Over 3 weeks since the last post and what a full several weeks it has been! As I type, Kali (or Miss Caroline Bingley) is at "all strike" at EMU, tearing down the set and putting things away from the fall play that just concluded last night! I expect an emotional letdown is on the horizon for her. And maybe not only her. I must admit that, even after seeing the show 7 times, I'm a little sad it is over. I will
not miss driving to town multiple times a day, hardly ever having evenings at home, or hanging out in the EMU coffee shop working at 10 p.m. But we have no regrets whatsoever about Kali's participation. It was such an absolutely positive and fun experience for her!
I have no idea how long it will be before lines from the play are no longer inserted into our daily conversations. I have been known to say of late things like, "go, go, go" or "you'll tear my nerves to pieces" or "there is no stratagem in the common cold..." And Terah will be playing by herself and all of a sudden in a perfected nasal tone we'll hear a drawn out, "Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcey." As I type, Alida is having a snack at the table and just came out with, "Lady Catherine DeBlah" and is now singing, "I like to eat roast goose with stuffing..." Other lines crop up here and there for all of us. Some make me laugh, others make me groan. I'm eager to no longer have the catchy tune and words "the purpose of a man is to love a woman and the purpose of a woman is to love a man..." stuck in my head. Those things will fade over time, and I imagine what will remain is many good memories!
It's almost hard for me to believe just a few months ago that this was just an idea. On a much smaller scale it reminds me of us buying our place here on Fruit Farm Lane. Would we have done it had we known how much work it would be? Maybe not! AND we are so glad we did! Had I had a clear sense of the time commitment this would be for Kali and all of us, would we have still encouraged her to audition? Maybe not! AND we are so glad we did! I don't know what her next theatrical undertaking will be, but I feel rather certain this one will not be her last!
I mentioned to her the other day that it would be interesting to see what it would be like for her to take on a character that is a bit more like her. Miss Bingley did not have much in common with the Kali we know and love! She is as snooty and stuck up as Kali is down to earth and approachable. On the way home from practice one night, Kali was reflecting how if she was going to a party as Kali she would not like to wear makeup, have her hair done all up and be wearing a light pink dress with a train. But as Miss Bingley it worked. That was when I knew that she was really getting into her character.
It was really special that our families came from near and far to see the show. All our siblings and parents were able to see it. I think it was fun for many to see Kali in a new light. And it was hard for some to believe that this was her very first show. From the very start, it was clear that Kali would learn and grow so much through the experience. That is all well and good, but what was most delightful to me was how she practically skipped out of every practice. And when show time came around she had a few butterflies but really wasn't overly nervous. She was more excited than nervous. And she was mostly anticipating how sad she was going to feel when it was all over!
It was such a fun group of people to work with. It felt so supportive, with everyone cheering everyone else on. It was no wonder the play came together so well, with a group of people that worked hard, enjoyed being together and knew how to have a really good time. It was fun for me to get in on a little of what happens in the "green room" pre- and post-performances (since I am still that gal that doesn't like to miss anything). Each night Kali enjoyed counting how many boppy pins had to be used to keep her hair up - it was always in the 40's or 50's!
I've been thinking during the two weeks of performances about the whole concept of being proud of your child - it was after all a play called Pride and Prejudice. I have reflected just a bit on why I have not felt all that inclined to say "I'm proud of you" to Kali. I do, in many ways, feel proud of her - the courage she had to try out, the dedication to learn her part and fully embody her character, and the way she stretched herself over the last few months. On the other hand, these are also things that I've grown to love about who Kali is and so this process has not been outside of who I know her to be. While it's a new experience, she was very much herself throughout. So what I mostly feel is admiration and love for who she is and who she is becoming, and am glad for the ways being in the play this fall contributed to her learning and development (not to mention many really enjoyable evenings for her!).
She may be growing up, but it was pretty fun to follow her out of EMU last night with Kali riding on her tricycle. It was the tricycle's first time being in a play too, and I think it got some of the best laughs!! I don't know that it will be in a play again, but I'm eager to see what Kali's next one will be! I think first we are all going to enjoy a little recoup and reconnection time! I was looking over the week ahead and had this little moment of joy when I realized that tomorrow I'll come home from work and not have to leave again in the evening. So we'll try to savor the positive things about the play coming to an end, and also support Kali as she both grieves the end of a very special thing and considers what this points her towards in terms of future endeavors. If it means us all getting to enjoy more theatrical performances, I'm a fan!
Possibly against my better judgment, we offered to host a CJP Halloween Party. It was so much fun! Leading up to it, I did wonder why I keep getting myself into these fixes where I clearly take on too much. It's just all good stuff... And I knew how much our girls would love a reason to make donuts and bob for apples; we weren't likely to do that just for the 5 of us. So instead we partied with 30 or so others (students from my program and much of the cast from Kali's play). The evening included a costume contest (Lady Gaga and Beyonce won, but Jason was a striking "replica" of Tom Petty - even brushed up on his song Free Falling enough to include it in the evening's fun), bobbing for apples, eating donuts off strings and then various games.
Between various social things, play practices, and less light in the evenings, we have gotten to a slow start on our leaf harvests this year. And Jason has done a lot more raking solo - he's out there now working on the garden path mulching with leaves from our wood's paths. We have only gotten to do a few short stints of family leaf raking, but I hope some more are on the near horizon. I'm continuing to struggle to strike a balance between home demands/needs/desires and my office work responsibilities. There's a lot vying for my attention in both realms these days - a considerable source of stress that I'm continually trying to work at figuring out, lest it get the best of me.
I have been grateful for more recent bursts of fresh air - thanks to Mom and Dad, Jason and I have been enjoying more morning walk/jogs together! We are savoring a nice long November stint with them upstairs. I have not seen nearly as much of Terah (or Alida) in recent days. Particularly Terah has a way of migrating upstairs often - sometimes I don't even know she has disappeared. It was so clear how much she was eager to reconnect when they arrived, snuggling up for a story or just a cuddle! The house feels much more complete when they are here! We are grateful to them for being willing to tend to Tangly Woods again while we head north for Thanksgiving at the Benner's.
AND we are very much hoping our pigs behave in our absence. Just yesterday Alida came up to the house to tell me that a piglet had gotten out - rooted under the electric fence. Jason has tightened it up and it seems to be working again, but they are getting to be very adventurous (and hungry) gals! They are really growing and seem to be nursing less and ravenously hungry most of the time. I've been enjoying scooping up cherry pits from the woods and listening to them crunch them down. I just got the last of the windrows of millet for them today so we'll probably resort to just giving them an afternoon milk snack for the foreseeable future, which will not disappoint them! I'm hoping that I'll figure out how to process and prepare for the upcoming hog butchering the weekend after Thanksgiving. I don't expect for it to be easy, and I don't really wish for it to be.
