Bay Theatre Company Goes to New York!

Perhaps you read my review of “The Goat or Who is Sylvia?” in the Entertainment Blog posted on www.WhatsUpMag.com in May 2008 and/or saw the wonderful production of Edward Albee’s Tony Award winning play, performed here in Annapolis. If not you have another opportunity, but you’ll have to make the trip to New York City. The show is being performed at The Players Theatre at 115 MacDougal Street, Monday evening on September 15th.
In “The Goat,” Edward Albee the same playwright who wrote the play “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf “ (first performed on Broadway in 1962) brings the portrayal of a dysfunctional family to a new level, as he challenges the audience to rethink the concept of what is love? To read the entire review go to
http://www.whatsupmag.com/blogs/entertainment-blog/08-05-12/_The_Goat_or_Who_is_Sylvia_–2002_Tony_Award_Winning_Play_Currently_at_the_Bay_Theatre_in_Annapolis.aspx
Tickets to the Off Broadway production directed by Lucinda Merry-Browne are $30. You can buy tickets on line at Theatermania.com. This tour staring Tom Gregory, Janet Luby, Bret Jaspers, and Lee Ordeman is for one night only.

Annapolis Summer Sunday

The mystery pumpkin growing from the compost pile grows larger.

Early this Sunday morning scores of runners were moving together, each trying to claim their small piece of space, down Main Street towards City Dock, participants in the 10 mile run sponsored by the Annapolis Striders. The runners came in all shapes and sizes. Some were moving at a fast pace, some were jogging, and others were takng a walking break. I recognized a few neighbors and cheered them on as I waited to cross the street to visit the Farmers’ Market. All the participants are to be commended. Ten miles to me, who can only run about one mile, is impressive. Who cares about speed? It was a great morning for running, not too hot. Bravo to all the contestants.

It’s amazing how quickly I can spend $20 on some fresh fruit, vegetables, and bread. They do have a nice selection at the Sunday morning Farmers’ Market that includes lamb, mushrooms and cheese in addition to baked goods, flowers, fruits, and vegetables. With my canvas bags full, I walked with my husband and  dog up the hill and towards home. In our back yard, the pumpkin (see my previous entry) is growing large. Still dark green, but definitely a pumpkin shape, it has more than tripled in size in just one week.

I’m trying to savor the last days of summer before school starts and my daughter gets back into her school routine. There is only one week left before What’s Up? Publishing will be closing the nominations for this year’s Most Eligible Singles on the Eastern Shore and  in Annapolis.  Get your nominations in before it is too late! Age categories start at 25 years old and go to 60 plus. (Maybe you have a parent, friend, uncle, or colleague you’d like to nominate. )The information is on our website at www.WhatsUpMag.com.  Why not play cupid?

My Surprise Composting Crop

Well maybe you’re not supposed to put seeds in your compost heap. but I compost just about everything from eggshells and coffee grounds to potato peelings and apple cores. Not only do we get rich soil, but a plant or two often sprouts out of the heap of decomposing vegetation.
Last year it was a tomato plant. This year it’s a cucumber and pumpkins. The golden blossoms in the pumpkin vine are large and open up each morning to soak up the sun. Here it is August, and a few small pumpkins are starting to form.

Will they prosper and grow into fine pumpkins for Halloween, which is when the pumpkin seeds must have originally been “planted”? We’ll just have to wait and see. Want to create your own compost heap? Go to http://whatsupmag.com/jul06/composting.shtml

Hail and Fire in Annapolis

For the second time this summer in Annapolis, hail fell from the sky, tapping on our window panes and pinging down against the car roof and hood.  Caused by a layer of cold air in our otherwise warm atmosphere, the storm only lasted a few minutes but did substantial damage to my backyard.

A powerful gust of wind caused a tree branch on a neightbor’s tree  to snap and fall on to power lines. The positive and negative currents touched and created an arc and sparks started flying. More branches broke off the tree and one started to smoke and then burst into flame.

Luckily our family was home to witness the event. We turned off the circuit breakers in our house and watched from saftey after calling both the fire department and the gas and electric company.

No water can be sprayed on an electric fire because water is a conductor.  Always stay far away from any downed power lines. The fire engine arrived and the firemen and firewoman  watched the flames as first one branch burned and then another, eventually burning out more wires, until BG&E arrived and shut down all the electricity on our side of the street.

We ate dinner by candlelight. Luckily I have a gas stove and a gas water heater. The night was cool. We endeavored to keep the refrigerator shut because who knows how long it will take to get it all fixed, my husband and I told one another. My daughter Alex was not too happy to be in a dark house so she went around the neighborhood to visit friends who had electricity.

A tree company and BGE returned at 10:00 p.m, and fumbled around in the dark to get the branches cut away from power lines, and the damaged wires repaired. Amazingly our power was restored at midnight.

Now next time I will be better prepared. All the flashlights that need batteries are sitting on my dining room table. I will go to the store this week and buy batteries for each one.

Always keep several flashlights in a handy spot and keep some safety candles on hand as well, because you never know when disaster is going to strike.