As I look back to 2019 – I can’t believe how fast it went. I spent a lot of time with family in Washington while Dan built the cabin. Highlights I blogged about were spending Christmas 2018 with my daughter, grandkids, and the rest of the family. I managed to organize a family game night – which isn’t easy with work schedules, kids sports, and some of them traveling down from Canada. I went with my sisters to Seaside, a fun trip with my daughter to visit my son and his family in Reno. My family from Canada made a second trip to see my granddaughter, Jo, in one of her plays and spent an extra day with me, enjoying the downtown Seattle sights. Then Dan and I wrapped up our summer with our youngest daughter’s wedding. It’s been a whirlwind of a year. But, there are a couple of more notables that deserve to be mentioned as I wrap up my 2019 blogs.
Funny Story – On December 5th, I flew from Seattle to Green Bay, with a stop in Minneapolis. During my last leg flight, I had a young man sitting next to me. I didn’t get his name, so I’ll call him Sam. I did mention, however, that this little incident would wind up in a blog…to which he laughed and said that is fine with him. To lay the groundwork for this tale, did you know that on your phone – if you press the side button or top button (depending on phone model) 3-5 times quickly, you will alert an emergency service? It is an SOS feature – I still haven’t tried it, but it’s a good thing to get acquainted with – I think. Here’s the deal, it works in “airplane mode” as well. Who would have thought, right? And it was a surprise for everyone sitting around this young man. He had his earbuds in listening to music, minding his own business when he attempted to turn down the volume. He pressed the side button five quick times, and just like that, an alarm went off – shaking all of us out of our daydreams, movie watching, and naps. My, and likely others, first thought was something was wrong with the plane. It was a siren type alarm. My mind started whirling with not-so-good possibilities…until I realized it was coming from the guys’ phone next to me. The funny thing is the kid didn’t realize the signal was coming from his phone until it dawned on him that his music had stopped playing. He was so apologetic and embarrassed. We all got a chuckle out of it (some stayed grumpy) once our hearts returned to a normal rhythm. What I loved was his response at the end, “Only need to do that once to learn it works, right?”
Acts of Kindness – Once or twice a week, Dan and I go to town, and many times our trips include laundry. Dan and I have been going to the same laundromat in Escanaba for years. They are a full service, so the shop is always staffed. I don’t know them personally, but I’ve enjoyed chatting with them now and then. Karen (I’ve recently learned her name) has even helped us bring our laundry to our car. Routinely, we run errands during the washing/drying of our items. I set an alarm on my phone so we know when to switch it out to avoid holding up machines for other customers. The other day we were running late due to unforeseen issues and when we came back to fold our clothes, Karen had just finished folding them for us – you read that right – the lady had folded our clothes – truly a treat. It was not a busy day, so our being late didn’t interfere with machine usage. This act of kindness is what it means to live in a small town. In many cases, people treat you more like family then a customer.
Loss – As I mentioned in my August blog, Dan and I have a friend, Jack, and how we would stay overnight at his place in Newago, Michigan. Jack was a friend of Dan’s dad, so they had known each other for the majority of Dan’s life. Over the years, Dan built a friendship with Jack, keeping their 60+ memories alive. I loved hearing about Dan and his life from Jack’s perspective. Learning about Dan’s parents, and many other people that passed before I could meet them. We had many enjoyable visits with Jack. In November, Jack passed away at 85 years old, leaving a hole in the hearts of many. He has joined his wife, Deloris, the love of his life, and is likely wearing a big smile right now. Jack was a beautiful spirit, loved, and will be missed by all who knew him.
R.I.P. Jack Marks
As for 2020 – I don’t make resolutions, but I do set some goals for myself. I want to finish my next novel (I currently have three chapters done, and it looks like they are going back to the drawing board) – I’d like to work on my autobiography. I can hear those chuckles “why is she writing an autobiography, she isn’t famous or important” – and with that, you would be correct. However, I want my children to have the story of my life and how I became who I am because I never had that opportunity with my parents. I did learn to understand them but would have loved their take on their childhood and early adulthood. I also have been told by non-family members that they would love to hear my story in its entirety after hearing an incident or two. And, of course, writing is healing to me, so what can it hurt, right?
I also have a new macro filter I’ll be testing out, and other photography work. I can’t get enough of clicking that shutter, so that leaves a lot of work to do in keeping up with filing photos, editing, and hitting the delete button – always a challenge. With the water freezing around here in Upper Michigan, I plan to get many shots of the ice effects. As we drove over one bridge, Dan slowed down so I could get a photo of “The Islands of Ice” 
– Dan’s idea for a name, which I loved…very fitting. This was after a day of sun, so it changes almost daily. Photography is such a passion, and I can’t get enough.
Dan and I have a trip planned to Washington at the end of February, and we’ll be there for a couple of weeks – you’ll hear all about it afterward. It looks like we will work out a trip to Colorado on our way back with my car. This summer, Dan and I are planning to caravan with another couple to Alaska – that should be a trip of a lifetime for us.
All-in-all, it will be a full year for us. We still have a lot of work on the cabin and property to do. We need to act retired and take some mini sightseeing trips, visit family members, and friends, that are spread out across the states and Canada, and be kind to ourselves with some simple downtime.
I hope this past year has been good to you, that the new year brings you much happiness – and that you take time out for yourself. As always, thank you for reading my ramblings, and Happy New Year to you all.
As mentioned in my last blog, I gained permission to watch my granddaughter, Jo, during her rehearsal of the upcoming high school performance of “13 Past Midnight,” which opened on December 5th (the day I flew back to Michigan) and ran six performances in all.
Jo was born to be on stage – you can feel her passion and dedication as she brings her audience entertainment. I have had the pleasure of seeing Jo in plays for a couple of years since joining drama class, and she shines in her performances – leaving me awestruck. This latest play was a fun mystery that was sure to make the audience laugh, jump, and question the motives of each character. I chose to post my blog until after the final curtain so there would be no spoilers on my conscience…lol. Yes, I knew the guilty party – who was none other than my granddaughter.
Besides bragging about Jo, the reason for this blog is to share my take on life backstage. I am an entertainment hound – I love movies, plays, and TV – but to witness what goes into a play backstage was a privilege. 
There are the headshots to be taken as cast members entered the room adorned in costume, and candid shots during rehearsal. The stage manager, Winter, 
who checks, and rechecks the stage props, then goes over her clipboard to be sure everything is in order. The drama teacher, Ms. Meyners, busily going over her notes and making new ones as the performers gather around for some scene discussions. Ms. Meyners deserves a gold star as she manages the excitement and energy pulsating from about twenty teenagers. She treats the cast and stagehands as professionals, and, hence, they do not disappoint. 
You can easily see how serious everyone takes their role. I sat there listening as the teacher worked with the sound/light control room aka the booth, to bring up red lights, take down bright lights, redirect where the light should be, quiet the thunderclaps a bit, bring up the music at a precise moment, and instruct the timing of gunshots to reactions. Sound effects and lights are important, and making sure everything runs like clockwork is a painstaking endeavor – proof that timing is vital.
Putting a play together takes patience, determination, and pure love of the stage for everyone involved. There are the missed lines, awkward pauses, the retakes, and more retakes. The light checks, sound checks – and the checks again. I would be remiss not to mention the people that create the set. It’s important the construction and set up is correct, or it could have significant consequences if not built sturdy enough. It’s getting everyone on stage to listen to changes or new improvisation for the crime scene. I watched the fun adlib, the excitement of a scene that ran perfect, and the notable exhaustion when another scene had multiple takes. It was watching the victim laying on the floor under a sheet with a turkey baster filled with water, to be replaced with fake blood for the performances, of course, getting soaked as he attempts to have liquid spread across the sheet. How do you keep a turkey baster from becoming a visual stage prop? Trial and error. Not to mention, though I will, the rug that slid across the stage taking a cast member down in the process. Another prop to secure and master before opening night. Keep in mind, these teens have already had a full day of calculus and science, for example, but kept going regardless.
Time flew by as I observed laughing, sighs, and meeting of minds over what was going to work and what wasn’t. There was getting the cast back on stage after a break using the “We’re back in 20…19…18…” – Ms. Meyners continues counting in a normal tone, effortlessly as she walks back to her seat close to the booth and I watch with sincere respect as the cast follow her lead. Their natural movements as stage positions are checked, along with their spot-on listening to directions say so much about the students and their teacher.
I am overwhelmingly proud of Jo, her commitment, and her passion, but also for the rest of the cast, crew, and their teacher, Ms. Meyners. It’s the blood, sweat, and tears of acting that no one else sees. Until this experience, I didn’t really think a lot about all the rehearsals, or what went into them, to bring us, the audience, a performance that draws us in to love the play, the cast, and the environment overall.
In this busy, and sometimes tough world we live in it is not only refreshing but needed to have our hearts lifted by these beautiful young adults and all the backstage people that entertain us with their incredible talent.
I hope the next time you see a poster or hear of a high school play opening, you will purchase a ticket and support the local arts. I am witness to the work that is involved, and genuinely feel it warrants our attention. Thank you, one and all, for reading my ramblings – signing off until later – Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.