A Sesquipedalian Adventure - Part 1

Lula is our hostess this week.

 Hi Everybody!  A special Hello to our friends Maggie and Vivian in Alabama!

Karen and I stumbled on to an adventure this week when we went to Kanab, Utah and explored the city park.

Karen:  Lula, this is an beautiful park and perfect if you are a sesquipedalian!

Lula:  Wow, Karen, that is a big word!  What does it mean?

Karen:  It means "18 inches" and therefore we are Sesquipedalians.

Karen did not notice someone in the brush as she walked by.

But someone noticed her!

Lula:  Let's rest a bit.

Karen:  I feel like we are being watched.

Lula:  Look, Karen, it's  a tiny toy Chihauhau!  

Karen:  Aww, such a  cute puppy.  Would you like to come home with us and 

be our very own puppy?  

Karen:  Oh, look,  giant bird foot prints.  I'm not sure this park is safe

for us, after all!

Karen:  Oh no!  Where is Tiny?

Lula:  Aaaahhh!  I think the giant bird got him!

To be continued.......

The Big Tree

Hello Friends!  I am so pleased to announce our new student, Lula!  She comes to us from Texas and plays the cello.

Here is Lula in her pretty "meet dress".  We were amazed at how much she looks like my mom! 

Lula wanted to see the sights, so we took a short trip out to the Wawheap Picnic Area by Lake Powell. 

And then we saw the tree....

It's a big tree, but it will it will
 give a beautiful view of the lake!

Time for some teamwork!

We can do this!

Mmmuggumhp...Upsy daisy!  
Hurry up Lula,your steppingon my hair!

Wow!  Look at the view from here!  We can see all the way to Castle Rock!
 I told you we could do it, Karen.  We CAN do hard things if we try!

Lula's Practice Tip

If there is a hard part in your music, take a small section - one or two measures - and learn each hand separately - this is like teamwork.  When the hands can each play their part, then play them together, being careful to play the correct notes.  If you need to, repeat practicing the hands separately, until together they can play correctly.  Each hand is part of a team!  

Josie Chronicles, part 2

Rose Bush

Hi Friends!  Don't worry, Josie ran fast and got away.  Our next stop was Antelope Point, on the Navajo Indian Reservation.  Saige and mini Saige went with us.

"Follow that car!"  Hee, hee, I aways wanted to say that!"

Here we are waiting for our ride down to the boat docks.

Rose! Watch out for the pedestrian!
You have to turn there!  Brake, brake!

The Big People let me drive.  Okay, okay!  The driver stepped out for a minute and I hijacked the cart.  Saige was a bit nervous.

Down at the boat docks, Mini Saige and Josie took off!

Come on Saige, you are almost to the top!

Josie and Saige did some repelling and found a mineral spring!


















   

A little white duck sitting in the water, doing what
he oughter

Josie really liked feeding the ducks, even though the ducks and the food were bigger than her!
                                                                                                                                                           

Whoa!  What an appetite!

Josie!  Get off that duck!

Oh, Saige, look what I see!  

Nom, nom, nom, nom......

Fine!

Bon Voyage, Josie!  Have a wonderful time in California!

Josie Chronicles, part 1

Rose Bush

Hello Friends!  This week at Paws, we had a visitors!  Vivian and her dolls came for a visit.  They have been hosting Josie, the traveling mini doll for the past two weeks in Utah.  They brought Josie here to Lake Powell country to visit us!

Josie, the Traveling Mini Doll

Hi Everybody!  My name is Josie and I am from Texas.  My first port of call was in Coalville, Utah.  Vivian's dolls took me on a road trip to Lake Powell to visit their cousins at Paws on Keys.  I have had some awesome adventures while at Lake Powell.

It's huge!

Rose and Saige took me to the Glen Canyon Dam and the Carl Haydn Visitor Center.  



I was only a little bit scared to look out the window at the dam!

That's the Colorado River!  

And here is where the Colorado River flows on to the Grand Canyon.

Time to visit the Gift Shoppe.

Yi, yi, yi!!!!   The Shop is infested with giant tarantulas!  Get me out of here!

Kind of a small dinosaur.  These don't scare me!

Outside, we found some dinosaur tracks!  

Yi, yi, yiiiii!   Run, Josie, run!

To be continued....

What to Wear

Dear me!  We have been so busy at Paws on Keys.  We have had a sewing adventure.  It all started when Karen and I (Phebe) could not decide what to wear...

"Look at this mess!" wailed Karen, "and not a single thing to wear!  What are we going to do, Lissie?"

I decided to go exploring....  and look what I found!
   

"Look at all this fabric!"

"We have found the Mother-Lode!"

Karen was flabbergasted!

"Karen, look at this!  Our Big Person's sewing machine!
Do you think you can work it?"

And there was our Big Person's sewing machine, just back from the shop!

"I'm not sure.  I don't know how we would do the pedal.
If you could get down on the floor and sit on the pedal,
might be able to sew...  I just don't know..."

Karen was in awe of such a beautiful sewing machine.




















  And just then, Karen noticed the buttons on the machine.  Lots of buttons and they did all kinds of neat things.

"Wait a minute!  Lissie, look at this -- a start/stop button.
We don't need the foot pedal.  I can sew some clothes!
Let's go tell Ivy and Rose what we have found."

  We hurried back to the music room where Rose and Ivy were practicing.

"Ivy, Rose!  Come with us.  We found our Big Person's fabric stash!"  "And there is a sewing machine with a stop/go button."  "We need your help.  We can wash and iron the fabric and I think I can operate the sewing machine!"

  They hurried with us back to the Big Person's sewing room.

"Look at all this cute fabric.  I'm sure we can come up with some cute outfits!"

"Our Big Person bought us this new washing machine, just like her mother had when she was little, way back in the 1950s.  They had not figured out spin cycles yet, so Rose is putting the wet fabric through the wringers.  Watch your fingers, Rose!  Karen is hanging the fabric to dry and then Phebe is sprinkling it to dampen it for ironing.  Back then, before steam irons, they bought a sprinkler top for a pop bottle and sprinkled the clothes.  Sometimes when they didn't get the ironing done, they would put the clothes in the freezer to keep them damp!  Ivy is ironing the fabric."

That stop/go button is a great invention!  Without it dolls would not be able to sew.  Karen has been on a sewing marathon for two weeks now.

"This is so much better than the doll machines on the market!"

  And here we are in some of our new outfits!  Karen did a great job.

  Now that Christmas is over, perhaps we can get those pesky elves to make us some new shoes.  We never have enough shoes!

Karen's piano tip:  "Even when our days our busy, it is a good idea to find even a little bit of time to practice your instrument.  I set the timer for 15 or 20  minutes.  You can do anything for 15 minutes!   
  "I practice the part (2 to 3 measures) that need the most work and repeat it slowly until I can do it.  The next day, I practice a different section that needs work.  I play my song to know where I need to work on it, and just work that section for the day.  By the next lesson, I know my piece!
  "Remember to spend some time playing your favorite pieces, too!  Happy practicing!"