FRIDAY--SECOND TO LAST

Weight report: I knew I would, but I didn't realize it would be this bad:  I gained 2.6 at home, to 132.4 and 2.8  at T.O.P.S. to 133.6 darn!  Oh, well, I'm going to get serious now, I hope. Home at 10 something, had oatmeal and grapefruit for breakfast, then took a nap, even though I had slept okay. After, I swept the patio to clear the pine needles, then did a bleach wash. Had a big salad for lunch, then got ready for the second-to-last "Backstage Bedlam." 

I had intended to start personalizing my verse to cast and crew, but decided to wait until today--our last performance--to do it and hand them out today when I'll have gotten a program. Assembled my clothes, showered, washed my hair, and went out to wait for Rowena to pick me up at 6:15.

As it turned out, it was probably my best ever. I really got in the swing of it and did well; in fact, the entire cast seemed to be up a notch. Of course, I don't know that for sure, as so far, I haven't seen the whole show, but it felt that way. 

I was surprised and grateful when Carlita gave me a darling little key chain with a sparkly horse head on it. She's the one who owns a ranch in Thousand Oaks and I had admired the chain she uses. Unfortunately, I left it at the theatre--will take a picture of it and include in tomorrow's entry. 

Re pics. here are a slew of them; I took the first, rest are courtesy of Amy:

Lindsay and Kathy

Lindsay and Dolores

l. to r. back: Shannon, Lindsay, Dolores; Mandy in front

l. to r., outside: Mandy, Kathy, Inna, Suzy, Jonathan 

James and Steve

Tracy and Dolores

Inna

Harper and Amy

Shari and me

I was so happy to see niece Carolyn, her husband Dana and son, Finn, along with nephew Steve and his wife, Robyn. (I said she was a glutton for punishment, as she had attended our opening night with Ellen.) Had a great time receiving their congratulations and chatting after. We took a pic of us together, which I'll receive soon and will post here, of course.

I didn't get home until--gasp!--11:00 and was starved, so made myself a sandwich and popped open an IPA and watched a little T.V.  When I turned in, it was close to one am and no, I had no problem sleeping soundly.

Tonight is our last and oh, boy, will it be hard to adjust to civilian life!

THURSDAY

Although I had had a problem with sleeping, I got up at 7:00 and followed my usual routine. (Wow, I got Wordle on two; word was  "split.") More exciting (😅), before breakfast, I dusted and washed the hard floors, and washed and dried the scatter rugs. 

I finished the rhyme I'm giving to all the cast and crew members. It's not the greatest, but I didn't have much time. Here it is: 

B oy, did we have fun

A cting bright and breezy,

C onsidering the cast,

K illing it was easy;

S uccess! We were happy

T o be there

A t a venue sweet and fair,

G rasp this, no matter what your age,

E verybody on our stage:

B e aware the future's bright,

E ven though the end's in sight,

D on't forget this, cast and crew,

L ots of laugher that we knew,

A nd please accept this mention, too:

M y everlasting thanks to you!

It's mediocre, but I didn't have much time and I think they'll like it. Dammit, I can't find the BB program, so will have to get one tonight; I want to be sure to include everybody. My new printer is supposed to get here today and I didn't want to take a chance it wouldn't, so I asked Suzanne to print me up two copies. She did and I packed my lunch, then bused to Office Depot to have thirty copies made. I'll put personal notes on each one and will decorate them separately. Of course, I won't be able to do all of them, as I have to get a program tomorrow, so I can include everybody--sometimes I feel as if I have an actual job.

I decided to eat in the middle, instead of near Office Depot, so took my lunch out and enjoyed it. By that time, it was 4:30 and this was only my second meal of the day. I guess you could call it "dunch" or "linner." 

Ellen called and we decided she'd come on Monday instead of tomorrow to set up the printer. I'll then go back to her place and stay overnight. Stella called to tell me she's also feeling stressed out, with a lot stuff going on. Her son, Joshua, who lives in Spain, will be in on Saturday, but will first stay with a friend in Burbank before he gets to Stella's. She said she'd let me know when he gets there and we'll meet him for lunch.

So the show is on tonight and tomorrow, then we go dark. I'm actually looking forward to having some down time, so I can address some of my long-neglected items.  

A bright note: I slept well and feel perkier today. However, I know I've gained and that's depressing. Hope to get back on the straight and narrow soon.   

WEDNESDAY

On Facebook I had gotten a listing of the 110 top golfers in history and glanced over it, then sent it to Vickie. She enjoyed it, as her late partner, Mary, was an avid golfer. I mentioned that I was surprised Babe Zaharias wasn't listed; she was a huge golf star, as I remember. Vickie texted her thanks, then called to see if I was available for a chat. Sure, and I told her to come over. She lives only a minute or so walk away, so I just opened the door before she got here. To my amazement, a little bird--maybe a wren or sparrow--flew into to my living room. It aimed toward the sliding glass door to the patio, hit it, then swerved and flew right out the door again. Vickie was just coming up the front path and we were both relieved the bird seemed to be okay.

Vickie brought me this: 

                                                   

It had been Mary's book and Vickie asked if I'd like to borrow it. Yes, indeed, biography is my favorite form of literature. (My least favorites are fictionalized versions of bios, history, and other embellished facts.) Vickie stayed for a half-hour and we had a nice visit.  She asked if I'd like someday to go putting with her. Sure, I like new experiences, but to start actually playing golf--that ain't gonna happen. We chatted for a few more minutes, as Vickie was just on her break--she works at home--so we said goodbye after fifteen or so and I bused to Danny's Deli to meet Noreen. She and I got there about the same time and settled into one of our good, intimate, talk sessions. I had a pastrami dip, which probably had enough calories for the week, plus a Liquid Candy hazy IPA (heaven in a glass) and Noreen chicken Alfredo and champagne. We were there, as usual, for almost two hours and when we left, ran into two gentlemen on the front porch:

I think their names are Mr. Gaunt and Sir Bony.

Noreen doesn't do Facebook or text, so gave me her friend, Gary's, email and ask that I send the pic to him.  Bused home and stopped at Von's on the way for salad fixings and a few other items. I sat and watched a half hour of T.V. (this is getting to be a habit in the late afternoons and should I be concerned?), then conked out, took an hours' nap, and felt good after that. 

I was so pleased to get a call from niece Carolyn telling me that she and some of her family are going to the show tomorrow--the penultimate production!  They got back from Jersey a week or so ago and I'll be glad to see them there.

Sharon also called last night, to ask for more information about the Access Van and, sadly, the continuing dilemma with her husband's lack of a license. She's not happy with the attorney they hired and they have many other problems. One of them is the fact that they have no Internet devices--neither computer or printer and in this day and age, that's a crippling situation. We talked for almost an hour and I'll see her tomorrow at T.O.P.S.  

Unfortunately, after I went to bed, I developed a terrible itching of my left-foot toes and it kept me awake for a long time.  I don't know if it's athletes' foot or what, but I'm going to call the doc for advice. 

TUESDAY

Suzanne and I left for WinCo at 8:45 and got back in about an hour. I got some good produce--cabbage, cauliflower, onions, tomatoes, spinach and a few other items. I wasn't hungry, as I had snacked at night, so had only a few handfuls of blueberries for breakfast. When I got home, I cooked the spinach after adding olive oil, vinegar, and garlic and had a bowl of that--weird, but enjoyable. 

Ellen got here a little after one and we first went to UPS, as she had something to mail, then to Wood Ranch for lunch. This has gotten to be a favorite because they have the best barbequed chopped salad with chicken. We ate, then went to Office Depot and, after a great deal of examination, questions, and discussion, I settled on a particular printer to replace my old one. This is a Brothers, not a Canon, and it did get good reviews. However, they didn't have one in stock, so will have to deliver it in a few days.

Home after that and Ellen had to leave a bit after 4:00, but when the printer comes in, she'll be back to install it. It was in the upper seventies, so I changed into shorts and a tee-shirt and put in a load of color wash. A bit after six, I called Noreen to see if she could meet for lunch today--she could and we will, at good ol' Danny's Deli. 

I was tired, for some reason, so went to bed at 9:00. Big mistake, as I woke up at 2:30 and--AAGH!--now it's 3:15 and I'm sitting here at the laptop.  Hope I can go back to dreamland soon...

Well, I did after about a half-hour, but until only 6:15. I'm going to have to get a nap in sometime today. 

MONDAY

Early morning, Suzanne texted me an invitation to join her for her bi-weekly visit to WinCo today. I happily accepted and we'll go at 8:45. Later, Ellen asked if we could switch our Thursday date to today and yes, she'll pick me up at noon, we'll go to Office Max, where I'll look for a new printer, then she'll leave at 4:00 to meet with her contractor. 

Yesterday was not a bad day, but somewhat slow. I had intended to bus to town and tour the shops, but that went awry: I made lunch, packed up my cart, and set off, but before I got out of the complex, I decided it was too hot. I was passing Vickie's place about 12:30 and I changed my plans. Knowing she works at home, I texted her to see if she might be available and, as it turned out, she was. I settled into an umbrellaed table and Vickie joined me shortly thereafter. She had brought her lunch with some extra watermelon and we settled in for a good visit and talk. Suzanne happened to come over for her daily swim and we three chatted away, then Vickie and I settled into some good, serious talk.   

After, she went back to work (at home) and I stayed for a bit, then left. Watched T.V. for awhile, then took a nap. Other than the exciting news that I took the trash out, there wasn't much else happening. 

SUNDAY

 Didn't do a whole heck of a lot early on yesterday, aside from hard-boiling some eggs. Had lunch, then went out to wait for Amber to pick me up at 3:15. She did, we got there shortly, and the matinee went on at 5:00. I flubbed "Heart's Desire" a little--started the same stanza twice--but recovered well and I don't think the audience noticed, which is all that matters. 

Glory be, it was still light out when we left. For those of us who consider 9 PM practically the middle of the night, matinees are wonderful. Home, had something to eat, watched some easily forgettable T.V., turned in at 10 and slept the good sleep. Here are some pics from last night:    

Amy and Carlita before show.

Kathy, Lindsay, and Bob

L. to r.: Amy, Kathy, Mandy, Bob; Rowena at top.

Much as I love Backstage Bedlam and Fractured Actors, I'm looking forward to three days off. We go on next Friday and Saturday, then close. Cast Party is Sunday. 

SATURDAY

Got up at 7:20, did a color wash, including the jeans and shirt I wear for "Hearts Desire." I called my friend, Rosa, to fill her in on the show. Because she's of Mexican descent, I thought she'd like to see it, but I haven't heard back from her yet. Breakfasted and really did little after, aside from a short nap and eating lunch on the patio. Showered, washed my hair, then waited outside for Amber to pick me up at 6:30. 

The show last night went very well, I think sharper and more focused than the others. Although the audience was sparse, they were receptive and laughed in all the right places. After the finale, when we prance off the stage, I was pleased to be greeted by Lynne W., docent director of Dudley House, whom I've known almost since I got to California. She had brought a friend and I introduced them to Amber, who happened to be nearby. I'm scheduled to docent in just two weeks on September 7--I'd better start reviewing my tour talk.

Home after 10:00, as usual and stayed up almost until midnight. Oddly, although I haven't been sleeping as long as usual, I'm feeling pretty alert. I'm so glad it's the matinee today and the show starts at 5:00. 

Here are some shots in our minuscule dressing room, which is about the size of a powder room:

Shannon, Erica, and Harper with tiny hands.

Shannan and her wig wardrobe/

Harper, the incredible opera-singing 10-year-old and her Mom, Shannon.