I'm Still Here

Many times, many days, I see something or hear something and think, "Oh, I should blog about that." But I haven't (obviously). I've been busy living life and enjoying the summer (if you call low 70s and lots of rain summer). Pipsqueak has been taking swimming lessons, going to pony camp and taking a hip hop class. We've been doing arts and crafts and just hanging out. I've been gardening, cooking, chilling and happy that it hasn't been hot enough to wear shorts or a bathing suit. Damn, eight pounds that won't come off!

I think of you often, my internet lovelies. I should throw you a bone from time to time... a recipe, a photo... something so you'll still be there during the long Vermont winter when I'm shut in, trying to stay warm and again making a dent in the sofa cushion. But I do have things I want to share with you, so I'm going to try to post twice a week. I can do that, right? Back in October I posted every.single.day for NOBLARama-rama-ding-dong or whatever it was called.

If that just isn't enough, follow me on Twitter because I seem to be able to find time for 140 characters or less once or twice a day. You can find me by searching for BettsVT. Follow me, and I'll follow you, even though that sounds like we'll be chasing each other around in circles.

Independence Day Recovery Period...

That's what I'm in right now. No, I didn't drink too much. I had one beer. It's all I had time and energy for. I started the day with a protein rich breakfast, because I knew my next meal would be late. I do live from meal to meal. I have a love affair with food, and we can't be apart for long. I got all decked out in my red, white and blue and got to wear my once-a-year socks.

My first stop was our library's book sale. I wanted to be there at 9am when the door opened, so I wouldn't miss anything good. Hardcovers and big paperbacks were $2, small paperbacks and movies were $1. I also have a love affair with books, and I can never have too many.

After that I had to set up for a morning of performances, and be ready to start at 10:30. First I played clarinet in the town band in the parade, then I performed in an hour long concert with the town band, and finally played djembe drum for a short concert with the a group of community drummers. It was a lot of fun and went well, but I get a little nervous when I perform, so I takes more energy than it should.

I got lunch around 1:30, (oh, food how I missed you) and checked out all the town festivities, and ended up playing music trivia with a group of around 20 people (most baby boomers with song from the 70s) for an hour or so. At the end of the game, I dragged myself home and collapsed on the couch for a couple of hours. We grilled some burgers for dinner (that's where the beer came in), ate some festive cupcakes which we made the day before(more fun with Wilton Color Spray) and headed back downtown for a concert (which I didn't play in) and firework viewing. Not surprisingly, that night was the best night's sleep I've had in weeks.

Farrah Fawcett, the Forgotten Angel

Farrah Fawcett had the unfortunate timing to die the same day as Michael Jackson. Her death, and more importantly, her life have been overshadowed by his.

Sure, I'm was and am a Michael Jackson fan... not rabid, just appreciative of his talent. I feel sorry that he died and left behind three children. I feel sorry that he died so young and on the eve of his return to performing. I feel sorry for for the mental pain he must have felt to transform himself from an attractive man to a freak. But I feel so much more for Farrah Fawcett.

Charlie's Angels premiered in 1976. I had two best girlfriends that I spent most of my time with, and we loved to play Charlie's Angels together. It was a time when television was depicting women that could be strong and take care of themselves... Police Woman, Bionic Woman and Wonder Woman. Okay, so they used their bodies and beauty to fight crime, but it was sure fun to watch. As a tween, it sort of made me feel empowered.

I was surprised to learn that Farrah was only on the show for one season with a few guest spots after that. It seemed to me that she was on longer. Apparently, she wanted to do more with show biz than wiggle and jiggle... and boy, did she ever. Her turns in "The Burning Bed" and "Extremities" were powerful and intense, and she showed the world that she was more than a sex symbol. She was a talented dramatic actress.

I think I admire her most for her struggle with cancer. She made a documentary, "Farrah's Story" which chronicled everything from treatment to side effects. She hoped it would inspire and help people. It's help and inspiration I hope I never have to use, but I will remember that she never gave up. She fought for over two years, and even when she heard the cancer had metastasized to her liver, she still received treatment. It would have been easier to give up and say she was too tired and ready to die, but she didn't.

Her life may not have been as dramatic, interesting and bizarre as Michael Jackson's, but we should honor her memory and her final message... never give up hope.

So long, Farrah. I hope you're an angel again.

Just Dance

This weekend, Pipsqueak had her annual dance recital... four shows in two days, each lasting 2.3 hours, a half hour early arrival time, one hour round trip travel. That means I put 15.2 hours of my weekend into the show and that doesn't include makeup and bun time. Don't get me wrong; it was a fantastic show, beautifully produced, choreographed and costumed, and I'm proud as punch of Pipsqueak. But man, I'm I ever tired today, and when I closed my eyes to go to sleep last night, I swear I saw dancers... sort of like you see square tiles after playing Tetris too long.

Pipsqueak has been dancing since she was three years old... ballet and tap until this year when she swapped tap for jazz. She saw a ballerina on Sesame Street shortly after turning three and told me she wanted to learn to dance ballet. I started looking for local studios and found Dancers' Corner. I found a couple of others, but Dancer's Corner had a nice website with all the information I needed, so I picked them because I'm lazy and didn't want to make phone calls. It turned out to be a fortuitous if under-researched choice, since I've heard at least one other studio has a militant method of teaching; I wanted the experience to be fun. DC manages to teach the young children through play. I don't think the children even realize their learning. They get to wear their pretty little tutus and ballets skirts instead of a "uniform" of black leotards and pink tights.

She cried at her first recital and didn't make it on stage for her final number, and told me on the way home that she NEVER wanted to do that again. I told her she didn't have to, but I spent time talking to her about her experience, and my experience playing in orchestra, and acting in plays. I explained how the audience is rooting for the performer to succeed, the gift of entertainment and the powerful, exciting feeling of making an audience laugh or hearing applause. When recital time came around again, she still didn't want to do it, but I bought tickets for us to go and watch. Her reactions, "I wish I had that pretty costume," and "I could have done that!" There was no question that she would perform in the next recital, and she's loved the stage ever since.

There were approximately230 dancers performing last weekend ranging in age from 2 to 80+. There was a tribute to the two senior girls that would be leaving the studio after dancing there for 10 and 12 years. I was struck with the thought that it could be my daughter in only 11 more years. When the time comes for her to leave home, I'll only have memories of the all the time we spent together and the wish that I had another weekend that I could devote to her.

Eastern Milksnake

When I got home from grocery shopping I pulled up to back door to unload. I made one trip in and when I came out... OMG! There was a snake skin on the cement at the foot of the steps. We find garter snake skins all the time around here.. in the stone walls and wood piles. But this was huge and something told me this wasn't a garter snake. I brought it in and measured it. It was 42"! That's almost as long as my 7 year old daughter is tall.

I looked in our Field Guide to New England and it said garter snakes grow to 22". I couldn't quite match the coloration (dark tan and light tan bands) to anything in the field guide, so I hit the internet looking for Vermont snakes. I found the Vermont Reptile and Amphibian Atlas Project with a phone number. Being curious (and a little apprehensive) about what was lurking in my backyard, I called. I was dumbfounded when the phone was answered with a "hello". I was expecting some lab or research facility. Apparently, this is a one-man operation. "Uh, hi. Is this the... uh... the snake people?"

"Yes, you want to speak with my husband, " whom she put on the phone.

I told him about my find and its markings, he identified it as a Milksnake, sometimes called a Spotted Adder, which is a misnomer since it isn't an adder at all. With that size skin, it's definitely a mature adult. They quite common in Vermont. (Funny I've never seen one in my life.) He told me it was probably feeding on mice and rats. (At least I know it won't be feeding on my dog.) There are plenty of mice in the fields around here. He told me it might get in the house if it follows a mouse in. (Um, no thank you.) But he reassured me that it's harmless and we could pick it up and put it back outside. (Again, no thank you.) Finally, he told me that the snake is probably not quite that long as the skin stretches up to 20% as it comes off. (Thank you.)

The Bittersweet Last Day of School

Tomorrow is the last day of school for Pipsqueak... well, a half day really. I'm happy and excited. We won't have to wake up to the alarm clock anymore, and I won't have to run our mornings with military precision in order to get out the door on time. I can make pancakes or waffles any morning of the week. Even though I try to stick close to her usual bedtime, if we're in the middle of something, getting to bed late a half hour or so won't matter. If I want to work in the garden, I don't have to get all prettified first to take Pipsqueak to school; I can put on my old gardening clothes and shower when my work is done. I really love spending time with Pipsqueak. We have fun together doing arts and crafts, work around the house, shopping or taking a walk. We have plans for lots of things we're going to do together.

However, I know I won't be getting much done unless I can find a way to include her in the projects I want to work on. I'll get "momma"ed so much I'll want to fill my ears with sand, and there will be endless requests for hugs and cuddles. It's an issue with having an only child; mom is the entertainment and the playmate. I was an only child myself, and I learned to be happy by myself and how to keep busy. I'd play games against myself, and do all sorts of projects and pretend play alone.

Even though I want a relaxed summer, I want to keep a bit of a schedule too... a time for gardening and outside play, a time for art, and chore time. I want to keep TV watching to a minimum. I think I'll schedule one hour a day of "no momma time". She'll have to occupy herself and not bother me, so I can keep my sanity.

In my house, "bored" is a dirty word. Pipsqueak has enough toys to sink a large boat. If she says she's bored, I tell her she'd better find something to do soon or I'm grabbing a trash bag to start loading it with toys. That usually motivates her.

I'm looking forward to the next 70-75 days, but I know that come the end of August, I'll be ready for a little less together time. I don't know how home school parents do it.

"Up" and Movie Theaters of Yore

I took Pipsqueak to a matinee of "Up" today, and I was reminded why I don't go to the movies anymore. First, your wallet is assaulted by the ticket price and concessions. You want HOW MUCH for a small popcorn and soda? Surely, you jest.

But the biggest reason is the theater itself. Televisions screens are getting bigger and movie screens are getting smaller. I was thinking as I sat there, "I feel like I'm sitting in some one's living room except I have no leg room and I can't hit the pause button if I have to pee."

When I was growing up, there were no multiplexes. They started going in when I was a teenager, and then it seemed cool because you had CHOICES. Still, it didn't compare to the feeling of a single screen movie house with the screen that was two stories tall and so wide that when there was a close up, it looked like you could drive a small car into the actors nostril. It was thrillingly large. Oh, and the price... my mom would give me $1 on Saturday. I could buy my ticket to the matinee and a small popcorn. If I scrounged around in our living room cushions before I left, I might come up with enough change for "an orange drink" which was served in the lobby in a paper cone. You weren't allowed to take orange drink or any drink in the theater.

That same theater that I went to as a kid in Bellows Falls, Vermont is still running after being renovated at least twice. Someday, I'm going to take Pipsqueak to a movie there, so she can experience the big screen for real.

As for "Up", it was great. It made me laugh out loud, and I loved that talking dog much more than a grown woman should love an animated character. Ed Asner's voice as the old man was spot on, and Disney Pixar really now how to put together a story. I'll be seeing it again... at home... on DVD... with my bag of Orville Redenbacher and the pause button.