Craft Sale

Arianna and her pals, Peyton J. and Brigit B., have been busy creating all sorts of crafty items. Their plan has been to sell the items and donate the proceeds to their school.

After much anticipation, today -- in blistering heat -- they decided to hawk their wares.

Much debate took place about where to sell. At church? In town, at the weekly Farmer's Market? 

Obviously not. 

Despite the weather, more than $20 of items were sold to passers-by!

One can't help but wonder how much more they might earned had they set up shop elsewhere . . . .

All too brief . . .

Rain continues to be in short supply. The weather forecasters are (finally) beginning to call it a drought scenario. Even when the weather turns overcast, the rain that falls is short-lived.

Dad's Day

With a little less than a month until Bruno's 90th birthday, his mood has been up and down and all around. The roller coaster ride is a bit much for me. But, when he's in high spirits . . . all is well.

What's this?

Gifts . . .

We always start with the greeting cards . . .

The sentiment was more than appreciated . . .

What comes in small packages?

Arianna's creative efforts come in small packages: a soap carving of a whale . . .

A bird for Daddy . . .

And a little something for the patio . . .

What's wrong with this picture?

New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) typically does not bloom until late Summer -- August, September. It's June!

Over

And so ends another school play.


This afternoon's matinee performance was well attended. And, although looser than last night, it nevertheless was well acted.


Sharon and Mrs. Scarnagie, the uber set designer with whom Sharon collaborates on these projects, are in agreement that only one more play remains to be performed. In other words, they'll skip next year. 


Why? 


Dunno. 


Ask the Director . . .

Sharon and the principals of the cast . . .

Sharon and Stanley, the main character (star) of the show . . .

Sharon and one of the staff comic book artists . . .

Set detail . . .

Set . . .

Sharon and Mrs. Scarnagie, set designer, collaborator . . .

Opening Night

This year's school play was a huge success! 


In a departure from years past, the script was a straight narrative, which was well executed by a great group of committed kids. Sharon had few -- if any -- issues with the kids throughout the six weeks of preparation. 


And, surprisingly, the opening night house completely sold out. --A first.


My view was insufficient to get pictures of the entire play tonight, but here are a few photos.


The Director commands the audience's attention . . .

She lets us know numerous others made tonight's production possible . . .

What could Arianna be thinking?

Super heroes . . .

Super heroes with their creator, Stanley, janitor and comic book artist . . .

In battle to save mankind . . .

All that remains of the evil villain -- Dr. Shot Clock . . .

Post script . . . The staff will no longer draw with pens that bring their characters to life.

Comic Book Artist - Dress Rehearsal

Sharon shamed me into attending this evening's dress rehearsal of this year's Little Thespian's performance, The Comic Book Artist. I have -- literally -- hundreds of photos of the play.


The story of the play has to do with an unscrupulous comic book publisher's folly and the heroism of one of her employees, a janitor, Stanley, who envisions himself as a successful comic book artist. 


In an attempt to bolster sales, the comic book publisher acquires magical drawing pens that animate whatever characters are drawn with the pen. When the staff comic book artists compete to draw a new character, little do they realize they are unleashing the evil Dr. Shot Clock on an unsuspecting world. Dr. Shot Clock, who's able to stop time, and enrich herself by stealing from her frozen victims, is aided by her henchmen - the Minutos. 


Stanley, unaware of the evil that's been unleashed on his fair city, returns from the archives of the comic book publishing house and finds a magical drawing pen left on a desk. And, he finds a crumpled drawing of one of his creations in the trash, a drawing of a super hero that his boss had thrown away without even looking at it -- much less considering it for publication, as Stanley hoped. Despondent, he picks up the pen he finds and with the hope of creating a super hero better than what his boss rejected, Stanley creates Star Guy and his Fabulous Four, who venture to subvert the crime spree of the evil Dr. Shot Clock.  


Here are a few scenes in which Arianna plays a part. Arianna played one of the staff comic book artists . . .

Wendy, the comic book publisher, schemes to enrich herself and bolster her struggling company's prospects.

The magic drawing pens are distributed . . .

Additionally, Arianna played a Mom, who's shopping with a friend at a jewelry store that Dr. Shot Clock and her Minutos rob . . . 

Stealing candy from a baby . . . Arianna's character's child, who was not at the dress rehearsal.

Orphans?

I'd heard peculiar sounds from the trees and in the flower beds, but didn't know what it was until this evening. 


Baby raccoons . . .

Ed. Since originally photographing these babies, we've noted them in a variety of locations in the yard at various times of the the day. One evening, while weeding a bed in which wild strawberry had fruited, the animals completely disregarded my presence in pursuit of the small berries. This fearlessness underscores our belief that their mother might very well have been killed.  

Rustic Arbor

I'd been using the a variety of downed branches to protect the new Pink Lady apple trees against deer. But, a better idea is to make -- not buy -- an arbor for the "entry way" to the back yard. It is rustic. And time will tell how long the arbor will stand. But, when crawling with clematis and honeysuckle, it ought to look inviting.

The view outside Sharon's and my bedroom window; the arbor Sharon wanted in the side yard.

Dubbing

"At least she'll have had exposure to something greater than herself."


I tell myself this when considering some -- not all -- of the school projects St. Catherine of Siena teachers assign their students. Whether researching and writing about another country -- Arianna chose Sweden -- or compelling students to participate in Natl History Day activities -- Arianna's Frank Lloyd Wright project -- the kids have simply got to step out of the media saturated, screen frenzied world to which they're accustomed.


Miss Loy, Arianna's social studies instructor, is exemplary in many ways, not the least of which is her commitment to reviewing the history of Christendom. And so the Middle Ages . . . virtues of knighthood . . . and chivalry. Arianna even had to log the 'good deeds' she'd accomplished over a specified period of time.


Hence today's Dubbing Ceremony. And with the full participation of the St. Catherine's friar, Fr. Lavan.


The blessing of my current employment circumstances: being able to step away from work to attend a school function in the middle of the afternoon.


Arianna and her classmates gather in the Narthex. The shield was her own design and creation. Its iconography was supposed to reflect in one way or another who she is. (An arduous task for the aging male, who's been able to reflect on his limitations. One can only imagine what kind of task it was for the pre-adolescent.)

The gravity of the ceremony weighs heavily on its participants . . .

A song in Latin . . .

Arianna is so dubbed  . . .

Post dubbing photos: Arianna and her pal, Peyton J . . .

And with a heraldry of fellow knights . . .

My baby . . .