SIGH.....

That is my big guilt sigh, as I try to figure out how to explain my lack of enthusiasm for doing posts on my blog and getting back into reading your amazing blogs again. After my months of hell during these last few shows at my theater, I went on a short break to visit with my daughter and the G-babies and go to my family reunion. It was nice to get away, but I came back to several band trips and then had to play catch up on work that I needed to still get done for the theater. (I had a director quit on me----and have had several weeks of panic!)

But now, I have some time, and I can't seem to get the posts done! I keep putting it off. I have a camera full of pictures. I have tons to say. I want to read blogs. I want to write a post.


But I just can't seem to do it.

Its a mystery, that is for sure. Maybe its like when you get so far behind on something and feel that you can't ever catch up, so you just stay away from it.

I don't know.

I have been doing this blog for almost five years, and I am wondering if I even want to do it anymore sometimes. That is the negative side of me. I really want to keep it going to have a record of my life----as I don't believe that I will ever write my auto-biography one day for my children, etc. That is the hopeful side of me. I really do enjoy the writing---it helps relieve my stress, in a way. That is the positive side of me.

So.....what do I do?

How do I get past this slump?

Someone out there give me some sound and fantastic advice.


I am not worthy.....I am not worthy.....

I Am Being Featured!

Today is my BIG DAY, as I am the featured writer on a really super famous blog, Explore Your Possiblities----Dare to Dream. Whitney does this blog that celebrates women and their dreams----and she has some amazing women on there. My friend, author Julie Berry, introduced her to me----and she invited me to write a bit about my life in theater and performing.

So, go on over and check it out! Read my post, and then go around and visit some of her other featured writers. She is a pretty fantastic women herself----talented and insightful----right up there with the women that she features.

Thanks, Whitney, for letting me do a post....I'm honored....

My Day With Johnny Depp

Oh, yes.

It was divine. We were an item. We went shopping. We were holding hands. We were best friends. We were going to see a movie. He was nice. He was fun.
We laughed. We talked about nonsensical things. I was thoroughly engaged. It was really what I needed with all the stress that I have been going through.





Then........I had to wake up.

Yep. One of the best dreams that I have ever had......sigh......

My Earnest Life

Once again I have let over a week go by without posting..... Sigh.... I can't seem to find the time to do everything!

As for my number one baby right now? Well, its *Earnest, thanks for asking.

I thought that this was just going to be a simple show-----my last one of the season. Yeah, right.

Then the poop hit the fan. It started with not being able to find a main character that pushed the rehearsal schedule back almost three weeks, then having another few actors keep changing their minds on when they could rehearse, which lost us another week and a half. Then, to top things off, my lead girl decided to bow out two and a half weeks before the show opened. All this on top of having to do costuming, work on props, block, direct, oversee the set build, do the set decorating, publicity, tickets and maintain the website and blog, etc. (And yes, I found a really great lead guy and a really fantastic actress to take my lead girls part...even better than the original one!)

Well-----once again I have gotten through it, and am now just praying for more ticket sales. Wish you could all be here to see it----it would really boost my sales!

Algernon and Jack have it out.

Gwendolen and Cecily are sure that they are both engaged to Earnest.

Jack tries to make up to Gwendolen.....

.....And Algernon declares his love for Cecily.

Miss Prism gives Cecily some advice.

Lady Bracknell tries to show Gwendolen the error of her ways.

And......that is my *Earnest life.

*(The Importance Of Being Earnest)

Home Sweet Home----Or At Least For The Time Being....

If you remember, we have had some stress in finding a new house----yep----we were supposed to move on Saturday and it was Wednesday and we didn't have a house yet----remember?

Well----we found this really great historic house to rent----month to month----until my hubby can get a new job and we can still buy the house that we were originally going to buy.

Uh huh---that is in a perfect world.

BUT I promised pictures of the house that we are living in now---it is way cool----but really a lot smaller than we are looking for, so we probably wouldn't be interested in buying it---and the price is RATHER steep for this size, as the town is a bit higher priced over all. But----it is fun to live here----and yes, I got unpacked EXTREMELY fast, as we already had an open house (yes, the house is on the market---and we have to show it---that is part of the deal) just a week and a half after moving in! AAAhhhhhh!

The front of the house----red brick----built in 1827.

And the back of the house----great windows all across the back...better to
see the great yard!

The gardening shed and Aydan on the bridge.....

....over the brook that runs through the back yard.

Here is Aydan on the rock bridge----making a boat.

And the finished boat----sail and all.....

Here is Aydan with another boat----up his nose?

Aydan----launching his boat in the brook....

....but it knocks it apart....

....and it ends up in pieces later on.

This is the kitchen.....

The cool pantry that is original to the house.

....and the dining room with the beehive oven.

The entryway---where the front door is----looking into the living room.

The living room with another fireplace-----and no, that is not our couch---
they left it here with the house----mine is at my theater.

The master bedroom----with another fireplace and our spring colors!

This is Aydans room and/or the guest room when someone comes to visit.
Isn't that bed amazing? Yeah----it came with the house, too....sigh.
(There is another room off of this one----its Aydans play room--
but that was still a mess---heh, heh.)

The main bathroom----the only full bath.

The family room----with its big windows across the back....
(Its hard to tell, but our couch is at the end---with the TV armoire----and you can
see a bit of the loft up in the right hand corner----
isn't that wood stove great?)

.....and looking up to the ceiling---the big original beams....

,,,,and yes, there is Marmelade....in her favorite spot, on the top of the armoire.
(There is a loft above part of the family room, and the cats pretty much hang
out there---then walk the beams...) That painting of Aydan on the
left was done by Maryn----one of my artist daughters----amazing, huh?

So, here we are.....just playing the waiting game.

But at least, we have a home.......................for now.

Happy Mum's Day

A flower given to us in church today.

Well, we are finally moved into our latest house. I am not calling it our new house, as it is only temporary. The problem is that we can't buy a house until my hubby has a steady job again, and we are still pre-approved for credit, etc.,...but only if he is making a certain amount. So, he is constantly looking, and we are still hoping that we can buy a house before the end of the summer.

Meanwhile, we thought that we would move into a small two bedroom apartment, and store all of our stuff, but we couldn't find one that we could rent month to month----yeah, I know----go figure. BUT when I was surfing through rental listings on an MLS site, I found a house----circa 1827, in a small town not too far from where we were living. I wanted to go see it, as it was just the right size and the rent was the same as what we were paying, but our realtor and my husband both reminded me that we didn't want to find something permanent, just a month to month, so I put it into the back of my over-crowded brain.

Fast forward to a week later, and we STILL had not found a place to live! We were supposed to move out on Sat. of last weekend, but we had NOT found a place to live, as of Thurs. morning. Then we got a call from my realtor (she's amazing, by the way) and she informed us that the old house that I had inquired about, was willing to rent month by month, and were we interested in looking at it? Well, duh....of course!

We went to look at the house and were overjoyed with its quirkiness, its history, its amazing back yard, and we wanted to move in! Long story short, the afternoon of that Thurs., we met with the owner, signed a lease, and asked if we could start bringing our things in the next night. Voila! We had a place to call our own----well----for a few months anyway.

So, that is my mothers day present, basically. I have slowly tried to get unpacked, after taking about three days to move in, and have only managed to get the kitchen done this week, around working and rehearsals, etc.,,,,but its a big accomplishment for me!

My kids came today, made dinner with my hubby, and brought super presents and their fun selves. It was really nice to relax for a bit,-----they played Beatles Monopoly----and I fell asleep on the chaise in front of the huge windows overlooking our great back yard-----with classical music playing in the background......ahhhh....a little bit of heaven.

Sometimes----despite all the stress of normal and not-so-normal life, its the little things that make your days. A yummy dinner. Some satin jammie bottoms. A new super cookie sheet. A small flat screened T.V. An amazing cake with strawberries. Big hugs from my children. Two special phone calls from my sweet daughters that live far away.
These are the things that made my Mothers Day special and revived my spirit.


Now, I'm ready to take on my usual stress for the week. I can do anything now.
If only I could get my printer to work.....it keeps saying (as if it talks) that the new cartridge isn't the right one....sigh....I just hope that it isn't broken.

And....yes, I will get back with pictures of the house, just as soon as I finish unpacking.

The basket of goodies from my sweet daughter, Brinna.....

....and here we are----aren't those satin jammie bottoms amazing?

Some new super cookie sheets from my son, Clayton.....

....and the fantastic cake that he baked for us. (Texas bundt cake with
fresh strawberries and whipped cream---so yummy!)

A flat-screened TV and water bottle from my hubby, Bret, and my son Aydan.

Everyone playing The Beatles Monopoly----right before I headed in to
take my nap....(and yes, that's my husbands cranium in the foreground---heh, heh)

Happy Mothers Day---hope yours was as FANTABULOUS as mine!

Don't Like Ticks.

This is the time for ticks in New England. Did I mention that I DETEST ticks?

The other night as I was getting dressed for bed, I noticed that the lower side of my back was sore. I thought, at first, that it was a new ache----from yoga. I get some new aches every once in a while, but chalk it up to it being a "good" pain---and figured that it would be gone by the next day.

So, I laid down in bed, and started reading my book. Suddenly there was a sharp pain in my back----like something sticking me. Wha the? I couldn't figure out if I had something sticking in me----maybe a splinter or something?

So, I got back out of bed and went into the bathroom. I took off my P.J. top and checked out my back in the mirror. It was at a strange angle, but I noticed a lot of redness, and there in the middle was a small dark brown dot. A-HA!

It was a tick. Burrowing into me.

Of course, I freaked out and ran into the bedroom---waking up my hubby....and demanding that he get it out!

He had just gotten a tick remover a few days before this incident, thank goodness----but of course, we couldn't find it! We have been packing and the place was upside down, so it had been misplaced. On to the next idea. We found my eyebrow tweezers.

He grabbed that little sucker---yes, play on words----and popped it out. Then right into the toilet----and flush!


A few days later, I checked in the mirror and there was still a red dot there----and I could still feel that soreness. Thank goodness that they hurt so much when they are trying to burrow in---or I would have never even noticed!

A few days later, Aydan found one crawling up his shirt---he had only walked from the bus stop----thank goodness that it hadn't found skin....

So, now I have to remember to check everyone after they have been out doors. UGH. Such a pain.

Its not too bad for my little doggies.....I just put flea and tick meds. on them---and check them every once in a while.

Now, why isn't there a flea and tick medicine for humans. I would sure invest in some.

And yes....I thought that I would super gross you out by this little display of
an engorged tick....enjoy.

Stress Is Now My Middle Name

Have you ever wondered what the most stressful things are that you go through in your life? Well---apparently, I am going through about three of them----at once.

One of them is losing a job. Yep, we are there.

Another one is moving. Shouldn't they also add that we have NO place to move to, as Bret has to have a job before they will let us close on the house? Hmmm....how picky of them....
So----yep, we are there with that one.

A change in financial state is another one. Well---what else would you call trying to live off of unemployment----duh. Not to mention that I have only had my own theater for a bit over a year---so am still extremely stressed about making it work.

Now....I am not going through a divorce----well, not yet, anyway.... And there has been no death in the family----thank goodness----I count my blessings for that one. And I haven't been confined to jail, so I guess I am safe for that one. Another stress is an illness or injury----and well, I guess that I can count that one too, as Bret just got over that....remember?

Believe it or not, the other one is marriage. Go figure. I guess it is just all the preparation, etc. that is stressful.



I only wish that this was my problem.....

A Really Special Lady

There is a really special blogger out there, Susette. She is beautiful both inside and out, and has the sweetest personality that you can imagine, and I have a special place in my heart for her.

I have been able to meet with her several times----once when I went out to Utah----and once when she came to New England to visit with another amazing woman, Rhonda----when she won a trip out to Connecticut. About a month ago, I was out in Utah, visiting my daughter, and had that great bloggers luncheon, but Susette wasn't able to come---and I missed her.

A few weeks later, there was a note on on her Facebook page.

It was tragic, and heartbreaking.

Her son, Porter, had been hiking and had fallen to his death. It was sudden, and such a terrible tragedy. I couldn't stop crying when I read of it.....I can't even imagine the pain of losing a child----I don't know how she could deal with even getting up in the morning each day. Her blog gives you an idea of her coping with this, as well as her love for this amazing young man. Her daughter, Kali, also shares her poignant thoughts about her brother.

I then read on Facebook that she was traveling back with her daughter, after the funeral, to spend some time here in New England, as her daughter lives in the area. Of course, I sent her a message, as I hoped to be able to see her, and give her that big hug that I wanted to share with her.

Well, we ended up meeting for lunch, along with her sweet daughter, her grandbaby Miles, and her daughter's husband, Wade. It was so great to see her and meet her amazing daughter and family. We talked about her son, Porter and the things that surrounded the accident----and as we both teared up a bit, she talked about how this trip that she was on was supposed to be shared with Porter, her son.


And we both agreed that he was there....spending those days with his Mom and sister---seeing the sites and enjoying the New England days with them....

At lunch in historic Concord----little Miles, Kali, Susette, and I.

My heart goes out to this special family----for their loss----for their spirits----for their determination to make each day normal again----and for their knowledge that they WILL be with their Porter again someday. I love you guys....

What I Have Done For The Last Month And A Half.....(And No, You Don't Have To Read It All, Because It Is WICKED Long)

NUMBER ONE
THE BAND TRIPS: My band returned to our favorite hang out state, Oklahoma! I had just ended a HUGE month with my different shows at the theatre, and was ready for some down time and was looking forward to getting away. And thank goodness we ended up having a pretty good trip---no weird flight changes, no cancellations, no one getting extremely sick and running to the toilet all the time, and no really drunk passengers or anything. And best of all, we didn't have to stay over in an airport on a cot!

We had played at this casino last year, so we were familiar with it, and the best part of this place was the fact that we could eat whatever we wanted at this marvelous buffet----they even served breakfast foods after we were done with our gig at 1:00 in the morning---how neat is that? (Of course, my favorite thing to do WOULD have to do with food!)

We played there two nights, and they seemed to love us----so maybe we will be able to go back again....

In the airport....me, Louis, Rick and Steve.

Waiting for the plane....

.....and at the casino----this is our stage.

Rick, re-inacting where he spent most of his time the last time we were
in Oklahoma.

Rick and I, right before we went on.

Yep....back in the airport again!

And in the airport between flights.....

...riding between the terminals in the psychedelic lights.

Fast forward to a few weeks later----we had a trip to Florida! I was so looking forward to the sun and warmth. Yeah, right.

We got there, and since I had only brought a light jacket, not my winter coat----well---it was Florida, for hecks sake-----I was freezing! We stood, waiting for our car----trying to get warm in the sun. We ended up playing in a really quaint inn----apparently a hot spot for most folks over the age of 65....and the best part? Yeah, you guessed it, all the food that we could eat----oh, and I got to meet one of my favorite bloggers, Shawn of Seriously fame. She had met Rick (our Rod impersonator) on a cruise that she went on and had found out that we were going to be performing about 15 minutes from her house, so she was going to surprise me! But things didn't go as planned and she ended up having to let me know beforehand.

So we just decided to have her come and meet me for lunch----and she had to hang with the band for awhile. Oh, what a lovely lunch we had! She is so beautiful, stunning eyes, and such a great personality to match----I totally fell in love with her! She fit right in----getting along well with the band members----as they oogled her-----dirty old men that they are....(did I mention that she is gorgeous?)

We enjoyed the buffet and and even had a bit of dessert with the heavenly strawberries from the area. She then came over to our sound check, as she wasn't able to come to the show later.
What a sweetheart she is! I am hoping that we are down there again----hmmm---maybe New Years?

We then got up the next day and drove about 4 hours down to Ft. Lauderdale. The place we stayed was a bit scary----I mean----the beds were lumpy and there were no blankets, only the bedspread on the bed.....eewwwww----just thinking about it gives me the creeps! We had a great show, with an even older audience----I believe that the average age was closer to 85 this time----but they enjoyed themselves----and that is what its all about!

We didn't get much sleep----there were slamming doors and noise all night long at the creepy motel that we were at, and we had to get up at 3:00 a.m. in order to leave for the airport by 4:00 a.m. But the trip back was pretty uneventful---thank goodness---and we arrived home quite exhausted, but safe, nonetheless.

We aren't scheduled for any more plane band trips for awhile, just driving gigs, (Maine and New York, to be exact) so this should be the last one for some time.....but come to think of it....I am going to miss that good food.

Airport fun.....

....with Steve, the drummer.

The Rod man, himself.....smiling?

Steve discovered that he was in love with this airport pole....

.....and here I am with SHAWN!! The two Shawns together!

Our Florida stage.....

and me, at my microphone.....

....and the view from the stage.

Next night, in Ft. Lauderdale....the stage....

.....and here is the view from the stage.

Hanging in the girls dressing room----what the heck was Louis doing there ?

NUMBER TWO
TRIP TO UTAH---MY G-BABIES: I try to get to Utah as much as I can to see my daughter, and the G-babies---oh, how I love them! Hailey is doing a show, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"----and it is MAGNIFICENT----so Aydan and I flew over there for about 5 days---and I watched the babies and visited with family, saw Hailey's show, and had a great blogger luncheon---it was a great trip.

The beautiful twins, Lane and Lucy, in their princess dresses.

Lane, getting into my glasses---isn't she adorable?

And of course, Lucy had to try on another pair.

Bowling with the family....Ethan goes first.

Then Aydan has a try.....

and he gets a spare!

Here I am, actually making a strike.....

...and then Lucy gives it a try----with a little help, of course.

Lane takes a try with this amazing contraption.

Mila and Aydan await their turn.

Hailey awaits her turn also---snuggling with Lucy.

At Grandma Cannon's house, Lane takes her try at drums.

Taylor with his Dad, Pat---my brother---goofing around, as usual.

My nieces, Sariah, with her fiance', Brett, and Cami, and Melinda.

The blogging ladies---and cutie daughters----at lunch.
Hailey, Me, Melissa, Corrie, and Tiberon----aren't they lovely?

NUMBER THREE
LUCKY STIFF---My Musical Comedy:
I have been directing the first musical (for adults, that is----I have done two childrens musicals) at my theatre since January. I have wanted to do this musical for about 8 years, since my daughter did it. Its a hysterically funny comedy with lots of twists and turns and great songs, and----well----TONS of props and tech work. BUT---it finally opened this past weekend, and it has been a smash! I have a ton of pics from the show----and you don't have to look at them all, but I've got them here for posterity, right?

Here I am----doing the hair----early 1960's, dont'cha know----and yes,
I did the costumes also....and you were wondering why I've been so busy?

Opening number----Bret, my hubby, built the set, by the by---he is pure genius!

Harry is bored with his life....

....and his landlady got a telegram for him.

A telegram for Mr. Witherspoon?

The solicitors news.

At the Optometrist.

In the train to Monte Carlo.

Dancing with a dead guy....

Having it out with Annabel.

Rita and Vinnie.

Parachuting with a dead guy?

In the casino---the French emcee'.

Dominique with Annabel.

Annabel reminiscing about her dogs.

What? Vinnie in a dress?

Rita, singing to the dead guy....

.....and now shes had enough!

Trying to find the body.

Wrong hat!

Harry's nightmare.

Annabel---don't leave me!

There's that crazy woman with the gun, again!

Rita----will Tony take you back?

Happy ending....

Ok, so these are just a few of the things that I have been doing these past few months. Add in there my church job----choir director, and teaching my voice students two days a week, and starting two new show choirs this week, as well as taking care of the website----which you should all check out, as I am quite proud of it----www.thecannontheatre.com. Then, I have also had to do all the work on the publicity and tickets, etc., etc.....

Well...you get the picture.

And now I get to pack over Spring break...... Sigh.


Oh, and I almost FORGOT! We might have a house!

But......................that's for another post.....