So I finally got the piano keyboard I’ve been dreaming about.
It’s a sweet little used model I scored on Facebook Marketplace. Kathryn found it, and Steve bought it for me as a requested Christmas gift (because I am absolutely the person who drops hints in the form of extremely specific shopping lists).
Ever since I was a child, I’ve wanted to learn to play the piano.
My parents couldn’t afford lessons, but I made sure William and Kathryn got them. (Stephen, unfortunately, was already too old for me to successfully strong-arm into it.)
In hindsight? I probably should’ve been sitting on that piano bench right alongside them. But between raising kids and running our small business, time always seemed to belong to everyone else first.
Winter, however, changes the pace of things on a flower farm.
There’s still plenty to do, there always is, but the frantic, sun-up-to-sun-down rush of the growing season softens just enough to make room for new habits. And thanks to some truly amazing learning apps, I’m finally giving this lifelong dream a real try.
I’m using an app called Simply Piano, and it turns out I respond very well to immediate musical gratification. You learn a tiny new thing, and then they reward you by letting you play a piece of a song you actually love.
The other night, Kathryn and Steve were laughing and singing along while I plinked my way through Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’ (my all-time favorite) and Take Me Home, Country Roads (yes, John Denver, obviously).
It’s familiar. It’s fun. And most importantly, I want to practice, no nagging required.
But this isn’t just about finally checking “learn piano” off my life list.
I’ve been reading some fascinating research about how learning a new instrument later in life can help keep your brain healthy. Studies suggest that people who regularly listen to or play music have a significantly lower risk of developing dementia, and even short piano-training programs have been shown to improve memory and brain efficiency in older adults.
Apparently, between music and my daily Wordle games (which Kathryn insists are “not a competition,” despite always beating me and using my two favorite starting words), I am basically running a full-time brain training facility over here.
Of course, winter at our Cape May flower farm doesn’t stop for anyone, not even hopeful, slightly stiff-fingered pianists.
The last few days I’ve been busy sowing thousands of early spring flower seeds. I always overseed because I like the security of knowing I’ll be swimming in seedlings come spring. These will head out into the field around Valentine’s Day, and most of them need a solid six to eight weeks of growth first.
To make that happen, I’ve resurrected my germination chamber, which is the fancy name for a converted stand-up freezer turned warm, moist seed hotel, courtesy of a crock pot and a thermostat rig.
Thanks to soil blocking, there are well over 1,200 seeds in there right now.
Last year, I didn’t give it the attention it deserved and the results were… fine. Not tragic. Not great. Just fine.
This year? I’m babysitting that thing like it’s the next Picasso, and I’m hopeful it’ll reward us with strong, early, vigorous seedlings, the kind that turn into the beautiful, local, seasonal flowers you’ll see at our flower stand and in our bouquets this spring.
So here I am, all winter long, juggling new melodies and emerging seedlings.
One feeds my brain and my soul. The other feeds entire fields of flowers.
And honestly? Both require patience, practice, and a little faith that something beautiful is happening, even when you can’t quite see it yet.
Here’s wishing you a cozy, productive day, whether you’re sowing seeds, learning something new, or just making a little music of your own.
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