Tuesday, back in the loop!

     A run down of the last few days in case you are interested.

Thursday afternoon, found myself and ballet Mistress at the Junior High school with my truck loading and moving umpteen flats out of a storage closet.  These flats were built by me about 23 years ago for a gymnasium set so they are taller than standard stage flats.  Still they were awkward and heavy.  Especially when they were so long and there are over 25 of them.  I only want 9 so we had to move and find the ones I wanted.  No easy task.  It was over 84 degrees  and about killed us.  We loaded the ones I wanted and strapped them down then she followed me slowly to the high school two blocks away just in case they decided to fall off and stop traffic she would be behind me.  We unloaded them into the hallway in the back of the theater.  Thank goodness my friend the drama director at the high school had already taken down the brick flats that I needed and had those in the hallway ready.  If I had had to climb up into the loft and hurk those puppies down into Ballet Mistresses arms I think I would have flattened her.

     Then I ran and grabbed a pizza I had a secret shop to do so killed two birds with one stone.  Who can say free pizza and get paid $18.00 to boot?  Got myself back to the studio at 6:30 and we loaded the floor and all other set pieces and props.  Back to the high school where we waited for a private school that had rented the facility to be done.  We tore their things down(i didn't want to wait for them to puts through it) about 8:00  and set out our floor, taped it and then put up the risers and flats.  Pulled all the set prices I did not have from the green room, fireplace, furniture, etc.  Left the high school about 10.  Hub's, a dad, my friend the director of the high school productions and a kid that needed community service hours helped and it went a lot quicker than I expected.  Both myself and my friend Beth took nasty falls on stage.  We have been working together in theater for about 27 years now and neither of us has ever fallen.   I told her she just couldn't stand the fact that I rolled out of my fall with such finesse.  Both of us sported great bruises Friday. Went home and collapsed, thinking how can I do the next two days?

     Friday got up and did a little house work as I was expecting company the next day.  I also completed the 7 hats and coat I needed for the show.  Then I had time to lay down for an hour, but my ballet mistress came upstairs and said a young doctor was in my shop and very upset.  ?????  Well here is this newly commissioned intern who just moved here to work at our emergency room.  He has dress blues and has to be in Helena Montana next week for ceremonies.  You know what that means.  I took his uniform and told him he could pick it up Sunday morning when he got off his graveyard shift.  After all I have nothing else to do.  Left for the high school at 2:00 we got there and put everything out.  Of course the awards assembly went over 1.5 hours and we were not able to get on stage until 4:00 &^%$#@.  Dress rehearsal was its usual disaster mess.  Again not the dances but the scene changes and lights and tech crap.  We were home by 9:30.  I had a few things to fix.  Ballet Mistress was in a foul mood.  She is young and when you are a young artist you take everything personally.  Every mistake made is your fault.  You should have seen it coming, you should have planned better. It is a reflection on you.  I am long over that.  The average age of my students is 9.  I work hard with them.  I yell, pray, love, inspire, threaten, kiss, hug, yell some more and by the time the recital comes, I have done everything I can do the rest is up to them.  They never disappoint me.  This roll with punches attitude takes years to learn some never learn it. Went to bed.

    Saturday, Showtime.  At the theater by 10 a.m. to run scenes that needed love.  The first show had a few glitches, all tech stuff. Dancers were great.  Well accept for the advanced girls.  I swear when kids hit about 13-14 there brains turn off and you have to escort them onstage with a personal invitation.  The little ones never miss a cue, you have to hold them back from the stage.  I sometimes think I need a piece of fencing and a cattle prod to keep the little ones back.  (That is an idea.)  Took the crew out for Chinese between shows.  Back to theater.  Second show was perfect.  Well attended.  We were out of the theater by 10.  Parents really helped clean and put away so many hands make light work.  Home to collapse.  Ballet Mistress really excited about last show she was all keyed up and we talked until about 1 a.m.  I could not get her settled down.  I had the officers uniform to complete anyway.   She told me that people take too much advantage of me and I know that, but don't really know how to stop it.  Must think on that one.

     Sunday up for church.  Thank goodness Ballet Mistress ran by house I was so groggy and tired.  She whipped up breakfast for my relatives while I slept.  We just went to sacrament,relatives got on the road and Ballet Mistress packed up Mom while I paid bills and did deposits.  Show was able to pay up all waiting bills, and do payroll for May.  Now I will have to figure out how to pay bills for the summer.  I will have to get the board to do a couple of fund raisers.  Hubs and I packed up with Mom and headed to Missoula.  Got to Missoula, helped mom unpack.  Checked in with Bill on the Hill who was watching mom's place.  Mom agreed to put the house on the market this next week.  I about died when she told me.  She will either get a smaller apartment in Missoula in a 55 and older complex or move in with me.  There are things she will not part with.  Her baby grand will replace mine if she moves in with me.  It is in better condition than ours and Hub's and I were going to replace it when we returned from our mission.  Right now things are up in the air because of mom, plans will change but I don't care.  Family first.   

  Monday :  Hub's woke me up at about 8 and said he was going to go on a walk toward the highway to pick him up on my way out of town.  Well I fell back to sleep.  I am laughing while I am typing this because I would have killed him if he had done this to me.  Anyway 1.5 hours later he is well out of town and he calls my cell and I am still asleep.  He walked about 7 miles before I picked him up.  We gassed up the car in a town 11 miles out well 4 miles out for hub's:)  Took off through the Bitterroots.  It rained the whole way.  I found a cut off on the map I wanted to take.  I had heard about it.  It takes about 70 miles off the trip as you pass straight from Mount Borah to Sun Valley.  The map was not to scale so when I thought we had missed the turn off I turned around and back tracked for 10 miles then realized map was not to scale so turned around and went back to original turnaround spot.  Again something I would have killed hub's for doing to me.  ( By the way he has done this to me numerous times in the past so it was his turn)  Well the reason this road is not advertised is that it is closed in the winter.  It also floods easily.  It was almost to flood stage at certain points in the Little Big River Gorge. It was paved for about 17 miles then went to graded dirt.  When we finally were out 20 miles it went to a sharp steep mountain logging road that was one lane with turnouts.  Steep drop offs where you had to hug the mountain like a pack mule.  We had to go down in 2nd gear.  After 7 miles we were back on pavement and 3 miles out of Sun Valley.  This is not a road for the faint hearted or those without a standard transmission and 4 wheel drive capability.  Arrived at daughters at about 5 p.m.  It was one of those trips  where you hate each other by the end of the trip and then you also hate yourself.  Grandson was adorable so worth it.

   Tuesday: Daughter took day off as she had no court and we took grandson to a nearby hot springs.  Spent about 3 hours in the pool it was so fun, I am going to be very sore tomorrow.  Bought a few books on sale and also bought grandson a light saber, very necessary.  Made shrimp pasta and sald for dinner.  I have a had a very relaxing and fun day.  I am going to reads my books and I can't wait to start working on my story again.  I also need to catch up on everyone and comment on all of your antics.

Have a great evening.

Kim