Even One Candle...

"There is not enough darkness in all the world that can put out the light of even one small candle."

In my beloved writer Arthur Gordon's book, "A Touch Of Wonder," is the quote above.  He went on to say, the quote was found on a small gravestone after one of the many bombing raids on Britain during early WWII.  Some thought the quote was surely written by someone famous.  But it wasn't.  For it was written by a very sad, lonely elderly woman whose cherished cat, which was all she had, was killed by a Nazi bomb.

I have always been a star gazer.  One thing I noticed is how the darker the sky, the brighter the stars shine.  You see, though darkness is not the Source of the Light, darkness is what empowers the light to shine stronger and far brighter than the light would without it.

The ones who have inspired me the most on my challenging journey are those who faced their challenges with such profound courage their lives radiated light shining their inspiration forth.

Many years ago I read the incredibly touching book by Paula D'Arcy, entitled, "Song For Sarah." She and her husband were expecting their second child.  Their first was Sarah, a toddler.  One Sunday in 1975 when they were traveling home after a visit with family, a drunk driver plowed into their car head-on seriously injuring Ms. D'Arcy, and killing both Mr. D'Arcy and Sarah.

In one brief shattering moment everything Ms. D'Arcy held dear was gone, except for the child she still carried.  At the time Ms. D'Arcy was keeping a journal and somehow she continued, pouring out her anguish, which eventually became her very inspiring "Song For Sarah."  She inspired out of the darkest, most shattering losses of her life.

Ms. D'Arcy's courageous experience has inspired millions around the world.  She helped me.  First, during the daunting challenges following each of my first two spine surgeries from which I had to learn how to walk again twice.  She especially helped me again years later when Aiden died.  Here was someone who knew the darkness of terrible, gut wrenching tragedy, whose journey through her sorrow was the very reason she shined so brightly, becoming such a profound gift for others.  These are the kinds of people who are my inspiration.

Many say my journey does the same for them.  I always hope so.  There is a reason why all my challenges have been so dark on my journey I will understand when I at last cross over to Heaven.  For now, the darkness my indomitable spirit keeps shining out from is my candle burning bright while I yet breathe.

When life is tough, remember my dear ones, all the darkness of heartbreaking challenges cannot put out the light of even one candle.  

May your candle burn bright with hope and courage.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious...

  

Once upon a time Walt Disney had his heart set on making a movie based upon a book about a unique nanny named Mary Poppins.  And he did make the movie the whole world would fall in love with, released in 1964.

However, if you have been reading this blog very long, one thing in my years as a Theatre Scene Designer and my penchant for Theatre, film musicals, and Vaudeville History, is in Show Business, the most hilarious, interesting, amazing, and unexpected things can happen.  And they DID!  They DO!  

There's just no business like Show Business...this business we love...this business I love.

With my Minor in Theatre History, and my vast knowledge and books on the subject, over the next few months every other week, I will be taking you on fascinating journeys often hilarious, behind the scenes into our most favorite musicals, Broadway Shows, and Vaudeville.  You will not even need a ticket.  So on with the Show!

When Walt Disney set his heart on making Mary Poppins, he knew there would be challenges, yet he plunged forth anyway because that is what Disney did.

Some backstory first.  

Pamela Lyndon Travers (P.L.), published the first Mary Poppins book in 1934.  Because Disney's daughter Diane loved it so much, sometime during the early 1940's he began to envision what an amazing film could be made of the books that not only children, but adults too would love.

I have not seen the 2013 film, "Saving Mr. Banks," which details the years of conflict and drama between Disney and Ms. Travers throughout getting the rights to the story, of how the story was to be portrayed, and the film itself.  Though I shall touch on some of this here, I am going to refrain from getting into all that as I would rather focus on the more interesting and concise stuff having to do with behind the scenes events in making the film itself instead.

Briefly, the Mary Poppins books were inspired by the stories Ms. Travers told to her younger siblings to keep their spirits up as their father was an alcoholic, dying young, and their mother very sadly unstable mentally.  But in the Mary Poppins stories Ms. Travers portrayed a much different scenario by having Mary Poppins be a very prim, proper lady while Mr. and Mrs. Banks were happily married and quite attentive, loving parents.

After Disney envisioned in the early 1940's how grand a film Mary Poppins could be, it took him many years of visiting Ms. Travers, sending telegrams, and telephone calls trying to convey his vision for the film and to get her to sign over the film rights. 

Of all things Ms. Travers detested that Disney was best known for was threading songs and animation into his work as he did in Mary Poppins too.  Outraged, at the film wrap party Ms. Travers demanded he remove all songs and animation from the film.  This is when Disney famously told her, "Why Pamela, this ship has sailed," not caring what she demanded because he knew what a gem of a film Mary Poppins was about to be when it hit theatres.

Now then, the behind the scenes goodies.

The creation of "that word."  

THE word.  

 

SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS.

The two Sherman Brothers who wrote the music for Mary Poppins and other Disney films knew they needed a really unique, funny, magical kind of word that Mary Poppins herself would use.  The brothers always claimed "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" came from parts of crazy words they made up at summer camp.  

So when they needed a long rhyming word they combined parts of the past and present into what became "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."  But believe it or not the Sherman brothers soon found they were in a copyright infringement lawsuit!  

Two songwriters claimed THEY created a word close to "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," in 1949 by coming up with then, "Supercalafajalistickespeealadojus."  Only in Show Business, you see.

The judge eventually threw the case out of court.  And then...AND THEN...unbelievably, wouldn't you know a number of years later a librarian working for Disney discovered a newspaper clipping from 1931 used this version, "supercaliflawjalisticexpialadoshus" of what the Sherman brothers thought was THEIR creation!

Another beloved song from Mary Poppins written by the Sherman brothers was "A Spoonful Of Sugar."  As a kind of metaphor with having fun while cleaning one's room, something far more serious in reality became the basis for the song...something many of us in the early 1960's remember well, yet appreciate more as adults.  Until 1963 polio shots were injected by needle along with smallpox and others.  I received the injections in 1962.

By 1963 though, polio vaccines were given in an oral form by adding the liquid of the vaccine to a sugar cube, which was actually used as a way to administer other vaccines back then too.

Anyway, on a day when the Sherman brothers were still stumped on a song needed for that scene, Robert gloomily went home only to learn his kids had received the polio vaccine that day.  Concerned he asked them if it hurt very much.  That is when he learned the polio vaccine was being administered via a sugar cube, thus the dear "A Spoonful Of Sugar" song was born and began entering our hearts.

Like Theatre Scene Design and film, the same amazing special effects in Computer Graphics were still far in the future.  Not until the 1990's.  I remained in demand as a Theatre Scene Designer long after the amazing Computer Graphics took off, because I was schooled in the "old way."  Many smaller theatres could not afford the new Designers educated in Computer Graphics or the equipment.  Regardless I would have loved being a young Designer these days with all they can do now!

So as you can imagine, creating special effects in a  film like Mary Poppins during the early 1960's really took some ingenuity.  Especially in combining animation with film too.  This is where the Disney Magic created many new groundbreaking effects in Mary Poppins far ahead of their time I am proud of.

Predating what we know as "the green screen" now with Computer Graphics, was a combination of sodium vapor compositing which I am not going to try explaining here because we are not going THAT far behind the scenes unless by popular demand you would like me to in a future "Behind The Scenes" blog on special effecting in theatre and film during the dark ages of which I worked and created.

Anyway, what I will say is how sodium vapor compositing is what enabled real actors to seemingly appear in cartoon settings right along with animated characters as in Mary Poppins. 

One of the actors playing a Banks' kid remembers that since the special effects were filled in later, there were these prop guys trying to dance about with cut-out horses and penguins to show them what was going on so they appeared to react to what was later animation.

Often, so the director could get the best reactions from actors they wouldn't reveal anything about the special effects so they could capture the best reactions.

There of course is a lot of "flying" in Mary Poppins which involved special camera angles and the infamous harnesses and hanging from wires...while trying to act their character and remember their lines.  Trust me, hanging in these harnesses in a theatre or film studio is NOT comfortable!  

But fun to try.

Julie Andrews had an accident that happened to her during one of many flying scenes while in the harness.

In her words:  "I was hanging around up there for the longest time with the umbrella.  I thought I felt the wire leave and drop about six inches.  I was nervous and very tired.  Then I called down to the crew to let me down slowly, but a wire broke as I was lowered, causing me to fall.  I plummeted to the stage and there was an awful silence for a minute, then I did let fly with a few Anglo-Saxon four-letter words, I have to admit."

Did you know the beloved actor Dick Van Dyke actually played two roles in Mary Poppins?  Besides the Chimney Sweep Bert, he played the old Banker, Mr. Dawes.  Wanted the part so much he offered to do it without accepting payment for the role.  He donated $4,000.00 to a charity to play Mr. Dawes.

Audiences and critics absolutely enjoyed Van Dyke's singing and dancing throughout the film, though some

were critical of his attempt at a cockney accent.  As Van Dyke explains, "I was concentrating on the dancing mostly, and they had given me a voice coach who turned out to be an Irishman, and HIS cockney wasn't much better than mine!"

Thankfully for Van Dyke the dear citizens of England could forgive him.  Why?  While he was accepting a BAFTA award, he said, "My accent could very well be the most atrocious cockney accent in the history of cinema."  They loved it!

I am going to write about a part in Mary Poppins so small many are unfamiliar with it.

The part of The Bird Woman had only one line, but not only was it at the heart of the film, Disney had his heart on the 83 year old actress Jane Darwell to play the part long before he even had obtained the film rights.  Disney rightly believed only Ms. Darwell was capable of bringing the humanity and warmth so needed to the scene.  And dear Ms. Darwell lived humanity and warmth in spades both onscreen and in her life.

Ms. Darwell was best known for her Oscar winning portrayal as Ma Joad in "The Grapes Of Wrath" with Henry Fonda.

Ms. Darwell was suffering with a heart condition and had concerns but Disney assured her filming would take only a day and had a limo take her to and from the studio.  To be sure she was comfortable on the set, the crew cut a hole in the stairs so she could sit on a pillow. Mary Poppins was Ms. Darwell's last film.

And finally, do you know the scenes where the children and Mary Poppins sit upon the stair banister appearing to magically ride up it?  Wonder how it was done?  And what prevented their butts from hurting?  Plaster casts were made of their bottoms...in wet plaster...OF THEIR BOTTOMS.  

Then after the plaster hardened those casts were fitted up with wires and used as a sort of form-fitting seat that literally pulled them up the railing.  The casts were hidden by the clothing throughout the scene and made the actors appear to be moving on their own.  One even thought it fantastic getting to have one's bum made imprinted in plaster, going on to say, "It's not quite Mann's Chinese Theatre, but it sure is close."

And that is some of the behind the scenes goodies of the 1964 Mary Poppins film.  So hope you have enjoyed the journey with me and will look forward to these unique journeys yet to come.🎭💫

My Gift To You Is Laughter...🥰

Once and awhile a hilarious Theatre malfunction would actually happen NOT on an Opening Night but a few performances later, thankfully AFTER the critic gave glowing praise.  

Now one of the nightmares an actor dreads most is when another actor misses their cue to come on stage or a tech malfunction may keep one from GETTING there.  Suddenly the lone actor or even an entire Ensemble may find themselves desperately trying to adlib for what seems like an eternity [and often is] with a full House casting all their attention upon THEM.  All just waiting, waiting, waiting...😱🎭

At the same Theatre once again as the infamous "Gone With The Wind" and "The Phantom" hilarity I have recently shared, we were doing the musical "Wicked."  For those unfamiliar, "Wicked" takes place in the Land Of Oz at a time before and after Dorothy dropped in by way of tornado.  It is told from the perspective of the Wicked Witch and Glinda The Good Witch.  The musical is about their struggles with each other and The Wizard before the Wicked Witch falls from grace forever.  Somehow the huge part where the Wicked Witch was melted in the movie classic "The Wizard Of Oz, " then returns was never clear to me how this got dealt with and I was just too busy designing sets to get a further explanation.  But this minor detail has nothing to do with what I am about to share here anyway...😂🎭

There is a HUGE GRANDIOSE MOMENT when Glinda in a "bubble" high above rear center stage descends in royal style to the stage.  The scene really is/was a very beautiful feat achieved in Theatre craftsmanship.  Just beautiful. 

And it would have been VERY beautiful this particular performance if things went as planned.  But they didn't you see, otherwise I would not have a hilarious event to share.😂

A few moments after Loralei starring as Glinda began descending, the Bubble stopped, hanging high in the air.

Since Loralei was far beyond her entry platform she was trapped.

This situation now thrust the Ensemble Cast on the stage waiting for Glinda, into a terrible place of "what the hell do we do NOW" terror, which I can assure you is not a fun place to be.  However since this IS Show Business, Blake, a veteran actor began adlibbing as the Tech Crew desperately began trying to find what went so wrong.

With a desperate sense of very misplaced hope, the Tech Crew's presence way up high meant a miracle to Blake as he suddenly exclaimed to the Ensemble, "Oh look!  LOOK!  Glinda is coming!"

Only she wasn't. 

"Look!  Look!  Glinda REALLY is coming everyone!  Do you see her?"

No one responded.

Because Glinda still was not coming yet.

"Wait!  It appears Glinda is stuck in Bubble Traffic!"

Bubble Traffic?!!  BUBBLE TRAFFIC?!!🤣😂🤣

By this time we in the wings lost it.  We were dying in laughter we were trying hard to suppress.  But we were not the ONLY ones, for by now the audience began losing it too.  It was the "Bubble Traffic" reference you see.

What else could poor Blake do?!!😂

"Oh my there really is a LOT of Bubble Traffic today!"

Suddenly the Tech Crew were able to get Glinda's Bubble to descend more.  

Then it stopped again.  

She was still high above the stage yet now in full view of the audience.

"Oh dear, I think Glinda has had a Bubble Accident by a hit and run Bubble!  This must be why she is stopped!  She's waiting for The Oz Patrol to arrive!"

Blake knew he was sounding desperate even though the audience were rolling in laughter.  He made a brief dash to the opposite wing whispering way louder than what he thought, "What the hell are they doing up there?"

They were laughing too hard to respond.

Meanwhile in the Bubble up high Loralei was beginning to wonder if they would EVER free her.

Cried Blake up to Glinda, "Hang on Glinda!  The Oz Patrol has been detained in Munchkinland!  Someone stole the lollipops and you know how they are about their lollipops!"

Suddenly I had an inspiration and motioned for Blake to come.  He loved my suggestion and told the Orchestra. Uh, that is when they could stop laughing.  Then he told the Ensemble.

I would not have told Blake what I did without having just learned the Tech Crew found, and even were nearly done correcting the problem.

To the tune of "She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain When She Comes," the Ensemble sang "She'll be coming down to the stage when she comes."

As Blake and the Ensemble sang this catchy tune to those words, Blake encouraged the audience to join in too which they very enthusiastically did.

And then...AND THEN...true to the sheer Magic of Theatre the Bubble began descending to rousing applause.

It was BEAUTIFUL. 

All was now well again in the Kingdom Of Theatre Magic.

At least until the next disaster.😂🎭

As Long As It Does Not Snow Higher Than Me...

Anyone who knows me or who has heard me speak knows what a sense of humor I have.😂  

One day when people in an elevator were expressing concern about the possibility of 9-10 inches of snow in the forecast, I said, "As long as it doesn't get over 3 feet deep, I'll be okay."  

After they all nearly fell over laughing they told me how I made their day.  One lady even said I made her realize how much people like me are just like everyone else.  

KA-CHING!👍😃

One of the advantages of being a Little Person is that I am remembered.  So a few months after the funny, inspiring elevator moment I was in the grocery store.  A very rude invasive man had been following me trying to get a picture of me on his cellphone.  

Suddenly I whipped my phone out and said, "Let me first take a picture of YOU being disrespectful as hell."  

All of a sudden a lady close by also whipped out her phone and told the man, "And I want to get your picture too of you being disrespectful to this lady."  

Then two other men and a lady suddenly whipped out THEIR phones saying the same thing!  

Surrounded by phones the perpetrator quickly closed his and appeared to actually walk away in shame!

Amazingly it turned out the lady who first whipped her phone out after me happened to be in the elevator the day I humorously talked about the snow!  What a small world, huh?!!😂  All because of that one remembered connection in the elevator she too took a stand by suddenly joining me in confronting the very rude perpetrator.

One of the men who also whipped out his cellphone with us against the perpetrator, told us all how he had come to the store only to get groceries. Yet he was going away so profoundly touched by this amazing experience in Aisle Six he was taking home far more than just groceries.

I sure knew I was.😃💫

Soon after that day though two people were sadly killed due to rage incidents and that is when I made the decision it would be safer for me not to confront these very heartless, mean invasive people anymore.

Nevertheless, I forever very warmly carry with me the bright treasure of what happened in the grocery store in Aisle Six all because I shared my humor in the elevator one day...🐎💫

The Bed...

As my career as a Theatre Scene Designer began winding down I was working for a small theatre.  We were doing a play which had a domineering mother.

Since the play had a scene where a full size bed was needed, Emily, the Artistic Director and I went to a local thrift shop.

"Adelaide, I like this one!"

"I don't know, Emily.  It doesn't appear to be sturdy enough for what we need it for."

"Well I think it is and Matt will like it."

[Why is it people want to drag you along with them for your expert advice and then not listen to it?]🙄

Matt was the Executive Director and we in the back could clearly see Emily had a thing for him.  This really has no bearing on the story aside from the fact the actors in the play always felt the bed was getting used for more than just being a prop and just may have contributed to the hilarious disaster I am about to share with you.

First, the big huge grand finale scene at the end of Act I involves the couple in the play who are madly in love with each other.  The man's very meddlesome mother though, had other views about his love interest.  He also forgot about giving his mother a key to his apartment. 

So Mom just KNOWS that "woman" has lured her son to bed.  Sneaks into the bedroom at a climatic moment and proceeds to faint, falling right smack onto the bed in-between our couple as Act I ends.

At least this is how it was supposed to go.

When Grace fainted and fell onto the bed between Ethan and Anna, the what Adelaide had tried to tell Emily could happen...happened.  

The bed collapsed.

Oh DID it collapse!🤣 

The problem was the foot end of the bed remained intact up high while the head end sunk to the depths, putting these three into a very helpless position of escaping.  Not only that, but they became stuck in the sheets too.

Yet worse than anything, they were drowning in uncontrollable hysterical laughter as we ALL were...well, uh...aside from Emily and Matt that is, who were NOT laughing.  Trust me, we did not care.😂

By now the audience was drowning in laughter too.

The only thing we could do was dim the lights as the Stage Crew tried to push bed and actors carefully to the wings.

But you see, this did not work well.

When they pushed the bed a bit it broke apart.  I mean pieces were littering the stage with kindling wood from one end of the stage to the other!  I daresay the contagious hysterical laughter pouring forth from our three bouncing actors kind of helped escalate the situation...more.

Normally the curtains would have been drawn but the bed was downstage at the front so drawing the curtains could not help.

So...this is the grand moment when Matt and Emily rushed out onstage to assist the crew by gathering up the scattered pieces of kindling behind the hysterically laughing actors, crew, Stage Manager, Director of the play, including a certain little Scene Designer in the wings.

When Ethan could finally stand up backstage he had something VERY enlightening to share.

"Uh Matt, didn't you say someone had stolen your wallet the other day?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Well look what WE found when the bed collapsed!"

Then our dear beloved Grace, who had a wicked sense of humour anyway, seized this huge Grand Moment with tremendous aplomb and...held...up...a...bra.

Now THIS was not just ANY bra you see.  No, no, 

NO!😳  THIS very hot pink with black lace bra clearly belonged to a lady who was VERY well endowed.  As Emily was the only female standing there who was THAT WELL ENDOWED...who also had always (up to this point at least😂), thoroughly...and I mean THOROUGHLY...enjoyed drawing attention TO and FLAUNTING her endowment, we ALL turned her 

way.🤔

"Uh...Emily...AHEM.  I believe THIS must belong to YOU then," said a hysterical Grace.🤣

Ohhh my, those two were screwed now!  I mean REALLY screwed.

For you see the Director of the play just happened to be Matt's soon-to-be-after-this-night-EX-WIFE.😱

Only by now though, Diane...WAS NOT LAUGHING.😂

Soon after this night, Emily-with-her-bra and her endowment too, suddenly moved on, thus necessitating the need for a new Artistic Director, while Matt had to get new digs in town.  Not only that but a brand new job too...uh...at...McDonald's because our Theatre Board was not at all pleased with all the hilarious jokes the town was making about its' busy little Theatre, so they immediately appointed Matt's former wife as the proud brand new Executive Director of our Theatre!😃🎭

Diane even kept a tiny piece of The Bed as a memento enshrined in glass on her desk.   

As a reminder you see, of what became the happiest, BEST outcome of her life!😃

There's just NO business like Show Business!😂🎭

The Wandering Star...

I was born under a wandering star...

When I get to Heaven,

Tie me to a tree,
For I will begin to roam again,
And you'll know where I will be.
                          
                               ~Paint Your Wagon


And I bless God that I have been free to wander, free to hope, and free to love...

My dear ones, you probably have gathered by now my journey has taken me to many places.  And it has indeed...in between the many MANY hospital stays.  I daresay because of those, I would plunge back into life and the joy of living with intensity, knowing yet another stay was imminent.  Also I knew there would come a time when I couldn't live with the same intensity at all anymore due to the very deteriorating physical battles ahead.  I am definitely at that place now, but with a profound sense of gratitude I was able to experience the thrill of getting to see what was beyond each new horizon so very much along the way.  And make many dear friends...with two legs and four legs.  Of course some of those four legs went where I went.

The amazing thing is how I managed to do it all.  Even more so as a Little Person.

My friend Devon used to say, "As long as Adelaide has her horse, cat, and drawing table, she just bravely follows the wind wherever it blows.  Being physically challenged doesn't keep her from having the joy of living.  Or making things happen."

Once when still young, I followed the wind across three states pulling my horse Selah in a horse trailer behind me.  Anywhere I stopped for gas and coffee, I really shocked the hell out of people seeing this Little Person traveling alone...with a horse?!!  A cat too, actually.😃

"Lady, is that your horse?" [Can't you see I am pulling it behind me?!!🤔]

"Yep."

"How do you get ON it?!!"

Sigh.🙄

Sometimes we just have to plunge forth, be brave, and suck out the marrow of life.  Perhaps be even a little bit crazy too?🐎🤣🐎

A Funny Story...

THIS is a very funny story NOW, but to me way back THEN, I definitely was NOT very amused.🥴

During one of my many long hospital stays I had asked my dear friends Bob and Tom to visit the farm to check on my pony Sadie.  That was ALL they had to do.  "What could possibly go wrong?" I thought.  But you see one day things did not quite happen as planned and they screwed up.  I mean they VERY ROYALLY screwed up.🙄

Since Bob and Tom knew Sadie could pull a cart they had what THEY thought was a very bright idea one day.  Only I didn't own a cart nor did I like them because I wanted to be ON my horses...not BEHIND them!🐎  However I did have Sadie's cart harness which came with her.  Unfortunately the guys knew WHERE the harness was kept.🙃

So they decided to make a two wheel cart.  They were really very proud of themselves too.  In fact THEY thought what they built was brilliant.  The most brilliant pony cart in history.🤔

Somehow the inexperienced Bob and Tom managed to get the harness on Sadie they told me later.  Then they attached it to this very brilliant homemade cart the two were so proud of.  And perhaps it really just might have worked too, who knows?🤫  

But you see ONE of them had the ridiculous bright idea to shake with gusto a huge, very LOUD old cowbell one could hear in the next county to get Sadie moving.😱

Oh, Sadie moved all right.  She absolutely went FLYING!  I heard from other sources after they could quit laughing long enough to tell me, Sadie even reached a speed making her quite capable of reaching the next county in ten seconds!  

Only that didn't happen you see.  For neither the very brilliant cart nor the harness survived.  What did remain on Sadie though got caught around a tree which not only stopped her but brought my pony to her knees until she could be extracted.  Thankfully SADIE was fine though.😃

However the cart was NOT fine, ending up in many 

bits and pieces strewn everywhere.  In fact one of the wheels was never seen again.  

And the guys?  AND THE GUYS?!!😳

Since they both knew I would be hearing about this Bob and Tom decided they had better hurry up and visit me FAST to confess before the news could reach me.  Uh, that is once they were released from the emergency room of the same hospital I was in upstairs.🤫  

So imagine my surprise when Bob and Tom entered my room with Bob's arm broken in a cast and sling, and Tom hobbling in on crutches due to a VERY sprained ankle.😱

At first I was very upset they both had been injured in some terrible, horrible way.  

And then...AND THEN they told me, beginning first to quickly assure me Sadie was fine.  Hearing THIS my compassion level for them suddenly dropped.  

Hearing the rest of what happened my compassion PLUMMETED.  I mean REALLY plummeted all the way to the depths of oblivion folks.  For a few moments I even considered throttling them.  

They were scared too.  Both admitted later how very grateful they were I was unable to get out of the bed to make their injuries any worse.🥴

Realizing they obviously had suffered enough and would have some scars to live with, I couldn't help but to laugh.  And laughing so hard tears were running down my cheeks.  We all three did.  In fact we have been laughing ourselves silly about this very "brilliant" endeavor of theirs for many years now.😂

Yet one thing became certain though.  For those two now knew better than to ever...EVER try using one of MY horses for any...ANY bright ideas they may have again.🐎😂🐎😂🐎

The Gift Of A Lifetime...

Long ago and far away one year my dear Aiden, an architect, had to be in Cheyenne, Wyoming for a project.  It was to wrap up on 22 December, then he would fly home.  Only Mother Nature and Wyoming weather had other plans by unleashing a huge snowstorm.  Flights were cancelled.  Suddenly it was beginning to appear he wouldn't be able to get home for Christmas.

We did not have major plans for the holiday other than spending time with friends and his parents.  Yet the prospect of him having to spend Christmas either in a airport or a hotel room alone was not a happy one.

When we talked the morning of 23 December Aiden said, "Adelaide honey, I found something here I just 

HAD to get you for Christmas and I got it shipped out

before the snowstorm.  It will get there sometime tomorrow but probably late.  Please stay home to be there when it arrives, okay?  The package is really kind of large."

"Let me guess, it's a wild horse?!!"😂

"Well, not exactly, but knowing you I'm sure you will find the gift great fun!  You will LOVE it!  I can't believe what the guy was asking so I got it for you.  I just couldn't resist!"

"My you sure have intrigued me!"🤔

"I want you to be sure to open the shipping box after it arrives just to make sure the inner gift box is in decent condition so I will feel at peace knowing my gift for you is okay."

"A MINIATURE HORSE!"😂

"Not exactly." 

"All right, my dear one.  I'll give you a call right away to let you know the package arrived.  Do they know if there is any chance of getting a flight yet before Christmas?"

"Doesn't look like it at all.  But I'll be okay.  Not exactly the way we expected to spend Christmas this year."

"I know dahlin, I know.  My heart aches for you.  The Four Wheeler we've been talking about getting?!!"🤔

"You crack me up so much!  Uh...no."

"You're really not going to spill the beans on this are you?!!"🙄

"Not if I can help it!  By the way the food is great here."

"Well I am sure glad of that!  Especially if you're stuck somewhere during Christmas away from my cooking."

"I know!"

"HEY, IT'S A HOT AIR BALLOON WITH HORSES ON IT!!!"😂

"A HOT AIR BALLOON WITH HORSES?!!  NO!  By the way, how are Patches and Sierra doing?"

"Missing you too.  While I'm thinking of it be sure to 

call your parents.  If I let you win at Scrabble for a month will you tell..."

"Very tempting, but...uh...NO."🤣

"Okay.  I give up.  I know when I'm defeated.  Uh...mini bikes for us both?!!"😂

"I love you to pieces!"💕

"And I love YOU to pieces too, my dahlin!"🤣

Sooooo, on Christmas Eve evening as it began to snow heavily the package Aiden sent arrived.  It suddenly  made me miss him terribly.

I put on Christmas music then finished wrapping the packages for his parents we were giving them.

Finally I dutifully began opening the outer package as promised.  There was a hell of a lot of paper packing in this thing.

And then...AND THEN...THE FRIGGIN PAPER BEGAN MOVING!😱

IT...WAS...

[DRUMROLL PLEASE] 🥁 🥁 🥁

AIDEN!💫💕⭐🥰⭐💕💫🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉

But he scared the hell out of me!  He always claimed I blurted out not an "I love you," or a "I'm so happy and excited to see you," either.

No, he says I very lovingly instead blurted right out... 

"OH HELL HOLY SHIT!!!  IT'S...IT'S...YOUUUUU!"😳

Hey, any of YOU would have been shocked too!!!🤣

So after we hugged BIG HUGE HUGS AND KISSES I managed to calm back down from shock to sheer bursting joy.  Now THIS was Christmas Magic!👍💫

Aiden explained the snowstorm eased and there was a brief window when he could get a flight out of Wyoming to Maryland.✈

While waiting he had an idea.💡  He thought what a way it would be to surprise me. (IT WORKED!😂)

Aiden had a buddy who owed him a favor who just HAPPENED to work for one of the national delivery companies who really got caught up in the joy of getting to help pull off the Christmas Surprise of a lifetime too.

Tim (who I hadn't met yet) picked Aiden up at the airport, then they put together the large package with tiny air holes.  Not far from our house Tim sealed Aiden inside.

After Tim left with the package inside our home, Aiden wondered if I ever was going to OPEN the box! 🎁

THEN, it hit him I may need something long and sharp to open the box WITH!  Something he had not thought about!🤣

And I did need to use something sharp but thankfully grabbed the small pair of scissors I was using to wrap those gifts with.😃👍💫

So this became the very special, magical Christmas Gift of a lifetime.🎄⭐😂💕💫

But alas!  Not a HOT AIR BALLOON WITH HORSES!!!😂

Why Animals Make Me Soar...

I think I could turn and live with animals, for they are so placid and self contained.  I stand and look at them long and long.  They do not sweat and whine about their condition.  Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things.  Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago. 

                                                Walt Whitman 

Animals make us better humans if we open our hearts to them.  A.

A Friend Is...

A friend is one to whom one may pour out

all the contents of one's heart, 

chaff and grain together, 
knowing that the gentlest 

of hands will take and sift it, 

keep what is worth keeping, 

and with the breath of kindness, 

blow the rest away.

                          ~Arabian Proverb

 

That Goat...

My horse Bashum was a lovely paint horse and like all of mine I loved him dearly.  

Then along the way Bashum and I just happened to acquire a very special friend that hated the color RED who attached himself to us...

  

One of my fellow boarders had purchased some goats and kept them in a pen near the barn.  Only one of them decided HE preferred being with Bashum instead and kept escaping from the pen to be with him.  Until finally he was with Bashum for good.

I had a feeling this would be coming, for one day I received a call from John who owned the goats.

"Adelaide, how are you doing?"

"Hanging in there!  And YOU?"

"I'm doing the same."

Then silence.

"Uh John, what's up?"

"Well...I uh...you see...uh...someone bought my goats...but since I couldn't catch the one attached to Bashum I decided to give him to YOU.  Besides EVERYONE is saying it would be SUCH a terrible shame to separate those two anyway..."

So this is how Adelaide became the proud owner of a very obsessed little black goat who absolutely hated the colour RED which by the way you should remember.  I named him Oakey Doak (from a song about a horse named Oakey Doak [oak-kee doe-ack] who did not have a problem with RED).  To be honest I had already grown very attached to the little squirt anyway.  Obviously Bashum adored him.  It was so charming to call Bashum when I would arrive at the farm and see him galloping to me with dear little Oakey Doak coming right behind him as fast as he could.

Oakey Doak went everywhere Bashum and I rode.  Though off the farm I often limited the distances out of concern for the little one.   

Often well meaning people would stop and ask if I knew there was a goat following us.  DUH.

Now goats can sometimes be territorial and Oakey Doak was no exception.  He would go bonkers if he saw his reflection in a shiny car which then meant attacking it with his little horns.  None of us at the farm had shiny cars you see so I didn't know Oakey Doak had this burning desire to seriously injure his reflection until the very first time this happened (thankfully without any damage!) to someone's Mercedes which DEFINITELY was not at the farm.  From then on I kept him on a lead rope while riding off farm.  

Remember now if I haven't made this clear yet Oakey Doak hated the color RED.

Sometime after I acquired the little goat my friend Rory and his horse Ben went riding with us one day on these amazing trails which opened up into this vast park with a huge lake.  It was July 4th.  

Remember that...July 4th.

When Rory and I, our horses, and a very cute goat who hates RED arrived at the park where horses (and goats) were allowed, we encountered a huge group of people having a picnic.  The kids not used to seeing horses all came running over to us in this huge wave of squealing.

Very LOUD squealing.  And I mean LOUD.  

This in turn terribly frightened the horses.  As usual I was riding bareback so when Bashum suddenly made a very high sideways leap of terror, I very heroically managed to stay on.  

But...BUT I dropped Oakey Doak's lead rope!  And it's July 4th when people tend to wear RED, white, and blue!

In extremely quick succession Oakey Doak saw a massive amount of RED and realized he was not restrained anymore.  Rory quickly sizing up the situation threw me Ben's reins, jumped off, and ran after Oakey Doak.

Thankfully Oakey Doak happened to be a very small goat which we had in our favor.  Next, all the kids, especially those who were dressed in bright RED, thought the little goat was playing some kind of fun "goat tag" with them and were loving it!

Finally, Rory was able to step on the lead rope as it went flying by at one point and was able to stop Oakey Doak before he could inflict serious damage to more RED clothing.

As all the adults watching the action unfold before them were roaring with laughter, I realized they were blissfully oblivious as to how serious the situation as a whole was.  Because you see their barbecue suddenly left unattended at a critical moment, would have been ruined had I not very urgently directed their attention to this. 

By the time Oakey Doak's lead rope was safely back in my hand, there thankfully was only one casualty.  A kid's RED T-shirt was missing a section out of it.  However 

no one minded because they said the goat and horses were SO entertaining and Rory and I so nice.  In fact they even invited us to join them for a barbecue dinner!  We politely declined as we thought it best to get Oakey Doak home before anything else happened.  Yet they did insist upon taking pictures of the goat, horses and us with EVERYONE before we left!

So somewhere out there in the world may be photos in albums of two horses, their riders, and a very cute little black goat with a section of bright RED T-shirt hanging from his mouth surrounded by a very lovely bunch of people.🐎😂🐎🐐

The Loop...

Though Kentucky is not considered to be a deep south state we nevertheless share some of the unique traits of the south.  Three of the most important things here are charm, saving face, and loyalty.  Gossip absolutely does not EVER apply to southern loyalty you see, for one can gossip like crazy without shame from one end of Kentucky to the other and yet STILL be considered as VERY loyal.

It is also very highly important to know this region is quite hilly.  For our Muldraugh Hills throughout Horse Country Kentucky are not JUST hills BUT are actually noble MOUNTAINS worn down by age.  

Also here in the south, especially on many of our horse farms, the main houses have huge verandas where families gather on nice Sunday afternoons.  Another very charming thing about the south is the fact ladies here are often addressed as "Miss" with their first name, only it tends to get pronounced as "Miz" instead, such as Miz Adelaide.

My just-a-friend Danny exemplified southern charm and as I soon discovered, saving face which means tenaciously holding onto one's dignity no matter how much one is losing one's dignity, which by the way Danny took to extremes.  Danny also tinkered on cars, yet I assure you he wasn't at all as good on them as he thought he was.  In fact Danny failed miserably when it came to cars (and horses too), BUT he boarded a horse at the same farm I did which is how we knew each other.  

After I had to learn to walk again the second time following my second spine surgery, but hadn't been allowed to drive yet, Danny very kindly drove me out to the farm with him.  But for some reason he was always driving a different car though.🙃

Have I said how hilly it is here yet?  Believe me it really IS very VERY hilly here.🤣

So one bright Sunday afternoon after Danny and I had been out at the farm and were heading back to town, we were speeding down a very steep former mountain when Danny calmly said to me, "Uh oh, Miz Adelaide, the brakes went out again."

Not so calmly I replied, "WHAT?!!  WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE BRAKES WENT OUT?!!"😱

"We have no brakes."🙄 

"OHHH SHIT!"

Then as we were careening down this very steep hill which used to be a mountain, Danny suddenly turned the speeding car into the driveway of the Higgins Mansion.  On the veranda were gathered all the generations of Higginses with all of their iced teas.😳

The driveway had a loop which proceeded right in front of the verandah (southern spelling).  Danny wanted to drive around this loop a few times till we hopefully slowed down enough to proceed on our way.  But you see, we were not in a position to TELL the Higgins family what was happening BECAUSE WE COULDN'T STOP TO TELL THEM!  Danny was flat out determined to save any remaining shreds of his dignity at all cost, while his passenger was wondering if SHE should save her life by making a leap from the speeding car and to hell with dignity.

"Now Miz Adelaide each time we drive past the Higginses veranDAH politely wave and smile to them so they think what we're doing is normal."

"WHAT?!!  THIS ISN'T NORMAL."🤣

"Please just do it?  I don't want the Higgins to think

I've screwed up another car."🙃

SO...we ended up making not one, not four, but FIVE loops all around the Higgins' driveway loop very politely waving and smiling to all the Higginses each loop we went around like not a thing was wrong, as all the Higginses very politely waved and smiled back to us each loop we made with the most startled looks upon their faces.🥴

"Uh Danny, aren't they all wondering WHY WE'RE NOT STOPPING?!!"🤣

"Probably.  But southern charm means if somebody comes down your driveway making loops around your loop one Sunday while very politely waving and smiling as they go by in front of your verandah each time without stopping, you respond with sincere politeness back without questioning their reasons."🙄

"BUT DANNY, THEIR FACES HAVE 'QUESTIONING OUR REASONS' WRITTEN ALL OVER THEM!"😂

"Yeah, well maybe being a little mysterious about exactly why we're making these loops around their loop is a good thing."

"Danny, you know they're going to be talking about this for decades right?"

"Maybe."

By the time we made five loops and headed safely on our way with the brakes miraculously working again somehow, Danny and I left all the Higginses and their ice teas with one final series of our well executed very polite smiles with waving and then even a toot on the car horn too, after a very charmingly successful saving dignity event.👍

And yes, nearly everyone in the whole region soon heard about the Sunday the charming Danny and Miz Adelaide made a social call FROM A MOVING CAR TEN LOOPS (it became exaggerated in the MANY retellings through the decades you see) while happily waving and smiling at the Higgins family as they all sat on their veranDAH with their ice teas very happily waving and smiling back.

I began driving again immediately afterwards...🤣

This Boldness Factor Of Mine...

Despite my talent I was nearly not accepted into the Theatre Scene Design Program of the University I had applied to.  The Department Chairman expressed concerns I may not be able to paint the massive canvas or wood backdrops in the days long before the amazing computer graphics took over towards the end of my career.  

Dr. Ravenall was also very concerned my height challenge could hinder me from using the power saws and the other tools needed in set construction too, yet

I wasn't.😃💫

In my blog piece on Boldness I shared what happened immediately after Dr. Ravenall expressed his concerns in the excerpt below about what can happen when we either learn boldness or must be bold due to the unique way we were created...🤣👇

[Even though I am about the same size standing as I am sitting, I suddenly stood up in front of Dr. Ravenall to my full height of my very tall 4'3" and boldly let him know a few things about myself.  That it was because of my height I would be an asset as I had more to prove, and I would.  Not only that I had far more courage than the average person.  Furthermore, I was very talented too which he strongly agreed.  And one more thing I blurted out to Dr. Ravenall was I owned and galloped my horse bareback across fields asking him how many people he knew who could!

At this his jaw dropped.  And he was speechless.  He never had ANYONE talk to him before in such a way.  Especially such a young person!

He was silent.  For a brief moment I thought to myself, "Oh shit.  I blew it."

Finally Dr. Ravenall spoke.  "Adelaide, I am not only going to admit you to the program but our renown Prof. Emeritus of Scene Painting, Dr. Sonderling, takes only eleven students every other year who have extraordinary talent and character.  Because you have just shown me both in spades I am putting you in his final class this semester."   

WOW.  Being one of the few chosen for THAT class was BIG.  Really big.  So was being admitted to the Theatre Scene Design Program too.  Boldness threw the door wide open for me.]

Dr. Sonderling was a beloved Scene Design professor dear to all.  I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be one of the few chosen for the last class of his long career.  He created this class for Design students who met certain requirements.  For me to be a first year student chosen to be in this, the last class, was really something special.  And believe me, quite an honour.

In the beginning of the class we prepared the series of huge canvas flats we would need for the Scene Painting assignments Dr. Sonderling would be giving us.

Obviously this was one class where we couldn't take our work home so the ten of my fellow students and I became very close friends, often painting through the nights on our huge assignments.

This class is where I learned I had a very special gift.  Normally artists transferring an image from a photo or page from a book divide the page into grids, then enlarge the grids to the flat, transferring the image.  I had a mental block with the grid system yet could freely reproduce a small image in its exact proportions onto a massive flat requiring tall ladders.  This proved to be quite a special gift on my career journey. 

It blew Dr. Sonderling away!  "Adelaide!  How do you DO that?!!"

"I don't know!  I just DO IT!  I can't explain how!  Is it a bad thing I can't do the grid system?"

"Hell no!  You really have a gift there!"

Dr. Sonderling wondered if the gift I had was because EVERYTHING from MY perspective is obviously much larger than I am anyway.  So as a Scene Design artist this afforded me the ability to easily recreate small into huge.😃

We had begun our first assignment on 4'x4' flats.  For this Dr. Sonderling gave us each a page from a very wonderful, colorful children's book called, "Tuesday," by David Wiesner, which was a funny book about a Tuesday when frogs could suddenly fly.  My page had the frogs on their flying lilypads high above the rooftops as you may see below which I had to recreate onto a canvas flat my height.😂

In High School I had already painted on huge 6'x6' canvas flats for various school productions which contributed to the reasons I was accepted into the Design Program when my portfolio was reviewed.

As Dr. Sonderling observed our individual drawing and painting techniques he discovered another amazing technique I did not know I had.🤔

I was so engrossed in my work I did not realize he was standing behind me watching me work.  All of a sudden Dr. Sonderling loudly blurted out, "ADELAIDE!"

In quick succession he so startled me I spilled half a can of green paint down my front from the frogs I was painting.😂🐸

"OH CRAP!  Did I do something wrong?!!"😱

Laughing, he said, "NO!  But YOU paint from dark to light!"

"Ohhkaaay...uh...doesn't...everyone?"😳

"No, that's just it!  Everyone usually draws and paints from light TO dark!"

"OH.  Is this something I need to change?"😱

"DON'T EVER TOUCH IT!"

When I told my dear mentor friends this they were not surprised.  They reminded me how my very challenging life and indomitable spirit meant I was always striving to overcome the dark to remain in the positive light I held onto in living my life.  And it was coming out in my creative technique of dark to light.  This made sense to ME.😃🖌🎨

The time came for Dr. Sonderling's final assignment on the massive 12'x12' canvas flats.  We were anxious to see what we would be painting on this one.  This is when he handed each of us a large sealed envelope with our names written on it.  Inside was the Edward Hopper painting he had chosen for each of us.  Mine was the Empty Storefront seen below.

Not only were we given three weeks to produce this final assignment, it accounted for half our grade.  A lot was riding on this project.

Since we each had three or four other classes besides this one we had to really burn the midnight oil to complete this project.  And do a darn good job.  The last two days we hardly left the Scene Shop.  Our massive flats, ladders, and paint were everywhere.  Besides having a steady stream of Theatre Department students and faculty who kept coming to observe our progress.😱

Finally it was time for both Dr. Sonderling as well as Dr. Ravenall to critique our work.  One by one in the Theatre our massive flats were set up on the stage.  

We were being assessed on accuracy and our painting ability of the Hopper painting we each had been given. 

Actually we all did well for we wouldn't have been chosen for the class if we each didn't have talent to begin with.  Nevertheless, a LOT still was depending upon this assignment.  We would only be given our actual grade when both professors sat down with each of us privately. 

I nailed an A+ the highest possible grade and was well on my way.

We knew our flats became the property of the Theatre Department, yet often through the years I have thought how cool keeping my Hopper flat and the flying frogs would have been...😂👏🖌🎨💫

From "Tuesday"

👇"The Empty Storefront"