August 1st

Today I snipped very many lilies and it took up a lot of time. I have also begun to cut off empty stems. More time. But I have stopped counting. It's August: instead of numbers, I now have songs in my head. 

A few pictures, a few more frogs, a lot more color:

(where is the frog, puzzle no.1)

(where's the frog, puzzle no. 2 for beginners)

(where's the frog, puzzle no. 3)

It's a significant day -- it is my older girl's birthday. In combination with this, we have the opening performance of Midsummer Night's Dream -- the Shakespeare play (full length production) in which both Sparrow and Snowdrop have parts. This makes for a complicated and very busy day! 

We could not fit in an evening birthday celebration, what with the Shakespeare play and the call times for the two older kids, so we arranged to have a late breakfast feast for my girl, with her two older kids and me, at Ancora coffee shop.

Happy, happy birthday, oh incredible daughter of mine, with a heart of gold and a whiz-bang head on those lovely shoulders! With thanks for all those years of passion and infinite enthusiasm!

It was a very beautiful morning.

Meanwhile, back at the farmette, the wild turkey family comes for its daily visit...

 

 

 

Ed attempts to patch up the roof over the mud room...

 

 

 

And the flowers are blooming their heads off, letting us know that August can be just as showy as July.

 

 

 

In the late afternoon, four grownups (two grandmothers and two parents) meet up for a pizza before the show.

And then the play begins. 

I know I should not be nervous before a grandchild's performance. In the scheme of things -- it's just one show and the significant benefit of being in the cast has already been achieved -- it's in the work you put into learning your role, your lines. In working with the group to do it right. And because the performers are young people (between ages 7 and 18), you can assume that the audience will be mostly family and friends. So why spend time fretting about any of it?

And yet, it is Sparrow's first appearance on the stage and he is by far the youngest in the production. Can he handle being Egeus? And quickly change costume and play Snout -- a part that requires a wickedly energetic stage presence? And will Snowdrop, who plays the love struck Hermia, be solid in her character, her many scenes, many lines? Of course I want them to be happy with the night!

And they are happy. And with good reason. Three and a half hours of Shakespeare (with two intermissions) and they churned out emotion after emotion (that would be Hermia), strength of will (as Egeus) and a hilarious playfulness (as Snout). 

No photos during the show, but here are some from right after (Sparrow is in the end in his Snout role):

 

 

I drive home smiling.

with so much love...