I wish you could all be here for the musical.
It is very entertaining. I always forget how much better a stage production is when it is on the stage and not on film.
The talent in this show is amazing for such a small town. I will try to post some video later on in the week so you can all see it. We are not allowed to video during the show, so I'll have to do some during a rehearsal.
Wish you all could be here!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Man's best friend
This little doggy gave us a scare today.
He is 12 1/2 years old. Pretty old for a dog, but not unreasonably old.
The last 6 months or so we have noticed that he is increasingly having a hard time breathing. It is not constant. It comes and goes. We made an appointment with our vet who diagnosed a partially paralyzed larynx. Not much you can do for that. I guess he could have surgery and remove his larynx, but he would never be able to bark again.
Hmmm. . . . that may not be such a bad idea.
Today we could tell he didn't feel good. His breathing grew quite ragged. He lost his breakfast, several times. We finally let him go outside and he just walked round and round the house. He collapsed once. Ems was in tears. We thought this was it.
We tried to coax him to come back into the house, but he didn't seem to want to. We were pretty sure he wanted to go outside and die somewhere. Eventually he got whatever was bothering him out of his system, but his breathing was still seriously labored.
It was snowing hard and he was covered in snow. We got him in the house and tried to give him some steroids which the vet prescribed. He struggled for about 1/2 hour then suddenly settled down. His breathing became normal. He is relaxed and happy now.
But we know his time is not long. We were all traumatized by today's experience and realize that soon a hard decision will have to be made.
Thankfully, it won't have to be made today.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Mousecapades
Dear friends, I really wonder if I should share this story with you.
You might think that my home is a tiny 3rd world country.
That we are country hicks.
That I am a neglectful housewife. Well, that part may be true.
A few nights ago I fell asleep on the couch. Actually I do this quite often. I have a hard time falling asleep and when I do I don't dare wake up, get back up, and try to go to sleep in my bed. I will lay awake all night if I do that.
While I was dosing I kept hearing noises. Little tiny rustling noises. It was precipitating outside and in my foggy brain I assumed it was that--just the sleet coming down. Suddenly I woke up with a shock, sat up, . . . . . and stared a mouse right in the face.
IT WAS RIGHT NEXT TO MY HEAD!
The thought of it even now makes me shiver. UGH!!
I leaped up with a shriek and ran to the stairs. Poor little mouse didn't know what had just happened. He ran crazily around the room, thankfully not in my direction, before he found a hiding place. I put out a trap next to the couch, ran upstairs, and snuggled with my sleepy husband.
I couldn't sleep after that. Neither could DH. I told him I wasn't getting out of bed until he found that little critter and did him in.
About an hour later I heard some thumping noises, footsteps on the stairs, and a knock at my door. It was Miss Ems. She jumped into bed with us, and said she woke up . . . . with a mouse on her bed!
Miss Em has inherited her mother's inability to sleep. She shuts her bedroom door, stuffs a towel underneath to block out the light, and has to have complete darkness and silence before she can sleep. I cannot figure out how that little mouse got in her room with that towel under the door. Maybe there were two. . . .?
As the sun came up, DH, crept downstairs on the lookout for the mouse. He was hiding pretty well by this time and was nowhere to be found. I vowed to stay upstairs until he made himself known. I was walking into the kitchen when . . . you guessed it . . . I saw the mouse running around in the kitchen.
How could he move around this house so fast? Up a flight of stairs? Through a shut door?
My heart cannot take two shocks in one day.
After hearing yet another scream, DH came up and began the hunt. The dog joined in. We finally cornered the little guy between a broom and a shoe (he was in the coat closet by this time). DH shouted for me to open the door, which I did. Out went DH in his bare feet (it was 6 outside) and accidently dropped the mouse on the porch. I slammed the door shut and DH did a little mouse jig while it ran around under his feet. By this time, the mouse had the dog's attention and . . . well, let's just say we won't have to worry about mousey anymore.
Until the next one moves in . . .
You might think that my home is a tiny 3rd world country.
That we are country hicks.
That I am a neglectful housewife. Well, that part may be true.
A few nights ago I fell asleep on the couch. Actually I do this quite often. I have a hard time falling asleep and when I do I don't dare wake up, get back up, and try to go to sleep in my bed. I will lay awake all night if I do that.
While I was dosing I kept hearing noises. Little tiny rustling noises. It was precipitating outside and in my foggy brain I assumed it was that--just the sleet coming down. Suddenly I woke up with a shock, sat up, . . . . . and stared a mouse right in the face.
IT WAS RIGHT NEXT TO MY HEAD!
The thought of it even now makes me shiver. UGH!!
I leaped up with a shriek and ran to the stairs. Poor little mouse didn't know what had just happened. He ran crazily around the room, thankfully not in my direction, before he found a hiding place. I put out a trap next to the couch, ran upstairs, and snuggled with my sleepy husband.
I couldn't sleep after that. Neither could DH. I told him I wasn't getting out of bed until he found that little critter and did him in.
About an hour later I heard some thumping noises, footsteps on the stairs, and a knock at my door. It was Miss Ems. She jumped into bed with us, and said she woke up . . . . with a mouse on her bed!
Miss Em has inherited her mother's inability to sleep. She shuts her bedroom door, stuffs a towel underneath to block out the light, and has to have complete darkness and silence before she can sleep. I cannot figure out how that little mouse got in her room with that towel under the door. Maybe there were two. . . .?
As the sun came up, DH, crept downstairs on the lookout for the mouse. He was hiding pretty well by this time and was nowhere to be found. I vowed to stay upstairs until he made himself known. I was walking into the kitchen when . . . you guessed it . . . I saw the mouse running around in the kitchen.
How could he move around this house so fast? Up a flight of stairs? Through a shut door?
My heart cannot take two shocks in one day.
After hearing yet another scream, DH came up and began the hunt. The dog joined in. We finally cornered the little guy between a broom and a shoe (he was in the coat closet by this time). DH shouted for me to open the door, which I did. Out went DH in his bare feet (it was 6 outside) and accidently dropped the mouse on the porch. I slammed the door shut and DH did a little mouse jig while it ran around under his feet. By this time, the mouse had the dog's attention and . . . well, let's just say we won't have to worry about mousey anymore.
Until the next one moves in . . .
Thursday, February 19, 2009
OOOOOOOOOK LA HOM A
Miss Em is in the musical this week. I thought you might enjoy seeing pictures since most of you live too far away to see the show. Although I would welcome any visitors with open arms, you know. These are from the dress rehearsal.
That ol' peddler man thinks Laurey has grown up. She tells him to go eat a green apple for breakfast. A feisty one, is that Laurey.
The peddler gives Laurey "the Elixer of Egypt"
"Many a New Day"
"Why would I want to go out with Curly?"
Curly is describing the "Surrey with the Fringe on the Top"
Curly was sick during this rehearsal. Just picture the other girl as a boy. We are hoping Curly gets his voice back by show time tomorrow--and that with all the kisses he's giving to Laurey, that she doesn't get sick too.
That ol' peddler man thinks Laurey has grown up. She tells him to go eat a green apple for breakfast. A feisty one, is that Laurey.
The peddler gives Laurey "the Elixer of Egypt"
"Many a New Day"
I had to leave after the first act. It was a good thing, too, because I took about 200 pictures. I'll put the other 193 up over the next 3 weeks. . . .
Just kidding! Seriously, there may be a few more. She sounds AMAZING!!!
Just kidding! Seriously, there may be a few more. She sounds AMAZING!!!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
A Song in my heart
I am in listening bliss right now.
I have Cosi Fan Tutti playing on the Sirius Station. It is glorious.
When we were kids my mom (love you!) would play The Met on Saturday afternoons. . . . actually whenever she got the chance. She loves opera. The kids didn't. We were not as cultured as she was.
We would make fun of it and her, I'm sad to say. I don't know why. She took it pretty good--but as the years passed I noticed she was listening to it less and less. She used to whistle a song from an opera while she cleaned--I think it was from "Marriage of Figaro." Correct me if I'm wrong, mom.
When I was 12 she got tickets for us to The Magic Flute. It was in English!! What a treat!! I was still young and uncultured then, but I was excited to go. The night of the event I got a killer headache. I don't know if it was because I was excited or what, but it sort of dimmed the experience for me.
Flash forward years later, sometime in the early 90s. I am now a parent, and I noticed that Wagner's "The Ring" was being shown on PBS. I was a music student at this time and I knew a bit about this opera. It is a 16 hour long one. Wagner just couldn't tell the story in less time. It was being shown 4 nights in a row, and each performance was four hours long. By this time in my life I was developing a fascination with opera. And because of my early exposure (thank you mom--see you did make a difference!) I was recognizing a lot of the operas we listened to in class, especially when we listened to one that sounded quite a bit like a whistle I heard as a kid.
So I decided to give Wagner a shot. I turned it on and listened to it while I did my stuff around the house. Eventually I was sitting in a chair glued to the TV. Although I didn't watch all 16 hours, I think I got a good 12 in. I was hooked.
A few weeks after Emily was born, DH got tickets to Carmen for me. He is not an opera fan. He was being very generous and kind to me because he knew I would like it and I was riding an emotional roller coaster after she was born. It was in English too. Much to both our surprise, DH LOVED it!. We sang "Toredore" all the way home.
I have had many other opera experiences in my life since. But perhaps one of the best things for me is having two daughters who can sing it--and they like it too! So friends, go a see an opera today. You just might like it!
I have Cosi Fan Tutti playing on the Sirius Station. It is glorious.
When we were kids my mom (love you!) would play The Met on Saturday afternoons. . . . actually whenever she got the chance. She loves opera. The kids didn't. We were not as cultured as she was.
We would make fun of it and her, I'm sad to say. I don't know why. She took it pretty good--but as the years passed I noticed she was listening to it less and less. She used to whistle a song from an opera while she cleaned--I think it was from "Marriage of Figaro." Correct me if I'm wrong, mom.
When I was 12 she got tickets for us to The Magic Flute. It was in English!! What a treat!! I was still young and uncultured then, but I was excited to go. The night of the event I got a killer headache. I don't know if it was because I was excited or what, but it sort of dimmed the experience for me.
Flash forward years later, sometime in the early 90s. I am now a parent, and I noticed that Wagner's "The Ring" was being shown on PBS. I was a music student at this time and I knew a bit about this opera. It is a 16 hour long one. Wagner just couldn't tell the story in less time. It was being shown 4 nights in a row, and each performance was four hours long. By this time in my life I was developing a fascination with opera. And because of my early exposure (thank you mom--see you did make a difference!) I was recognizing a lot of the operas we listened to in class, especially when we listened to one that sounded quite a bit like a whistle I heard as a kid.
So I decided to give Wagner a shot. I turned it on and listened to it while I did my stuff around the house. Eventually I was sitting in a chair glued to the TV. Although I didn't watch all 16 hours, I think I got a good 12 in. I was hooked.
A few weeks after Emily was born, DH got tickets to Carmen for me. He is not an opera fan. He was being very generous and kind to me because he knew I would like it and I was riding an emotional roller coaster after she was born. It was in English too. Much to both our surprise, DH LOVED it!. We sang "Toredore" all the way home.
I have had many other opera experiences in my life since. But perhaps one of the best things for me is having two daughters who can sing it--and they like it too! So friends, go a see an opera today. You just might like it!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Drip, Drip, Drip
My appliance woes continue, much to my chagrin.
My dishwasher has been leaking for a few weeks. It started with a couple of drips that I mistakenly thought had fallen from the counter top. When the puddle got large enough to create a splash when I stepped in it, I realized that something was not quite right.
So, I called the appliance guy again. The same guy that told me it wasn't worth it to fix the microwave. I already knew it was $65 just to get him to my house, but I really felt this was fixable. So a week later out he came, and informed me that my gasket around the door needed replacing and that I was using too much detergent (make a mental note, girls, you only need 1/4 of the detergent you think!). So he ordered a gasket for me, showed me how to put in it and said I should be fine.
I am fine today. But my dishwasher is leaking again. Friends, this is serious business for me. I hand washed dishes for 20 years before I got that dishwasher. I'm desperate. I CANNOT GO BACK TO DISHPAN HANDS!! So, I just keep using it and stuff a towel underneath to catch the drips.
I don't want to call that guy again. He might charge me $20 just for phone advice. Suggestions, anyone?
My dishwasher has been leaking for a few weeks. It started with a couple of drips that I mistakenly thought had fallen from the counter top. When the puddle got large enough to create a splash when I stepped in it, I realized that something was not quite right.
So, I called the appliance guy again. The same guy that told me it wasn't worth it to fix the microwave. I already knew it was $65 just to get him to my house, but I really felt this was fixable. So a week later out he came, and informed me that my gasket around the door needed replacing and that I was using too much detergent (make a mental note, girls, you only need 1/4 of the detergent you think!). So he ordered a gasket for me, showed me how to put in it and said I should be fine.
I am fine today. But my dishwasher is leaking again. Friends, this is serious business for me. I hand washed dishes for 20 years before I got that dishwasher. I'm desperate. I CANNOT GO BACK TO DISHPAN HANDS!! So, I just keep using it and stuff a towel underneath to catch the drips.
I don't want to call that guy again. He might charge me $20 just for phone advice. Suggestions, anyone?
Monday, February 16, 2009
To be or not to be
I've just finished a whirlwind weekend.
This weekend we had a stake dance. I was in charge. It was a full course meal mystery dinner followed by a 3 hour dance. Sunday I had a unit conference in a branch 45 minutes from my house. That's actually close for me so I was grateful.
Needless to say, I'm beat.
But life goes on, doesn't it?
Anyway, I've been pondering what we have been teaching to the young women. Here is the question: Is it possible to do good yet not be good? If you are good, is it possible not to do good?
I'd love to hear your comments.
This weekend we had a stake dance. I was in charge. It was a full course meal mystery dinner followed by a 3 hour dance. Sunday I had a unit conference in a branch 45 minutes from my house. That's actually close for me so I was grateful.
Needless to say, I'm beat.
But life goes on, doesn't it?
Anyway, I've been pondering what we have been teaching to the young women. Here is the question: Is it possible to do good yet not be good? If you are good, is it possible not to do good?
I'd love to hear your comments.
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