The Slow Life in Maltby is on Hiatus

Dear Readers: after seven solid years of writing this (almost) daily blog, I am taking a break in 2017 and starting a Maltby Piano Studio blog.  With over 25 current students, I wish to dig more deeply into a life of music and involve my students in our discussions, research and new music and music technology.  Stay tuned for the URL for the new blog once I design it.  And thanks to all of you who have followed our adventures over the last seven years.

Yours from the Slow Life,

Susan, Don, Dave, Kaila and Polly

The Raven

I was able to get this great shot of a raven in Maltby the other day.  How appropriate for the season!

Heather and Symba

One of my students has a beautiful little Papillon dog named Symba.  He is a little over a year old, and he's such a sweet little dog.  He is the mascot for the Maltby Piano Studio, and takes his job seriously!

Here he is in a couple of photo ops.  Isn't he adorable?

Pumpkin Man

I've always wanted to make a 'pumpkin snowman', so this was the year I got three large pumpkins and piled them on top of each other (24 pounds, 18 pounds, and 13 pounds).  I loan him my Martha Stewart garden hat, and his 'scarf' was made of an old garland of Halloween lights.  I think he looks pretty much like a Maltby Resident, don't you?

My Maltby Kitchen

One thing I love about our retirement home (we've been here 15 years now!) is its small size.  As fans of living "green" and re-using and recycling, we have not done any unneeded remodels where perfectly good wood and cabinets are dumped in the landfill just because we wanted something 'new'.  Our kitchen is a good example of this.  We did take up the vinyl floor because it was so dirty and pitted and replaced it with engineered wide-plank hickory, which should last forever.  Other than that, we have painted, removed cabinet doors, replaced old non-efficient appliances, and put in new faux wood blinds. It's a wonderful kitchen, and we spend a lot of time cooking and baking in this room.
Here's my newest photo of it all.  I have a lovely collection of three Yellowware bowls from the 1930's that I enjoy above the cupboards and on the top of the frig.

Wood floor, new appliances, blinds

Open shelves for French dishes, new green stool

French pot rack, African basket, original watercolor from local aretist

Flower World in Autumn

We took Polly to Flower World last week for a long walk through the fall foliage.  It is beautiful there any time of the year, and we especially enjoyed the colors of the leaves and the chickens!

Fountain in the Meadow

Is this Fluffy the Chicken from Country Village?

Susan and Polly

The Yard in Early Autumn

The weather has been so spectacular this Fall, and the yard is starting to get decorated in Fall style!

Maltby Piano Studio Group Lesson--September 24, 2016

On September 24, my nephew Matthew flew over from Boise, Idaho, to teach my students about music technology.  He gave a wonderful lecture and demo of how technology can be used to enhance music.  Matthew graduated from the Evergreen State College with a degree in Music Technology about 16 years ago, and is a talented musician, composer, and singer.

We had 15 of my students attend the class, and we spent a wonderful afternoon learning more about various software and how it can help us compose and notate music.  We also discussed the dangers of technology as it relates to music.  It was a thought-provoking day.

Collage of the class

Cousins--Matthew (38) and my son Dave (42)

I'm an Aunt!

Maltby Critters

There are a lot of "critters" here in Maltby.  There have been sightings lately of bears, mountain lions, coyotes, and chickens.  Here's a couple of shots of Polly the Dog and Loor the Cat (neighbor's feline).

Loor is a regal-looking feline

Polly at the park

Polly during the thunderstorm

Apple Pickin' Time!

It's finally apple time in Maltby!  Our Liberty apple tree has an exceptionally large crop this year, and we have been busy picking, peeling, baking, freezing and selling them this last month!  The flavor this year is much more complex, and the apples are larger and juicier than usual.  It has created a perfect apple for our applesauce and custom pies!

The Big Yellow School Bus

There is nothing like a big yellow school bus on the first day of school to create teary eyes and a lump in your throat, even though your granddaughter is 11 years old and starting Middle School!

Our Beautiful Yard at the End of Summer

Here is our lovely yard and dog Polly looking their best before the seasons change.  We had many wonderful times outdoors with family, friends and students this year.  I love living in Maltby!

Back yard conversation area

Glider

Polly checking out the back yard from the deck

Summer of 2016 Picture

Here is one of my favorite summer pictures with one of my Seabrook shirts on. I love the color blue!

 

A New Clock for the House

Both my 1890 Seth Thomas kitchen clock and my other antique wall clock are not working, so I hit the downtown Snohomish antique stores a few weeks ago.  I found exactly what I was looking for--a Howard Miller School Clock.  It is made of beautiful light oak, and has beveled glass over the compartment that houses the pendulum.

It has the most beautiful chime sounds I've ever heard in a clock.  I am so pleased with my purchase!

Saltwater Kandi, Seabrook Cottage

Here is the exterior of Saltwater Kandi.  I love the "cottage-ey" look of the place, and of course, the front porch, where I can watch the world go by!

Front Porch

Seabrook Neighborhood

Ssaltwater Kandi

Places in Seabrook

While there are over 150 homes at Seabrook, the town itself is still growing.  More vendors are added each year.  There is a wonderful restaurant called Mill 109 Pub, a bakery, a dog boutique, a yoga studio, a home-goods store, a small wine bar, an Airstream trailer selling all kinds of fun merchandise, a grocery store, and a candy store.  What a recipe for fun!

Crafty Christine's Trailer and Shop

Home-goods Store

New Candy Store

August Trip to Seabrook

We finally found the time to go to Seabrook during the summer!  We squeezed three days in the week before Labor Day, and it was truly a special time for us.  We've been going here since 2008, and it's a wonderful place for us to relax and unwind.

Here are some pictures of the house interior.  It's called "Saltwater Kandi", and it was a small cottage with a loft.  It was pretty new, and everything was perfect.  It even had a nice yard, a picnic table, and a path leading to the other side of the neighborhood.

View from the loft

It was fun climbing up to the loft!

Living room

Some Serious Summer Pie-Baking

The apples are going crazy, and so are we!  We are inundated with Italian plums and Gravenstein apples!  So, we are making big pies, little pies, applesauce, and apple cake.  It all tastes to good with our own apples.

Here are some of the results of our labors.  The Liberty apples are ready now, so we will start up soon peeling, baking and freezing these lovely apples.

Tiny apple pies, a la mode

My first try at tiny pies

Ready to eat!

A Trip to Bob's Corn

We stopped at Bob's Corn and Country Market the other day, and bought some salad dressing and pancake syrups.  They have the best home-made goods around, and we love living so close to this fun place!

Bob's Home on the Property

Yummy stuff!

Inside the Country Store

Westport, Washington Sunset

My brother Rob took this incredible picture of a summer sunset near Westport, Washington.

A Stop in Port Gamble

On our way home from Silverdale, we had to take a detour through Port Gamble.  It's a charming little place about 20 miles from Kingston, and we stopped briefly to take a few pictures and to enjoy the water.

Benefit Concert at Monroe Baptist Church

The president of our Snohomish County Music Teacher's Association (SCMTA) put on a benefit concert to cover medical expenses for a young girl who needed urgent care a few weeks ago.  It was a lovely evening of violin and piano music, and it was very well attended.  Rachel played on an old Chickering piano that had the original ivory keys.  It was a lovely concert of Bach, Brahms, and Brazilian music.