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Helene Aftermath

Well. Life got seriously interrupted last week. Hurricane Helene devastated our little part of the world, and then it went on to devastate my old home (Asheville, NC, and surrounding areas) even more. We were without power for 10 days.

There were a few bright spots in those 10 long days: I got to read a few books, clean the house, and stay home from work. But mostly I was a melancholic mess. The word "shellshocked" kept coming to mind. That's how it felt. I just felt lost and overwhelmed and sad. And I didn't have a piano to play since my current piano is a digital.

Fortunately, our family is safe, and our trees that fell did not hit our (or anyone else's) home. Many of our neighbors can't say the same, so I'm grateful that we were spared.

The top of one of our pines snapped, landing on our neighbor's trampoline. (The trampoline was fine!)

Our Eastern Redcedar tree. I liked that tree and was sad to lose it.

We drove to my mom's house in Brevard, NC, this weekend. Miraculously, she never lost power or water, so we were able to visit and get all of our clothes washed. We also brought groceries up for my sister's family, as the stores haven't been able to restock a lot of their dairy and produce.

When we got home yesterday, our power was back. I had a lot of work to do (putting away clothes, going grocery-shopping, making dinner, etc.), but I was finally able to fire up the digital piano last night.

Masterclass Canceled

The hurricane hit on September 27. The masterclass with Orion Weiss had been scheduled for September 28, so of course it was canceled. Yes, it was disappointing, but there wasn't much anyone could do about it, so I didn't dwell on it. The piano store is still closed due to damages, and I haven't heard word from my piano teacher, Eric (whose house was hit by a tree) in a week. I don't know when I'll go back to regular lessons, and the masterclass isn't going to be rescheduled.

October Goals

I had such a great plan for October, complete with detailed spreadsheet! I still do, only I already have six unplanned non-practice days under my belt, thanks to the hurricane. I'll outline those goals in the next blog post so this one isn't so long.

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