Act III

Acts I and II of my life have come and gone. It appears that the curtains have closed for a short Intermission.

The characters are changing costumes, refreshing making-up, maybe, even, going pee-pee!

We know it's just a matter of time before the lights dim, the curtains open, and Act III will begin!

Damn it, I can't find the script!

Is it possible I forgot to bang out a script? I was kind of busy during Acts I and II, school, children, loves and lovers, broken heart. and soaring heart, but, still...who does that? Who forgets to write the third Act?  I bet William Shakespeare never had this problem. The playwright, Keith Passmore wrote The Last Time I Saw Paris.  It was a comedy but I bet he had the third act written before he  went into casting.  What was I thinking?

The crew and I dodge into the props room. We've to jot down some quick notes, some key ideas before the curtain go up!

"Hell, I've got this! We'll wing it!"

Well, of course, Bill's whole existence is winging it. While I sincerely want him to join us in Act III, I am not willing to wander around the next 30 years of my life waiting to respond to the conversations and actions of others. Neither are any of the rest of us, with the exception of Beatrice. If Beatrice joins us in Act III, we are going to insist that she read the Tao of Pooh (as many times as it takes).

Mrs. Richardson brings us paper and a very sharp pencil.

We jot down a quick outline.

ACT III

  I.   Pro-active
       A.  Initiators or Responders?  

("I know you can get the job, but can you do the job!"
  "Bill, please, not now!")

    We vote.    Initiators? 7 votes. Responders, 1 vote.

Initiators it is!

(Note to self: Make sure Beatrice understands difference between Initiator and Instigator!)

 II.  Change

      A. Is "Because that's the way we've always done it" a valid reason?  7 nays, 1 yay (She'll get over it)
      B. Is "But I've never done that before" a valid excuse?  8 nays (Thumbs up, Peeps!)
      C. Is "But I'm afraid" a valid excuse? 4 to 4 ~ (We'll have to work on that one.)

III.  Adventure

       Myra Lipinsky a "woman of a certain age" in the book Never Change believes her life has been like the girl who sits in the hall with a cigar box on her lap selling tickets to the prom but never attending the prom.

      A. "Are we going to the prom this time around?" I ask the troupe.  Yays have it! Unanimous!

("Oh, mis queridos, I shall wear midnight blue chiffon!"
"It's a metaphor, Sinthya, not a real prom!
"Si, I know, but I need the perfect dress for a metaphor!") 

 IV. Third Party Influence

      A.  Will we let "What will people think?" influence our actions?   

Me:  "No!"

Ms. Machado:  "No!"

BabaMara:  "Absolutely Not!"

Carly-Anne:  "...mmm...maybe a little...."

Beatrice:  "Hell, No!"

Mrs. Richardson:  "We must conduct ourselves in a manner....."  (Really, Mrs. Richardson, aren't there some figures that need to be added up; somewhere? anywhere?"

Sinthya:  "Seriously, you ask me this question! Have I ever worried what people think?"

Five "NO's, we've got a majority.

Take your places everyone! Dim the lights,! Cue the curtains! Still no script but we can work with what we've got for now!

Let Act III begin!

Blue Cupcakes, cont.

Four of my granddaughters and my niece baked and frosted cupcakes a couple of nights ago while the rest the house slept. There were many cupcakes and various sizes; large, medium and mini. All the cupcakes were topped in blue frosting.

My sister and I took our coffee out to the pool. The midnight bakers were sprawled about the leaving room floor and couches, apparently resting up from cracking eggs and mixing dough. Sis and I sat at the edge of the pool, our legs dangling in the inviting water. Within minutes we accepted the invitation!  An early morning swim was in order!

Never let anyone tell you that sleeping teens cannot hear conversations through dreams and exterior walls. By the time my sister returned in her swimming suit from the guest room, the pool was full of swimming, laughing, splashing girls. We all joined in.

After 20 minutes, I heard the kitchen window slowly sliding shut. I did a quick head count. All present and accounted for.

"Someone is in the house!"

All heads turned to the window. The morning reflection made it impossible to see who had invaded the cupcake kingdom!

"What if the intruder eats all the cupcakes?" our youngest granddaughter is 9. She worries about such things.

"It's okay!" Yelled one of the girls over the splashing, "We'll be able to tell who ate them!" She stuck out her tongue. It was bright blue.

All the other tongues popped out of mouths, all sporting the same royal blue!

"We'll just stop people walking down the street and  ask them to say, "ah!"

We continued to swim as my sister  painted the image of the police line-up in our minds. "I can see it now!" she describes the scene. "The room is dark. Five suspects are lined up in the bright viewing box. An officer leans forward and speaks into the microphone, "Will suspect #1 please step forward and stick out your tongue!""


p.s. Appears our intruder was only Papa. He popped home to pick up a couple of CD's he needed for work.  Papa's co-workers teased him about the color of his tongue all day!

What happens at Nana's,  doesn't necessarily stay at Nana's!

Swimming

Monday morning and it is already hot. I'm trying to convince the team ( I use the word loosely) to go for a morning swim.

Sinthya and BabaMara are all in, Carrie-Anne is jonesing to get back to the studio and clay, Mrs. Richardson is demanding that Monday's are for getting things accomplished, Ms. Machado is reading Exodus Lost and is absolutely refusing to be disturbed.

Bill is not interested in sitting in the heat while we enjoy the water. He doesn't get in because moisture is not good for his Marlboro hardback. He keeps it rolled up in his t-shirt sleeve and refuses to be seen without it...his image, you know! He says since the new neighbors cut all their trees down, destroying the privacy of our backyard, swimming is no longer fun! I believe he is referring to the wearing of swimsuits is required now, before we just stripped at poolside and dove in.

Have I told you that we don't like the new neighbors?  Chopped down the trees, mangled our hedge and massacred theirs and now, hammering starts at 6 or 6:30 every morning, especially Saturday and Sunday and continues until 10:300 p.m. They can stand in their windows (split level floorplan) and see everything in our pool.

I'm considering swimming in the nude just to scare the crap out of them!

Beatrice is still sleeping, which, to be honest is always a good thing. This morning, though, I am thinking that a grand cannon ball off the diving board would do her some good!

Sorry, Ms. Machado and Bill, the votes are in and swimming it is!