coming up for air

It's been a busy few weeks! Lots going on in First Coast Opera AND my life. Many, many students - I love teaching. I love the satisfaction of mining for the best sound in a student and the satisfaction of knowing that THEY know the results improved and were easier, too! NATS auditions past, Florida Federation of Music Clubs and Florida Vocal Association auditions to come. It's a time crowded with details!

Yet, I have found some time to be in my garden - to clean the pond and trim back the fern and to clean up dead vegetation. My iris are getting ready to burst forth - the foliage is bright and healthy looking. I get really excited about my iris - one is solid deep purple and one is burgundy with a yellow throat. The other is white and to date, the blue flags have NOT bloomed.

Now, I will speak of my needlepoint! I am working on 3 canvases at the moment - one of a kimono in black with a big white bird and flowers in green and teal and white on it, one small one of a dragonfly in blue and white and green, a large canvas of a lizard in LOTS of colors. When they are done I will photograph them and add them to my blog.

I was rejected for flap LASIK surgery this week! The doctor won't operate on patients with scleroderma and possibly all autoimmune diseases! Rats! I thought that after all these years of wearing glasses (since I was 2 years old!) I could be done with them!

I have loved watching the Olympics these two weeks. The pair skaters who performed to Puccini's Madama Butterfly brought me to tears! And such high drama! Like the Italian pair whose red-headed diva was unspeakably unsportsmanlike with such a huge audience! I wonder how she feels about that now! Talk about a LARGE POND!

So, on to Mozart! We will be doing The Impresario in modern period with Mr. Angel, the backer, as Luigi Angelo, the mob boss. Dan loves the idea. I just haven't figured out what the costumes will be. I hope I still have my high F! I don't want to feel foolish in my small pond. www.firstcoastopera.com