Wednesday, July 31, 2013

A Very Sad Day

Our little cairn terrier Bonnie was very sick over the past several days. We took her to the vet on Monday, tried to cure her infection with antibiotics, took her back Tuesday afternoon for an x-ray to find that she had more severe problems than we had thought.

Today we took her in to be evaluated for surgery. But she was just too weak and the surgery was far too risky. So we made the hard decision to end her suffering.

It amazing how big a hole a tiny little dog can leave in a house this size.

Monday, July 29, 2013

In the Water

Last week of swim lessons. Predicted thundershowers held off until, well, now. With luck we'll get in all for lessons this week.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Taking It Easy. Sort Of.

Two performances of Hello ... Is There Any Body There? are in the past, and we did, indeed get a lot of laughs, with just a few hiccups and a couple of wardrobe malfunctions. Done with performances until Friday, with just a touch-up rehearsal on Wednesday.

And so it's time to relax. Well, okay, it's actually time to catch up on the many things that I got behind on in the run-up to opening night. So, not really relaxing.

But I should be able to get to bed earlier tonight.

Friday, July 26, 2013

Busy Month

It's been about a month since I updated this blog. But it hasn't been a month in which nothing has happened. Far from it!

It's not that there have been any earth-shattering changes or great accomplishments. Okay, well, we did get the print edition of Danny's Kitten done, and we'll be ordering copies for our library soon. And Thomas did manage to get a job at the local market, just ten minutes from home. And I did, with some difficulty, learn my lines in time for opening night. Tonight. Whew!

But mostly we've just been active having some fun together. The boys and I have been playing around the the Lego Mindstorms robotics kit that I bought many years ago but never did anything with. Danny is also using Legos to try out stop-motion animation. William will be trying his hand at stop-motion, too, in the coming weeks, although he wants to use something other than Legos.

We've also been spending some time drawing, although not as much as I'd planned. Preparing for the play and promoting our books has taken more of my time and energy than I expected. But after opening weekend, my schedule and my brain will be a bit less cluttered, and we'll get back to drawing and some other fun creative pursuits.

We've managed to take some trips, even though Karen's schedule is absolutely awful this summer. We went up to York Beach, where the kids enjoyed amusements park rides as well as some swimming in the ocean, and Karen and I visited the New Hampshire Historical Society Museum in Concord on our anniversary, where we saw some stunning artwork by local artists from the 18th, 19th, and 20th Centuries.

We also made a trek around Lake Winnipesaukee with a stop at the Sandwich Creamery to get some ice cream. The company makes dairy products that it sells to stores and restaurants all over the region, but you can also drive to their property in Sandwich, to a little dairy barn at the end of a long dirt road, and pick a carton of ice cream from their freezer (cheese, too). And you pay on the honor system. It's wonderful ice cream coupled with an unusual experience, and we try to go at least once a summer.

It hasn't all been play, of course. Karen's had to work, and we've been working on writing and publishing and learning to promote ourselves. And trying to get further with the house and the trailer, although weather and budgets have refused to make any of that easy this year.

With the kids about halfway through summer vacation, there's still a lot of work—and fun—left before they return to school.

Be sure to check the site, this blog, and the Updates Blog to keep up on it.

Opening Night

Dress rehearsal was good, but not perfect last night. Theater superstition says that that's the way it should be—a letter-perfect dress is supposed to be bad luck. Tonight we perform for a paying audience.

I expect quite a bit of laughter.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Reading Time

The boys and I took Tom into work this afternoon, and now we're at the library so the boys can get in a little reading time without the temptations of computers and TVs.

Not for long, though, because we have to get home, do some cleaning, have dinner, and get to the theater for my rehearsal; Karen gets to pick up boys when she gets off work, and Tom gets to bring me home tonight.

Ah, logistics!

Monday, July 22, 2013

Can't Get It Done!

Well, it's raining. Again. And Karen's trailer is sitting in the back yard under a tarp waiting for progress to be made. The front deck has a deck and rails, but no ballusters or permanent stairs, much less the pergola that's supposed to be covered with climbing vines by now. And don't even get me started on the back deck, because I can't get started on the back deck.

William's swim lessons were cancelled because of the weather, not because of the rain, but because of rumbles of thunder. Can't argue with that; you don't want to get caught in a large body of water when there's lightning.

And poor Karen: this is her last of two days off.

I don't think I've ever hated the rain as much as I do right now.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Tonight It Starts

There are now five more rehearsals before the opening night of Hello ...  Is There Any Body There? at The Village Players. And they are all in a row. And Thomas has started a new job at one of the local grocery stores, so it's going to be a very interesting week.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Picnic at the Beach

Watching the boys swim after lessons, and remembering that I haven't posted anything for five days. Busy with boys' activities and learning my lines (opening a week from tomorrow).

And taking on two online courses: "The Geospatial Revolution" and another session of songwriting to goose myself to pay more attention to my songs.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

An Afternoon—and Evening—Out

Today we went to York, Maine, to visit the amusement park there, have some dinner, let Karen and the boys splash around at the beach, and spend some more time at the amusement park.

William wasn't too keen on going, but ended up having a wonderful time. Goes to show that when a twelve-year-old says he isn't interested in something, it's best to go according to history instead of listening to his story.


The view from the benches at York Beach, Maine.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Ice Cream Sandwich? Well, Not Exactly

Today we went to Sandwich, New Hampshire, for ice cream, at the out-of-the-way home of the Sandwich Creamery. To get there you have to drive several miles from the center of town (the Town of Sandwich, that is), turn onto a dirt road, then onto another dirt road.

The ice cream is in a freezer in tubs. You pick a tub and put your money in a slot in the wall. It's all on the honor system.

Is the ice cream worth the trip? Well, the ice cream plus the experience, absolutely.

Friday, July 05, 2013

Invaders

Nearby Wolfeboro has been invaded by tourists for the weekend. After swimming lessons (which the boys don't ordinarily have on Friday, but what with the holiday...) we attempted to get milk and dish soap for the house, and failed in our mission. No parking at the grocery (and a large number of tourists circling the lot), and Rite-Aid, which usually has half a case devoted to milk, had nothing there but empty space (and that was overpriced, so I didn't buy any).

Just getting out of town was a major accomplishment. Now we are home, safe from the invaders.

Until the next trip.