Adios to June

We have now learned to "do something" in June.  We used to delay summer events until "later," thinking that summer would dally on endlessly.

But of course, it is over in a flash, so it behooves us all to jump right onto summer with a vengeance and ride it to the ground.

I mentioned in my earlier post that we had taken our trip to Ontario and gotten our theater fix.  It was a wonderful trip in every way.

After that Good Guy went off to Iowa with Brotherbob to watch track and field events in blistering heat.  (I passed on that junket.)  But I had a fine time at home with my sewing machine and my garden.

Speaking of which, I have analyzed that the thing I love about gardening is grubbing around in soil. I'm good with planting, but lousy at harvesting.  Therefore I spent lots of time grubbing and pulling weeds and had a jolly time.

I planted potatoes for the first time and have yet to see any results above ground.  I'm curious, but philosophical.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  They seem to take an awful long time.

I'm afraid that baby birds are getting feeding lessons in my garden patch.  Lots of seedlings seem to be disappearing.  That's okay.  I like birds more than vegetables anyway.  I had lots of fun watching mama robin and baby robins hopping around and in the bird bath.

My hummingbirds were plentiful before our Canada trip, but had disappeared when we returned.  Can anyone shed any light on that phenomenon?  Nesting?  I see one occasionally now; about once a day.  (The nectar is fresh.)

I'm still spending online time with my reading/knitting/crocheting friends on Ravelry.  Keetha asks if I've gone over to the Dark Side, meaning Facebook or Twitter.  I don't spend much time on Facebook, though I do check it for pictures of my kids and grands.  (Children and dogs.)

But my Ravelry groups compel me to do good deeds, and that's a good thing, right?

My reading recently has been devoted to some books that have been around for years and years, but have never been on my list.  I enjoyed Anne of Green Gables  (and the visit to PEI, a beautiful place I have visited before), and I also enjoyed Around the World in Eighty Days.  Fanciful, but fun.

I may have more to say in July.  Who knows?  Happy summertime, friends!

Mid Month----June

I greet you tonight from Stratford, Ontario, home of the Stratford Festival theaters, and the Ontario Pork Congress.

We haven't been consuming massive quantities of pork, but it's early days, as they say in British crime detection novels.

Yesterday, however we enjoyed two wonderful productions at the Festival.  One was in a relatively small venue called the Studio theater, and featured music by Cynthia Dale (mostly) with a piano, bass, and guitar, and a male singer who joined her in some numbers after the intermission.

 These performances are crafted to complement the themes raised in the other plays being performed this year at the Festival.  Our own choices this year are Fiddler on the Roof, Blithe Spirit, and Waiting for Godot.

We saw Fiddler last night and it was just wonderful.  I have seen the play before in London in the last dress rehearsal before the opening of a revival with much of the early cast.  I know I enjoyed it then, but not nearly as much as I enjoyed last night's production.  It was just wonderful.  The voices, the energy, the pathos, the joy, and heartbreak.  It's all there.  Scott Wentworth plays Tevye, and he does it brilliantly.

I am always amazed when an actor here who I have seen in numerous dramatic roles turns out to be able to sing and dance as well.  Of course, I should know that in order to "make it" at this level of theater, you have to have numerous talents and amazing stamina. He is also playing Juliet's father in Romeo and Juliet.

So basically, these artists are performing and rehearsing constantly all through the season.  Few  people are in only one production, for some of the younger actors are playing extras and understudying other roles in many plays.

In case you haven't detected it from my words, I think this is such a magical place, and knowing of all the hard work that goes into it all does nothing to diminish my awe!  We have come here almost yearly for decades now, and I haven't been enthralled with everything I've seen, but when I love it, I love it wholeheartedly!

I hope your summer is proceeding nicely.  Do something  fun in June.  Summer goes by way too quickly!!!

Touch Base as You Run By

June---don't you just love spring, when the whole countryside looks like one big park?  The grass isn't long and straggly looking, the leaves are all new, and the flowers are lovely.

We walked last night and it was perfect!  Cold enough to wear a sweatshirt or maybe two, and no wind.  We could have walked forever if we had any cartilage in our right knee.  (grumble, grumble.)

The school year is over here this week, so the kids are excited.  That doesn't affect anyone here but there's a buzz in the neighborhood.

Little Sister worked her last day at her job on Friday and she was one happy lady when she called and invited me to go eat frozen custard with her at Storheim's.  We all went out for supper together too.  The night before her co-workers threw a nice party for her and it was well attended.  People were happy that she gets to retire, and sad to see her leave.  It was a happy combination of emotions.

Good Guy wants to make some plans for things to do this summer.  I'll be happy if I can just get out and plant that garden.  My efforts on Saturday were short, since I was driven indoors by mosquitoes.

If you stop by, leave me a word for summer in the comments.  Today my words are "Welcome" and "Short".  Way too short....