Day 7: Walls can talk

History wraps the prop room.  Scrawled across the walls are layers of signatures from the casts and crews of Fredonia productions.  Students seek out a hidden spot so they can proudly list their roles and shows.

I started working on costumes back in 1997 when Colin was in seventh grade and had a major role in "Bye Bye Birdie".  It was so much fun that I was hooked.  We both wanted to support his activities, but then after five musicals he graduated and we continued.  Fiddler is my 15th show and Steve's 13th show as stage manager.

Our first Saturday rehearsal for the 2012 musical "Fiddler on The Roof" was spent cleaning out the prop room as per our "tradition".  It gives us an organized starting point for launching our new production, but it's also a chance to revisit our musical history.  Steve and his crew broke down the remaining sets left from the fall play while the ladies emptied the prop room, sorted costumes, props, make up and wigs.  Lots of new students came out to be part of the team and many got lessons on how to use a drill.

"Fiddler on the Roof" is Fredonia's 39th musical and we are beginning to plan a celebration for the 40th anniversary next year.  It's been an amazing run of outstanding shows.

This is where many of our friends are.  Much like Quest, the musical has become a community because everyone is committed to a common goal all benefitting the students of Fredonia.  We love the people, the music, the creativity, the team effort.

Day 6: Thinking of you

We visited a dear friend, a former student, in the ICU of Buffalo Children's Hospital.  I'm thinking of her and her family tonight as she struggles courageously against a terrible disease.  She hasn't been outside for a while, so my photo selections are for her.  I hope her mom will share the blog with her.

In all my years of teaching, one of my weaknesses, or maybe it was a strength, was that I loved my kids.  It didn't take long.  Once they were assigned to me, I got to know them and care deeply about their welfare.  Many have become my friends.  When this young lady got sick, it broke my heart.

It was 55 degrees and sunny today, incredibly surprising and so delightful for my brother Mike's 60th birthday.

Day 5: My work station

Most days I spend several hours at my desk working on my book and reading news sources, especially the NY Times.  After 18 months, my book on Quest is a few months away from completion.  It is both a collective memoir and a template for creating and organizing a middle school outdoor education program. The turquoise binder holds the first draft of about 90,000 words.  On top of it is the binder full of transcripts from many of the interviews I've conducted.

I'm working now to integrate the personal reflections from the interviews with past participants into the original text.  Behind them is the Quest manual that tracks a daily guide to a year's worth of Quest's tasks, lessons, forms and schedules.  Edited and revised pages are in the dark blue binder.  That's thinnest of all, for now.  Nearby, I keep a pad where I make lists of people to contact, things to do, stray thoughts and ideas.  A photo of our sons, my reference books, the hole punch and snacks are close by.

Binoculars rest on the windowsill so I can watch the birds and squirrels.  Typically, my camera sits nearby for capturing surprising scenes of nature in the yard.  Last winter, a pileated woodpecker stopped by for a snack and was gone before I could get its picture.

I don't like to spend so much time indoors.  Although we walk every day, it's not enough to satisfy me.  I can't wait for spring, but till it arrives, this corner of our house provides me with the best view of the yard, our woods and the vineyards beyond.

Day 4: Winter without snow

Vibrant blue or pink hydrangeas are one of my favorite June flowers, but I love them in the winter too. In autumn, blooms fade to pastels, then green and finally doeskin tan.  They should be covered with snow today, but the lush clusters are still bobbing and rustling in the wind.

Day 3: The last bauble

Our three sons are grown and independent now, all living in NYC.  There's not much left of their childhoods in our home.  Except for Sugar Bear, the toys that used to hang on our tree are packed away for their own Christmas trees.  Beginning his life in a cereal box, Sugar Bear has been playing a carol for us each Christmas morning for the past twenty-one years.   Hopefully, he'll play many more years.

Day 2: Slightly Blurry

In less than a week, Steve's glasses will be discarded.  With one lens popped out to accommodate the repaired right eye, his world is only slight blurry compared to the near blindness he has experienced without glasses for the last sixty years.
We hosted the first meeting of the musical staff and our team is gearing up to produce Fiddler on the Roof.  Tomorrow, we will take down the Christmas tree and begin distributing applications for Quest student leaders.  Even though this was the first day with snow, spring can't be far away!

Day 1: Ahead of the storm

We walked through the village ahead of a powerful storm that is threatening significant lake effect snow.  Little snow has fallen yet this winter, so nature is out of sync.  A cluster of sedum bursts through dried leaves, a dandelion sprouts from a mossy wall along Canadaway Creek and a rainbow crossed the dark sky.  In Barker Commons, the gas lamp lights up the corner of Park and Main.