On Mar 15, 2011, at 9:22 PM, James Ayres wrote:
> 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
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>> Clayton Stromberger
>> Outreach Coordinator, UT Shakespeare at Winedale
>> College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin
>>
www.shakespeare-winedale.org
>> cell:
512-363-6864
>> UT Sh. at W. office:
512-471-4726
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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Clayton Stromberger
Outreach Coordinator, UT Shakespeare at Winedale
College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin
www.shakespeare-winedale.org
cell:
512-363-6864
UT Sh. at W. office:
512-471-4726
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