The top Grade Seven news today, at least for Rowen and me,
was that we got to pick our instruments in music class!
Since Mrs. Robinson wanted to have some balance, and there
are a limited number of instruments, we were supposed to be ready with our top
three choices. That wasn’t an issue for
Rowen, not only because she’s alphabetically advantaged; but she was also the
only kid in our class to pick the flute.
I had to wait nervously for a while, but then I was the first to pick
the saxophone. Some of our classmates
were a bit disappointed, and needed to pick second choices; but I don’t think
anyone had to choose an instrument that they really didn’t want to learn to
play.
While Rowen and I were very happy campers, not all was well
in music class. We didn’t even hear
about it until after school, but Michael is in the doghouse with Vanessa for
picking the saxophone too; apparently because he was supposed to pick the
trumpet like his best buddy Tim had.
She’d needed to choose her instrument ahead of Michael, and is
regretting picking the trumpet once she found out that the main reason for her
choice wouldn’t be sitting next to her in music class for the rest of the
year. I’m sure that Michael knows that
she’s annoyed with him, but then there’s a good chance that everyone playing or
watching the pick-up football game at the park this afternoon noticed the
frosty glares; overheard loudly whispered comments; and caught the full range
of usual tween girl danger signs that Vanessa was really quite good at doing.
Yes, that does mean that Rowen, Ethan, Ehlana, and I were at
the park again after school, and we watched a bit of the football game; but we
didn’t stick around to watch the extra-curricular action. We spent most of our time at the playground,
and then went home in time to have dinner with Mom. We weren’t doing a dinner and a movie night
this weekend, but Rowen was spending the evening with us so we could spend some
time playing around with the flute and saxophone we were able to bring home for
the weekend for the first time.
Ethan and Ehlana wanted to watch us practice, but I spared
the rest of Witch Falls from the agony by putting sound wards up around my room
so that nobody else had to hear our feeble attempts to make music come out of
our instruments. My photographic memory
will come in handy when it’s my brother’s and sister’s turn in about eleven
years; though their giggles and comments did just make our practice time more
fun. Patricia and Owen picked Rowen up
on their way home from the store, and since Dad was home by then too; they
stayed for a little snack and chat.
While I’m thinking about that, I really hope that the
saxophone jokes don’t go on endlessly; and quite a few of them are just wrong
to be teasing an eleven-year old about.
I’ve heard quite a few of them today; though most of them were
overheard, and directed at Michael instead of me. I don’t even want to think about what Aunt Leanne
will have to say the next time I see her – especially since she’ll likely be
putting those jokes into a way too personal context. If she spreads too many comments around about
Michael and me, though, I’ll likely be the next person in Vanessa’s doghouse. Just the thought of that has me wondering if
I should be annoyed with Michael for not picking the trumpet too!
Let’s move along, and I may or may not write about Aunt
Leanne’s reaction and comments to this little news nugget.
I miss Dad every week when he’s in the city, but welcome
home night is always fun; and after the Emersons went home, we stayed up and
had a long telepathic chat and cuddle time in the living room. It was after eleven by the time Ethan and
Ehlana were tucked in and I came up to my room; and I’ve been working on my
computer since then. Rowen and I are doing
a sleepover tomorrow night, so I wasn’t going to do much work or studying; but
I wasn’t sleepy, and have somehow managed to keep busy for more than two hours
now. That’s included some family
business reading; a chat in Spanish with a girl in Peru; and I worked in the Magi
Project archive for a while.
Sleeping in isn’t going to be an option, and though I’m
still not really all that tired; I’m going to wrap this up and at least try to
get some sleep. The yard work all
morning isn’t exactly all fun and games, but the afternoon trail ride, and the
movie night and sleepover here with Rowen will be; and I should be ready for
another late night, so...
...say ‘goodnight, Cassie’.
“Goodnight, Cassie.”
