Below in red type is the third of three installments about my childhood beginnings in music. If you want to read parts ONE  and TWO, click on them. Or you can skip down to the black type to my regular diary. Part Three (of three): Why on earth did I pick out the snare drum […]

The first paragraph below, in red, is the second of three parts about my childhood beginnings in music. It can stand alone, but if you want to read Part One, click HERE. Or, you can skip down past the red type below to go right to my regular diary. Part Two (of three): When I […]

For this and my next two diary entries, in three one-paragraph installments, I will share the most unusual tale I know of how, as a child, I began to pursue music, or rather of how it began to pursue me. But please feel free to skip over this part (in red) down to the black […]

I hope (below) you enjoy hearing “Raffaella’s Dream Dance with the Prince,” a new piece for my ballet. But first, we saw a new fox at Hilltop! It’s beautiful, a rather large red fox with a bushy tail, much like the one in this photo but bigger. It’s been several years since we used to […]

It’s hard to believe two weeks have passed so quickly since I last wrote here. First, I made the 8-hour car trip from Nashville to New Orleans with a colleague to attend the gala premiere of a new documentary film I am in, “The Meaning of Music” produced by a group called The Vigil Project. […]

I am much relieved to share the news that our dear cat Oliver is well now! He had lost a lot of weight due to hyperthyroidism, but after two months on medicine his blood test and weight are back to normal! He gave us a bit of a scare. We’ll have to keep him on the […]

The doings at Hilltop since I last wrote have been too slow! We still await the arrival of two new garage doors, with one of the old ones permanently stuck in the open position! A major plumbing job remains undone! No time to deal with it. And we seem to remain beset every few days […]

Our Hilltop weather cannot make up its mind, as far as temperature and flowers go. We bring several flower pots indoors when it’s below freezing, we put them out when it’s suddenly 80°F, and then bring them back in again a day or two later. But one thing that is out in force every day […]

Spring is bustin’ out all over at the Hilltop! Well, more like peeking out in spots. Lots of early daffodils, pink and blue hyacinths, and even a lily and some other flowers that Crystal just planted. The trees still remain leafless and our perennial garden remains dormant for a while longer. Along with those bits […]

Since last I wrote, life has been a kaleidoscope. First, here is an update on our cat named Oliver. After three weeks on his new thyroid medicine we had his blood tested again. The “normal” on the scale is 0 – 4 points. Last time he was at 14! This time he was down to […]