"Play" Time!

Yesterday afternoon, Mandy and I ventured up to Philipsburg to enjoy an afternoon of watching the kids in the Summer Youth Theatre Group from Philipsburg do their final performance of "Beauty and the Beast."

Bill stayed home to watch the two little ones so Mandy and I could attend this performance and be able to fully enjoy it. I thought about maybe taking Maya, suggested it to Mandy and she vetoed the idea.

Then, when Maya realized we were going someplace without her, she started giving me her little song and dance routine that she should be allowed to go with us too. Mandy told her no way, because the last time we had taken her to a play (at the high school when she was about 18 months old) she had wigged out, screamed like a banshee as soon as the lights went down and the music began so Mandy has refused to take her since then. I think she might be ready to advance and go now but well, yesterday, Mandy wasn't quite ready to take that chance.

Maya started by asking me why she couldn't go too and I told her she isn't big enough yet. She said "But, I'm big, Gram!" Well, yes, but not quite big enough for this, and besides you have to be in school to go to these events.

"But I'm in school, Gram." Yes, but you need to be in "regular" school.

"Well, I'll go to kindergarten in the fall and that's regular school."

Yes, but you need to be older -you need to be six, going on seven. That was my last reason given to her when she came back at me with this.

"But I know how to play and I could play."

Hmmm. Don't think her comprehension of going to the play is quite the same as ours!

But anyway, we went and we did enjoy the skill of the kids in the Summer Youth Theatre group -very much! They did "Beauty and the Beast" and my cousin, Margaret Anne's grandson, Jamison -aka "Jamers" played the part of Maurice. He was his normal -outstanding!

The young man who had the lead role -of the Beast -was played by Dominic Joseph Matsko -whose grandparents live here in this little village -and he was really awesome! "D.J." as he is known around these hills, has been doing the Summer Youth Theatre since it started up six-seven years ago now and he just gets better and better with each presentation.

He has a beautiful singing voice and his acting skills -well, they're pretty damned good too.

This was his final acting season with the group as he graduated from high school this spring and will be going off to college now in the fall. But he was also awarded a $500 scholarship by the family of Jakob Williams -a boy from a neighboring town to mine, who was killed two years ago this summer when hit by a car about two doors away from his home. He had been active -as were his sisters - in the Summer Youth Group so his parents set up this memorial scholarship in his name.

That D.J. won the scholarship this year really came as no surprise because his work is excellent as is his attitude and he really deserved it for his performance in the play! No doubt about it. And, way to go, D.J.!

This morning was another of the many "firsts" to come in Maya and Kurt's life.

Today, they both headed out of here about 9 a.m. with Mandy and Kurt's TSS and went to Bible School! This will be running every morning this week at our church and Mandy is either a helper or the co-teacher for the nursery class -same as she does with our regular Sunday School too.

They just got home and Mandy said both kids did very well with the school program this morning. Even Kurtis! Maya has a little plastic lizard she got in Bible School because they were studying lizards today. Don't know the connection there as yet with Bible School exactly, but I'm sure it's all part of some theme or other. I would imagine it is like that anyway.

Mandy told Maya to tell Gram what she learned today about lizards and she told me "They change colors, Gram."

Well alrighty now! Glad to hear she learned that much anyway! And even better, that she was very well-behaved too. Always a bonus when that happens ya know!

My legs are still pretty stiff from all my "uphill, both ways" walking Friday evening in our visit to the PIttsburgh Zoo but that is all good too! A reminder to me that I need to get my fat fanny out and moving a lot more to avoid these lengthy recuperative periods then when I do get a little bit of exercise!

And, let this be my own tribute here now too to the late, great Walter Cronkite -as I leave you today with this -"And that's the way it was..."