Schultz and the Midnight Visitor

Every night our giant German Shepherd, Schultz, has a barking fit. It wakes us up. He goes on and on and on and won't shut up.

We had always thought he was barking at the deer outside. They're always roaming around day and night.

It turns out we were mistaken. Mr. Schultz has been barking at a cute little rabbit who parks himself outside the door of our walk-out basement, usually around 3:30 AM, and sits there for hours, tormenting Schultz.

My husband discovered the troublesome rodent one night when he looked out the window and saw him sitting there. He promptly let Schultz out who chased the rabbit through the woods to the creek where he must have lost him. Schultz trotted back with his tongue hanging out, looking quite pleased with himself.

This little game went on for about a week. The last couple of nights have been quiet. So, I don't know if the rabbit got tired of it, or if he's planning some new way of torturing Schultz. We'll see.


(You, know, I just thought of something. My daughter had made that carrot flute. Maybe it actually lured the rabbit in. Wouldn't that be funny?)

The Magic Carrot

Have you heard of Mozart's Magic Flute? Well, let me tell you about the Magic Carrot.

My daughter had a physics project in which she had to create a musical instrument using household items and a little math.

My girl and her lab partner decided on a paper flute. (Or more correctly, the lab partner decided this.) Unfortunately, the paper didn't work so well. Not surprising. So, a new item had to be found. That new item was a carrot.

My daughter did the math. Then she got out a drill and knife. When she was finished, she had something that looked like a recorder. Then the true test:  Would it make music?

She blew through it. First time it sounded like nothing but air blowing through a carrot. With a little tweaking of the mouthpiece, it produced a pitch. And when fingers covered the holes, new pitches were produced.

It doesn't sound anything like the flute in Mozart's Magic Flute, but rabbits who happen to be in the area may find the sound (and smell) pleasing, which might lure them in. Which means my dog, Schultz will have something to chase. Pure magic.


If you care to see how a carrot flute is made, go here.   

Miss Independent

Today I watched my daughter drive off to school by herself...in her own car.

It's kind of a weird thing to see the kid who used to dress up in princess costumes and have tea parties with stuffed animals suddenly turn into a young adult.

This past weekend, she bought her first car. I'm not one of those parents who just gives my kid a car. She had to work hard to earn the money. She saved it until she finally had enough to buy the car herself. The sense of accomplishment on her face when she brought it home was priceless.

It's a bittersweet thing. On one hand, I'm glad she's becoming independent and growing up. And it's kind of  nice not having to be the taxi service. On the other hand, now I have to worry about her safety on the road. And I know she'll never be a little kid again.

Next year, she'll be going off to college. That'll be another big adjustment!

How was it for you when your kids grew up? Was it hard on you? Or were you happy to see it?

And since it's about time for the IWSG post, I'll add that.

This month's question is, "What other creative outlets do you have?"

That's an easy one. I am a professional musician. I play and teach violin, viola, and piano. But I also play cello, ukulele, guitar, mandolin, harpsichord, and xylophone. I also write music. Mostly songs. But I am thinking about writing a concerto for viola and orchestra. All the contemporary viola concertos are very modern-sounding. In my opinion, they're not concertos that the average person would like to listen to. The ones that are nice, are not considered difficult enough for professional orchestra auditions. So, I would like to create a viola concerto that's pretty and technically challenging. Now I need more time...