The stage is empty, swept and
scrubbed. The backstage is quiet today with only echoes of the past few weeks.
Costumes, sets, props have all been put away and stored except for the laundry
which still waits for me to handle this week. A few (okay…lots!) of props and
furniture remain in my garage waiting for me to put them away one at a time.
The cast party is over, photographs handed out, and we say goodbye for about
eight weeks before we start over again. Before moving on, I absolutely cannot
express my great joy in having you at our show. My students were marvelous, but
so were you. Thank you for supporting the arts, all arts! We will be so excited
to see you again in the spring. In the meantime…
November just simply appeared without
much fanfare, but I love November. Finally, the summer heat is gone and not
much need for heat, so we are just in temperature limbo! It is lovely still
hanging out sheets, planting the last of the tulip bulbs (that will take a
while), and strolling through the crisp leaves. Autumn here in the northern
part of Indiana has been spectacular this year. Some sweet leaves are still
hanging on through the autumn winds. Which leaf will be the last to fall, I
always wonder.
November brings the last of the
supermoons for the year. This supermoon will be visible on Saturday as we
celebrate the eleventh full moon of the year. This full moon also goes by the
names of Beaver Moon, Frost Moon, and the Mourning Moon. The Mourning Moon is
from the Celtic tradition as it refers to the end of the harvest and the dark
of winter approaching. The Celts also thought it was a time of reflecting back
on the year during the dark months. Whatever you want to call it, don’t miss
it. There is something spectacular about winter moons. We will not only be
celebrating the full moon this week, but we will be experiencing the Leonid
Meteor Showers this weekend. This is another bountiful shower of meteors with
over 100 per hour. Of course, the bright light from the full moon may
interfere, but still there are possibilities for these showers. The usual time
is from 10 p.m. through 2 a.m. Fill your thermos with coffee, grab your
blankets and settle back for a lovely night. Go ahead and fall asleep…why not?
November brings so many wonderful
opportunities for families, for love, for adventure. The Holiday train will be
back this year, and I am looking to fill my Jeep with adventure seekers as we
head out in the middle of the night to catch the beauty of this train rolling
by. The closest train for us, on November 26, will be at the Waterloo station.
The train will come rolling through at 2:17 a.m. Yes, it is in the middle of
the night, but for one, you cannot enjoy the holiday train during the day. I
have been a couple of times, and it is spectacular. Yes, a quick view of the
train as it rolls past with all the holiday lights. It is a marvelous sight.
Once again, fill your thermos, grab your blanket and be on your way. Meet you
in Waterloo!
November brings the blessed holiday of
Thanksgiving. This year my entire family will be visiting. It has been a few
years since I have had all my beds full of children sleeping on flannel sheets
and sipping hot chocolate with candy canes. Rachel and I have lots of work to
do to plan the schedules between our two houses, but I am so excited to have them
visit.
With the closing of the show, I, too,
feel the need to let the darkness come. Books are piled high just waiting to be
read. My knitting basket patiently awaits, and the sweet smell of Autumn still
lives in the crisp leaves and apple pies in the oven.
I am always reminded of John Keats
during this time of year in his love piece, “To Autumn.”
“Where are the songs of spring? Ay, where are
they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day
And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue.
It is time to put on the flannel
sheets, pull the snow shovel out of the garage, and dust off the winter boots.
The winter darkness has returned. Don’t miss it.
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