This was an interesting week as I returned to campus to teach my students. With a month left of classes and juries (final playing exams for music students) and exams, I knew that my students needed more than perhaps I could give them over Zoom. Please don’t misunderstand; I am grateful to have been able … More Up the Down Staircase
The bands of Tropical Storm Delta have given us a very rainy fall weekend, canceling any plans for our usual long dog walks, yard work, or bike rides exploring the city. That’s okay, though; it has been a stressful week and I’m grateful that Mother Nature has insisted that we move at a slower pace … More Rainy Days and Birthday Boys
This Saturday started at the crack of dawn as it usually does at Chez Gainey, even without Dan’s early morning yoga class at the YMCA. I took care of the animals and headed up to my garage gym to do kickboxing before walking Marley while Dan did his morning yoga. Afterwards we headed out to … More On Making Beauty Happen
I very rarely take two walks in a day, choosing to get my exercise in the morning when it is cooler. Yesterday was a rainy day off and on, and though I was very productive, I felt restless as evening approached. The weather cleared up and I decided to take Marley on a second short … More On Meetings of Chance
I have always functioned best in every area of my life when I have a set routine. Free time is difficult for me, as I float from task to task, getting absorbed in details or lost in my thoughts and dreams. Total INFJ. However, give me a schedule and a set of objectives and I … More On Creating Routine in Chaos
So many cities, crazy airports, different hotel rooms, enough to make my head spin. I wake up in the dark, trying to remember where I am. What day is this? Working, doing what I love, but stressful nonetheless. Days pass and I feel the emptiness rise up, the hole in my heart. And then, one … More Home
I had been watching for the open house ever since I saw the ‘for sale’ sign go up outside of what I lovingly call my ‘Blue House’, the house that I bought when I first came to Birmingham seventeen years ago. The house whose foundation I repaired while it in turn repaired my own foundation … More On a Long-Overdue Thank You
Diane showing relief as we finished our part of the editing for the CD. Whew!I have spent a good part of May in Lincoln, Nebraska, with my best friend, rehearsing and then recording our first Amicitia Duo CD, Play Pretty, that will be released in the fall by Potenza Music, with all of the music … More The Journey Home
I was on my computer with the large screen and happened to look closely at this photo, my favorite of my sweet Sophie, gone since New Year’s Eve. I noticed something I don’t think I had before; as I studied the image I realized that there was a reflection of me in Sophie’s eye. I … More Reflections, Black Dogs, and Do-Overs
Yesterday was the first day of my Fall Break, but it didn’t feel like a break at all. I was out sweeping up leaves for several hours starting at 7:30am, cleaned the house, taught two lessons, checked in an AirBnB guest, and cared for my sweet man who is recovering from surgery. All wonderful things- … More On Caregiving for Loved Ones…and Loving Myself
The View from Here 