Got to the pool again!

Today was my fifth trip to the pool in eight days. Not too bad. Today I did a little more than I have in any previous visit. I'm getting close to pre-panndemic levels of exercise at the pool. My free ten-day membership ends Wednesday. I'll probably opt for a three-month membership. That will take me about to the Spring Equinox. We'll see how the world looks then.

Entrance to the pool

A lovely afternoon

Things worked out well today! We had a nice little lunch after church back at the house and then went next door to our neighbors, Zach and Kelly Grover, and delivered a gift for their new baby, Riley - now six months old! - and got a chance to see Riley for the first time and get caught up on neighborhood news, which we are sort of ignorant of. Zach and Kelly really have their hands full, but seem to be thriving. Kelly takes Riley to work every day - but as he gets older, that will not be possible - he won't stay still. Zach is buying out his dad's share of the family business and will be 100% in charge! At some point, Kelly will quit her job at Cersosimo's and work 100% for Zach as bookkeeper. We are fortunate to have them next door and to have Zach handy to take care of the road and other things.

Riley asleep in his cradle, which moves in a rotating fashion to keep him happy

Zach, Riley and Kelly***************************************** After the Grovers, we went to the Brattleboro Music Center for a concert by the Brattleboro Camerata, a newly-formed group which is having its inaugeral concert. It specializes in Early and Renaissance music - today's concert included Palestrina, Josquin, Morales, Lusitano, Vulpius, Praetorius, di Lasso and de Victoria. It is led by the Concert Choir director, Jonathan Harvey, and includes 4 people we know well - Peter and Mary Alice Amidon, Patty Meyer, and Emma Schneider (Arthus Davis' partner). It was a lovely concert, despite the fact that all the singers were masked. Everyone who entered had to show their vaccination csrd, and of course the audience was all masked as well. So it was probably not a super-spreader event. What a time we are living in!

The Brattleboro Music Center

Jonathan Harvey - I would have a live picture of the concert but they didn't permit photography. However, it will eventually be online and I can get a picture there. ***************************************** It's sort of amazing that we have both the Brattleboro School of Dance and the Brattleboro Music Center in this little town!

Cookies Galore!

This has been cookie week! Ellen has been busy Thursday, Friday and Saturday making dough and baking cookies - over 700 in all. She and Robin have created 36 platters of cookies to sell for the Guilford Church Bazaar - normally an in-person thing but in this COVID time you order ahead and pick-up today! They are going fast as I write.

A platter of cookies - a work of art!

Robin and Ellen making platters

Cookies at our house waiting to be taken to the church

All set to be given to the folks who bought them!

At church

This morning we picked up Calvin and brought him to the Guilford Church Choir rehearsal - he is unable to drive anymore and we have offered to take him when needed. So we are hanging out while the choir rehearses.

Andy leading the choir downstairs

Andy leading choir rehearsal upstairs. Today, we will take Calvin home after church; Ellen may need to hang around to help deliver cookies, so I may end up taking Calvin home and then coming back to get Ellen. This afternoon we may be able to fit in a visit to our neigbbors, Zach and Kelley Grover, to take a gift to their new baby, Riley, and see him for the first time. But at 4p.m. we are due at a concert by the Camarata Choir at the BMC - a new small a cappella group led by Jonathan Harvey who also leads the Brattleboro Concert Choir, which we used to sing in regularly but are not doing this year. But we want to hear what this group is doing. Last night we had heavy winds, and when we came out this morning, the driveway was covered with little branches. But fortunately, there were no tornadoes such as they had yesterday in Kentucky - incredible devastation there in Western Kentucky, not far from where I used to live, in Morganfield, in 1945, when my father was a Chaplain at Camp Breckenridge.

Amazing ballet performance

last night we attended a performance of The Nutcracker at Greenhoe Theater on the campus of Landmark College in Putney (formerly Windham College). it was my first time at a Brattleboro School of Dance performance (I am ashamed to admit this), and I was amazed that a small town like Brattleboro could mount a production that a city of 200,000 would be proud of. The sets, the costumes, the choreography, the skill of the dancers, were all outstanding. It was also a community event involving scores of dancers from age 4 to 80+. Four or five of the dancers had a connection with the Guilford Church, especially Mariam Diallo, who in September received the Shirley Harris Crockett Award - in part because of her involvement in dance. She is the reason I finally got to a BSD performance! Thank you, Mariam! She appeared in four scenes - she was a cadet in a scene with the Nutcracker, she was in the Chinese scene, the Waltz of the Flowers, and the Finale. I sat next to Mary Alice Amidon, whose grandson, Desmond, who is 6 years old, was in several scenes with other children. It was all delightful!

Greenhoe Theater before the show (The theater is named for Joe Greenhoe, Eliza Greenhoe Bergh's father. He was head of the theater department at Windham College back in the 1960s-70's).

The opening scene of The Nutcracker.

Mariam Diallo in the Chinese scene

Miriam in Waltz of the Flowers

Send in the Clowns!

Finale

Back at the pool

I did not go to the pool yesterday because I just didn't feel up to it, but I am here today, and I did more on the machines and in the hot tub today than I have to date. So each day is a bit more. Gradually building up some stamina - I hope! I beat the rush today - no one here in the dressing room when I came, but now that I'm leaving, there's been quite a gang. Tonight we are going to the ballet! That's right. The Brattleboro School of Dance is putting on its annual The Nutcracker ballet performance. Should be fun!

A scene from a BSD performance of The Nutcracker

Stepping back

I got up very early this morning after a not very good nights sleep so that I could have the car to the Subaru dealership by 7:30. They mounted my snow tires and balanced wheels, they replaced the rear brake pads, they put in a couple of headlights, etc. At first I waited in the lounge, but when they decided to fix the brakes, which is a 2 1/2 hour job, I took a courtesy car so I could go home. I had a snack so I could take my pills, and not long after taking the pills I broke out in a cold sweat. Went to bed and got warm. Dozed. Woke up, had lunch, felt better. Subaru called - car was ready. So we have the car, and are now searching for a cook pot for Afghan refugees arriving next week. Turns out nobody sells sauce pans around here! Not even our faithful Brown & Roberts Hardware store! So in desperation we are headed here:

Walmart is in Hinsdale, NH - across the river. Ellen found a pan - not a great pan but adequate.

Crossing the Connecticut River