Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Today is one of my favorite days, St. Patrick's Day. There are lots of celebrations in my town, but I am choosing to attend the celebration at the newly restored, beautiful Brokaw Movie House in downtown Angola, Indiana.

I am hoping to win the contest for wearing the most green and I think I have a good chance for that. (I will check in tomorrow to let you know.)

So, wherever you are, be sure to enjoy this day, wear your green, and recite a limerick or two!

Drumming in the spring...

Sunday is the first day of spring which is always a day for celebrating especially in the northern climates.

This year we will be drumming in the spring at Pokagon State Park at 1:00 at the Apple Orchard. 

Please bring your drums, your tambourine, your lawn chairs, your children or even your old oatmeal boxes. You may drum or sing or dance or just watch as we share in the ancient ritual of welcoming spring!

You can be sure I will be there!

Time for a few kicks on spring break via Route 66...

Time for a few kicks on spring break via Route 66: It is spring break and time for a vacation. But where should I go this year? I toss the dart across the map of the United States. Where, oh where, will it land? I move in closely to see where the pin drops. Ahh, I say, Route 66. Perfect. I was hoping the dart would land on a new territory and it did.

Yes, get your kicks on Route 66!

Here is the link to this week's column. I hope you enjoy and have YOU traveled on Route 66? If so, I would love to hear your stories.
For my column just click on the above link, and as always, thank
you for reading!

(More pictures to follow this week!)

"One man, one family driven from the land; this rusty car
creaking along the highway to the west. I lost my land, a
single tractor took my land. I am alone and bewildered.
Anhams and the women and children listen."

and in the night one family camps in a ditch and another
family pulls in and the tents come out. The two men squat
on their hams.
 

John Steinbeck

 

 

 

Welcome, March, we have been waiting for you!

Welcome, March, we have been waiting for you!: I turn the page of the calendar to March, which comes in roaring like a lion in our part of the world. This first week of March has proved once again that winter still rules our lives, our schools and our street departments!

Here is the link to this week's column. I hope you enjoy it, and here is a photo of my martenista. You will see me wearing it around town.

Just click on the above link! As always, thank you for reading!

My new best friend, William Shakespeare!

This April marks the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death. I think it is amazing that we still love his work and refer to him almost on a daily business!

April will be bringing lots of events to cities all around the world, and Angola is no exception. Tim Mooney will be here on the Trine campus to share his love of Shakespeare in his work, Breakneck Hamlet on April 4th. My students will be celebrating the poetry of Shakespeare on April 21,

And last, but as they say not least, I will become the Bardess of Angola reading all the sonnets of Shakespeare on the square beginning April 1st and concluding on April 30th. I would love to have some guest readers if you are willing just meet me by City Hall at 3:50 every afternoon for the readings at 4:00.  I want to thank Carolyn Powers for bringing the Bardess of Atlanta to my attention!

I will have more later on all these events, but just wanted to share some of the fun celebrations that will be happening in my little hometown!

This photo was taken outside the Furth Center last Sunday by my photographer friend, Tyler Moore. It was fun to do a photo shoot with Will!

Leap Year Day...

I just can't let this day go by without telling my mom's story. Four years ago she called me and told me she was going to ask Dick to marry her on Leap Year Day.

"Mom," I said, "you don't have to get married, and what if he says no?"

She promptly answered that she didn't want to get coal in her stocking any longer and at her age she didn't want to wait another four years.

Who was I to stop her? She said she loved him. And, yes, she did ask him to marry her on Leap Year Day. He said yes. They were married the following New Year's Eve in England where she lives with him.

And, yes, they are living happily ever after.

P.S. My mom has more nerve than I ever had, although I did want to do it too!!

Here she is on her wedding day.

Cheers to my gutsy mom and her sweet husband.

For some jobs, 11-year-olds fit the bill

For some jobs, 11-year-olds fit the bill: Night after night the light is on in my neighbor’s studio. Sometimes he is practicing his banjo or researching new recipes for his daughters, but this winter he is producing a coloring/activity book for children.

Jonah and Braeton with their edited copies!


Here is the link to this week's column. It is a fun story about my neighbor, Lee, and his new book and his two favorite editors. Enjoy it and thanks for reading!

It's all in a winter's day...

My purple house after the storm.

It was a lovely, unexpected gift of snow that kept everyone inside with soup and homemade bread and games on the kitchen tables.

I love a good snowstorm, and we have not had too many this year so finally one came our way. I think it is the silence I love the most. When I went out walking last night, there was just silence...nothing more.

Walking through a storm is like getting lost in your own thoughts, and there aren't even enough words in the English language to speak of those thoughts.

It certainly made me think of this song by Simon and Garfunkel. We all know it so enjoy.

https://youtu.be/L-JQ1q-13Ek

Welcome back the Brokaw Theatre to my town!!

Following a two-year renovation project, the Brokaw Theatre will once again be open. We, the folks in my town, are forever indebted to the work of the Scott and Melissa Glaze. I have included their announcement along with a piece I wrote a while back for a show!! Enjoy and see you at the movies!!

Saturday evening my theatre company presented a new and original piece, A Look Back at Angola through Radio, 1932. My friend and theatre colleague Erin White and I researched and wrote the piece. We spent hours at the Carnegie Library here in Angola going back in time and finding all the great information from 1932. We found a whiskey raid, a lost cat, a bridge party at Pokagon, the opening of the Brokaw Theatre. My Dad told me that theatres stayed open all day on Saturday so that folks could just go to the theatre and not put the heat into their homes on Saturday. The Brokaw did just that on Saturdays from 2 until after midnight. We advertised men's overhauls for 59 cents and boys for 39 cents.

By Saturday evening we had costumes of the 30's direct from my collection of Goodwill Theatre clothes. We had a wonderful time as did the crowd. It was good to help with the United Way fund raiser. 

We ended with a late night cast party here at White Picket Gardens. No one really wanted to leave after such a successful evening. Finally the last car pulled away. I just let the champagne glasses and dishes wait until morning. I love putting a good show to rest!!

Favorite childhood books stir the memories...

Favorite childhood books stir the memories: The classroom fills up with my creative writing students. They carry heavy bags of books, bottles of water and other treasures they cannot leave home without. They also carry their favorite childhood book as per their assignment. Mine is already on my desk along with all the day’s notes and plans.

Here is the link to this week's column. Just click on the above link, and as always, enjoy
and thank you for reading!!

Some nights are made for singing....

"What do you do in your small town...?" is a question I do get quite often. The truth is I could fill my calendar with something every night of the week, and I usually do! I have a particular group of friends (there are ten regulars) who follow each other around. We have potlucks, read Hamlet and follow music around at the local pubs.

Last night was a perfect example of how to while away a winter evening. We all gathered at Six Autumns for burgers and beer and music, of course.

The musicians were not of a particular band, but a group of friends who gather twice a month to share music and songs. We (the audience) sang with them for hours. I was asked a couple of times to join the musicians and who knows, maybe next time I will take my seat with the group.

We laughed, sang, danced, clapped and didn't leave until the last song was sung. It was the perfect way to end a late winter's day. When we left the stars hung low in northern Indiana and you could literally hear the snow melting.

Yes, a good time was had by all, enough so that when we meet today we can say...it was a good night.

See you Six Autumns in a couple of weeks!

Pokagon Area Folk Music Collective: Get Together (Jon Getz' Birthday Party)

Pokagon Area Folk Music Collective: Get Together (Jon Getz' Birthday Party): Jon Getz’ February 58 th birthday party was SO COOL, and while Jon is a LaGrange County celebrity and legend of sorts, his party and f...

This wonderful blog was written by my friend and writer, Stephen Rowe. There are lots

of great photos to also enjoy. And, yes, I am involved in the music here playing

my ukulele. Enjoy!