At the Dietrich by Hildy Morgan
So. For those of you who were worried, (okay, at least one person out there must have been worried) I want to set your mind at ease. My ancient catalpa tree is once again in bloom! Yes it is. The leaves started popping out on Saturday, just about the time I was about to give up hope. I ran over to it to pat the trunk and tell it how good it was to see it still alive and kicking. The leaves rustled a little and I think it was trying to tell me that the winter had been very, very long and it was having a bit of a hard time rousing it’s ancient bones. I told it I fully understood. Sometimes it’s hard for me in the morning getting my own ancient bones in a sitting position. Heck, sometimes it’s a push getting out of a chair! So I told it I didn’t care if it was a little late to the ball, I was just glad it was with me another year, because without it there would be no joy in Mudville, or, rather, my lawn in South Auburn.
Which leads me to tell you about another reason I love South Auburn. Let me tell you this story. I won’t use names because I don’t want to embarrass anyone. (Although it’s a great story, but, you never know…) So. My up-the-road neighbor built a new barn. An Amish barn-builder came in and built what is absolutely a work of art. I wish she would rent rooms in it because I’d rent one – that’s how beautiful it is! But here’s the thing. She didn’t have the old barn torn down. She had him build over it or around it or on top of it – however you’d put it. So underneath this wonderful newness is the old barn that had seen two hundred winters, and two hundred springtimes. And here’s the very, very best part – it took my breath away – she told the barn builder that she didn’t want the swallow’s nests in the old barn destroyed, but left intact for when the swallows came home. And so he did. And the swallows came home on the spring breezes and they swoop in and out of the newness that the builder created, but they are protected, nurtured, in the wee homes they built so long ago. And there it is – such a love for and respect for mamma nature and all her many treasures. And just as my husband and I were about to go home, there on the tree by her house were at least a dozen, maybe more, tiny goldfinches, darting about in unison, like small, energetic beams of sunlight. How much better could life be than to be given the privilege of seeing such earthly delights?
Plus, if there is a weather god, then I want him(the winter was so brutal it has to be a him) to know, that these last days of vivid blue skies, puffy white clouds, deliciously warm sunlight and balmy breezes almost makes up for the extreme cold and gray of this past winter. Almost. But not quite. Okay, maybe.
And now to the business of the movies. We open The Fault in Our Stars on Friday and keep Maleficent, Blended and and X-Men. Maleficent is so good that Friday night after the 7 o’clock, Ronnie peeked in to the theater to see what all the noise was. It was the sound of spontaneous, thunderous applause! Really! That usually happens only at film festivals. So that’s how much fun it is! Do come. And I’ve already told you (ad infinitum) how good The Fault In Our Stars is. And Blended is vintage Adam Sandler and X-Men is… well… X-Men!
And Sunday is the wonderful Ed McMullen telling us all about D-Day. I am so looking forward to hearing him. He is so knowledgeable, but also so entertaining. He lives and breathes history, so come give him a listen. You’ll love him, too.
Finally, save the date. Really. Save the date. June 21st at 7:00, the glorious Gamut Theater is coming to Lazybrook Park to perform MacBeth, that shivery Scottish tale of murder and mayhem and a Mrs. who simply can’t wash her hands enough! Mmmmm. So good. And the park is a perfect place for such skullduggery! Come, bring a chair or a blanket, and be prepared for a grand old time!
See you at the Dietrich.
