My best friend and duo partner, Diane, and I have been traveling together to rehearse and perform for many of our almost forty years of friendship. Right now we are in the mountains of western North Carolina, enjoying a lovely cabin as we celebrate the end of Diane’s third battle with cancer, rehearse for our … More On the Aging Clarinetist
Don’t let this angelic face fool you- this too-good-to-be-true loving dawg is an addict. Her drug of choice? Shiva’s cat food (and she’s possibly an adrenaline junkie, too, as she is certainly challenging fate by taking said food from the said Demon Seed..I mean, that takes guts, right? We found Shiva’s bowl wiped out a … More Marley-Tails: Upon Which a Mystery is Solved
Every single day for the past almost five months I wake with the sun, feed the animals, walk the dog, exercise, then school work, emails, emails, emails, house chores, yard work, lunch. Then, more school work, house chores, dinner, a bit of the evening news with Dan, and early to bed. I hold onto routine … More Routine and Laughter in a Pandemic
I came out of teaching an online lesson to see this evidence of foul play on the back decks of Chez Gainey: Normally this would be a common occurrence, as Dan, aka, ‘Mr. MacKenzie’ (his home repair alter ego), is always working on projects around our century-old home. However, this ladder was not a welcome … More Upon Which Mr. MacKenzie Breaks Parole
The older I become, the more like my mother I realize I have become. Okay, who are we kidding? I’ve always been Dorothy’s daughter, just as my sister, Linda, is. And just like with Mom, our beloved ‘Heavy D’, things seem to happen to us- often comical things that don’t happen to otherwise normal people. … More On Being Dorothy’s Daughter
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, Shiva was racing and then she would pounce; On stomachs, on couches, on forbidden dining tables, On Marley, on headboards- even Nativity stables! Marley sighed deeply and ignored the cat’s flight, All snugged by the fire lit by Dan’s LED light. Me, I was fasting … More ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas Rebooted
I would venture to say that this is a site you wouldn’t expect to see in your hotel room. First of all, as a disclaimer; I had nothing whatsoever to do with the demise of this porcelain throne. It was actually located in a relatively nice suite I’d been assigned of a property we were … More Loosey Loo
This has turned out to be yet another stressful fall semester full of travel and performances and life; all such wonderful things, just a lot. So far, since September I have traveled to give recitals and masterclasses in Lincoln, Denver, and Atlanta with my BFF and our Amicitia Duo, to London and Bath, England, with … More Fall Back, Spring Forward
Dan ruefully shook his head a couple of weeks ago and chuckled when he saw me pull out my travel backpack. Yes, I started packing for our UAB Chamber Trio tour a tad early. My sweet husband is used to my travel neurosis and just jokingly chides me a little. He is the kind of … More International Incident: A Completely Neurotic Guide to Travel
This morning I uttered words that I never dreamed would come out of my mouth: Honey, will you cut my hair? Yes me, the daughter of the always impeccably coiffed Dorothy Williams; the same woman who spends way too much money each month on my short cut and battling the ever-encroaching gray. Here’s the thing; … More Shear Excitement at Chez Gainey: Flying too Close to the Sun
The View from Here 