Tastes like chicken

I can't think of a better way to celebrate the birthday of our nation that to eat a bunch of food from other countries. That's what our country is all about, right? A big melting pot of earth's humanity, all gathered in this mighty country of ours to celebrate their differences and to share their cultures and and express their ethnicity on every street corner and grocery store shelf and even in the mailbox.

This friend graciously complied by surprising Emma yesterday with a big, ol' box of goodies from her husband's native country. In case you can't read the small print, here's a closer look:


What, still can't read it? Sorry, I forgot -- it's in Polish! But from what we could tell, these chips really are chicken flavored, and they were reallllllllly tasty! Thanks, Lisa, SOOOO MUCH! You have no idea how much this made Emma's day!


We had to take a quick picture of all the loot before everybody devoured everything. My personal favorite: the cherry chocolate bar (we're talking YUMMY) and the twiggy colored pencils (which, of course, we didn't eat, but nevertheless put to good use!)

(Apologies for the sideways view -- it wasn't sideways when I attached it, I promise!)

And while we're on the multi-culture subject, here's a quick glimpse at the costumes for "Once on This Island." Anne is modeling the outfit I made for 'Agwe', the god of water. The vest is made from an iridescent green/blue taffeta, embellished with a teal brocade and turquoise lycra waves, complete with strips of the taffeta to resemble seaweed. The pants are made of the turquoise lycra, with a wide-leg overlay of teal and gold-glittered nylon netting, embellished with brocade waves at the hem. Her hair is hanging loose from a recently broken ponytail elastic, curling naturally over her shoulders, enhancing the aquatic theme. (Which isn't totally accurate, since the god of water is going to played by a boy and he's getting his head shaved for the occasion so we can paint waves across his head! Talk about dedicating yourself to the craft...)

So much fun! I can't wait to do 'Erzulie', the goddess of love!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled holiday:

This friend , my brilliant photographer friend from days gone by, issued a challenge for the month of July which I was glad to meet. July is the best month of the year -- Indepence Day (I consider myself a very patriotic person), my wedding anniversary, my birthday (twenty-one shopping days, people!), and officially the half-way year mark all happen in this month (which happens at exactly noon on July 2nd, in case anybody's wondering).

So, I dutifully got out the camera and purposely went to a major department store to find matching shirts and a new flagpole just so I could take these:

(And Carin, by the way -- recognize that first pose?)

Tonight we'll be heading out for a good, ol' fashioned neighborhood barbecue, complete with swimming pool, volleyball, burnt shoulders and peeling noses (not if Roy can help it! If they made a sunblock with SPF 2000, he'd buy stock!) and lots and lots of amazing food, including but not limited to the teriyaki chicken I have marinating in the fridge as we speak. Hope you all have a fabulous Fourth!

To Whom It May Concern;

Please excuse Sue from her regular blogging activities. She will still be posting from time to time over the next two months, but you may expect her back permanently by August 23rd. In the meantime, she will be tearing her hair out, planning for Girls Camp and organizing and designing costumes for her next theatrical performance while hiding out in her totally cushy and plush surroundings at her new digs, the Ginger Rogers Craterian Theater in the greater downtown Medford area. (Her office is located immediately above the front entrance-- see all those windows? Awesome.)

Thank you for your concern.

Yours truly,

The Management

And here's a small sample of what she'll be doing:

What starts looking like this....









Is going to end up looking like THIS...



.....thanks to my genius brother, Mike, who coached me through every step of the process. Mike, you're my hero! Stay tuned for the finished product. We're wrapping all four masks with wire mesh tomorrow, then plastering them with just-add-water plaster. It's super-light-weight, and incredibly durable. And once they have dried, the REAL fun part begins -- PAINTING!! And then we add feathers, and jewels, and all kinds of glitzy glop.

And that's just the head pieces.
We also have four incredibly amazing COSTUMES to make to match the masks... not to mention the ensemble cast of 52 other kids!

Every time I think, wow, this is the most amazing thing I've ever done in my theatrical career over the past thirteen years, something ALWAYS comes up that is even more challenging. This, I think, takes the cake. Even above life-size giraffe and elephant suits.

I love my job.

I'm seeing red...

... in my very own garden ....

.... in my very own freezer.....


....in my little tupperware bowls (in inevitably in my tummy)....


.... and in my sewing room....


Red is the color of summer. Next to plaid, it's my favorite color.
Red always cheers me up. And I've needed some cheering up lately.

The day after we got home from our trip, I got a phone call from my mom telling me that one of my high school friends (someone I've been trying to track down for the past few years), actually passed away in May from an obscure strain of bone cancer. She had been fighting it for two years, and had spent several months in Boston for experimental treatments, which, from what I've gathered from several friends, did nothing to alleviate any pain, but did help in the research of this horrible disease. In other words, she knew it wasn't going to help her, but that it might help someone else in the long run.

From my high school yearbook...

I have so many memories of this girl. She was like human sunshine -- she always had a smile (except for her senior picture, where she was uncharacteristically solemn and which we constantly teased her about) and a laugh, and frankly, together we were a pretty wacky combination. She helped me coin the phrase that helped me pass biology in high school as well as college -- "Keep People Completely Off Free Grass Samples". We named every creature we dissected in that class, and even held a little memorial for their remains after each lab. (Okay, so we were pretty weird, too, but like I said, it got me through that class!) She had the coolest house I've ever seen -- It was literally built around a huge oak tree. It grew through the living room floor and out the wall and onto the balcony, and we used to have countless slumber parties under the branches. If it weren't for her, I would never have gotten a date to prom.

There were very few people that knew about her condition -- she didn't want anyone to grieve for her, and even before she passed away, the few friends that did know gathered around her for one last fling (actually, they sat around her living room and shared a few pitchers of margaritas) and celebrated her life, however short lived. She left behind a five year old daughter and a remarkable husband, and I wish there was something more I could do for them except cry.

It's taken me this whole long week to come to grips with the fact that she's no longer with us.

I've wavered back and forth from shock to disbelief to sorrow to a little bit of anger -- after all, it's just not fair. She was only 38 years old. I've wept, I've raged, and I threw myself into making pints of strawberry jam. Thankfully, I have a very understanding husband who's let me weep and rage and make jam, but even better, he offered to give me a priesthood blessing of comfort, which is better than jam.

And then I could breathe a little.

And then I threw myself into finishing Stephanie's quilt.
Best therapy I could think of, and it worked.

I feel very much at peace that Samara lived the fullest life she could -- she brought a beautiful little girl into this world, and brought a lot of happiness to a lot of people. Her husband was a lucky many, and I feel truly blessed to have been called her friend.

And I can't think of anyone I'd rather dedicate my 200th post to.