I never thought that when I was 67 my passion would be dancing! Music has always been a big part of my life since I joined the band in the 5th grade. I went to school because of music. When I wasn't listening or singing to it I was playing it on the piano, clarinet, or saxophone. I majored in instrumental music in college and taught it for 20 years. Now that I am retired I have found another way to enjoy music, dancing!
Actually it is fitness or aerobic dancing. It is my exercise, my outlet, my passion. I started dancing in grade school in music classes. Our music teacher, Mrs. DePew taught us folk dancing and square dancing. I loved it then too. Then I started aerobic classes in my 30's and taught it in my 40's. I went back to teaching in my 50's after taking time off to be a stay-at-home mom. Before I only taught instrumental music but the second time around I found myself teaching general music. After taking Orff classes to help me teach general music I was teaching dance in my classroom. The young kids love to move and feel the music, it was so much fun. Anyway now that I am retired I needed a way to keep the weight down and my hips from hurting so much. I tried classes at the local gym but there were no dance classes and I missed dancing. I bought a Zumba CD and my passion began!
Zumba is mainly Latin dancing such as the samba or the meringue so I learned Latin steps. It was new and different and I loved it. I wanted something more pop so I started choreographing my own dances using a lot of Zumba moves. I also watch others' choreography on YouTube sometimes stealing their routines but most of the time I do my own. I have a book full of routines from the last 5 years.. Now I CAN'T STOP! I dance almost every day. I dance for an hour and stretch out for fifteen minutes afterwards. Two days a week I also lift weights and maybe do a few floors. I hate floors by the way, especially crunches.
It's hard to explain what dancing and music does for me but it is all engulfing. Every worry, every problem, every thing disappears except for my movement with the music. It takes me away to another place. I fantasize that I am dancing for thousands or just for one. I visualize a stage and lights and everyone enjoying my passion as much as I do. No one has ever seen me dance and no one probably will. I would like to do a flash dance someday. Who Knows?
Monday, October 19, 2015
Saturday, August 8, 2015
I'm back!
It's been a long time since I posted. I don't know why but I just stopped blogging. I felt like I had to post at least once a week and it was too much pressure??
My garden is doing ok this year. The peas are small, some little brown birds ate the leaves off my beets, and I have a critter eating my carrots. The lettuce has been beautiful this year. I provided lettuce for Aleta's wedding dinner. That was a challenge. Keeping it from going to seed in 100' temperatures was a feat. I covered it with wet sheets during the heat of the day and uncovered night and morning to let it dry out some. It worked!! My lettuce was beautiful. Of course I won't count the hours spent washing it to get it from garden to table. The latest problem is frost in August. I keep telling myself that this is not unusual but I hate it. I want to at least make it to September but ma nature always has other ideas. Nothing much was hurt except a few zuch leaves and beans that stuck their head out of the cover. The water went on before the sun got on the garden and saved the annuals such as cosmos and zinnias.
A funny thing happened while I was gardening one morning. A blue heron flew into the pond behind my garden. It caught several fish spearing them and throwing them up into the air to catch them and swallow each. I watched as each fish traveled down its long neck. Two deer came to the exact place the heron was fishing. The first deer stared directly into the heron's eyes and challenged him to move which after a few minutes stare down the blue heron huffed out of the pond and onto the land where it walked to the other side and back into the pond to his spot. The deer walked nonchalantly where the heon had been. The next deer also challenged the heron to move but this time the heron said, " no way." The deer then walked on the bank around the heron and headed on her way. It was all hilarious and quite unbelievable.
I also had a western tanager stealing raspberries from my garden. They are beautiful birds with a yellow body, black wings, and an orange head.. He pulled so hard on a berry that when it came off he did a flip backwards. I am afraid I laughed pretty hard. I love the birds and hate when they head south. I miss their songs and wonderful antics.
Here are a few pics.
My garden is doing ok this year. The peas are small, some little brown birds ate the leaves off my beets, and I have a critter eating my carrots. The lettuce has been beautiful this year. I provided lettuce for Aleta's wedding dinner. That was a challenge. Keeping it from going to seed in 100' temperatures was a feat. I covered it with wet sheets during the heat of the day and uncovered night and morning to let it dry out some. It worked!! My lettuce was beautiful. Of course I won't count the hours spent washing it to get it from garden to table. The latest problem is frost in August. I keep telling myself that this is not unusual but I hate it. I want to at least make it to September but ma nature always has other ideas. Nothing much was hurt except a few zuch leaves and beans that stuck their head out of the cover. The water went on before the sun got on the garden and saved the annuals such as cosmos and zinnias.
A funny thing happened while I was gardening one morning. A blue heron flew into the pond behind my garden. It caught several fish spearing them and throwing them up into the air to catch them and swallow each. I watched as each fish traveled down its long neck. Two deer came to the exact place the heron was fishing. The first deer stared directly into the heron's eyes and challenged him to move which after a few minutes stare down the blue heron huffed out of the pond and onto the land where it walked to the other side and back into the pond to his spot. The deer walked nonchalantly where the heon had been. The next deer also challenged the heron to move but this time the heron said, " no way." The deer then walked on the bank around the heron and headed on her way. It was all hilarious and quite unbelievable.
I also had a western tanager stealing raspberries from my garden. They are beautiful birds with a yellow body, black wings, and an orange head.. He pulled so hard on a berry that when it came off he did a flip backwards. I am afraid I laughed pretty hard. I love the birds and hate when they head south. I miss their songs and wonderful antics.
Here are a few pics.
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