For this unexpected “no school” day, I accompanied Melinda and Ella on what would have taken place for the two of them today if school had been in session, a trip to Alpental for a day of skiing. 
That’s right, Ella & Melinda go skiing every Friday. Ella does it as part of the independent study program provided to students at PSCS. And Melinda does it because she has Fridays off. Normally, Melinda’s parents go with them but they had another event. Home from school, I decided to tag along.
Today’s picture is of Ella up on the slopes just before her first run of the day. I took this picture and a couple of others before retiring to the lodge with a book (“The Virtue Driven Life,” if you’re interested). It was a tad chilly up there and I’m not a skier. I blame the latter on my Nebraskan roots although I’m sure it’s either far more complicated or much simpler than that.
Today’s Question: What sports do members of your family play but you don’t?
Andy Smallman 
Once again, I anwer your question in a tangential way — I have no musical abiliies at all and in fact have not sung to children for so long that I can no longer carry a tune. My husband is a very good amateur trumpet player who practices every day and plays with three community bands; our 41 year old son plays piano every day and sits in regularly with a small jazz combo or accompanies flute trios, etc; our 47 year old daughter has just this year resumed playing her cello with a small community orchestra after a hiatus of some 20 years while rearing four children; five out of the six of our grandchildren play instruments, one trumpet, one clarinet, one flute and piccolo, one piano and one drums. The youngest soon to be nine has not selected an instrument yet, but undoubedly will.
There are times when I feel diminished because I cannot play an instrument, but… then I love listening to music and I attend a lot of concerts to applaud my families efforts! Just to make myself feel better, I congratulate myself for having been a community theatre actress for over twenty-five years and then a professional lighting designer for fifteen years, so it is not that I am lacking in artistic talents!