after months of chaos from the aftermath of surgery and unpacking and organizing after the move, then returning to work from a new location involving a new commute and to a new job; and finally getting the music room sorted out – these last four days back to the keyboard are helping put me on an even keel again.

routines, what is it about them that makes me feel secure? (yes, its rhetorical).

i wasnt sure if i was going to be able to get up at 630 and practice from 730 to 930 – and be 1) awake enough and 2) able to play (physically) at that hour. but you know, its actually really great. of course this is the first week and day four. it has been mighty cold up here in irvington and with the price of oil what it is (yikes, i WOULD be paying my own during the biggest oil price hike in decades!) – i’m experimenting at how low i can keep the temp and not freeze.

see, the music room is at the front of the house – lovely in that it opens to the front porch (two HUGE windows) but not lovely in that it gets the wind off the river up the hill. at least my heavy damask curtains with insulated linings fit beautifully in the room otherwise i would have been sewing up a storm. i may however have to break down and buy a little electric heater – i am trying not to think of how cold it will be in jan and feb if this is dec!

anyway, its been fun getting a routine going for my two hours – and of course, as i suspected, they are flying by way too fast. i am already thinking of asking to go into work one hour later to get another hour i.

i’m amazed at how quickly my fingers and arms and brain are jumping back on track. There are some physical reactions – i am fairly sore especially around the neck and shoulder and across the back – but thats to be expected. Typing at a computer keyboard may have kept my fingers limber during my “hiatus” but it hadnt done anything for the muscles in the arms and shoulders.

And then of course, its been a long time since i was challenged intellectually – each day this week as i ended my practice to then dress and go into work, i realize that as much as my soul wants to keep playing and making music, my brain is still catching up. its interesting to see old habits creep right up… my tendency to push thru and not take any breaks – and then the last half hour or fifteen minutes i lag and tire. but there are some good ones to – and yes, it is like riding a bicycle – and like slipping on a glove – the tried and true methods come flooding back and are standing at the ready to be brought forth to serve the music.

today with the snowstorm in full force, i started at 730 and took more breaks and practiced till 1130 when i got online to work from home – there was close to a foot of snow on our little dead end street (and i am at the end of the street) and the plows didnt even come by until 3ish. i so wanted to practice all day – a snowy day is a great day to stay in and work and take tea breaks and then research and then work some more and then another break and so on all day – but i logged in and did my hours.

as for rep, i decided to wait on picking a Beethoven sonata and read thru some Mozart sonatas – i’m working on one now and will see if i want to stay with it. Also decided to work thru the Chopin Nocturnes. so right now its Bach, Mozart and Chopin. this will keep me busy for a bit, while i get my “sea legs” back.