Last night I met Deb’s brothers, Howard and Tom. I’ve heard about them for so long, and it was fun to finally meet them. We had caramel cake with chocolate ice cream and walnut topping. It was yum! Deb and I had already had a few glasses of wine, but we topped the cake off with hot tea. The brothers didn’t stay very long, but long enough for us all to have a few good laughs. Today I had auditions for this year’s DRAMATIC DESSERTS (since DINNER THEATRE has been discontinued by the power mongers) which will be a musical version of THE SECRET GARDEN. It will be March 10th and 11th, so if any of you want to come, mark your calendar, because this will be the last show I do at St. Mark. I just love auditions because you seen all these sides of kids that you would never see otherwise–like the not-so-popular, slightly overweight little sixth grader who sang the sweetest most beautiful solo and then asked to sing it again when a second teacher came in, and the uncoordinated, out of tune seventh grader who had wanted a part so badly that he made up a jig to dance to distract us from the fact that he was out of tune, out of rhythm, and not right for the part and for whom the whole middle school stood up and cheered when he was finished when in most schools he would have been the butt of demeaning jokes, or the two eighth grade boys who instead of being embarrassed to sing and act, even they are “cool guys,” sang their hearts out and did a great scene, complete with British and Cockney accents. Today was about why I love teaching where I do. It was also about why I have to leave. This show is dear to my heart (Brendan, Ian, and Caitlan were all in it, and Ian played Brendan’s father). It want to do it right for my swan song. Then I went back to KR, watching another incredible sunset on the way, to find that Jim had finished grouting the downstairs shower, and it looks beautiful, as do the front windows that he is trimming out. The heat pump is supposed to be in next week. I grabbed a few things and headed for Clan Valley with my dog. There were a millions of stars out, and on the way, on the all Christmas song station, someone I didn’t know sang “Here Comes Santa Claus,” and I transported back to the “AUFREY-GOFFREY” 78’s and LuAnn Simms. She sang it so much better. How did I remember LuAnn Simms? Chestnuts roasting on an open fire? Julius LaRosa?

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