Marshall.....the snake whisperer!!

Shortly after sunrise (7:30 am) Marshall and I began our least favorite lawn project....raking leaves from along the chain link fence on the east side of the house. Every year we mutter "why didn't we mow/mulch one more time last fall."

Carefully we scooped up assembled piles of brittle leaves, dumping them into heavy duty brown paper leaf bags.....until I noticed something wriggling and writhing at my feet!! I squealed! Sudden exposure to the 55 degree morning air had roused a resident baby garter snake. Disturbed from his hidey space, he coiled himself and began his threatening "strike gestures." Our angry reptile could sense where we were and aimed his wide open pink mouth in our direction.

Wondering what to do we decided to put a purple plastic flower pot close to him as a signal to ourselves to walk a wide path. Neither of us wanted to relocate Mr. Snake via rake and risk him slithering up the handle toward us. Such "nervous Nellies!"

Marshall monitored the snake's location.....all the while chatting with it......"the sun will come out...it will warm up." After a while Marshall (the naturalist) decided to use a long stick to move this chilled harbinger of summer to a spot close to a fence post. Periodically he checked on the snake while offering further words of encouragement......the Snake Whisperer.....probably not for hire!

It's Snowing today in Overland Park!!

White silky petals float aimlessy to curbs and driveways like a fine dusting of snow...the Bradford pears are shedding their lovely lacey flowers; green leaves tentatively unfurl. It is snowing flowers in Overland Park!!

Spring has sprung ...the wonderful ornamental shrubs and trees are putting on a show! Gray rainy days provide a backdrop for brilliant yellow forsythia, soothing purple redbuds, lush pink flowering crabs, and graceful whitebud blossoms. My lone columbine has emerged....I will have to fence it with chicken wire to keep bunnies away...they do seem to love this plant. My jonquils are fading but the tulips are stepping up to take their place. Daily the thin reedy iris shoot up another inch....flower stems will follow....I can hardly wait to see these colorful flags.

Ah....joyous spring....renewal!! Enjoy!

ellen

KC Weekends......

Whew....when you cannot remember your blog password things get a little tricky...but now I have written it down....thank you Katie!!

Marshall and I have also been entertained quite nicely this past weekend. Friday night we ushered at the KC Rep for a premier production of The Great Immensity presented at the Copaken Theater in downtown KC, MO. This drama/musical presents scientific info on climate change, rain forests, the gulf stream and saving polar bears via creative, lively lyrics. Saving a species is easier when a large furry white mammal is at risk...less interesting when an insect becomes extinct. Environmentally conscious Student Ambassadors representing many nations board (illegally) The Great Immensity, a Chinese container vessel. In a bid to call attention to the extinction of humans......the Ambassadors vanish (almost) without a trace.
The world's attention is suddenly focused on their disappearance....at the play's end we are left to ponder out fate as a species if we choose to continue to corrupt the planet. Lots of material; lots of questions.

Saturday night we ushered again for The Rep. The Plaza location presented The Whipping Man...another premier. A gravely wounded Confedrate soldier returns to his battered home to find two of his former slaves barely surviving in post Civil War North Carolina. Early in the first act the soldier's gangrenous leg must be cut off...on stage; pretty grisly/realistic. Slaves and former master must redifine their relationship.... secrets revealed are intense
and even more horrifying than the amputation scene. Very well acted drama.

Sunday Andy and I attended the opera Nixon in China at the Kauffman Center. Amazingly well done with exellent female voices, staging, and lighting. I was really amazed by the whole production. The version I saw on PBS television performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York looked like a Saturday Night Live parody by comparison. KC knows how to opera!!!

Anyway....this weekend we have the tax man to look forward to....yikes!!

Wichita Happenings

Spring break has arrived, and I'm getting caught up on various tasks at work and at home, including posting on the blog.  Woohoo!

Like Honor, I am taking advantage of some of the cool things to do in my new city.  This past weekend, and friend and I went to the opera at WSU, and we saw a performance of Il Viaggio a Rheims by Rossini.  It was fabulous!  Funny, visually and mentally stimulating, wonderful acting and singing.  The English translation of the Italian lyrics was projected onto a screen above the performers.  I think I like the opera, and I definitely need to make a point of attending at least one event on campus each semester.  Last year, I attended an a cappella choir performance (fabulous!), and this past summer Trent and I attended an outdoor bluegrass concert at the Ulrich Museum. 

Yesterday, a friend introduced me to the Nifty Nuthouse in downtown Wichita, and I definitely plan to go back.  I got some Chicago-style popcorn (cheddar and carmel--yummy!), ultimate malt balls, and some butter toffee pecans.  So, so good.

And, last but not least, I'm actually involved in an upcoming performance that I'm both excited and nervous about.  My church choir (College Hill United Methodist Church) is performing John Rutter's Requiem on Palm Sunday (April 1).  A lot of it is in Latin, and it's one of the hardest selections of music that I've ever encountered; even the experienced musicians in the choir agree that it's difficult.  It definitely challenges my brain and my ego, as I fumble over the pronunciations and the notes.

Here's a selection from the Requiem.  It starts getting good at about 2:15:

My folks will be down in Wichita that weekend to see the performance with Trent.  Anyone else is welcome to come too.  We can have brunch at our house afterward.

Hope to see you all in Emporia on April 7 for some Easter Egg hunting.  Perhaps Jacob, Isaiah, Mya, and Hudson will receive more instructions from the Easter Bunny (The Easter Bunny says "Dance!").

Walk Forward

I recently attended a wonderful concert in Beach Hall on ESU's campus. The Japanese Association Sakura Choir performed there Sunday night. The choir is comprised of Japanese college students. It was formed, as part of ESU's music department, in order to entertain guests at the University's International Food Festival in March of last year. That was the only goal. Then the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan and the students decided to raise money for those afflicted in the homeland by performing for the public.


The performance we enjoyed Sunday night, on the anniversary of the earthquake, was very professional and moving. The music was beautiful. The ability of the performers was amazing. The songs chosen are popular in Japan. They are songs the Japanese people learn as part of their education while growing up. The words of the songs were printed in our program. The students sang them in Japanese. One song, Walk Forward, was also the name of the program. I thought my family would enjoy reading the English translation of that song. I wish my family could have joined me to hear these gifted students perform.

MAE-E
WALK FORWARD
by Kentaro Sato

I remember
Your warm hand.
I remember
Your kind voice.

I remember
Your honest eyes and quiet prayer.

When I close my eyes
I recall the time we spent together,
And the time we sang together

The end of music is not farewell.
As music lives again,
So you will live again and again in my memory.

I remember
A dream you cherished.

I remember
A smile you beamed at tomorrow.

With memories of you in my heart,
One step at a time, I walk forward.
Embracing every day's happiness and sadness,
One step at a time, I walk forward.

One step at a time, I walk forward.