Mrs. Pye's Diary

Ok, the Yarn Harlot just made me feel a lot better. After a frustrating night of memory lapses at rehearsal I have been pretty low this morning. After all these years I still suffer from two things: a desire,wish, yen, NEED for perfection, and the aftereffects of health issues 16 years ago which make memory work mostly impossible for me. (A tough go for a singer!)
I realized as I sat and mentally kicked myself for ever taking this role--What was I thinking???--that if everyone else just did their lines perfectly I would most likely be fine. Not too comforting. In houses across the county they are probably thinking the same thing! Oh, to have that photographic memory thing going on. But it is dead.
So, rather than sit and cry, I tried yet again to come up with a strategy. Here it is: Drink a lot and avoid the problem. Ha ha. Not really. I tried the writing it out thing. Good. Then my wonderful partner ran scenes with me over and over, just the two of us till I was comfortable. Better, because I got to sit with no book and just my fidgety brain to figure it all out. Going with no book is so scary, make that SOOOO SCARY. So I think from here on in I just have to do it a million times with no book, no slips of paper, no nuthin. (Oops, slipped into the play vernacular. Maybe that's good?)
After we got that first major scene nailed, I came in here, sat down to my blog and looked for one to cheer me up. Ah, the yarn harlot. She is hysterical, actually in both senses of the word for the blog I read: funny and losing it. Her house problems made my day. Have you ever noticed that whenever you have a problem, discovering someone else with a worse one makes you feel so much better? Not sure what that says about my character but there it is.
After this harangue, you, too, probably need a chuckle. Click here for the yarn harlot's take on life. And BTW, if you are so inclined, say a prayer for Mrs. Pye. (me)

The Silver Lining

Today I am beginning to surface again after two horrible days with the flu. I still didn't want to chance giving my germs to my fellow Anne of Green Gables cast members so I sent my husband along without me and settled down to watch some tv via our new PVR box from our cable company. Yet again we have investigated and figured out another piece of new technology.
With the PVR I have learned to record single tv shows I want to watch, all shows of a certain title on whatever channels and movies.
Ah, yes, the movies. Today I watched Autumn Hearts: A New Beginning, and felt quite happy slowly letting the movie sink into my consciousness to feed me its message. The movie is about three people who were in a little-known Nazi concentration camp in France which was used as a collection point for people who were being sent to the more famous camps whose names we all know today. Two of the people were children and the third a kindly man who strove to make their lives a little happier in light of the grand tragedy they all were suffering.
I particularly liked the take in that movie that it was from maybe forty years later when they all meet at the farm of the girl, played by Susan Sarandon.
A poignant part in the film occurs when the older man tells the girl's husband why he was sent to a psychiatric hospital. The man is awestruck and cannot speak. His attitude changes immediately.
Finding a way to have this movie turn out well must have been quite a trial for the playwright but he/she did it. My suggestion is to settle in for a relaxing hour and a half and prepare to be awestruck yourself.
Oh! Another reason I really enjoyed this movie is the fact that it flies in the face of those naysayers who deny that the holocaust ever really happened. And, by the way, there is a silver lining at the end of the movie.

Bits and Pieces

Who knew that watching a wee boy play rolling ball with his grandpa would be so spell binding?

Of course we're not sure who is teaching whom but not to worry. Lots of fun for all involved.

People keep telling me they read my blog and are wanting me to post more often. Today I would like to ask for some comments and/or feedback from those people so that I know I'm not just writing in a vacuum. Even disagree with me. It's okay. Then I'll know someone is listening.

This has been a great Thanksgiving weekend for Canucks in Southern Ontario. Yesterday was sunny and sweet, just perfect for entertaining our grandson for his first Thanksgiving. Today has been relaxed and laid back. I spent some time getting familiar with our Rogers HD package, specifically in recording movies/shows for future playback. Pretty cool.

Tomorrow I'm ready to get back into eating carefully again although I didn't do too badly with the holiday. We even threw out the remains of a purchased pumpkin pie. If it's not great I'm not willing to waste the calories on it.

We talked to Beth and Chelsea and got quite a lot of information from Beth but not so much from Chelsea, although Beth says she now has about thirty words. I can hardly wait till she starts to answer me when I talk to her on the phone. Have you ever tried to talk non-stop to a toddler who is not replying? Oh, occasionally she grunts and then I grunt back to her, hoping that means something to the sweet little thing. Sure am glad they have a trip planned here in December.

Speaking of trips, we cancelled our holiday in Paris, France as we are just too busy and would have missed 4, yes four, rehearsals for Anne of Green Gables. Neither of us wanted to do that so we rescheduled our flights and hotel for stuff on this side of the ocean. Whew! Now I just have to get all my stuff memorized for our practice this Tuesday when we start the run-throughs. I'm anxious to see if I can actually do this as I haven't for years. Fun, fun.

Time to play with our Rogers thingey again. Maybe we'll get some other wonderful thing to download (upload?) and refresh our technical memory once more. Gotta love it!

I Can Turn on a Dime

My friend and I had planned to walk this morning at 7:30 until I remembered my hair appointment. We thought we'd go afterwards. I checked and my appointment was at 9:00 a.m. so our 7:30 walk was back on. I got up at 6:30 to pouring rain. My friend called and we changed to 11:00 a.m. if the rain stopped.
My sister called and asked if I could taxi her son to school at 11:40. Yes, I could as I would be back by then.
Next I was supposed to drop off my husband at our son's house on my way out of town but my hairdresser called and rescheduled for 2:00 p.m. this afternoon as the power is off there and has been since 5:00 a.m. this morning. The hydro people have no idea when it will be back on. So my husband has taken the car to our son's for his meeting and I have the morning to write and a hair appointment this afternoon. Crazy!

I am an organized person and love structure in my life. Amazingly, though, I can toss all my plans away in an instant if I see the need. Last weekend my husband and I threw out our plans to go to France next week and used the airmiles and hotel accommodations on this side of the pond in the next three or four months. We are happy to do this as we needed to be at all the rehearsals for Anne of Green Gables and would have missed four run-throughs. The thought totally freaked me, with my difficulty memorizing anything. So. We talked it over and changed our minds.

If my son calls and wants me to take a trip to London with him during the day almost always I change my day and grab the opportunity. If my husband wants to take a tour downtown for something and asks me to go, I work it out. I love to go places and talk to people, especially to those I love.

So, yes, I can turn on a dime. Carpe diem!

Home Suite Home

Yesterday my spouse and I trekked around our condo area to get some pictures for his new newsletter. Since I had the pics I thought I'd post them on my blog. Below is our place (the first unit with the two pink hydrangeas blooming. I finally learned if I wanted fertilizer on the plants I had to put it on. Since then my flowers have pleased me.

Here is a shot of our 'common area' but it is much more than common; in fact, it is pretty picturesque in all seasons.

Even on this cloudy day the gazebo's attractive design demands notice.

Some of the gardens are very nicely done. We even were finalists in our city's "City Beautiful" contest this year.

I love the path through the centre of the common area, so cute and beguiling you just have to follow it. We always finish our walk up this path to our home.

In December we'll mark our second anniversary since we moved here. The time has flown and so have the stray uncomfortable feelings of not being 'home'. We are totally ensconced in our condo, body and mind.

Mani, Pedi, they both cure!

Today I was feeling a little tired and a lot worn down. Too much Toronto trekking yesterday and then up at the crack to sit for Ben, the latest love of his grandfather's and my life. Ben's mother came home early freeing us for the rest of our day. My husband had errands to run. I added one thing to his list. Drop me at the Model Nails spa.

I must admit the place is plain with no real ambiance. But the people are pleasant and eager to please and I have visited them 3 or 4 times this summer. Mary does a great job of my toes but the massage chair I sit in was just calling to me today. They took me immediately and I picked my polish colour and settled in for a treatment.

Forty-five minutes later I floated out with my toes beautifully painted and my whole being a lot less stressed.

This was the first time I went for the flower and I quite liked it!

Tried a couple of different shots but none were that great. Oh well, the toes were fun.

Last time I went I got a French manicure for the first time, also a lot of fun. In true Beader Girl fashion I was wearing one of my watches for this shot.

Time for dessert--homemade elderberry pie (real from-scratch pie crust)--and our guests arriving very soon.

Evita Rocks With Dena and Stephen

My husband and I took the hour and a bit trip to Huron Country Playhouse last Saturday expecting a pleasant afternoon and a revival of the spectacular movie, Evita, we had seen years ago. For me that movie was so amazing because of the introduction of the everyman character with all his singing comments on the political tapestry against which Eva Peron rose. Her story is incredible enough--a poor girl who claws her way to becoming the wife of the ruler of Argentina--but the movie meshed past and present, love of Eva, hate of her and all she represented, as well as incredible music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Of course we expected excellence of these giants and were not disappointed.

Just before the lights went down and the show began I commented to my husband that the actor playing Che, the narrator, would have an impossible job because Antonio Banderas owned that role in the movie. Indeed, it was my first notice of him. Well, the show started with Stephen Patteron stepping out as Che. I totally forgot Banderas, not because Patterson is so good-looking but because he lunged into the role, khakis and all, his powerful voice stunning in its take charge, I'm-a-person-to-be-reckoned-with sound. I turned to my husband and smiled. We were in for a treat.

The dancing was alive, pulsating with emotion, precise in movements and altogether enthralling. And the choreography on a relatively small stage, with a limited set, compared to movie takes, was inspired. I never saw a dance or dancer whose movement bored me. Rather my eyes just wouldn't open wide enough.

And now I must tell you of Dena Chiarcossi, whose debut in this starring role was without a doubt amazing. I know, we use that word all the time, but she amazed all who saw the show. Her athleticism added a dash of strength to the character and her profile was reminiscent of the famous Barbra Streisand. Her voice. A strong sound in the lower registers and then a tinkling winking glory as she went higher and higher. I loved her as Evita. Of course Madonna did the role in the movie but Madonna never sang like this girl, and never could, with any amount of coaching. Madonna was believable and strong as Evita. Dena was Evita. I predict we will hear much more of this young lady.

I cannot urge you to get tickets as we saw the second-to-last performance and there are no more. Pity.

Four and One at the Zoo

On Sunday last my husband and I accompanied our son's family to the Twin Valley Zoo east of Brantford. Of course I didn't write about it immediately so have forgotten just what these sleepy animals are, although I do remember they reminded me of the javelinas we saw in Arizona.

This bobcat was calm and beautiful. The tail is very short; hence, the name, I figured out.

Lots of deer ambled behind their fence. Of course there are many deer running free in Ontario, so this is not such a rare sight.

Daddy black bear sat patiently under the scrutiny of Ben, his parents and his grandparents.

The reindeer were quite interesting. This one has a lovely rack of antlers.

And this baby's antlers have just started to grow. I think his glare is because we had no food for him and he had run right over when he saw us.

At first I thought these were llamas, but of course they are alpacas. They have such a pert, perfect pose.

Alice the camel had only one hump here and, may I say, she was pretty ugly.

You might think this is just a kitty but beware as bobcats can be ferocious.

These two mountain lions drowsed in the afternoon sun.

The sound of the zebra was a revelation for all of us and I can't even describe it. Donkeys have their distinct heehaw and the zebra's sound is every bit as weird.

This mountain goat gave us his best side!

The last thing we did was enter the goat enclosure, at our peril. Immediately one of them untied my shoelace, and this one is pretty interested in Benjamin's clothing. We all had quite a time getting out of there with all we had taken in.
Wee Ben didn't know what to make of the goats!

There is no greater time than spending an afternoon with our kids and grandkids. Four and One? Four adults and one little boy out for his first trip to the zoo.