Today, we attended a Renaissance festival event at a local college that included folks in medieval costumes, demonstrations of arts and crafts of the period, a display of chain mail, swords, and other weapons and accouterments of war, a dance workshop, storytelling, maypole dancing, heavy fighting battles, archery, and a chamber music concert, among other things.
One of the members of the chorale singers group, we were surprised to learn, is our cable TV guy. Until we heard his solo, we had no idea he has such a nice tenor voice. The storyteller and the "medieval musician" are both folks we know, too.
Included among the exhibits was a glass-top display case of authentic pages from a 1500s Geneva Bible. Interesting, too, were student exhibits illustrating such topics as barbaric medieval medical practices, discoveries in astronomy, and the artistic and scientific genius of Leonardo DaVinci. There was also a miniature working replica of a catapult. Foil wrapped candy was provided for those wanting to try the weapon.
Members of The Society for Creative Anachronism, dressed in battle costumes, engaged in heavy fighting re-enactments, while other members demonstrated archery skills. The SCA, an international organization, is dedicated to "researching and re-creating the arts and skills of pre-17-century Europe." The organization's exhibits included demonstrations on creating chain mail, weaving, and calligraphy.
The event made for an interesting couple of hours on a chilly morning.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Let's Tango
Yesterday evening, we arrived at ballroom dancing in time to take a Tango lesson from 6 to 7 p.m. Our instructor for this lesson is younger than our usual instructor, and enthuisastic to throw more complicated moves at us. Hubbie and I managed the first two parts of a Tango routine pretty well, but never quite got the third part. Fortunately, I have ballroom dancing instruction DVDs that we can review for practice.
Also, because there were more men than women at this lesson, we women were prevailed upon to change partners frequently so the men could practice. Hubbie was very uncomfortable doing this, since he was unsure of the dance moves. It was easier for me, because all I had to do was follow a guy's lead, and fake the steps I was unsure of.
According to www.centralhome.com, the story is that Tango began with the gauchos of Argentina, who went unbathed to crowded night clubs to dance with local girls. The stance of a lady in the crook of a man's right arm while holding her head back, or snapping her head from side to side, was so that she could turn her nose away from the offending odor. And because space was limited in the night clubs, couples danced in a curving fashion so that they could maneuver between tables.
Tango is fun, and the group got to practice it and other dance steps during the regular ballroom session from 7 to 9 p.m. We were asked to wear red...to get us in the Tango mood, I suppose, and most of us complied. Low lights and red balloons helped set the mood, too.
This is a dance Hubbie and I will enjoy, I think, once we get more comfortable with it.
Also, because there were more men than women at this lesson, we women were prevailed upon to change partners frequently so the men could practice. Hubbie was very uncomfortable doing this, since he was unsure of the dance moves. It was easier for me, because all I had to do was follow a guy's lead, and fake the steps I was unsure of.
According to www.centralhome.com, the story is that Tango began with the gauchos of Argentina, who went unbathed to crowded night clubs to dance with local girls. The stance of a lady in the crook of a man's right arm while holding her head back, or snapping her head from side to side, was so that she could turn her nose away from the offending odor. And because space was limited in the night clubs, couples danced in a curving fashion so that they could maneuver between tables.
Tango is fun, and the group got to practice it and other dance steps during the regular ballroom session from 7 to 9 p.m. We were asked to wear red...to get us in the Tango mood, I suppose, and most of us complied. Low lights and red balloons helped set the mood, too.
This is a dance Hubbie and I will enjoy, I think, once we get more comfortable with it.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Dull Day
We haven't accomplished much today, partly because we've been tracking thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches, partly because the weather doused part of a plan, but mostly because we just didn't have a project in mind to work on.
In anticipation of possible dicey weather, we'd prepared tonight's supper meal yesterday...turkey vegetable soup, and muffins...so there wasn't much business in the kitchen today.
Hubbie went to his monthly Master Gardener meeting this morning, after which the group was supposed to tour a particularly lovely and unusual local garden. Inclement weather nixed the tour, which I, digital camera in hand, had planned to attend.
So after lunch, Mother, casting about for something to occupy us, suggested that we go through accumulated paperback and pamphlet cookbooks in search of recipes that might fit our fat-free, low-sodium diet. We perused a stack of them, coming up with only a half dozen recipes that sound good enough to copy and try.
Otherwise, it's been a pretty non-productive day. Maybe we'll do better tomorrow.
In anticipation of possible dicey weather, we'd prepared tonight's supper meal yesterday...turkey vegetable soup, and muffins...so there wasn't much business in the kitchen today.
Hubbie went to his monthly Master Gardener meeting this morning, after which the group was supposed to tour a particularly lovely and unusual local garden. Inclement weather nixed the tour, which I, digital camera in hand, had planned to attend.
So after lunch, Mother, casting about for something to occupy us, suggested that we go through accumulated paperback and pamphlet cookbooks in search of recipes that might fit our fat-free, low-sodium diet. We perused a stack of them, coming up with only a half dozen recipes that sound good enough to copy and try.
Otherwise, it's been a pretty non-productive day. Maybe we'll do better tomorrow.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Mustard on Turkey
At lunch today, Mother asked Hubbie what he wanted on his deli turkey sandwich. "Salad dressing," he said, "I don't care for mustard on turkey."
I don't care for mustard on turkey, either, but I eat it anyway. I also don't care for oatmeal, but I've learned to choke it down for breakfast. I'd prefer more salt in my food, but I'm training myself to a low-salt diet. I've given up French fries and potato chips, though I love both. I like desserts, but I'm opting for fruits and other heart-healthy snacks.
All this because, more than anything, I don't care for heart attacks.
I don't care for mustard on turkey, either, but I eat it anyway. I also don't care for oatmeal, but I've learned to choke it down for breakfast. I'd prefer more salt in my food, but I'm training myself to a low-salt diet. I've given up French fries and potato chips, though I love both. I like desserts, but I'm opting for fruits and other heart-healthy snacks.
All this because, more than anything, I don't care for heart attacks.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
A Sunday Walk
Like Saturday, yesterday was an irresistible, sunny, 76-degree day for walking around the college lake. Others thought so, too.
Three young mothers, one pushing a baby stroller designed to hold two babies, walked briskly and talked about the advantages and disadvantages of hybrid automobiles and alternative fuels.
A man fished unsuccessfully from the bank, casting, moving on, casting again, and moving on again, as he made his way around the lake.
A baby, about a year old, sat on her mother's lap wailing and clinging to her for safety from advancing ducks.
An older woman in a lawn chair helped her granddaughter bait a pink Barbie fishing rod.
A middle-aged woman in shorts and t-shirt jogged past us several times in her quarter-mile rounds on the paved path.
A student sat on a large rock doing homework.
A huge white and orange carp lazily floated close to the surface near the bank.
A large turtle, head pointed skyward, basked on a tree stump in the lake.
After a couple of rounds, Mother was ready to sit in the van while I walked a couple of more rounds at a faster pace. When I arrived at the van, I saw that the young women were packing the stroller into a car trunk while continuing to chatter.
They paid no attention to me as I slipped past them and opened the van door. Where was Mother? She wasn't in the van. Maybe the van was too warm and she'd gotten out. But the windows were down. Wait. I hadn't rolled the windows down, and Mother couldn't have, because I had the keys in my pocket. What's that on the seat? Literature to a church I don't belong to. Whoa!! This wasn't my van!
Profuse apologizing to the young women. Although I had no trouble observing everything else on my walk around the lake, apparently I couldn't recognize my own van.
Three young mothers, one pushing a baby stroller designed to hold two babies, walked briskly and talked about the advantages and disadvantages of hybrid automobiles and alternative fuels.
A man fished unsuccessfully from the bank, casting, moving on, casting again, and moving on again, as he made his way around the lake.
A baby, about a year old, sat on her mother's lap wailing and clinging to her for safety from advancing ducks.
An older woman in a lawn chair helped her granddaughter bait a pink Barbie fishing rod.
A middle-aged woman in shorts and t-shirt jogged past us several times in her quarter-mile rounds on the paved path.
A student sat on a large rock doing homework.
A huge white and orange carp lazily floated close to the surface near the bank.
A large turtle, head pointed skyward, basked on a tree stump in the lake.
After a couple of rounds, Mother was ready to sit in the van while I walked a couple of more rounds at a faster pace. When I arrived at the van, I saw that the young women were packing the stroller into a car trunk while continuing to chatter.
They paid no attention to me as I slipped past them and opened the van door. Where was Mother? She wasn't in the van. Maybe the van was too warm and she'd gotten out. But the windows were down. Wait. I hadn't rolled the windows down, and Mother couldn't have, because I had the keys in my pocket. What's that on the seat? Literature to a church I don't belong to. Whoa!! This wasn't my van!
Profuse apologizing to the young women. Although I had no trouble observing everything else on my walk around the lake, apparently I couldn't recognize my own van.
Stormy Weather
Well, the skies are darkening as stormy weather approaches. Predictions are that a front containing possible severe thunderstorms and maybe even tornadoes will work its way across the state today, where a tornado watch area is already in affect in the upper western corner. The worst storms, though, could be Thursday, forecasters say. We're in for a rocky ride this week, I'm afraid.
Both days mean we need to stay alert. At least, we're better prepared this go-round. An emergency radio/flashlight combination is in the walk-in pantry, which will have to serve as our tornado shelter if the need arises. The pantry is in the center of the house, away from outside walls and windows, and should be the safest area...if there is such a thing as a safe area inside a home.
Hopefully, these storms will skirt us as the ones in the past have. But I feel better being prepared, anyway.
Both days mean we need to stay alert. At least, we're better prepared this go-round. An emergency radio/flashlight combination is in the walk-in pantry, which will have to serve as our tornado shelter if the need arises. The pantry is in the center of the house, away from outside walls and windows, and should be the safest area...if there is such a thing as a safe area inside a home.
Hopefully, these storms will skirt us as the ones in the past have. But I feel better being prepared, anyway.
A Good Day
The news anchor, Charles Gibson, signed off last evening with, "From all of us here at ABC News, we hope you've had a good day."
I thought about that. What kind of a day did I have? It wasn't extraordinary. I didn't accomplish big things. Nothing thrilling happened. But...
*I woke up feeling well, and glad to be alive;
*the sun was shining and the temp rose into the 70s;
*I completed a list of chores;
*I admired and photographed the tulip bed;
*Mother and I enjoyed walking around the college lake;
*the nurse at my heart doctor's office called to tell me the doctor is exceedingly pleased with the results of my blood work;
*Mother, Hubbie, and Shih Tzu are all well;
*I enjoyed good food in a comfortable home;
*and I'm privileged to be an American, living in a caring community.
Yes, Charles Gibson, I had a good day.
I thought about that. What kind of a day did I have? It wasn't extraordinary. I didn't accomplish big things. Nothing thrilling happened. But...
*I woke up feeling well, and glad to be alive;
*the sun was shining and the temp rose into the 70s;
*I completed a list of chores;
*I admired and photographed the tulip bed;
*Mother and I enjoyed walking around the college lake;
*the nurse at my heart doctor's office called to tell me the doctor is exceedingly pleased with the results of my blood work;
*Mother, Hubbie, and Shih Tzu are all well;
*I enjoyed good food in a comfortable home;
*and I'm privileged to be an American, living in a caring community.
Yes, Charles Gibson, I had a good day.
More Tulips
I took advantage of the beautiful day yesterday to snap some more photos of the gorgeous tulips in our yard. Hubbie planted the variety pack of bulbs last fall, which sprung up in a fabulous cluster of large, colorful blooms this month. Some bloomed early, and some are just now blooming, making for a continuous display.
The tulips have exotic names like Queen of the Night, Orange Emperor, Red Emperor, and White Purissima. All are a joy to behold, and I hope the threatening weather this week does not destroy them.
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