days have been a blur. On Thursday, Taliesin and Nathanael had so much fun making and delivering May baskets for May Day. We went to seven of our neighbors. They thought it was so funny to ring the doorbell and then run!

The past couple of days, most of our school has been preparing for Taliesin's talent show at church. He decided he wanted to put mandolin music to the book Amanda and the Magic Garden. He had a blast deciding where the music should be soft and where it should be bold and exciting. And he even painted a big picture of the giant vegetables in Amanda's garden. That was a part of the talent for the show, too. Tonight was the big night. Taliesin has never been one to do things in front of people. He does not like to have a big deal made out of things. So I wasn't sure how he would do. I'm glad the church had the contest downstairs in the fellowship hall and that there were a few others ahead of us. That made the setting a lot more intimate than the church sanctuary, and Taliesin was able to see that it was okay to go on the stage and do something in front of people. He did such a good job! He was a little nervous at first. He wanted to play the C chord and couldn't remember exactly what the fingering was. When I showed him, his hand was so tight on the neck of the mandolin. He loosened up a lot, though, once I started reading the story and he could use his imagination in music again. :^) He's definitely my creative boy! I love watching him use his imagination.
All of the entrants tonight were really great. I enjoyed it a lot! I'm glad we were able to be a part of it! I even got in on the action a little and played a short version of "Cripple Creek" in between acts. Do you know how long it's been since I've had the chance to play the mandolin? It was so much fun! I want to find out if there is still a jam session here in Salina. I used to go to that a lot when I was a teenager and in my early twenties. I really think Taliesin and Nathanael would love it! It would give Taliesin the chance to listen to other musicians and play along. And Nathanael loves music of any kind. He recently won a Red Grammer CD from the art center. He loves listening to it and dancing. He keeps perfect time. I wish I had his timing!

Well, next week is my last week of my Theology 202 and European History courses for college. I love both of these courses a lot! They have really expanded my knowledge! I'm not really looking foward to them ending, and I'm definitely not looking forward to finals next week. Midterms and finals are the two parts of college I really get stressed about. Right now, there is just so little time to study for them. But I'll do my best. That's all I can do. I usually do a lot better on them than I think I will. That's always a plus. :^)

Speaking of studying, I need to get back into history.

Kandy