Apparently, I'm a blogging fool!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I not only have this kind of pseudo personal blog, I also maintain one for my chorus here on Blogger.com; see links in the column to the right.

Now, I have also begun one for the chorus on the newly updated Web site of The (Monroe) News-Star. My "pen name" there is "salroshol," and the name of the blog is "Tapestry of Song: Piney Hills Harmony, Sweet Adelines and Me."

The good news about that site is that whenever I update the blog, it's featured on the home page until enough newer posts bump it off. That's pretty neat that such a large readership will have a chance to see it quite often.

Of course, multiple blogs mean I don't have enough time for any, really! Maybe that will change with retirement in August. Hope so .........

Meanwhile, my chorus is singing at the Lincoln Parish Library tonight in a program that is sponsored, in part, by the Smithsonian Institution. A news release explaining the whole thing can be found here.

So, with that, I'll sign off for now.

Former connections renewed in bari section

Building on the last post, here are a few more photos of Piney Hills Harmony's newest baritones. (Am I proud, or what?!?)

The first shot is Belinda Parks Reid being sung into the chorus last fall. I went to high school with her and have SO much enjoyed renewing our acquaintance and -- now more than ever -- friendship. We were in the band together, her on clarinet and me on flute. She was one year behind me; she married someone who was one year ahead of me, Randy Reid.

Randy has been undergoing some health issues recently, and our chorus and many others have been praying up a storm for his recovery -- and for Belinda's being able to deal with it as well. They're both so sweet!

The good news: Randy's treatment is going well. He still has a ways to go, but the prayers continue to ascend. More good news: Belinda was back at chorus this past week, and it was great!



Another renewal of an old-time acquaintance: Kathy Hightower Hightower (yes, that's right) joined PHH as a bari this past fall as well. I knew her when she was a journalism minor and a history major at Louisiana Tech in the mid-'70s. Never taught her, but remember her being there and recall some of the incidents that she now relates from that time.



After a career that spanned at least three states (including time covering GWB), Kathy is back in her hometown of Homer, editing the paper there that her father once edited. She was my roommate at regional competition this year. It's been a joy to renew this "old" acquaintance as well. Kathy, sorry; this pic is kind of small. It's from our Christmas party, and they're all small. But you look great!

Other bari pix from Piney Hills Harmony

While one of the newest baritones in PHH is shown in an earlier post from a group shot during our Singers Wanted campaign (Kathy H.H.), I still need to add a few more pix of the latest people to join the chorus.

Here's a group shot of the rookies who joined last fall after the Singers Wanted vocal lessons.



They are (from L) Charles Etta, bass; Rebecca, lead; Ginny, lead; Kathy, baritone; and Belinda, baritone. Note: There are multiple baritones! Yea!!! All these folks are still very much active in the chorus except for Ginny, who had to resign because of family obligations. (Ginny, we miss you!)

As bari section leader, I don't really know how to act with seven baritones in the chorus now. We're at an all-time high. :-D Go, PHH bari's!!!

Me at William Faulkner's house

For years, I had wanted to visit William Faulkner's house in Oxford, Miss.

I actually got an assignment from Travel & Leisure magazine to do a story on it in the '80s, but due to a mix-up in the editorial chain of command (let's just call it "cronyism"), my article got assigned to someone else. True story. Details available if interested. (Note: I had a little cronyism going on myself with a couple of T&L editors, but the editor-in-chief trumped 'em!)

Anyway, I finally got to visit Rowen Oak this year during the Southeast Journalism Conference that several representatives from the Louisiana Tech journalism department attended. Here I am in front of it.

My colleague, Judith Roberts, and I drank it all in, trying to imagine THE William Faulkner walking these grounds, climbing these stairs, using that typewriter, telling ghost stories in that bedroom to his grandchildren, probably smoking his pipe on that balcony ....

OK, that's it. I'm going to submit another query to another publication. What the heck? I already have one written, and it already got the go-ahead from one of the best editors in New York City! Hmmmm. Nobody out there steal my story within the next three months before I retire!

Please pray for my best friend's grandchild

If you're reading this and you're a praying person, please keep the grandbaby of one of my very best friends in your thoughts and prayers. Little Camille Davis, granddaughter of Ben and Becky Martin of Ruston, has MLL, a bad form of leukemia. She is being treated at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. We need all the support we can get!

Camille is the daughter of Lois and Casey Davis of Quitman. Her aunt, Sallie Marie Martin, is named after me.

These are two precious shots of her before she began her treatment in February when she was around 8-9 months old.

To all of Becky's children, I'm "Aunt Sallie."

Just in case some of my feature writing students are watching ...

Hey,

This is my first post to this blog in a long time. Most of my Web work goes into the blog for my chorus, www.pineyhillsharmony.blogspot.com. And even my postings to that blog are sporadic, to say the least, though it does get the job done. (In case you're interested in other Web "things" in my life, see links in the right-hand column of this blog. Some have to do with my husband's artwork.)

I plan to post more items to Melodious Musing in the near future. (Yeah, right, huh?) I have some photos from a Hot Springs vacation, some family reunion photos, etc. etc. Not to mention some more chorus goings-on. Scintillating.

TTYL -- srh