Sweet Stuff…

I keep trying to write an entry—but then life happens, ya know?

Already I have a different project going in every room that has an available table top. But I will come back to that another time. For now let me back up a bit and add to what I’ve been trying to finish….

My ND visit was so DEAR! What a sweet place to spend the entire month of July. Just the sheer luxury of spending that much time with my family was heaven for me. I was lucky enough to see nearly everyone throughout the month–including siblings and spouses, a few nieces, a nephew, and a couple cousins. We really missed my sister from Nashville who couldn’t make it for a visit *waaaah!*.

Our fabulous days of not doing much of anything major just flew by. I went to a tractor pull, enjoyed the spectacle of a mini Sturgis when the little town hosted a Ladies motorcycle rally one weekend. Went to a “Buffalo Feed”—in which I first thought we would get to feed some buffalo—but which actually was a big roast buffalo dinner at the VFW club. We had home-style cooked lunches at the corner café, card games late into the night, and got addicted to “Project Runway” along with my sister Julia.

We spent some time working on Cradle of Wings —which has turned into a lovely collaborative family project. We decided to just concentrate on the Memorial song and card for the time being, and will introduce the lullaby separately at another time. The two songs just didn’t fit emotionally on the same website—so one at a time it is.

I had the cards printed in Colorado and then shipped to us in ND–and they turned out beautifully! The dining room table at Mom and Dad’s house became a flurry of assembly line activity. Mom, Julia, Pam and I put cards together with the CD’s and stuffed envelopes with cover letters and the samples to be sent out to different grief organizations.

(If any of you have suggestions of organizations, hospitals, hospices, churches/ministers who would appreciate a sample card and CD—please let me know in a private note.)

The days were unbearably hot, and we were all grateful for the air conditioning in Mom and Dads house. The Little Cousins played together wonderfully and because of mom’s attic studio turned dorm-room/playroom, we sometimes didn’t see them for hours at a time.

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In the evenings, the kiddles would go swimming at the community pool across the street, and later we would often walk down to the Dairy Queen a couple blocks away. (I foolishly thought I would be able to lose a little weight during the month. HAH!)

The Great Plains Chautauqua had chosen our little town for a five day performance on their tour through the Midwest. Chautauqua is a traveling tent show that features a different historical impersonator each night in a very entertaining outdoor program. A friend of mine is rather renown for his role as Thomas Jefferson. The show this summer featured the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the people along the quest—including William Clark, Sergeant York (Clarks black slave), Shawnee chief Tecumseh, Sacagawea, as well as Dolley Madison, and John Astor. The impersonators were not only talented actors, but very learned professors—and the whole production was impressive, professional and charming all at once.

The event features workshops, lectures and programs throughout the days. They ask that each guest community provide some sort of appropriate musical entertainment before each performance, and invite any other local arts/demonstrations to join in with their event.

Because this is such a small community, my parents were deeply involved in the flurry of preparation. And because my sisters and I happened to be there, we were happy to help.

Mom and the Fine Arts Association organized an art show in one of the old buildings next to where the Chautauqua tent was raised. Julia and I took over the window displays and sign making and helped to hang the show. Local people from all over town brought in their art to display. Some pieces were very good—(Moms work and some of her painting students)-some were just kinda sweet, and some were….endearingly awful.

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There was a sign in the hardware store and the café asking for volunteers to help the Chautauqua company raise the big tent on the day before the first performance. We went to watch, and of course the community rallied to help. There were 80 volunteers.

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On the first night, the musical entertainment was provided by an elderly husband and wife duo who sang old timey country songs mixed with a little gospel. They. Were. Adorable. They did a mix of Karoke and their own keyboard/organ accompaniment. At one point while he was doing a solo, she sat off to the side working the tape deck and mouthing the words along with him. Oh my gosh, they were so sweet together, I could hardly stand the cuteness of their ernest-ness and heart. The last song was an audience sing-along of “Home on the Range.” I don’t know what my mood was—but I was swept up in the moment and nearly in tears at the combination of dearness, hilarity, and true heartland Americana of it all.

The next night my mom’s women’s chorus totally entertained us. Mom has never done anything like this before—and in her heart she would choose to be a recluse painter who doesn’t have to be social at all. Somehow she found herself directing this chorus—and whether she wants to believe it or not—she did a WONDERFUL job. Nervous as she was about the whole ordeal, there she was, bravely leading an enthusiastic group of singers. Their last song was a sing along as well– “This is My Country”. The audience sang heartily—as people in small prairie towns do—and then the audience sprang to their feet in a standing ovation. I was overwhelmingly proud of mom and further charmed by this little community.

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I had to leave to fly home the next day, so did not get to see the men’s chorus that my dad sang with on the following night….dang. Mom says they were great!

So that was my month of simple small town joy. I have such a warm spot in my heart for this place..and it feels very much like home to me.

It was hard to leave, as always. It seems that as we all age, the goodbyes just get harder. *sigh*

There is more to tell—as I hit the ground running once I got home—but I’ve got to get back to those (really-fun-but-I’ll-talk-about-them-later) projects….!

:)xo

Adagio