The Haasienda on Shroyer…

MIAGD: Make it a great day

It’s a cool breeze on this 68° morning but it’s just barely enough to move the wind chimes without producing any music.

There’s a number of things I should do today. The question is, will I actually do them or will I read, play more with the dogs, or find other distractions?

It’s so comfortable outside and I don’t feel compelled to leave the deck until the morning sun begins to invade this side of the house.

It’s moving onto 9:00 AM and I need to get going with “something.”

Make it a great day!

MIAGD: Make it a great day

One of my favorite songs since childhood has been “The White Cliffs of Dover,” an oft heard song in our home as Mother played and sang.

I was familiar with the Vera Lynn recording but knew nothing about her until I read her obituary this morning.

What an extraordinary life!

Dame Vera Lynn obituary

“(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover” is a popular World War II song composed in 1941 by Walter Kent to lyrics by Nat Burton. Made famous in Vera Lynn‘s 1942 version, it was one of Lynn’s best-known recordings and among the most popular World War II tunes.

I remember the British Royal Family celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of D-Day, standing on their iconic balcony, singing “The White Cliffs of Dover.” What I noticed most was Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, closing her eyes for a few seconds as her lips continued to repeat the lyrics.

THE WHITE CLIFFS OF DOVER Lyrics by Nat Burton

It’s moving on 1:00 AM and I’m finally winding down for the night with my little snuggle bug, Bailey, tucked in next to me; Harrigan is at my feet, Erma on the floor by the bed, and Chief is in the hall.

I had several wonderful teaching moments that were absolutely invigorating. My evening walk helped me relieve some of the built up energy founded from the excitement.

The fireworks were sounding, again, tonight and a number of them sounded like canon-fire. I had to move the dogs inside as they became frantic. This nightly display of inconsiderate immaturity is becoming a bit much.

Little Bailey is nudging me, her invitation (command) to embrace her to begin our sleep.

Yes, Bailey actually sleeps on my pillow.

The Sisters, Bailey and Harrigan, were born October 25, 2013.

I brought them home Christmas night, December 25th; they were exactly two months old.

The next morning, I took the girls and Chief on their first walk, together. They loved it.

The next morning, as I was preparing breakfast, little Harrigan brought me the leash and dropped it at my feet.

I knew at that moment I had an incredible little pal. Harrigan has always been a sharp, intelligent, sometimes demanding, but ever faithful sweetheart.

From The Haasienda to Town & Country shopping plaza, up Far Hills and back toward The Haasienda as the sky was giving one final blast of Wednesday.

A great walk.

About eight years ago, Jim and Debbie McCutchen gifted me four Mary Lincoln day lilies that make their annual debut every mid June, generally around the equinox.

From the looks of the old girls in the front flower bed, they are getting quite close to their 2020 debut.

This is always one of my proudest moments with my mediocre gardening endeavors.

MIAGD: Make it a great day

The morning got away from me after breakfast and then it was suddenly time to teach.

The lunch hour is almost over and The Quartet is loving their deck lounging.

Bailey is full of kisses and could not stop kissing Erma.

Okay, time to prep for four hours of afternoon lessons, a dinner break, and four more hours of teaching… then four days off!

Make it a great day!

It’s a little after 10:00 PM and all is quiet.

The 70° night is providing a super nice breeze. For a while it felt like rain might be moving in but radar doesn’t say so.

The Quartet scurried inside the house after several very loud booms – fireworks. They’ve since cautiously meandered back to the deck but are gathered close to me.

Tomorrow, is my Friday with Thursday and Friday as my extra Saturdays before Saturday. I would love to venture to Carillon Park since it opened, yesterday, but I’m just so hesitant.

There’s little else to add so it’s time to read for a bit.

“We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another’s desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.” 

— Erma Bombeck, “Family- The Ties that Bind…And Gag!”

MIAGD: Make it a great day

I fully intended on reading a good hour after I climbed into bed last night, however, my body had different plans.

I immediately fell asleep.

We have another cool morning on the deck with only a very mild breeze. The dogs have pottied and completed their morning evaluations of the back yard.

I’ve got two recordings to make before teaching. At lunch, I hope to begin some reading time for a discussion group that begins a week from this Thursday.

Make it it a great day.

I couldn’t have asked for a better day of teaching from 2:00 PM – 10:45 PM; the students were just rocking each lesson.

Rather than exhausted, the days find me getting more and more pumped as the teaching goes along. Exciting.

For supper, I had some soup using a base of hot and sour soup from China Cottage in Kettering, plus some peas, still in their green compartments. I minced garlic and chopped green onion, and sautéed everything in butter with some salt and pepper. I was pretty stoked that it turned out so well!

Thank you for the peas and the sauté idea, Nicole.

Tomorrow is one of my longer days:

• 10 AM – Noon
• 01 PM – 05 PM
• 06 PM – 11 PM

We’ve been lounging on the deck, a mildly cool evening with much quiet; even the Shroyer traffic is a bit muted.

And with that, it’s time to call it an evening with some reading before sleep fully invades me.

MIAGD: Make it a great day

It’s a delightful, very comfortable 60° outside and there’s just enough breeze to play percussionist with the wind chimes which seem to be arranged nicely with several mixtures of bird melodies. 

My teaching day commences at 2:00 PM and will end at 10:45 PM.

I’ve a few business items to attend to but other than that very little is on my schedule for the day.

Make it a great day!

It’s before Noon and I’m heading out for my first masked distance-walk with several friends.

The dogs were extra cooperative on the deck for some daily photos.

MIAGD: Make it a great day

The deck was a bit chilly this morning for my 7:30 AM coffee/breakfast gathering with connections between Kettering, Boston, and London.

Every Sunday morning, my son, Joshua, my son-in-law, Dave, in London, invite Dave’s parents in Boston, and me in Kettering, to a 30-45 Zoom gathering. I usually have my coffee, Dave’s parents a light breakfast, and the boys eat their lunch. It’s fun-filled and interesting conversation, and I do look forward to these weekly connections.

My actual morning began at 8:30 AM, feeding the dogs and heading to the deck with my glass of Carnation Instant Breakfast, two pieces of toast with jam, and a glass of orange juice.

The front yard looks wonderful, thanks to Don Parker, who graciously mows it each week. It looks especially nice for this year’s Flag Day.

On with my day!

Make it a great day, Folks.

It’s 65° outside, a bit on the chillier side for mid-June, but I really don’t mind.

Earlier, firecrackers were exploding down the street, creating a much crowded twin bed in the guest bedroom. Poor Erma, who never gets on furniture or beds, was the first to press against me, followed by Chief and later, Harrigan.

Now, we’re on the deck and the kids are not far removed from me, still. Chief and Erma are beside my chair and Harrigan is on the other side. Bailey doesn’t seem much affected by the noise and spent her time on the deck.

My Instacart deliveries from Meijer and Kroger arrived thirty minutes apart and everything is put away.

I wish I could pat myself on the back for productivity but my three days off were apparently set on the repeat dial and I was not provided the memo. So be it.

Aside from listening to presidential podcasts, watching some History Vault episodes, putting away groceries, tidying up the kitchen, and reading up on various historical facts, it’s been a mildly unadventurous day.

Tomorrow, I restart the teaching week and am looking forward to spending time with students.

Erma nestling during fireworks.

Harrigan still staying close to me.



Bailey and Harrigan were not even about to think of being cooperative, tonight.

Chief, on the other hand, was unusually cooperative, even obliging.

After a few minutes of Harrigan and Bailey being interruptive, I sent them away.

Erma, however, saved the moment and entered the scene to pose by Chief. I just love these two senior dogs. Chief is 9.5 and Erma will soon turn 11.

In the background, the snippy, snotty sisters poured and photobombed at every opportunity.

Over the past several years, I’ve finally learned more about relaxing and I am certain I will hone those skills as time continues.

At Noon, I decided to read while sprawled out on one of the twin guest beds in the room just off the deck. The breeze blew through the door and the window beside the one bed I prefer.

At 1:30 PM, Mama Kay delivered my Friday menu of hot and sour soup and sweet and sour chicken from Kettering’s China Cottage. I order enough soup to last several days and enough of the entree to serve two meals.

I spent most of the afternoon reading and writing.

Now, I’m back on the deck to enjoy the remaining day’s hours, my work accompanied by a mourning dove, and two different birds with beautiful, delightful singing. It’s quite the chorus.

The dogs are close by, alert to any troublesome critters who might catch their attention.

What a damn good day.

MIAGD: Make it a great day

It couldn’t be a more beautiful morning with steady breeze that brings musical life to the wind chimes and a most comfortable setting to work from my chaise lounge.

I have lofty goals of completing the rearranging of the guest bedroom, today. It’s rearranged; I just need to set some things aside for Goodwill and reorganize the rest.

Other than that, it’s just working from the deck until Noon.

Only Erma was a willing model for the lens, this morning.

Make it a great day!

I was watching/listening to THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, one of my favorite and few television-shows I actually watch and i kept hearing this familiar voice. The face was familiar. Still, no connection.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0512597/

Then, it hit me. The voice for Disney’s Winnie The Pooh, Sterling Holloway.

I can’t say it was an overall extraordinary day but the weather was perfect and I feel refreshed and more relaxed.

I accomplished little:

• tackled a few business items
• put dishes into the dishwasher
• ran the dishwasher
• cleaned up the kitchen a bit
• made a nice salad for lunch
• also made some brown rice and peas with some vinaigrette dressing – it absolutely sucked
• listened to a documentary podcast on President Benjamin Harrison and President William McKinley
• took to the pleasantness of the deck to listen to some audio books; as much as I try, they’re just not my thing
• lasagna for dinner
• now enjoying the light breeze on the deck while listening to wind chimes and the mourning dove

At the moment, Erma is by my chair, Chief and Bailey are seated at the top of the deck steps like they’re Simba at Pride Rock, and Harrigan is wandering around aimlessly, seemingly board.

And it’s almost a wrap from Thursday at The Haasienda.

MIAGD: Make it a great day

It’s a cool 65° breeze blowing across the deck but I don’t mind as it is quite comfortable.

The five of us spent the night in the downstairs guest bedroom; the wind constantly made the curtains stand out away from the windows. I hate sleeping in air-conditioning or with fans on me, but I can never get enough of natural air coming through a window.

Today is my “first Friday.” In the summers I only teach Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, filling each day to the fullest so I can enjoy three days of writing, reading, relaxing, and hopefully, returning to Carillon Park and other favorite haunts.

I began my summer schedule, Sunday, June 7th, after ten days off. It was the most relaxing time spent reading, watching documentaries, resting, enjoying time on the deck, and doing absolutely nothing. I did have an agenda of household duties but I actually attended to about 10% or less. And I do not mind. I didn’t realize just how stressful March through May had been reorganizing my entire teaching world. While it all fit together nicely, there was still a fare amount of stress.

Right now, Chief is on the deck, close by me, while the three girls are in the yard sniffing for any signs of creatures that have left a scent while passing through.

It’s now, 9:02 AM. I’ve had my twenty minute FaceTime chat with my son and his partner in London. Breakfast is finished and I’m energized and ready to begin my day.

Make it a great day!

MIAGD = Make it a great day

I grew up, fascinated with the stories told me by grandparents and great-grandparents of their experiences lived through The Great Depression.

There was never a complaint or a story drenched in self-pity.

There was no bragging about what was overcome.

They were simply family stories, wonderful history lessons for me, they shared, most often with a dash of humor. Perhaps, those stories of survival were a lesson or a structure for how to persevere with a strong attitude, unweighted humor, to be of service, to be kind, and to never complain. Be faithful. Be hopeful.

In nine years, it will be the centennial of The Crash, followed by The Great Depression. One hundred years.

Nearly two weeks ago, when the edges of our finely woven fabric began to fray, I immediately stepped into action mode, preparing my life for the changes to come.

I needed to be both a cheerleader and grief counselor to most of my 72 students who’d just had every single musical event wiped from their slate. I stared at a complete restructuring of my teaching studio by deciding through which venue I would teach in my new virtual studio. A new game plan had to be created for my students. I assisted and encouraged colleagues with their own virtual classrooms as I watched the astounding call to arms of school teachers across the state of Ohio, banding together, all for the sake of and for the love of their students.

And, I needed to be attentive to my self; I’m am very high risk in the thick of this pandemic. While I adjusted my career’s structure, I found myself needing to adjust my life in several different advances.

This is the first time since the spring of 1985 that I will not have twelve weeks filled with a constant drive of preparation and each weekend filled entirely with student activities. While assisting students with their grief, I was finally allowed some downtime this weekend to nurture my own loss of seeing my students shine on numerous stages of musical and performance development and success.

This past year has been one long lesson of readjusting my sails. The deaths of my brother and mother, and several close family members drastically changed my life and my vision.

I don’t know if I’m any stronger because of those departures as I’m in the process of still adjusting my sails in new directions. Now, I’m standing at the captain’s wheel, steering my ship with a completely redrawn, untested map.

In two hours, I will shut down my weekend cell phone, retrieve my regular cell phone, attend to business before resuming my teaching week at 1:00 PM.

I was fortunate to have my family’s stories of The Great Depression. They’re no longer just family stories.

Now, they’ve become my map, my guide in knowing where to turn the wheel and how to adjust my sails.

“Boys & Girls Like You and Me”

from MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS to CINDERELLA

Twenty years before The Arch changed the St. Louis, Missouri skyline, Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane teamed up to write the music for MGM’s 1945 nostalgic motion picture musical, MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, set against the backdropped splendor of the 1904 World’s Fair.

The results of their collaboration resulted in three hits, “The Boy Next Door,” “The Trolley Song,” and “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.”  The score was fleshed out with several familiar period tunes, “Meet Me In St. Louis,” “Under The Bamboo Tree,” and “Skip To My Lou.”

There was, however, one additional song that was actually filmed but missed the final cut. Martin and Blane wanted to add a song for the scene at the still unfinished World’s Fair.  “Boys & Girls Like You and Me” made it onto the album but that is as far as it went. In the end, the actual scene was additionally cut.

The reason this song was cut has nothing to do with the film running too long or other reasons a scene or song is cut.

For some reason, Martin and Blane turned to Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II for this additional song.  The other collaborators suggested they use a song they cut from their 1943, OKLAHOMA!.

“Boys and Girls Like You and Me.”

In 1996, I directed MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS, the fairly new musical stage version.  I contacted Mr. Martin to ask him for a “talk to the cast night” which I frequently do if someone close to the original product is able to do so.  Sadly, Ralph Blane had died the previous November 1995. Mr. Martin was excited by my telephone-meeting invitation and began pouring through his kaleidoscope of memories from the movie.

Then, I asked about the deleted song.

Martin and Blane recorded all the songs from MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS and a copy of the recording was sent to Martin’s mother.  She responded that she loved all the songs but most especially, you guessed it, “Boys & Girls Like You and Me.”

The collaborators panicked. “What if the rest of the world came to love a song from the movie that they didn’t even write?”

Simple. Cut the song.

When the made-for-television version Rodgers & Hammerstein’s CINDERELLA was added as a stage musical, “Boys & Girls Like You and Me,” after fifty+ years, resurfaced as a cute duet by the King and Queen.  The 2013 Broadway production, with a brand new script, omits “Boys & Girls Like You and Me” because Prince Topher’s parents are deceased.

I wonder where “Boys & Girls Like You and Me” will be resurrected in its next life.

One of my favorite versions of CINDERELLA is the 1965 new re-airing starring Leslie Ann Warren. My first recollection is watching the musical on our black and white television around 1969 or 1970.  Tonight, I was reminded of my initial viewings, 45-50 years ago during Playbill’s streaming of CINDERELLA.

MIAGD: Make it a great day

I’m confident, “this, too, shall pass.”

I’ve always adjusted to “new normal,” and I shall adjust to this new normal as a progression and a part of life’s process.

Life’s roller coaster has given me all the joys, thrills, woahs!, arms in the air (but feet on the inside), too short a ride, and the desire to never stop.

And, if there’s something to be on the other side of this life, I’ll be heading for that line, too.

It’s still a fantastic ride, despite several seats that are empty.