For a small town, Wenatchee is actually quite musical, I'm pleased to say. There are lots of choirs, trios, quartets, jazz groups, singers, and locations for them to perform. It is a growing trend, as well. Music isn't very well funded in public schools, but the availability of music centers(res), teachers, and musical groups, seems to make up for it. The Woodshouse Conservatory of Music is a historical building that has been converted into such a place. It was actually donated by the Woods family in 1997 specifically for the conservation of music. It has fifteen teachers and one hundred and seventy five students. On any given day, if you walk into the conservatory, you will hear a piano, a violin, viola, or cello, a guitar, perhaps a flute, or an oboe,.....and the list goes on. I first discovered the Woodshouse when I signed up for violin lessons a couple of years ago. Its antiquated design and creeky floors reminded me of my home country, England, and I felt immediately at home. But the real gem of the conservatory is not the building itself, nor the number of students. It is how the teachers really love music and want to share it. That feeling fills the building. This past summer, the administration arranged for a kiddies' workshop, in which small children could experience, perhaps for the first time, different instruments and the basic concepts of music. The younger a person starts, apparently, the better. And then, at the other end of the spectrum, one of my violin teacher's students who I met, turned out to be in his late seventies. What an inspiration! Since I started going to the Woodshouse, my two oldest sons now take piano and guitar there, and thanks to the great teachers, our house is becoming musical.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary: choir, trio, quartet, to fund.

1. The choir has over fifty singers. When they sing Handel's Messiah, it is spectacular!

2. The violinist was ill today, so the trio was down to two people.

3. He said that his lucky number is four; he should do well in the quartet.

4. The government no longer funds music programs (mmes) in schools, so we will have to raise some money ourselves.

You have probably learned from my podcasts, that the region where I live is agricultural. It is rural, the communities are small, and its post native american indian roots lie in the apple tree. I realised the other day how I take the apple tree for granted. Not only is it everywhere in this and the surrounding towns, but there are so many businesses built around the fruit. There is a large juicing factory called Tree Top which, of course, uses apples. There is also a special candy, unique to this area, called Aplets and Cotlets. It is similar to Turquish Delight, just a little more rustic, and made of apples and apricots. Then there are businesses that supply the farming industry, the apple art and collectibles products, clothing, and the Apple Blossom Festival in the spring. There is always something on the calendar that has something to do with the apple. My husband is a fruit broker, believe it or not, and so I hear every day about conditions of apples, how they are being shipped abroad, and the global market. I visited his office this weekend, and came across some apple box labels that originated in this region. They were framed, and displayed in a group of about twenty. Though no longer in use, they reflect some of the history and culture of the inland Northwest. Native American indians feature on several of them, which makes sense; most of the towns in this area have Native American names, and were originally established by indians. Other labels show aspects of the landscape, such as mountains or rivers, and one is even called Trout, after the fish which is found abundantly here.

Grammar notes.

Related vocabulary and expressions: post, to take for granted, rustic, believe it or not.

1. That is a post-war novel; it was written after the war.

2. I took our big garden for granted. Now we don't have one, so I really appreciate what we used to have.

3. The house is very rustic. It is not elegant or polished; it is simple and earthy.

4. That very short man is, believe it or not, an excellent basket ball player.