random thoughts – Day 2,266 (Sunday) – dance day

The weather was more respectful than yesterday, as in it was not precipitating “wintry mix” and was a more civilized 60-plus degrees. The morning and early afternoon were spent readying for the Natick Dance Showcase. The time used was more than sufficient, but I had the luxury of being unoccupied and chose to linger, pause, and move through the day in a shockingly calm manner.

There was coffee. Reading. Phone games. A shower. Run throughs of the dances. Verification of the costume components, which required two bags for transport. Yet another unsuccessful search for the elusive large I*EA duffel that would have eliminated the need for two bags. (I’m beginning to think I imagined ever owning it, as it has spent most of its time over the years in hiding.)

An undocumented amount of time was spent on makeup and hair. There were comical moments. To keep my bangs from doing weird things, I pinned them under in a roll while doing makeup, then forgot about it. When I took them out, they were tightly rolled in some horrible scene reminiscent of what Mummu did to my bangs when I was a kid and she had me looking like I was 50.

The little eye liner bottle fell from the counter and splattered eyeliner all over the floor. Waterproof eyeline, as in harder to clean up. Makeup remover towelettes worked. While putting on shoes and socks for departure I noticed there was spilled eyeliner still on my foot. Oops. It would not come off. The eyelash glue squirted out with more enthusiasm than needed, leaving splotches on the counter, the tweezers, and my fingers. There was swearing. Another makeup remover towelette saved the day.

With two hours until carpool pickup time, I wondered what to do next. Read? Recheck the bags for the 10^th time? Possibly jinx things by practicing the dances again? There were bits of all of those things with mixed results. I practiced a veil sequence from the duet but with a different veil because I didn’t want to unpack the one for the dance. It was a different size veil and a heavier weight and it didn’t go well.

Overall, the show was great. It was a surprise a few days ago when my duet partner and I learned we were opening the show. Our dance was to “Habibi Metal”, a fun take on some classical instrumental music. We embraced the “metal” and danced in jeans and metal tee shirts (AC/DC and Headbangers Ball) with zills and veils. We even had a headbanging move in it we named “the Beavis and Butthead” and it was so much fun.

Act One performers

Now, it’s time to start plotting the next choreography. So much music, so many ideas.

random thoughts – Day 2,265 (Saturday) – snow showers and costumes

May 30^th. At 7:25 a.m. it was 45 degrees with a wind advisory from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m., and “wintry mix” forecast until noon. The wind had the trees whipping wildly and the wintry mix included crispy ice and snow mixed with rain. The voice of Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz crept into my head, “unusual weather we're having, ain't it?” from the scene where Glinda the Good makes it snow in the poppy field to wake up Dorothy and her travel companions.

C’mon New England. This is supposed to be the start of beach season, not ski season. At least it wasn’t like my junior year of high school when “The Mother’s Day Snowstorm” delivered a foot or more of heavy, wet snow overnight May 9 - 10 and school was cancelled, so there is that to be thankful for.

Today’s plans to attend various outdoor events were scrapped the minute I got out of bed and grabbed the winter bathrobe and turned the heat back on. There was zero interest to freeze outside at the Greek Festival I have always liked, the grilled cheese food truck at the local cheese shop I keep meaning to visit, a hike at a nearby park, or anything else that was penciled on the calendar. 

New hair flowers for new dance top.

Instead, I organized the two costumes for Sunday’s show and packaged into zipper lock bags the various components for each. I ventured as far as Dollar Tree (1.5 miles from home) to seek out a very specific color fabric flower to go with one costume and larger zipper lock bags.

After scrutinizing the flowers located in four different spots in the store, I finally found the color I was looking for to coordinate with the new dance top for the troupe performance. In another week, I'll be doing the same thing for a couple of the costumes for the June show.

At home, I cut two of the yellowish-orange flowers from the bunch and attached them to a hair clip with a wire trash bag tie, green ribbon, glue, and hand sewing. The costume bits that had been packed earlier in the day were repacked into the spacious new, 2.5 gallon bags. Things are as ready as they will ever be, but that won't stop me from waking up around 3 a.m. from the recurring dream where I have arrived at the venue without a costume.

random thoughts – Day 2,264 (Friday) – progress and rewards

Progress continued. This morning the five Lowell-themed photos with new mats were set into frames and all six are now ready for delivery to the gallery on Monday. One by one, the current residents of the frames were evicted, set into clear sleeves, and stored on a shelf with dozens of others (I’m afraid to count them). The framing glass was cleaned and not a drop of blood was shed. The new artwork was set into the frames. A few small photos were set into mats and await labeling for sale in the gallery. Victory was declared.

The framing process miraculously led to a small organizational effort in the art/sewing room. A couple boxes containing random items were pawed through and the contents were redistributed and consolidated. Future efforts may involve the destruction of a slew of the old photos. That was today’s thought anyway.

New favorite ice cream.

Momentum carried to the kitchen. Three photos of recipe cards from Mummu that hung in the Lowell kitchen were hung. A pound of brussels sprouts and the rest of the broccoli was tossed in olive oil and roasted and made a delicious supper with a cheeseburger. 

It may be because I rarely eat red meat, but right after supper, I felt like I needed a nap. Instead, I went to out to buy some ice cream for a reward for the day's successes, and later crowned my new favorite Ben and Jerry’s flavor. Karamel Sutra has officially bumped Cherry Garcia out of the #1 spot on my B&J ice cream hit parade.

random thoughts – Day 2,263 (Thursday) – stress relief

With three dance performances on the calendar (May 31, June 13, June 16) and all the preparation work involved with practice, gathering costumes, planning hair and makeup, etc., I really had to question my sanity after accepting an invitation to be part of a photography exhibit with work due June 1. It added an extra level of planning and activity to what felt like an already full schedule, but the busier I am, the more I get done. Generally, anyway.

There was the review of photos, which began with 100 images on the theme of the show. These were reduced to 25 and test prints were done and used to reduce the count to six.  Full-size prints were made of these.

In the frame shop.

Back in the days when I exhibited frequently (a lifetime ago), I had a reserve of pre-cut window mats, backboards, and frames always at the ready. It turns out that inventory of window mats either no longer exists or is tucked away in some unexplored corner since moving. This was confirmed on Monday, after going through boxes and shelves of photos and already having been to the framing shop the previous Friday for mats for one odd sized photo. A message was sent to the frame shop on Tuesday to see if they could help with the additional need.

Today, my new friends at the frame shop hooked me up with five crisp white window mats and back boards. The relief I felt walking out of the shop this afternoon was immediate and it was a surprise to realize just how wound up I had been about it. Most people find relief at massage therapy or in a hot tub. For me, today anyway, relief happened in the frame shop.

I will get everything into the frames Friday and packed and ready to deliver on Monday as planned. It feels good.

random thoughts – Day 2,262 (Wednesday) – asphalt and costumes

The morning's view.

The morning's view from the couch included equipment for the final step of the neighbor’s driveway. Beyond the rhododendron that is now blooming, the business end of a dump truck rose from behind the red dumpster that has been in my own yard for the past month. The final operation of the driveway paving was relatively quiet and suddenly the crew was gone.

The new driveway looks great – like a swath of rich, black velvet. The only thing protecting its pristineness from potential damage is a thin strip of yellow plastic caution tape stretched across the edge adjoining the street. Meanwhile, my driveway looks like a faded, grayish, lumpy scrap quilt with long lines of patching. Driveway envy has definitely set in, but one thing at a time, please.

It was a mostly quiet day, meaning I cannot account for how I spent most of my time. Later, my dance partner and I practiced our duet choreography for Sunday’s show and two of the four group dances we are in for the June show a few weeks later.

Costumes in a row.

It’s hard to believe the shows are now so close. The costumes have been collected (mostly) and are hung on a rack in the spare room (jewelry and accessories still need to be gathered). There are a few costume pieces needing minor adjustments for the June dance show, and those items are over by the sewing machine. 

The costumes for the June show weigh a ton and will be a challenge (potential nightmare!) to stuff into a bag for transport. I can focus on all those moving parts next week. I just need to get through this weekend first.

random thoughts – Day 2,261 (Tuesday) – cemetery and clouds

Memorial Day may have been yesterday, but today was the day Mom, my sister and I went to the cemetery and did the family grave decorating. I grabbed my gloves and flimsy gardening tools and Mom and had hers, and we stopped to get flowers at a small greenhouse she likes. The selection was still good, even the day after Memorial Day. My sister met us at the cemetery in Fitchburg.

Bleeding heart.

We thinned the bleeding heart at Mummu’s stone and added yellow snapdragons because Mummu’s favorite color was yellow. At great-aunt Julia’s stone, we planted pink petunias and red snapdragons. Mom’s grandparents (John J and Wilhelmina) got white petunias and marigolds.

We checked on the graves of Mummu’s three siblings who had died in childhood – John W – aged 7 months, Lilja – aged 10, and John E – aged 16. John E’s grave is thickly overgrown with day lilies but we didn’t have the proper tools to thin them because the original agenda was planting, not thinning. We plan to return with the proper tools for the task.

The dug out bleeding heart came home with me and was promptly planted in the back yard. It originally came from either my sister’s yard or my yard in Lowell (which had come from my sister’s yard). It’s one of several plants I regret not having thinned from Lowell before I moved, but once the house sold, I ran out of time for things like gardening.

Evening sky from the passenger side.

Tuesday means dance night, for another couple weeks anyway. On the ride home, for which I was the passenger (my favorite automotive role), I took lots of photos of the clouds with the setting sun while chatting with my friend who was driving. I haven’t seen many sunsets lately. The trees at home usually block the view, and I’m not usually out anywhere else at the appropriate hour so I was glad to see it tonight.  

random thoughts – Day 2,260 (Monday) – books and such

The day, which began with rain, redeemed itself later with sunshine and humidity. This did not stop me from wearing a sweatshirt while taking a walk or pruning the azalea in front the house. It was on brand. I am also the person who once sat poolside in Florida summer heat and humidity wearing long jeans and a hoodie, while my family enjoyed swimming.

Neighborhood library box.

The walk was to return a book to the Little Library box near the mailboxes at the end of the street. So far this year, I have read 14 books, and 10 of them have come from the Little Library box. My neighbors have been putting in some great books that I likely never would have known of. There was no intention of getting another book until I finish the one I'm reading, but one caught my eye and is now on my kitchen counter awaiting its turn.

The book currently underway is a collection of short stories in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Technically, I guess it’s fan fiction by modern writers and the stories are really good. The morning rain left me unbothered as I went on some reading adventures with Holmes and Watson. Worked for me.

Later, I got busy and made fruit salad with cantaloupe, pineapple, mandarin oranges, and grapes, then later still, brought some over to Mom’s house, along with about a third of the bag of mandarins. A three-pound bag of tiny orange treats is a lot of tiny oranges, and the last bag I bought saw about six of them end up in the trash after getting gross and mushy. This time I brough Mom some before the same thing had a chance to happen again. I like mandarins, but I can’t eat that many of them.

Tiny toad hedge tenant.

The improved weather got me outside to trim the recently flowered and now sad looking azalea. I consulted some sources before beginning to cut, and took out the obviously dead branches, and cut back some wildly gangly ones. 

While working on the azalea, I spotted a cute, tiny, grayish-brown toad on top of the neighboring hedge. It was calmly sitting there while I carefully cut from the neighboring plant and made every effort to not disturb it. I guess now I know the source of the recent evening serenades that sounded like they were right outside the bedroom window.