Was Fantastic

The opening night of Corteo on Friday (here in Columbus) was simply amazing. As I said before, I wasn't a huge fan of Verakai which was the last Cirque show I saw, but this one really impressed me. I felt it was lighter (even though it was a funeral procession) and moved more quickly. Added to the fun of the show, my tickets included the Tapis Rouge which is a VIP tent before, at intermission and at the end of the show. This tent is like no hospitality tent I have seen before, it is very swanky and the drinks keep pouring (until we were asked to leave at 12:30 because the tent had to close). After the show, the performers also come to the tent. I talked to two of them and it was very interesting - so much preparation goes into a show of this nature.

Thanks to the free drinks, I wasn't too helpful in the yard work we planned to do on Saturday. We got a lot done, though. The people here before us had planted some type of weedy-looking ground cover that had taken over the whole side of the house. We ripped all that out (okay, Chris ripped that all out and I took a nap) and then went to the garden store to pick out some other items to put in. We transplanted about 12 ferns and hosta plants and then put in a rose bush, baby's breath, Columbine and a pink Poppy. It looks so much better! Today we have to finish mulching and then we're set with that portion of the yard. I also want to get some veggie seeds in.

Happy Mother's Day!

Cirque!

Tonight is the opening night of Corteo in Columbus- a Cirque Du Soleil show. We're going and I am very excited about not only the show, but the after party as well. If you click on the web site, you'll learn that Corteo means cortege in Italian. Cortege is a joyous procession. This show is the imagining of a clown's funeral. I'm really into this idea. I have to admit, the last Cirque show I saw made me quite bored by the second act. The story of the last one didn't grab me and although the acrobats, costumes and set were amazing, in the end, I'm a story girl who wants a plot I can follow.

I also really like the funeral part of this show. In my family, we are big believers in giving the funeral the deceased would want and this clown imagining his own processional really resonates me. Also, this week I went to a memorial service where, even in grief, there was a joyous procession which, in the end, is the only way to go.

I Carried a Watermelon

Ala You on a Diet I try to walk at least 30 minutes each day and I swear off fat free salad dressing. When I walk, sometimes I wear my iPod, and sometimes I don't. Today was an iPod day. Part of the walk I like to take winds down into a ravine-like area. There are many old crumbling steps leading up to stately homes. On non-iPod days, I imagine how those steps used to be used when the houses were new in the early 1900s. This always seems to center around debutante girls running off to be flappers (I secretly want to be a flapper). On iPod days though, I don't do so much imagining, I more get lost in the music. Today, all those steps, the trees in full bloom, and the upbeat tempo of the music reminded me of something...

Could it be I was transported to my very own Kellerman's? As a pre-teen in the late '80's, clearly my favorite movie was Dirty Dancing. Suddenly I found myself doing some type of cha-cha down the street to Jack Johnson's Bubble Toes. This wouldn't be so bad, but because the iPod was on, unbeknownst to me was a Suburban full of a little league baseball team. As the SUV passed, they all were looking at the strange lady. But, hey, nobody puts baby in a corner.

The Productiveness Continues...

I guess work really does expand to the amount of time allotted. After the wedding on Saturday (which was very nice), I knew there would be some things I wanted to get done. First, since we were near Grand Lake St. Mary's (which is evidently Ohio's OTHER Great Lake) I wanted to check it out. Then, as with any trip I am on, I needed to pretend I was Rachel Ray on $40 A Day. I did this by finding a breakfast buffet served on what looked like train cars and then walked around a portion of the lake to work off the apparent lard the food was cooked in. (If I were Rachel, I would recommend skipping Casey Jone's Buffet). So much can be accomplished on a Sunday after a wedding when one isn't hungover.

After our little adventure in Celina, Chris and I headed back home up Route 33 (otherwise known as one of the most boring routes in Ohio). Back in Columbus, we stopped at the Anderson's for lunch stuff and got suckered into buying $50 worth of plants for the backyard. Actually, we had a good time planting and filling pots with beautiful new flowers. I'll try to get some pictures uploaded, because we are quite proud of our handiwork.

Saturday Mornings

Today we're heading to a wedding in New Knoxville, Ohio (I'm not sure where the heck it is, either), but there is so much fun stuff going on in Columbus that I wanted to do at least some of it. To begin with, Clintonville shops are having sidewalk sales and there is a store with a chair in the window I have been drooling over. Second, my brother was participating in an art event to benefit a good cause and I wanted to stop by to see the work. Plus, there were lots of other things going on: Gallery Hop in the Short North, Cinco D'Ohio at the North Market and various other things. Chris and I determined if we got up early enough we could at least walk around Clintonville and go visit Tony. When it came down to spending $100 for a decorative chair, I had to pass, but I did buy a bib for a friend (Sobo has the cutest baby stuff ever), an oil-cloth coin purse for Mom (so retro and fabulous), and earrings for me (to wear at the wedding tonight). Then we went to visit brother and the kids he was helping paint doors. There was a lot of really creative stuff going on down there which was wonderful to see. It's also nice to see how much brother's fellow teachers and students respect him.

Lesson learned here: getting up early on a Saturday allows you do some stuff you want to do while also doing the stuff you need to do. And you get earrings. Okay, my turn for the shower now.

It's a Secret Life

So I don't think I'll be killing any honeybees this year. Months ago I had heard about (on NPR, of course) about the mystery of the disappearing honeybees. Evidently, the queens are dying off because the worker bees are never making it back to the hives (okay, so I kind of made that part up, but it seems plausible to me). Being a lifelong fan of Nancy Drew and honey on toast, I immediately began to think of installing a hive in the backyard so I could further the body of research forming on this mysterious plague of the honeybee. After I found out much a bee hobby would cost and remembering my slight allergy to stings, I decided this probably wasn't a good idea. Instead I will vow not to squish, squash or smack any honeybees this summer. I don't think I would have looked good in that crazy beekeeper hat, anyway.

Nesting

I've been nesting since my senior year of college. Before this time, I didn't see the allure of matching dishes or high thread count sheets. Now, Crate & Barrel is a good friend of mine. Chris and I are having a good time decorating and updating our own little nest, which is why I was so excited this morning to see a little bird and her family who have taken up residence on our property as well. I'm afraid to say, I think she might be a teen aged mother because both the nest construction and the location leave something to be desired. I noticed her with a worm in her mouth and looked up and there on the corner of the garage, over the sensor light was the nest. Things are hanging off of it and it looks a little precarious, but still it totally made my morning.

We are having fun in the yard. I'm happy to report the lettuce made it through the frost snap and we've enjoyed a couple super-fresh salads and yummy sandwich toppers. We didn't see the house until June last year, so it's been fun to watch how Spring develops here. There are several bulbs which I didn't plant. The hostas came back with a flourish. I noticed little green sprouts coming up under the pine tree. I thought they were more hostas, but were pleased to find out a few days later were really Lily of the Valley - this has always been one of my favorite plants.

So all and all, in spite of a few surprises, all the nests around here seem to be doing fine.