Our thirteenth anniversary was also a concert day, followed by two surprisingly unsuccessful attempts to find tonkatsu.

We’ve got the Carmen opera at the front now!

I am working on the more frightening movements first.

Big harvest day at our place this week!

Behind the scenes on the arranging and testing process!

Our young Honeycrisp apple tree gave us about 24 apples last year and none this year. It made me think about piano practice, and how even good things can become counterproductive when they exceed what the system can carry.

By Clare

A small update on my piano-practice book: the manuscript is getting closer to completion, the ISBN application has been submitted, and I am still thinking carefully about the cover.

A four-hand arrangement has to work not only musically, but physically. This week, Scott printed his new 30-page Rachmaninoff Barcarolle arrangement and we tested how the parts actually feel at the piano.

A thank-you note for everyone who helped me think through the cover of my upcoming piano-practice book — and a small update as the book moves closer to completion.

Help Me Choose the Cover for My Piano-Practice Book! At this point, I think the main draft is finally there. I would love your help choosing the cover!

This is the “ugly” truth about practicing!

In theory, the process should be straightforward: set up the cameras, arrange the lights, sit down at the piano, and play. In practice, this particular recording took a few attempts.

How one enthusiastic suggestion became a four-hand piano arrangement — and why Clare may already have another idea.

How the fundraising concert came to be…

After a neck massage gone wrong, I spent twelve hours in the ER—where I saw firsthand what “staff shortage” really means: one doctor, dozens of patients, and a system stretched to its limit. This is why I’m asking you to consider supporting your local emergency department.

Scott fused Jingle Bells with Liszt’s La Campanella. I wrapped the piano in old Christmas lights. We filmed past midnight, took everything down before sunrise—and somehow, it all worked.

From apple blossoms to slug-proof bok choy on the railing, our garden is finally making sense. Turns out, used coffee grounds, fermented orange peels, and a little stubbornness go a long way.