Yesterday
For us, yesterday, today and tomorrow are all about music and our community. Although each of the events is unique, it’s more that they are happening three days in a row that’s the unusual part; music and community involvement go hand-in-hand here.
Yesterday was Anja Patten’s concert at Hilltop Auditorium. Anja, is a senior at Ilwaco High School this year and, like all of her classmates, is required to do a community project as part of her graduation performance. Anja, an accomplished soprano, chose to give a concert to benefit Camp Victory, the 23-year-old organization on the Peninsula devoted to helping sexually abused girls. Anja’s concert was spectacular!
Her presentation ranged from classical pieces such as “Die Soldatenbraud” by Schumann and “Frühlingmorgen” by Mahler during the first half and, after the intermission, show tunes such as “I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story and “The Simple Joys of Maidenhood” from Camelot, Pianist/composer Barbara Poulshock was Anja’s accompanist and two of her fifteen selections also involved vocalists Hope Bellinger, Cate Gable and Anja’s mother, Andrea. Pastor Bonnie Campbell, a Camp Victory board member, spoke briefly about the organization’s mission – a light presentation (complete with wonderful, ridiculous hats) about a most serious subject. It was a perfect afternoon!
For years, I have had the privilege of serving as mentor to individual seniors (usually wannabe writers) and/or have served as a community judge, listening to after-the-fact descriptions of completed projects by dozens of hopeful graduates. Anja’s concert not only raised the bar for all of those who will follow her; in my opinion it should set the standard.
Today
Today’s musical adventure takes place right here in Oysterville. Double J and the Boys will present a House Concert and we are expecting a goodly crowd, though contrary to the suggestion on our invitation, most people are leaving their horses at home. We do expect a smattering of cowboy boots and hats and are looking forward greatly to the group’s presentation of “Sharp, Snappy Snake Boots” which isn’t but should be their signature piece!
Tomorrow
Tomorrow is also about music, but from a bit different perspective. Ron Thompson, himself a grown-up child prodigy and award-winning pianist, will be here to tune our piano and the piano at the church. Ours probably doesn’t need it – it gets very little use most years – but every May we have the church piano tuned to ready it for Summer Vespers, and it seems wrong to have the piano tuner come all this distance (Ron lives in Vancouver) just for one piano. Besides, although he performs singly and with several groups, Ron makes his bread-and-butter as a piano tuner so hiring him is yet another way to support the arts! And, if we’re lucky, he’ll double-check his work by playing a little something before he leaves!
I hope readers are “taking note” of all these events. Perhaps this account helps to answer that most familiar of questions by visitors: “What do you DO here, anyway?”
With its replica shutters all in place and its sparkling new exterior paint, the Oysterville Church has never looked better! Everyone says so. And just this past week, the daisies in the garden beds around the building and in front of the picket fence have burst into flower. The lovely old building looks ready for another summer season.
If ‘April showers bring May flowers’ is a true statement – and it certainly seems to be true here in Oysterville – then I think that ‘with mild May comes the green’ should follow. May is the month that the alder and crabapple trees leaf out completely. screening from view the blow-down and other ravages of winter; the woods look freshly gowned in every shade of green imaginable. And May marks the beginning of the lawn-mowing season.
There are those who plan other sorts of landscaping so they aren’t tied to the mowing ritual. When I built my house by the bay, I purposely left everything natural. But here ‘in town’ lawns seem to set off our houses and help to show off our planting beds. Lawns are also a fine alternative to rainy-weather mud puddles.
I’m surprised at the number of people who have asked me how my book signing at Adelaide’s went on Saturday. It never occurred to me to ‘report’ about it afterwards but, for all of my kind friends who have inquired, I will say, “It was great!”
Our old friend, Moist Marine Air, came calling yesterday – intermittently at first, but by the time we reached the restaurant for a Mother’s Day outing, it was coming down in a steady drizzle. Windshield wiper weather, for sure!
This year, Mother’s Day falls on my Dad’s birthday. He would have been 103! I think he would have been pleased that the Jean Maries that he planted along the east fence are all in bloom for such an auspicious date.
opposites in many ways which is probably what made them a great team. My mother was the flamboyant one, the extrovert, the people-person; Dad was more contemplative, more conservative, yet less judgmental. Mom always said it was his “Bostonian upbringing.” Maybe so.
being unescorted did not mean I was alone. In fact, I was surprised at how many mutual friends and acquaintances Martha and I had.
Mostly, though, we knew Martha as a faithful attendee at our house concerts – she and George, always smiling, always together, always enjoying whatever was going on. I can’t think how it happened that we first invited them. Maybe George remembers. Over the years, they became ‘regulars,’ often sitting on the blue velvet couch in the living room and always bringing a wonderful addition for our potluck supper.
’m excited about the book-signing in all the usual ways. It’s kind of like holding an open house. Will anyone come? What should I wear? Will there be familiar faces? I go through the same angst each time a new book comes out and I always wonder if other authors do, too.