Envelope addressed and stamped (that was the slow
part last time, with the
Camp Shakespeare check -- it's hard for a web 2.0 dude to wrustle up postage
in this day and age!).
Check book (more 20th century technology, sigh) at home -- but I'll put the
whole kittenkaboodle in the mail tomorrow.
Love, DZ
> From: jayres(a)cvctx.com
> To: weeklong-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
> Date: Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:33:02 -0700
> Subject: Re: [Weeklong-l] Virginia's Roses
>
> P.O. Box 202 Round Top, TX 78954.
>
> Doc
>
>
>
> On Mar 17, 2011, at 11:39 AM, McDonald G. wrote:
>
> > > Dear Doc,
> > >
> > > I'd like to send money for the roses. Could you remind me of your
> > > mailing address? I wish I could have been there.
> > >
> > > Love,
> > > Gail
> > > ________________________________________
> > > From: weeklong-l-bounces(a)lists.wikimedia.org
> [weeklong-l-bounces(a)lists.wikimedia.org
> > > ] On Behalf Of James Ayres [jayres(a)cvctx.com]
> > > Sent: 16 March 2011 02:22
> > > To: weeklong-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
> > > Subject: Re: [Weeklong-l] Virginia's Roses
> > >
> > > And that's the way it was.
> > >
> > >
> > > On Mar 15, 2011, at 5:00 PM, Clay Stromberger wrote:
> > >
>> > >> Thanks for the note, Doc, and for bringing all the moving parts
>> > >> together so perfectly.
>> > >>
>> > >> This sport, well carried, SHALL be chronicled.
>> > >>
>> > >> Though I also think that as always Doc's concrete and brief
>> > >> chronicle of the time says it very well. But perhaps there are a
>> > >> few other moments to recall and pass along.... so here's a note
to
>> > >> those that we love and to them that love us. We want you all there
>> > >> for the next planting project.
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >> It was a gloriously cool and sunny verge-of-spring morning, very
>> > >> fitting for such a special person as Virginia Elverson. The birds
>> > >> were talking all at once, as Townes Van Zandt used to sing. I even
>> > >> saw a bright red cardinal in the Barn, perched atop a metal
folding
>> > >> chair, when I went in there to change out of my longjohns (it was
>> > >> warming up by then). As Doc said at one point with a grin,
"Some of
>> > >> these folks haven't been out here before when it's
nice." The grass
>> > >> was so soft and lush that Willa, 10, could not resist springing
into
>> > >> a few cartwheels, which inspired Emma, 8, to try the same. Mini-
>> > >> lessons from Willa ensued, but must be continued at a future date,
>> > >> as Emma still hasn't perfected that essential skill of
girlhood.
>> > >>
>> > >> Backing up a bit: Aug, Em and I arrived a bit late to the lovely
>> > >> sight of a whole line of folks working hard along the fence line
>> > >> (first in view: Maggie in her broad gardening hat and shades),
>> > >> enlarging the perfectly round post-holes dug by Doc (how did he do
>> > >> it? Those digger things are heavy. The holes were all perfectly
>> > >> shaped...!). In the classic Winedale tradition, everyone pitched
>> > >> in and figured out what needed to be done and brought their
>> > >> particular gifts to bear as needed. Jeff and Stan were the old
>> > >> gardening hands when it came to such things as setting up the
>> > >> irrigation system Doc envisioned (a long plastic hose running the
>> > >> length of the fence, with little smaller lines plugged in at
>> > >> intervals to run off and drip water at the base of each particular
>> > >> rose) and finding the right mix of mulch and dirt and "root
food".
>> > >> Joy was resplendent in a bright white longsleeved shirt and red
>> > >> bandana as she fussed happily over her digging project. It was
>> > >> great to see Augie and Finlay, fellow "Midsummer" Campers
last
>> > >> summer, working side by side again. Susan and Maggie kicked off
the
>> > >> rose songs spontaneously at some point, shovels in hand (final
tune
>> > >> was "Love is a Rose," Linda Rondstadt's cover of the
Neil Young
>> > >> original, which Emma was too shy to sing solo, but Susan convinced
>> > >> her to sing one line with me and then the rest of the crew
repeated
>> > >> it while shoveling the leftover compost into the back of Doc's
>> > >> pickup). Finlay and mom Liz looked up the colors of the different
>> > >> roses, and, at Doc's suggestion, lined them up to ensure a
variety
>> > >> of color as you drive or walk or bicycle past later this spring.
>> > >>
>> > >> Part of the fun of digging is the occasional surprise you find.
>> > >> Exhibit #1 was an old horseshoe (muleshoe?) that Will discovered
--
>> > >> time for an archeological dig at Winedale? Then Jeff found some
old
>> > >> iron nails in a few other holes and began to wonder if the folks
>> > >> who'd planted the original roses had put these things in there
to
>> > >> add some iron to the soil...? Any of you History Detectives out
>> > >> there have a clue on that one? Not sure where the horseshoe ended
>> > >> up, but I hope it can eventually find a home in the Barn.
Meanwhile
>> > >> Willa and Emma set the record for finding the most grubs -- eight,
I
>> > >> believe (six of them alive!), which they named "Harry,"
and then
>> > >> "Harry II," "Harry III".... an little
unconscious touch of
>> > >> Shakespeare in the morning.
>> > >>
>> > >> Elroy, the jovial groundskeeper with the musical drawl and the
bushy
>> > >> grey mustache under his glasses, was a huge help, zipping around
in
>> > >> the white Winedale pickup and providing us with tools and a
>> > >> wheelbarrow.
>> > >>
>> > >> This was the kind of work that allowed for catching up with your
>> > >> neighbor the next rose-bush over. I found out that high school
>> > >> senior Noah Sgovio, whom most of you will remember from his
always-
>> > >> wonderful "I do much wonder..." speech this summer, is
headed off to
>> > >> UT in August as a philosophy major and theater minor. Perfect for
>> > >> one of the best Hamlets ever to lecture Horatio in the Barn. Will
>> > >> and Augie riffed in fine teenage-boy form on the word
"clod" while
>> > >> piling excess dirt on the little red wagon.
>> > >>
>> > >> At some point we finally looked up and saw the work was done, and
it
>> > >> was good, and the water was dripping. So Doc and Maggie headed for
>> > >> Mercantile for sandwiches (Maggie's treat) and after some
chatting I
>> > >> suggested a hike to MacGregor House. A group of us headed that way
>> > >> and soon came upon one of those I-wish-I-had-my-camera images:
Jeff
>> > >> and Susan sitting in the two memorial benches under the stately
>> > >> pines, the bright green meadow beyond them. Jeff had his jaunty
>> > >> straw riverboat-gambler hat on, and had his right arm looped over
>> > >> the back of Henry Wilkinson's bench on the left as they
talked;
>> > >> Susan sat in the beautiful new bench on the right. Ah, I realized,
>> > >> the bench for Lizz that Matt told us about. An "On Golden
Pond"
>> > >> moment (yes, we are heading into those golden years...). We all
>> > >> stood around and talked about how to arrange all of our future
>> > >> memorial benches. Susan wanted a circle that extended into the
>> > >> meadow; Jeff pointed out how this might make mowing difficult.
>> > >> Susan countered with the idea of a trail extending into the meadow
>> > >> to sort of anchor the benches; Joy suggested a labyrinth in the
>> > >> center (vetoed). We then segued inevitably into a discussion about
>> > >> the Winedale Retirement Complex and then set out for MacGregor.
>> > >>
>> > >> We wondered how we'd know when Doc and Maggie were back --
well, of
>> > >> course, we heard a distant pealing as Doc rang the bell by the
>> > >> Barn. I raced Augie back (still can beat him, ha ha! -- though not
>> > >> much longer...) -- and then followed my second camera-pang moment,
>> > >> as I looked back and saw, like something out of a film (my Michael
>> > >> Barker influence kicking in), the players of the day heading my
way
>> > >> across the broad green meadow, at varying distances, singly or in
>> > >> pairs, gesturing (Jeff to Joy I think) or skipping (Emma) or
>> > >> strolling and laughing.... but all set against that green in the
>> > >> sunlight, so peaceful and beautiful, no one in a hurry. I just had
>> > >> to stare at it for a moment. Not sure a photo could capture that,
>> > >> really.
>> > >>
>> > >> We wrapped the day up with lunch at the picnic tables and yes, at
>> > >> Stan's smiling insistence, a four-person (one line each)
reading of
>> > >> the Stein poem sent by Mary.
>> > >>
>> > >> What did I miss, fellow early-rosers?
>> > >>
>> > >> Augie told me afterwards back at home, in his classic Augie way of
>> > >> making little pronouncements out of the blue, "Dad, you know,
it
>> > >> felt good to be out at Winedale, working on planting the roses....
>> > >> I'm not sure why, it just felt good to be doing that."
>> > >>
>> > >> Yep. You said it, buddy.
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >> cheers,
>> > >>
>> > >> cs
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >> On Mar 15, 2011, at 6:42 PM, James Ayres wrote:
>> > >>
>>> > >>> We planted 14 roses for Virginia this morning. Look for
Clayton's
>>> > >>> chronicle of the event. Thanks to Kirsten, Joy, Maggie,
Susan,
>>> > >>> Clayton and son Augie and daughter Emma, Jeff and son Will,
Noah
>>> > >>> Sgovio and Finlay Scanlon (Camp Shakespeare kids), Willa
and Liz
>>> > >>> (Finlay's sister and mom), we completed the task with
rose songs
>>> > >>> and a
>>> > >>> reading of Mary's rose poem.
>>> > >>>
>>> > >>> We set up a "Rose for Virginia" sponsorship to
defray the costs of
>>> > >>> the
>>> > >>> antique roses, the compost, and the watering system we put
in
>>> > >>> place.
>>> > >>> Should any of you wish to sponsor a rose for Virginia,
please send
>>> > >>> me
>>> > >>> a check for $30.00. We planted 14 roses. And have already
6
>>> > >>> sponsorships.
>>> > >>>
>>> > >>> We had great weather and great fun.
>>> > >>>
>>> > >>> Doc
>>> > >>>
>>> > >>> _______________________________________________
>>> > >>> Weeklong-l mailing list
>>> > >>> Weeklong-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
>>> > >>>
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/weeklong-l
>> > >>
>> > >> Clayton Stromberger
>> > >> Outreach Coordinator, UT Shakespeare at Winedale
>> > >> College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin
>> > >>
www.shakespeare-winedale.org
<http://www.shakespeare-winedale.org/>
>> > >> cell: 512-363-6864
>> > >> UT Sh. at W. office: 512-471-4726
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >>
>> > >> _______________________________________________
>> > >> Weeklong-l mailing list
>> > >> Weeklong-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
>> > >>
https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/weeklong-l
>> > >>
> > >
> > >
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>
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