Lined up

   I have the next six shows lined up.  In order, I will be doing costumes designs for Broadway Bound, Separation Rapid - a world premiere, Pump Boys and Dinettes - I know nothing about this show, Yankee Tavern, Fuddy Meers, and costumes and scenery for As You Like It.    It's funny, I am only doing the costumes on this because no one seemed very interested in doing them.  Some folks have wondered if I can do both, but I am looking forward to it! Heck, at the last two colleges I taught and designed for,  I did both.  At St. Mary's College of Maryland I did costumes and sets for all my shows for five years (with about three exceptions for student shows), and at Loyola, it varied.  Some shows I did scenery as well as costumes, some just costumes.  It is all about organization.  In some ways it is preferable to do both, because you know you are not going to paint a set the same colour as the costumes.
   It comes down to who is working with you.  At SMC I had a really helpful TD for 4 of the 5 years I was there.  We worked really well together because he was willing to try new ideas.  I also had the BEST work study students (and sometimes their significant others) helping out.  Without Heather Jackson, or James Yamakawa and Lisa Dalsimer (Yamakawa), some of the shows might not have worked.  These folks were wonderful; they did anything I asked, made the hours fly with their music, singing and team attitude.
   At Loyola it was a different situation.  I had no help at all on the costumes - but for scenery I had an ATD, Michael Vogelman, who never said no, just "let's see what we can do."  I remember Man of La Mancha and a set that stood two stories high, covered in  foam carved to look like stone-  It all had to be coated and then painted and texturized, and we put in long hours, and made a huge mess (we went through a case of Static guard just to get the foam chips off our clothes so we could go into other parts of the building without leaving a trail of "blue snow.") The students learned to paint granite looking stone.   We had dust masks and ventilators, and acetone, and a great time!
    I have a strong suspicion that I will be totally ready for a break by March, but right now, I am really excited.  All the possibilities are still out there. I feel like a kid in a candy shop with a pocket full of money!

So Many Costumes

Hi - I have been knee deep in costumes for The Drowsy Chaperone and thus, have barely had time to look at my computer.  Hope all is well in your world.  The show opens on Wednesday, and my next show, Broadway Bound, doesn't open for another month, so I may have time to update and add photos of the events of the past month!
Be well

Late Winter Visitors

   The activity level at the feeders is  growing as the  migrating birds start returning.

Many of these birds have been here all winter, however.

It was so windy this morning the mourning dove needed to stay fluffed up for warmth

There is always a pair of cardinals living in the spruce trees.  

The nuthatches really love the suet.

So do the woodpeckers

 We have Downy  and Ladderback Woodpeckers visiting daily. We won't see the Pileated Woodpeckers until later summer when they come to eat the crabapples.  They are around - we just never see them.

 I am curious about our blue jays.  For the past few years, we have had anywhere from 6 - 9 living around the house and frequenting the feeder.  This year I have only seen one, and it is very skittish.  I wonder if the local cat or raccoon population has somehow scared/killed them? (Do raccoons kill birds or am I laying possible blame on an innocent species?

The house finches are a treat with their subtle flash of colour

Spring bees

  The temps soared to the mid fifties yesterday, so I quickly  cooked up some candy for the bees.  I ran it out to the hive before work, and it was a gorgeous thing to see all the  bees taking their cleansing flights. Keep your fingers crossed that this hive remains as healthy as it currently looks. 
    I actually had to put on the bee hat with the netting  in order to get the candy into the hive.  They were  very curious and were flying all around my head and hands. There is nothing creepier than having a bee get into your hair - you can feel it walking around on your scalp, trying to find a way out, but you cannot freak out or she will get scared and sting.  
   Near 60 degrees today, and tomorrow the prediction is for rain and snow and a forty degree temperature drop overnight.  I love March!

February 29

The bunny with 80s rocker hair!

   So the winter that wasn't showed up on the day that was made up.  Here we are February 29 and we are getting our first real storm of the season.  Now that Spring is a mere three weeks away, I think Winter decided to stop being shy.

    Of course, schools were closed early because they are worried about the sleet which is supposed to follow the snow later today.

    In the mean time, the boys have already been sledding and enjoying the weather. How about you? 

Our First Pinewood Derby

   As our youngest is now a Cub Scout,  we are entering the world of Boy Scouting.  As a woman with only sisters, this is a foreign domain.  Last night was the Pinewood Derby, a rite of passage for boys  (and apparently their fathers).  My husband and son spend several hours over about three weeks crafting a car from a block of wood. It looks like a crocodile. It is painted gorgeously, but not very aerodynamic.

A Tiger Cub and his Crocodile Car

 I think they both had fun working on it, and that is what mattered - to us.
     Last night was an eye opener.  There were men making adjustments to cars, adding weight and such, minutes before the race began.  Now to me, this seems unfair.  You build it, you weigh it, you run it.  Not these dads. They were going to WIN.  My husband and a friend of ours just shrugged - reality check folks - this is about the boys (or should be).
   My son was a good sport.  His car never placed higher than 3rd in any heat it ran in, but he was okay with that.  They all got participation ribbons, so he has something to show for his hard work.  And they all got pizza and cookies and juice.  A good night.  Afterward we went to the library, making it a great night. 

There Will be Sledding Today!

   Finally a snowfall that  covers the grass! We have got about 1 1/2 inches on the ground so far, and we may get as much as - wait for it - 3  inches of snow today!  So silly to be excited by that tiny amount when we  live in Upstate NY, but this is the most we have had all season.  So as soon as the breakfasts are eaten and the teeth are brushed, I am bundling these children up and outside they go.  Their Christmas sleds need to be used at least once before we pack them away for the summer!
   Hoping your day is white and fluffy! Ours is!