Piano Lessons

Just down the street from little Velda, close to the old railroad track, things were happening….things she wanted to be part of…

When she was just about four years old, she became aware of Mrs. Muzette Brown’s group piano lessons…and she wanted more than anything to learn how to play the piano…

{beautiful floral background print from Crafty Secrets’ new “Creating with Vintage Illustrations” CD}

Not telling anyone where she was going, she would just “show up”, as she remembered, at Mrs. Brown’s house during lesson time.

“Mrs. Brown, being a very nice person, and apparently being perceptive about my hunger to learn, would succumb to my pleadings and would give me some little thing to do to keep me from being so obnoxious…”, Velda remembered…

{I really wanted some kind of keyboard or piano image for my page, but couldn’t find anything that worked…so I just made my own!}

When her mother finally realized what was going on, she paid Mrs. Brown a visit herself.  “She’s much younger than anyone I’ve ever taught”, said Mrs. Brown, “but I’m willing to take her on if you wish to enroll her”, she said.

Her parents eventually “gave in”, as Velda put it, and she was a regular student at Mrs. Brown’s for many years.

{Velda, about age 12, 1927}

“I regret to say that although I continued with piano lessons for quite a few years, I was never a ‘child prodigy’, and I finally convinced my parents to be satisfied with that obvious fact…”, Velda said.

She quit lessons while an older school girl, but later in life regretted that she didn’t study longer…

{a new page for my heritage scrapbook}

I started taking piano lessons around the time I was 7 years old, continuing until I was 17.  I didn’t always enjoy the lessons & daily practicing, but I do love playing the piano now, and I’m so grateful that I can.

I always just assumed my parents paid for my lessons all through the years, and one day, a year or so ago, I thanked my mother for doing that.

{me—1969—about the time I began my piano lessons}

“Oh, we didn’t pay for them”, she said, “your grandparents did.”

I never knew.  They never said one thing to me about it.  They were ever supportive, always wanted to hear me play, but they never told me.

They’ve both been gone for years now…I wish so much that I could thank them for this…and, well, I guess I am right now…

Thank-you Velda, thank-you Dow, for the gift of music in my life…

{my grandparents—Dow and Velda Ostlund}

I love you.

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Piano Lessons,Velda Stapley Ostlund,Dow Ostlund,Crafty Secrets

Happy New Year Wishes & a Winner!

Happy New Year’s Day, dear friends!

My goodness…2012…sounds like a very good year to me!

We had a calm—but very lovely—ringing in of the New Year…just my family and mother-in-law together…

…playing games, eating food (too much!), watching that big, glittery ball drop, a little sparkling cider…hugs & kisses all around…nothing fancy—just the way I like it!

And just to sweeten the day a tiny bit, here’s the winner for the Crafty Secrets’ “Creating with Vintage Illustrations” CD…

Anna Christensen from Hove, England is our winner on this very first day of 2012—Congratulations, Anna!  Would you mind sending me your email address?  I’ll get it sent off to you right away!

Thank-you all for entering the giveaway….thinking I may have to do another one very soon!

On this lovely first day of the year, I’m sending you wishes for a bright, wonderful, safe & happy New Year.  Hoping it’s a year of renewal, refreshment, fulfillment & creativity…

…a year full of blessings for each of us & a year full of opportunities for each of us to bless the lives of others in every way we can…

…a year to not expect ourselves to be perfect right now, but to be just a little kinder, a little more patient, a little more generous, a little bit better every day...

Happy New Years’ wishes to each and every one of you…thank-you for all you do, share & inspire each and every day all throughout the year!

Julie

LiveJournal Tags: Happy New Year,Crafty Secrets,giveaway winner