23 March 2014: Sunday ... Big Music Sunday at UUSMC (an annual event, mc'ed by Andy Levin) ... Erica's (via Kim) visit to mom tonight helps A LOT ...

It's nice to feel the flutter of your heart, whatever that means, the weakness in your knees, the breath becoming more aware as all your senses do when an individual, who I still do not know well, sat two chairs down from me against the wall (an unusual place for me) and I became very aware of my actions. She is lovely but I don't know whether she's married or not. A middle-aged man, member of the church, is by her side, at times, but I just don't know. He seems so much older and she is not young but quite toothsome in my eye. Well, we exchanged some glances in praise of the performances, which were wonderful, but really no words, not even after the service when she was close to me. I did praise the piano play of Pam Allenstein, who was speaking to her at the coat rack after the service and during the coffee/snacks/conversation time post-service. The mystery goes on and continues to intrigue. Now to the individual acts of musical inspiration/epiphany for members:

1. Joey Tosh-Morelli, violin ... good violin bow technique on Twinkle,Twinkle Little Star but tone has a long way to go as is to be expected when playing such a difficult instrument. Kristin was glad that she got her son to perform.
2. Kristin Tosh-Morelli, trumpet ... her playing was precise and very good as she was accompanied by Pam. Loved her articulation. Nice work -- she is quite talented. 
3. Will Doty, piano ... simple but promising playing of the notes with one hand of Mozart's Eine Kleine Nactmusik.
4. Kate Nolan, voice ... lovely voice and wonderful combination with the music track, a beautiful melody and lyrics, spoken clearly and intelligently. 
5. Lauren Nolan, piano ... beautiful melody played skillfully. She is full of potential.
6. Jeanne Hanson, violin; Heather Doty, cello; and Matt Doty, string bass ... the string trio played Amazing Grace/Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, arranged by Brian Hanson. Lots of intonation issues but Matt did a good job keeping the group together with strong string bass play. It was not unpleasant and full of passion.
7. Karl Stomberg, piano ... wonderful start to the Adagio sostenuto movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata", the pace and notes were all there but he lost his feel for the piece and it ended too soon and too abruptly ... but he has a beautiful feel for the keyboard.
8. Jamie Kegerise, voice ... a highlight of the morning's performances as Jamie sang the theme songs to '60s TV series The Patty Duke Show/The Farmer's Daughter/ and That Girl, not an easy task a capella but he did it abundantly well and with such humor and diction. Just loved it. 
9. Andy Levin, guitar & voice ... so talented on the guitar and a fine singer, Andy stepped away from MC'ing the service to perform a song by George Harrison entitled Run of the Mill, composed at the bitter break-up time of the Beatles. In Andy's words, the group was run by McCartney and Lennon and Harrison's input was rarely looked upon and that caused the rift, among other reasons, one being financial.
10. Carol Nicastro, fife ... very difficult instrument played with great aplomb by Carol, who was new to me. She plays in a Fife & Drum Group, I believe. 
11. Lucille Avakian Karnik, piano (and composer), with Laurie Taylor Jackson, voice ... they performed Lucille's song, Gone Away, one of the few she has composed with words, in honor of her best friend, who committed suicide in the late 80s, and her ex-husband who overdosed in 2004. It was lovely piano with the beautiful voice of Laurie blending superbly (after the service had a surprising interchange with her feisty daughter as we talked and she handed me a plaque with the song's lyrics and photos of her friend and her and a pet dog and her husband). 
12. Gordon Roth, Tom Hartline, Rachael VerNooy, and Brian Hanson ... barbershop quartet performed In The Good Old Summertime. All were clad in bow ties with Rachael's particularly affecting with her dress shirt outside her jeans.
13. Kathe Erickson, voice, and Pam Allenstein, piano ... Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, just 3 or so verses of the over 60, Kathe said, that Cohen wrote for this song. She has a beautiful voice and Pam accompanies singers so well. Just lovely. She came back to her seat, just across from mine and I got to congratulate her. 
14. Amanda Ostrusky and Kristen Tosh-Morelli, voice, with Pam Allenstein, piano ... difficult balance of voices but they pulled it off. Amanda is so strong as a soprano and Kristen comes in with her strong contralto and together they pulled off this Pie Jesu from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem. 
15. Jennifer Stomberg, cello ... the professional player last was exquisite, a piece by the famed cellist from the turn of the century, Gaspar Cassado, Introduzione Fantasia, one movement. It really did cover many of the moods and sounds of the cello and started to bring me to tears with its heartrending melody. Beautifully played by Jennifer. 

Wonderful PRN Nurse for Delaware Hospice, Erica, on call this Sunday, came
to visit mom not long after I spoke to Kim, the nurse that pronounced dad and
saw him early on the morning of his death, 8 December 2013, who returned my
phone call to DH this early evening. Erica was meeting Dancer for the first time.
She's never had dogs and would prefer a cat for her two children, a boy 8 and
a girl 5. Unfortunately, she is a single mom but gets help from her mom and her
ex- in the care of their kids so she can work. The children were with their
grandmother tonight. She's amazingly connected to her work and really spends
special time with mom and made her feel a lot better after her fearful bout of chest
and stomach/intestinal pain this afternoon which resulted in her calling me as I walked
Dancer at Delcastle Recreational Park.