I recently shared a titch about the sweet, sweet harmony reigning in our home since both of my girls started music lessons in September. But I was skeptical about squeezing a piano into our tiny living room. A piano is generally a big-ticket item, and I really, really want to instill an appreciation for frugality in my children.

Well, it turns out I know a guy who knows a guy who is a professional tuner by day, and he gave us a great deal on a 1950s Kimball that’s in super good shape. Not excellent shape, which is perfect for me, because I’m happy to give it a little cosmetic love. So with plenty of encouragement from a music teacher that I am thankful to have in the girls’ lives, my hubby and her hubby carefully hauled it up our front-stoop stairs and into our living room.

Here’s what the experts say: Playing an instrument is the brain’s equivalent of a full-body workout, especially for children. Learning to play an instrument develops physical attributes in the fine-motor-skills department for sure, but research is now showing that learning an instrument aids in emotional and behavioral maturation as well. That means the little ones are honing their attention skills, managing their anxiety, and gaining control of their emotions, because playing an instrument actually thickens the parts of the brain used to fight depression, aggression, and attention problems.

In school, music-makers generally understand math and science concepts more easily. By learning about note lengths and how they relate to the whole piece of music, students exercise the part of the brain that processes proportional thinking, and that kind of thinking is required to understand math and science at higher levels. It also improves spatial-temporal reasoning, which is the ability to see disassembled parts and mentally put them back together.

Wow, all that from a little ivory tickling. The results I’ve seen in the short time we’ve had our piano are rather astounding. The girls even play it while they brush their teeth! To say the least, they are appreciating it far more than I ever dreamed. This year, I’m anticipating a year filled with sweet, sweet harmony and music.

American Trade Cards, Boston Public Library via Wikimedia Commons

boxes like this make you extremely happy!

But I’d better be honest and let you know that not only have I never assembled something like this, this would only be my second time using a miter saw. But I got right to work on the assembly …

First thing I did was cut this tag off so I could read it properly …

“Pinch and impact hazard. This cable tie prevents the stand from accidently raising during assembly. Do not cut until instructed to do so in the assembly portion of the instruction manual.”

Oops … guess I was supposed to wait until much later in the instructions to remove the tag. Needless to say, I did survive the assembly and have spent the rest of the day with my ear protection, goggles, and gloves on cutting 1x8s for an upcoming magazine project. Stay tuned …

And remember, read tags before you remove them. 😉

We’ve finally had quite a few rain showers here on the Palouse, and the girls and I have spent many a recent morning outfitted in our rain boots and umbrellas on our walk to school. No complaints here. I still get a thrill when I stomp through puddles!

I’m careful with my stomping, however; there’s rarely a puddle without an earthworm in it, and I’d prefer to not squash them. On a recent return trip from dropping the girls at school, I spent some time contemplating earthworms and puddles, and I thought, “There must be more to it.” I went right home to the Internet. It turns out, they need moisture to survive and won’t drown like us humans when submerged in water. Scientists believe that earthworms surface during rain storms because it’s easier for them to travel, taking advantage of slick, wet surfaces to move quickly, something they can’t do when the weather is hot and dry. Another explanation is that rain falling on the ground gives off the same vibrations as their biggest predator, the mole, thus alarming the worms to escape to the surface.

To some folks, it might be the junkyard, but to us, it’s mistitled and should be named the treasure yard. Check out the squirrel hanging above our heads—clearly a treasure for someone. He made a good mascot for our excursion.

Looking for inspiration for new projects for both the magazine and our Sisterhood newsletter, Kristi, Cassi, and I decided to venture to the local salvage/treasure yard. I also ought to introduce these two officially. Cassi is our new Marketing Assistant, but really, she’s family, as she started out as our nanny years ago. We’re just happy we snagged her again when she graduated this past spring. And Kristi’s official title is Editor’s Assistant. What that really means is Kristi is my right hand farm hand. We work hand-in-hand on most projects, and there isn’t anyone I’d rather do it with.

Our local salvage yard is acres of goodies. We searched high and low for a few tin-man parts (watch for him in an upcoming magazine issue).

And for your own inspiration, here are few piles I couldn’t help but take a quick snapshot of. I’m sure we can come up with something to create from these treasures.

In fact, I already have a plan that requires a pile of springs … every farmgirl needs a pile of springs!

We took our Tabitha out again. On the way home, we stopped to stretch our legs in the middle of Washington state farmland.

The gravel surrounding the silos was a perfect spot for a quick game of tag, but when I came around the side of the camper, I found Stella hunched over the dog’s water bowl with a handful of the stray wheat berries …

… planting wheat, of course.

And Mia, being a tad younger, was around the other side of the truck planting hers in the gravel, no water needed. Ha!

We took our Tabitha on an excursion.

We stayed next door to NannyJane and Grandpa with Uncle Brian and Aunt Ashley and their kiddos just down the lane in the Forest Service campground we stayed in. I’m sure you’ll be seeing many more pics of NannyJane’s new glamper, but I’m sneaking you a peek for now.

The grandparents brought the good stuff. Plenty of tomatoes from the garden, and every granddaughter needs a s’more!

We’ve had such a warm summer, but it’s coming to an end. To celebrate our first day of cooler weather, we bundled up and headed to the tub, farmgirl style.

It even started to rain, which we’ve been dreaming of for weeks!

We love our lentils and their farmers so much here on the Palouse that we hold an annual two-day celebration to honor them. And why not? Our region grows 25% of the nation’s lentil supply, and we are world-renowned for producing the highest quality lentils in the U.S.

Since 1989, revelers have visited Pullman, Washington (our little sister city right across the border), from all across the country to celebrate this tiny legume during the Lentil Festival. The chosen weekend in August always coincides with the beginning of a new school year for both of our universities (The University of Idaho here in Moscow and Washington State University in Pullman) as well as our local schools, so you’re bound to run into someone you know while you sample some lentil chili from a 600-gallon pot.

lentil chili pot via lentilfest.com

That’s right, they stir it with a boat paddle!

If you’re the athletic sort, you can run in the 5K race, play a game of 3-on-3 basketball, glide through a skateboard competition, or join in the mini golf tournament.

lentil festival runners via lentilfest.com

And don’t forget the parade! The little cuties below are this year’s ‘Lil Lentil King and Queen.

lentil festival parade via lentilfest.com

Local artisans display their wares, a stage hosts great live music, and a beer and wine garden features local microbrews and wines.

Of course, it’s not all about parties and parades. This year, local sponsors partnered with Feeding Children Everywhere, and thanks to their support and the work of many volunteers, 25,000 healthy meals featuring lentils were hand-packed for local distribution. And our local humane shelter raised $30,000 for the animals.

If you’re out this way next year, you should definitely drop in. There’s a little something for everyone.

Somehow, summer has come to an end and I now have a second grader and a first grader. Back to school we went!

And since we don’t get to move into our new house for another few weeks, we got to head off to school from the farm. Pretty exciting for these two farmgirls.

Here’s to wishing you all a wonderful year!