This was a day to remember a friend. Lois Brunty had a stroke and then passed away. We got to know the Brunty's when they lived in the Sadieville area. We were they Home and Visiting Teacher and spent some time in their home. Lois had brain surgery after a car wreck when they lived here. She healed from that and they moved to Tennessee for several years. They moved back to Kentucky and were living in Lexington. She had a stroke and another man for Church also had a stroke the same week. They each passed away. Lois's funeral was March 8th at the Kentucky Veteran's Cemetery North in Williamstown, Kentucky. Claude had meetings in Lexington and could not attend. I went.
That Thursday was bitter cold and little flakes of snow were flying. Nothing that would accumulate but enough to emphasize how cold the air actually was. This would be a graveside service. I asked Claude what he thought about me wearing pants to this one given the weather conditions. He assured me he felt that was a good idea. I always wear a dress to a funeral but I made an exception this day and was ever so happy I did.
The service was held in a little pavilion. The sides were all open except for a stretch long enough for the casket to be placed in front of that wall. The wind was blowing and the papers the Bishop and a Minister were using to speak from kept wanting to blow away. When we walked up to this pavilion, I noticed a man on the front row three chairs down from Neal (Lois's husband) in a shirt with no sweater or jacket. I went up to him and offered to get my father's coat out of the back of my car for him to wear during the service. He declined. It only left me feeling more cold as we sat there. It was a nice service, kept short by the weather conditions. I spoke to Neal and I am not even sure how to describe how he was. He will be lost without Lois. They were truly a pair.
After the funeral, I went to visit Papa for several hours.
In the evening Claude and I had a Self-Reliance Committee Meeting. Claude covered that for us and I went to LaGrange. Hayden was participating in a band concert as a prequel to the KMEA Competition to be held the next week. It is required that all the bands have this prequel concert. The 7th and 8th grade Oldham County Middle School bands and the Oldham County High School Band would perform. Hayden is in the 7th grade band at OCMS.
This was an excellent concert. Hayden's band performed first. They played two numbers exactly as they would for the competition. The other thing that happens at the competition after they perform their practiced pieces is the band director and band members are given a brand new piece of music they have never seen. The director is given a few minutes to look at the piece of music. He can't play any instrument, just look over the music. Time is called and he then stands before his band and they look at their music and he talks them thru all he can in a few minutes of time. They can't play their instruments, just look at the music and listen to their director. Then they play while he conducts. They get the one shot at it and that is it. They are judged on their practiced pieces and also their sight reading piece. They are judged on how they sit and respond to their director. They practiced this night with a new piece of music. This is very important to these 7th graders who have never done this before. The 8th grade has students who have done it and know the drill.
The performance was remarkable. I was very impressed with watching the sight reading portions. Mr. Wise didn't take all his time to review to piece. These 7th graders sat at perfect attention and absorbed all he said they should do as he verbally led them through the music and what they needed to watch for with timing, dynamics, etc. Then they played it perfectly. Absolutely amazing.
Hayden was very happy to have me come over to observe this evening.
Hayden is the short young man between the two taller kids at the right end of the band.
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