Yesterday, Dave Immel and I were scheduled to have a dress rehearsal for the Shoalwater Storytellers performance that we are to give a few days from now.  It was the “dress” part of dress rehearsal that was difficult for me.  Actually, make that the “skirt” part.  My tried-and-true, thirty-five-year-old, black “prairie style” skirt was nowhere to be found.

I went to the ‘costume department’ of my closet (four overstuffed hangers up against the far wall) and found all the other costume parts – blouse with leg-o-mutton sleeves, appropriate length slip, tights, sash, and, nearby, the shoes – but no skirt.  I searched through the rest of my closet, even searched on Nyel’s side, went upstairs to the overflow closets, looked in bureau drawers and, on the off-chance, went out to the car and looked through that bag of stuff in the trunk waiting to be taken to the Good Will.  No skirt showed itself.

Given our history around this house, it would seem logical that my suspicions would center on Mrs. Crouch, our resident ghost.  But, curiously, she never came to mind.  As I wracked my brain for the last time I had seen that item of clothing, I realized that I had offered it to one of the Shoalwater Shenanigans actors back in 2011.  I called Shenanigans director Sandy Nielson to see if her memory jibed with mine and it did.

It took several phone calls but, sure enough, the skirt was located by Kelly Jacobsen, safe in a bag in her closet, nestled beside a wool shawl that I had forgotten about entirely!  (Now, that shawl I would have blamed on Mrs. C. had I discovered it missing.  It’s just the sort of seldom-thought-of-item that she seems to love.)

Arrangements have been made so that the skirt will return home prior to the day it is needed.  Meanwhile, however, I improvised with something else for our dress rehearsal and I think I actually like that look better.  Wouldn’t you know!