The Haasienda on Shroyer…

MIAGD: Make it a great day

“I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how a man could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.” – Abraham Lincoln

When I was a few months short of turning five, my beloved great-grandmother died and I was confident the kind-hearted, saintly soul had immediately gone to heaven which to me, was the chain of big fluffy clouds hovering above.

I would sit outside looking up at the clouds, hoping I might see Grandma Belle appear and blow me a kiss or possibly call me to the kitchen table to drink a bottle of Tab with her.

My partner, Rick, was a geologist but on our hikes, he looked up at the sky far more than he did at the rocks and stones below. “If you’re always looking down you’ll miss everything overhead.”

I did share this philosophy but would jokingly counter, “Cliff!” (He always chuckled but I’m fairly certain there were many eye rolls)

We’ve become a society of Down-Lookers.

I must admit that I slip into phone-watching, now and then, and remember there’s a time and place for everything. If my phone is out while I’m on a walk, it’s on camera mode.

My biggest concern that when looking down I might miss someone smiling at me, the opportunity to share a mutual smile or, more importantly, offer my smile to a passerby who could really use a friendly smile.

Look up.

When I’m in a town or big city, I cannot take my eyes off the overhead architecture that often seems carved in the clouds.

On walks or hikes, the sky is an ever changing canvas of all that hangs above or a visual-bomb with birds, trees, or aircraft.

Look up, damnit.

You can even peripherally see most everything around you.

Look down when you must, but always look up and invest in all there is around you. Take it all in. Breathe it all in.

Make it a great day but don’t stop looking up!

I SAW TWO CLOUDS AT MORNING John Gardiner Calkins Brainard I Saw two clouds at morning, Tinged by the rising sun, And in the dawn they floated on, And mingled into one; I thought that morning cloud was blest, It moved so sweetly to the west. I saw two summer currents Flow smoothly to their meeting, And join their course, with silent force, In peace each other greeting; Calm was their course through banks of green, While dimpling eddies played between. Such be your gentle motion, Till life’s last pulse shall beat; Like summer’s beam, and summer’s stream, Float on, in joy, to meet A calmer sea, where storms shall cease, A purer sky, where all is peace.

MIAGD: Make it a great day

It’s nearing 10:00 AM and I’ve had a leisurely three hours of talking to Josh for thirty minutes, prepping breakfast for myself and the pooches, eating our breakfasts, recording a ten minute video with the dogs for my niece as she awaits her 2:00 PM eye surgery, and making schedule of what I need to tackle.

The temperatures are beginning to settle into upper 50s and mid 60s; today shall reach 55.

I tried taking photos of the dogs for my niece, Kaytlinn; Erma is taking Chief’s “I don’t want to look at the camera” approach; Bailey is in a grumpy mood; Chief is snoring away in my study; Harrigan? Well, as Brian Pollock hinted, Harrigan is cooperating because her social media numbers are up because she’s posing for more photos. I think he’s correct.

Whatever you’ve planned for your day, I hope it includes making it great.

I am wound up at 1:00 AM, Friday morning, for two reasons: I had a productive day and accomplished those little necessary things that always need attention, and I’m keeping updated by my sister regarding my niece.

Dena texted that my niece, Kaytlinn, was playing with the family dog and was accidentally bitten near the eye. Several different medical facilities didn’t wish to address the wound since it’s very close to a tear duct.

Right now, they’re at Riley Hospital in Indianapolis, awaiting more word and tests from the ophthalmologist to see if she will need surgery.

Kaytlinn has the neatest names: Kaytlinn Mae. Kay is my mother’s middle name; Linn is my sister’s middle name; and Mae is my grandmother’s middle name. I love the family heritage interwoven through her name.

Kayt loves my dogs, so I woke them to send her some photos. Chief snored and ignored.

I feel so accomplished from today’s to-do list all checked off. I still have a few items to address over the next few days but am hoping to wade into writing, Friday and Saturday.

I will keep my phone near my ear to learn any further word from Dena.

MIAGD: Make it a great day

It was nice to have a morning off from teaching class and to enjoy a longer time on the deck for breakfasting and reading before the temperature plummeted to a damp chill.

I’d hoped to see my sister and her children who are on fall break, but it’s just not the right time, even with safety precautions in place.

This was an interesting newspaper article from 1918 as our nation battled that pandemic.

“Obey cheerfully the rules…”

Yes. Maintain a positive approach to what needs to be done to decrease this virus we now battle.

“Don’t worry.”

For those of us who have compromised health issues, we do have to practice some level of concern but we need to be practical and smart. Don’t be stupid.

As much as I would love to grab a bus to Woodland Cemetery to take fall photos, I just don’t want to take any unnecessary chances. I can walk to Lincoln Park or around the neighborhood to find color and beauty.

Obey cheerfully the rules and make it a great day.

I’ve actually got an unexpected fifteen minute break in my schedule which is quite nice considering the deck is a collection of some favorite things: a strong breeze mastering five sets of wind chimes, sounds of nature and Shroyer Road traffic, and four dogs, thrilled that I’m away from my desk.

I saw this familiar quote by Marcus Tullius Cicero:

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”

It’s certainly true for me. Every room inside The Haasienda has bookcases filled with the result of a life-long passion of collecting books.

My sons would joke to me upon leaving a store with an armful of books. “You’re probably not going to read them.”

Perhaps not. But they will always be there should I ever wish to read them.

One of the greatest pre-kindergarten moments came around 1968 when my parents purchased the complete set of The World Book Encyclopedias and solid wood book stand.

The top row was A-Z; the second row had sectioned ends for a double dictionary and something else for the opposite end with a centered collection of individual books of cooking, countries around the world, poetry, famous people, science, nursery rhymes and children’s stories, etc.

There was a long shelf on the bookcase’s bottom that held the gigantic atlas. It was one of my favorite books and I would pull at it and finally slide the weighty book from the shelf and travel through the pages for hours.

While the books are long gone, the bookcase is still in my possession, fifty some odd years later. It’s traveled from Elwood, Indiana to Ball State University in Muncie, from Muncie to Dayton, Ohio and on to Centerville and Kettering.

I love that book case.

As a young tyke, the treasure-filled structure was a crib to rest my energetic mind, my television, my escape from my father’s alcoholism, my very own Disney World of delight, my cruise ship and air plane so I could explore all the different states on the American continent or other countries that I eventually got to visit, and it was a great water tank to continuously fill my ever draining cup that wetted my thirst for learning more, and more.

It’s not just a bookcase.

MIAGD: Make it a great day

DEAD POETS SOCIETY came out 31 years ago, several years into my teaching career, and Robin Williams’ John Keating had a terrific impact on my career and on my life.

Carpe Diem.

Seize the day.

John Keating had great passion for teaching and demonstrated his passion in different ways. He was not cut from a mold. Keating made every day an adventure, taking his students on incredible, mind-opening journeys.

At some point, or around a particular age, we seem to stop embracing adventures and take shorter journeys. If that works, super. But what about each day’s opportunity to splash around in the life’s energizing, soothing pool?

Splash away.

“Make it a great day” is my version of John Keating’s remind to “seize the day.”

MIAGD: Make it a great day

My Grandpa Leroy and Grandma Donna took me to Indianapolis for special outings, several times a year. Our visits always included interesting sites or entertainments, as well as neat places to eat.

One particular visit was to an art exhibit that was passing through.

There was one abstract painting that, at age eight, I promptly dismissed. My grandmother gently urged, “let’s look at it from this side.” We moved to one side. “Move over here to look at it and let’s see if there’s something new to see.”

We spent several minutes looking at the painting and I kept finding new things. As a teacher and as a stage director, I walk all sides of the stage and auditorium seating.

No entertainer made me laugh more than Robin Williams. He was not only the “funniest mind in the West” but clearly one of the most intelligent minds on so many levels. I still watch video clips of his interviews because they are so damned cheery.

While Mr. Williams was making certain the word was laughing and happy, there seemed to be no amount of laughter to treat his depression. He was secretly imprisoned with several physical restraints that would continue to diminish his abilities over time, continuing to shackle him to even greater depths of depression and anxiety.

Since March 2020, countless members of the performing arts world have been shackled by the imprisoning pandemic. Many friends and former students have altered career paths while others have found measured, safe ways to continue creating.

It’s been absolute hell. It appears that this hell is to continue a bit longer.

Man… how we could use Robin Williams’ invaluable humor and insightful gift at looking at things differently.

But, I always believe that when someone passes on, they leave a legacy, something from which to continue learning and to continue growing.

We must be a Robin Williams sharing thoughts, insisting on laughter, and always looking at things a different way.

Make it a Robin Williams kind of day!

Shazbot.

Nanu, nanu.

Carpe diem.

The entire day was proof that I thoroughly love what I do for a living.

9:30 AM began with online classes that finished up 20 minutes before private lessons began. Those lessons ended at 10:45 PM and I began watching Alter High School’s filmed production, PROOF.

I N C R E D I B L E

Two students, Donald Wanamaker and Nick Abouzeid were two of the four featured actors with Shawn Monteiro and Eric Pettit as their understudies.

I am so damned proud of Donnie and Nick, and their amazing acting. I am hoping to grab another viewing in the morning before my 10:00 AM class.

This production was so professional and I’m thrilled with the experience offered the students.

Megan Wean Sears, and her terrific talented team, stepped past the barriers imposed by these amazing times and served educational theatre beautifully.

When there’s a vision, there will always be a way.

Due to five students being out of town with some schools out tomorrow, I was done by 9:50 PM, this evening.

Folks ask me if I get exhausted teaching all day.

Yes, sometimes I get a bit tired, but I love what I do, so much, that I’m often keyed up for several hours past the last lesson. It’s a natural high.

The 65-degree air is refreshing and the sounds of nature, mostly cicadas and crickets, are lulling.

Tomorrow’s online class teaching resumes at 9:30 AM. I’m already excited to dig in with those two classes, followed by 7.5 hours of private lessons.

MIAGD: Make it a great day

I’m quite comfortable on the deck with a slight breeze moving about with heavy grey skies shrouding The Miami Valley.

Since The Boys are “on holiday” in The Cotswolds, our weekly morning chat did not commence with them and Dave’s parents in Boston. I missed our enriching discussion most often filled with bunches of laughs and thorough enjoyment in one another’s company.

On with the day. Teaching begins at 1:00 PM, ending at 10:30 PM.

Make it a great day.

Saturday is my Sunday evening and Sunday begins my teaching week, often pretending to be Monday.

The highlight of my day was when, at 8:30 PM, Amazon delivered my magnetic backed racks for the side of the refrigerator.

Those little things.

Very little was accomplished other than grilling pork shoulders and baked potatoes and arranging the new magnetic refrigerator racks. I managed a number of naps, cozied up with some pooches.

The warm afternoon and chillier late evening found all of us on the deck, grabbing every possible ounce of deck time.

It’s 12:30 AM and my melatonin is beginning to take hold.

I was raised in an optimistic home and Mother always insisted we stick to our optimism no matter how severe the blow. Mother demonstrated confidence often masking the weight she carried at times.

This has been a week of “some not so good news comes in threes,” challenging my optimism.

Two family friends moved beyond this life and a friend, as dear as a brother, has been diagnosed with Stage 4 throat cancer.

OPTIMISM

JACK BARNES

Until earlier this week, I’d never known a day that Jack Barnes was not a part of my world, somehow. I don’t ever remember meeting him as he knew my family long before I was born.

Jack and Judy Barnes have three children: Kevin, who was a year ahead of me in school; Scott, a fellow high school drum-major, trumpeter, and thespian; Anne, another marching band member with my sister, a high school girlfriend of my brother, and who offered a beautiful, tender tribute to Mother at her funeral.

I rarely saw any of the Barnes trio without seeing Jack and Judy Barnes present, not only to cheer on their children, but everyone else’s kid, as well. After moving to Ohio, I often saw Jack and Judy upon returns to Elwood for events or when we were out to eat.

Over the past several years, I’ve remained in touch with Mr. & Mrs. Barnes through Anne who has been a true angel in every way to aide her parents’ declining health. The photos with her dad are priceless as she coaxed that familiar smile and chuckle.

Mr. Barnes was kind-hearted and an all-embracing gentleman that knew no stranger and always warmed the world around him, and beyond, simply be being Jack Barnes.

Thank you, Mr. Barnes, for being a part of my life.

ROD RICHARD

May, 1984, I was on a 747 flying over the Atlantic Ocean with fellow members of The Ball State University Singers (show choir), en route to Greece, when I mentioned to my seat mate, Monty Kuskye, that I needed to purchase something special for my mother whose birthday was in April. He asked my mother’s age and I said, “thirty nine.”

The lady in front of us rose from her seat and said, “Thirty nine?? Ugh. I’m officially old enough to be the mom of a college student.”

A kindly looking gentleman peeked through the seats and said, “Don’t worry about my wife; she won’t ‘mother’ any of you on this trip. She’s just as young as all of you.”

And that was how I met Jan and Rod Richard.

Jan was a 1964 charter member of The Ball State University Singers and joined the ensemble on the overseas trips. She’s still the heart of the group with her generosity and devotion.

Rod and Jan’s hotel rooms were often near mine and I got to know Rod who I found charming and fascinating.

On the return flight from Greece, I had my fellow travelers write in my trip journal. Rod wrote the most touching and still, much treasured note:

Through the remainder of the 1980s I saw Rod numerous times at campus events, running into him unexpectedly throughout Muncie, or fondly remembering a lovely evening at Jan and Rod’s home where we dined with friends and enjoyed wonderful conversations.

Rod battled Parkinson’s Disease and passed away yesterday with Jan by his side.

Thank you, Rod, for being a part of my life.

GOOD FRIEND

This afternoon delivererd a shocking blow when I learned that a very dear friend has Stage 4 throat cancer.

Upon learning the news, I sat in numbing stillness not knowing what to do nor how to react. This news affects so many folks who’ve become my bonus family.

After a few text messages with his wife, I was calmed by her/their own optimism, that I must admit had crumbled.

OPTIMISM

This has been a dramatic week both personally and on a national scope. However, while friends are grieving the loss of the loved ones, they’re also celebrating two wonderful lives lived and beloved by so many.

And, my dear Ohio family has reminded me that we move onward, making the most of every moment.

I shout the phrase, daily, but I often need to be reminded to “make it a great day.”

Thank you, Friends… know you are loved…

MIAGD: Make it a great day

Due to a very light rain, I took breakfast in my study and the rest of the morning reading and prepping my online classes for the coming week.

Friday was a physical washout and I spent the day in bed and on the deck recouping my spent energy and rhythm. Today is a mixture of guest bedroom and deck. At least my appetite is slightly returned.

The sky is grey, threatening rain at any moment, and the barometric pressure has been taunting my sinuses for the past twenty four hours.

The deck is cluttered with a variety colored, dry leaves, mostly red, and four furry pooches of mostly black and one mostly white with brown and black.

Grey skies or sunny skies, make a terrific choice in what kind of day you choose to make it.

MIAGD: Make it a great day

Even with a healthy breeze, it honestly does not feel like 55-degrees at 8:30 AM as the sun is sharing its brilliance.

This is my longest day and the one with the least amount of breaks. It’s my grab-‘n-go day with food and bathroom breaks.

My briefly vacationed cardinals are back and I’m relieved to know they’ve not abandoned The Haasienda.

When I was ready for bed last night, Chief, who’s battled arthritis in his hips until a new treatment, was once again up on my pillows. My old boy slept beside me most the night, sometimes punching or kicking me with his large paws, but loving his snuggle time. Harrigan and Bailey were furious having to sleep in the other bed!

Tough!

It’s time to prep for my first online class. Some great students with terrific personalities and incredible minds.

My first time to vote, 1982, was a midterm election and it was second time to work at my precinct’s polling site.

I can still remember the exhilaration of moving that first lever inside my voting booth.

Tonight, as I colored in the first oval, I recalled my first voting experience 38 years ago.

How exciting to have the opportunity to act upon my citizenry.

MIAGD: Make it a great day

The 55-degree weather doesn’t seem all too cold and the overhead umbrella of bright blue is refreshing as I eat my lunch on the deck.

I finished teaching my on-line classes at 2:00 PM and will shortly begin lessons at 3:00 PM until 10:15 PM.

The pooches are swarming me as I eat.

My Monday lunch consists of a salad and some sliced celery, green peppers, and carrots to dip into the family’s legendary cauliflower dip or brown dip or whatever my brother nicknamed it. Thanks to Nicole, I have some wonderful green bell peppers to use for dipping.

The early afternoon is peaceful. The swishing Shroyer Road traffic is the only violation of having complete silence, which is certainly not an issue.

It’s 2:45 PM and time to prep for the next seven hours of teaching.

It’s only 62-degrees but the fierce sun has warmed us a bit, allowing some non-bundled up time.

From beneath the deck, the aroma of Downy fabric softener wafts up through the boards as some towels dry.

The clouds are particularly beautiful this afternoon, theatrically displaying the light and the shade as brilliantly lit white clouds exchange places with darker clouds. I love their high up production.

Out front, I looked at the large star on the front of the house. The original paint has peeled, nearly all gone. I always loved the contrast of the slight beige against the brick.

Now, the rusted metal on display blends in with the bricks sheltering the Cape Cod frame. I rather prefer seeing the raised edges of the crispy beige remnants that cling mightily against the strong winds that often blaze their course from all directions.

Strength. Courage. Toughness.

After trying minutes of writing, the overhead stage has already changed scenes, entirely, and the upcoming scenes appear to be just as dramatic and beautiful.

It’s been a week and one day since my birthday and I am still sorting through the many greeting cards, social media messages, text messages, and emails.

The process, for me, is slow as I juggle other necessary items.

In the meantime, until I can fully reposed, I cannot explain just how wonderful each note of remembrance touches my heart.

I thank you, everyone…

MIAGD: Make It A Great Day

It’s barely hanging on in the lower 60s, though the gorgeous blue, almost cloudless sky, makes the world appear much warmer.

I’m working from my bed in the guest bedroom where I’ve made it my principal bedroom. I’ve completed reading, research, and a few documentaries.

Bailey is snuggled on my pillow, Harrigan at my feet, and The Seniors on the floor close by the bed.

Other than that, I’m being semi-lazy but still making it a great day.

MIAGD: Make It A Great Day

The dogs were camping out on the deck in sunny areas, warming themselves beneath a brilliant shade of blue with the sunshine offering a cooler 59-degrees.

I stepped out to wagging tails and looked north to the Bob Ross approved sky.

To the south, a mass of grey hovered directly above, with the brightness edging the dark. A few drops were felt.

It’s nearing 3:00 PM and stomach cramps have kept me in bed since after breakfast. I’d love to be sitting outside, wrapped in a blanket, turning to either side of the deck to watch the changing sky.

Greener pastures.

Sunnier skies.

Keeping up with the Joneses.

Silver linings.

The sunny side of the street.

Light at the end of the tunnel.

What about those grey clouds with sparkling light framing them? What’s happening beneath them? Can we not find some beauty, good vibes, fortune, or happiness beneath grey clouds?

But, the first thought is usually, “but the grey clouds often bring rain.”

Of course. And we need rain, right?

When we have grey skies it’s not always a bad thing. Granted, I loathe the grey shroud of fall and winter, but I don’t mind the rain clouds that tend to bring the much needed nourishment.

Unless you’re in a flying contraption, it will be difficult to see clouds from both sides; however, you can still choose to see beauty in anything you desire.

Make it a great day!

This summer, I watched my two Colorado private students in their summer musicals via You Tube Live and I’ve also watched several streamed productions.

Tonight, I’m watching a live-streamed production of playwright Clifford Odets’ 1935 drama, WAITING FOR LEFTY, produced by Ohio Northern University Theatre Department.

We’re nearly thirty minutes into the production and it’s moving along smoothly with the actors separately performing under safety precautions. I’m wholly impressed with these college students tackling this new way of sharing the arts.

My former voice student, Marisha Osowski, an ONU second year musical theatre major is portraying Florence. The Quartet, my four pooches who adore Marisha, got all excited when they heard her voice. It was so cool!

I’m cheering harder and louder for these troopers. They’re still making theatre, but in an entirely new format and in a way they probably never imagined.

Live-streamed theatre is not the way so many of us would like to present our artistry; however, it’s vital that theatre and the performing arts continue to be shared. We’ve got this and we’re doing it.

What we do for love…

WAITING FOR LEFTY. Friday, October 2 @ 7:30 PM. Saturday, October 3 @ 7:30 PM

For online ticket information: Ohio Northern University Theatre Box Office

MIAGD: Make it a great day

I use this phrase daily and even several times throughout the day to remind myself that I have the choice, and ultimately, the control of how I elect to run my day.

I’ve had folks tell me it doesn’t work for them.

It’s highly unlikely to work if the attitude is already against the the process an forecasting the negative results.

This pandemic has taught me much.

I’ve learned to value more, the truly necessary elements in life we often take for granted or even ignore when gratitude should be the focus. It’s the little things that have become the bigger blessings to me while the once bigger items have depreciated.

It has also alerted me to much.

I’ve become more aware of people; those directly within my reach and those beyond. I’ve seen (and been a recipient of) so many reaching out to others with a servant’s loving, golden heart, yet, I’ve also observed the selfish and short-sightedness of those with plenty, inconvenienced.

We have the choice to change our vision. We can also choose to make a concerted effort to change our vision.

We have the choice to change our thinking. We can also choose to make a concerted effort to alter or completely reprocess our way of thinking.

We have the choice to reach out or we have the choice to remain self-serving. We can also choose to make a concerted effort to look beyond our own needs or mildly interrupted routine to remember those whose lives and routines have been demolished.

Choice and attitude are at the core of how we process the day. We have, both, the capability to choose and the power to concentrate our attitude within our very grasp.

Make it a great day or make your day a shit show.

It’s. Your. Choice.

MIAGD: Make it a great day

The 52-degree damp weather feels much colder with the fast wind but is completely countered by the blue, sun filled sky.

My deck days, at least for this week, seem to be forever over. This Autumn weather that we’re experiencing usually makes an appearance the second or third week of October.

I am not a fan of coats, jackets, gloves, or any kind of bundling up. I know many friends who love this kind of weather but I need the sunshine.

Grey skies do not smile at me like blue skies.

My first online class is about to begin and students are already gathered in their virtual classroom. I love their energy.

Make it a great day!

MIAGD: Make it a great day

The 67-degree morning is slightly overcast, but all the weather apps agree there is to finally be rain this afternoon which seems to back the heralding breeze of swishing leaves, tinkling wind chimes, and my previous day’s headache.

Send down the rain.

The grass has been brown for over a month and the rain that’s passed through the Miami Valley has barely dampened the dry earth. You can practically smell the crunchy dryness.

Send down the rain.

I love the smell of arriving rain with the anticipation of cleansing the stagnate air and relieving exhausted ground.

Sometimes, when we take a refreshing shower we can appreciate the how the earth, grass, plants, trees, and air feel when they’re touched by the sacred droplets of rain.

We need water. We need to drink and feel water. Water connects us to nature and if we raise a sail, we can connect to other lands and other people.

Send down the rain.

If the rain happens to dampen any outdoor plans, don’t let that stop you from making it a great day.

MIAGD: Make it a great day

This last Sunday of September 2020 dawned bright and beautiful with a very comfortable 64°, though a tiny bit chillier with a more periodic forceful breeze causing the wind chimes and trees to spontaneously howl.

The seeds of self discontent and discomfort appear to be rapidly growing and spreading amongst folks who are otherwise more optimistic.

This morning, my friend, Jeff Carter, ever the fellow optimist, posted this meme.

I’ve literally had folks become upset with me because I won’t participate in their negativity for this new world we’ve come to know, throwing at us steady and frequent changes. It is sometimes difficult to appreciate their aggravation, however, I’ve rigidly stuck to my resolve to keep my glass, not just full, but overflowing to allow others to add to their cups if they were drained.

For those of us who are sculpted-in-marble optimists, it’s imperative we not allow the fear and frustration surrounding us to chip away at or erode us. I’m comfortable and confident in my Nellie Forbush cockeyed optimism as we wade into another wave of uncertainty.

Raise your glass. Whether it’s empty, half full, completely full, or overflowing, it’s still your glass of choices. Whatever the weight of its contents, hold it up and make it a great day.