Family Mellmann

With all the activities that come with the month of May (concerts, recitals, class trips, and extra school activities that require additional personnel) on top of the usual collection of life's responsibilities (house work, managing the rentals, teaching, cooking, shopping,...oh, this list just tires me out seeing it written out like this), my garden has had to grow despite my neglect. However, this weekend I was finally able to get out there and give it some attention. Before   After Before   After Before After After  I even got the patio furniture washed and ready for the season.  They're clean and sparkly, like new. I love to watch the garden grow, especially in the spring after a long season of colorless winter.  (Okay, so the mums are not in season, but they were so vibrant I just couldn't resist the color.)   Happy Spring

Twice a year, Katherine has a chance to show off her piano skills in the form of a recital. All the students participate - even the ones who have only taken a few lessons.  A while back, Katherine's teacher offered that if there were parents who wanted to play with their student, she would be happy to have them perform.  Katherine was listening, so when she found her favorite song in a four-hands piano book that her grandmother gave her, she decided it was time. Now, the story goes like this.  I took one piano lesson as a teenager and learned two things.  1) Home position.  2) I was too stubborn to take piano lessons from my mom.  I'm sorry about the second one.  I wish I had stuck with it.  In any case, on Tuesday I had my second piano lesson, which was mostly coaching on how to play with someone invading your space.  Katherine isn't always very good at sharing, but I think we made it work. Here's the song that Katherine did on her own.

Today, Katherine joined her class of 4th, 5th, and 6th graders as they competed against the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders of another Baptist school here in Vermont.  Each year, these two schools get together for a day of academic competition and fellowship. Students compete in two subject areas of their own choosing.  They can select from Math, Science, History/Geography, Language Arts, Old Testament, and New Testament.  There is also a Spelling Bee that they can participate in if they want to. This year Katherine competed in Science, History/Geography, and the Spelling Bee, placing in all three.  Unlike the public schools, not everyone wins something.  Only the top three scores in each category will win a ribbon or trophy.  Katherine brought home three ribbons in the 5th grade age group. Katherine placed: Third in History/Geography Second in Science Second in the Spelling Bee