How Much Would You Spend At Costco?

Well, I was ready to call it an evening, when I clicked on my email from Costco to peruse the latest deals, and something caught my eye.

The Ultimate Hot Rodders Garage Package

$79,999.00

When you click on the picture on the email, it gives you a bit more information about this purchase.

The Ultimate Hot Rodder's Garage Package Includes:

Kirkham Motorsports 427 KMS/SC component vehicle (engine and transmission not included)
MBI Silver Vein 4-piece Garage Storage System
456 square feet of Black and White MotoFloor® Garage Tiles and 40 female edges. This is enough flooring to cover a standard 2-car garage.
1 Arcan Heavy-Duty Service Cart
2 Arcan six ton capacity ratcheting jack stands
1 Arcan XL-35 three and a half ton capacity professional low lift height jack that can lift to a height of 21 3/8"
31-cubic-foor Premier Vault by Liberty Sage
2 Westinghouse Gray Twin Turbo Garage Lights

So, you spend $79,999.00 on a car and fancy car garage equipment, and the car doesn't even run, because the transmission and engine are not included.

I think if I had $80,000 to spend, and wanted to buy a fancy car, I don't think I would buy the "only 1 available" car offered on my costco.com website advertisement.

But, maybe that's just me.

Hangin' Out at State Drama Festival

Tonight I am in Coeur d'Alene spending the night, and helping chaperone the KHS drama students who made it to state competition. My husband, PKR, is the Drama Coach, and our daughter The Princess, made it to state drama as part of a Humorous Ensemble.





They are doing a montage from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." It was fun watching their performance this evening, at Lake City High School, where the competition is taking place. The Princess makes a great King Arthur!!

The ensemble did some unique and clever things with their performance, and I am proud of all of them. They have done 2 rounds, and do another one bright and early at 8 am tomorrow morning. Then after the 3 rounds, they find out if they make it to the semi-finals.

I arrived in Coeur d'Alene with the mission of getting some Christmas shopping done. First I went to Best Buy, and being in there drove me nuts!! There was just too much stimulus in that store, assaulting all five of my senses, with loud music, projections TV's, brights lights....it was just a little much. I did find a few things to purchase, though.

Then it was off to Target and Fred Meyer. I made a really great purchase at Fred Meyer, so I was happy about that!! There will be some more shopping done tomorrow.

I did have a rare moment for dinner. I went to Wendy's and got my food, and sat at a table all by myself and read some more of "Eat, Pray, Love". I have finally made it to Indonesia.

I got a call during dinner from The Princess saying PKR needed some pain relievers, so I went to Safeway to get some, and also some snacks. Well, Safeway was having a bit of a crisis when I want to check out. All of there check out stations had frozen up. They apparently attributed it to the Hagadone Corporation and Dave Smith, because they apparently purchased a large amount of gift cards, and they were processing them, and it froze up the system. One lady had no cash or checks, so had to leave her groceries. Fortunately, the rebooted the system, and they were back on track.

In the meantime, I'm standing in line to check out my groceries, and The Princess calls wondering what I was doing. I told her I was stuck in the line at Safeway. Their second round was beginning soon, and I was hoping I wouldn't miss it. I did get there a little late, but I could go into the room after the first performance was done, so I didn't miss it.

So, now I am at the Shilo Inn, watching some interesting show on PBS with lots of violin players dressed in country costumes. It is pretty cool. Apparently I am watching Barrage: Vagabond Tales, which is described like this:

Barrage's fast-paced violin music is set to a story of impossible love between Luna of the Moon People and Sol from the people beneath the sun.

We don't have cable television at home, which means the only things we watch on TV are what my mother has taped for us, or we have on VHS or DVD. But I do miss PBS programming. Right now Barrage is singing "Birdland", and there are about five or six performers playing violin, with one main woman doing a scat solo, with the violins accompanying her. A very interesting performance. To find out more about them, go here.

Well, I'll return tomorrow with the results from the Idaho State Drama Festival, here in Beautiful Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Interested in auditioning for a play?

WALLACE—Auditions for the next Sixth Street Theater production will be held next week.
Auditions for “The Miser”, a French romantic comedy by Moliere, will be held Monday, Dec. 2 and Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 6:30 p.m. at the theater, located at 212 6th Street in Wallace.

There are eight roles for males ages 19 to 60 years of age, and six roles for women, ages 19 to 60. Actors will be asked to read portions of the script for their audition.

Rehearsals will begin January 7. The production will open on Feb. 22, and runs through March 9th.

The Miser centers around the life of Harpagon, a miser of the worst sort who very much wants to have his cake and eat it too. His greed has warped his perception of reality, both in terms of himself and in terms of the way others see him. Harpagon is surrounded by people who are trying to get their hands on his wealth, mostly for the purpose of getting married. Harpagon's daughter is in love with a manservant and his son is flirting with the young maid Harpagon himself has his eye on. The ensuing play is a rollicking comedy of tricks and turns, of deception and drollery, of the triumph of love even in the face of the tightest fists.

Harpagon's miserliness isn't just about pinching a few pennies- he steals oats from his horse, cooks only for eight when there are 10 guests (not to mention that he ensures that the food is exactly what his guests don't like, he is all set to marry away his daughter to a completely unsuitable old man in order to save on dowry and perhaps worst of all, he actually thinks that he can snare the heart of a fabulous young woman even though he looks and smells like mothballs.

YAB Gives Youth A Second Chance

Every so often I put on my newpaper writer hat and write articles for our local newspaper. Usually it is a promotion piece for some club or organization I am involved with at the time. Recently, a group of community volunteer approached me to do an information piece on the Youth Accoutability Board for Shoshone County. Below is the story that will be in the Shoshone News-Press sometime this week. They do a wonderful service for kids who make a mistake, and might just need a special turn in the right direction.
Youth Accountability Board Gives Second Chance to County Youth

By CAROL ROBERTS
Special to the News-Press

Shoshone County offers an educational opportunity for kids who flirt with disaster, but want to turn their life around.

The Shoshone County Youth Accountability Board is a diversion service offered for first time offenders who are 17 years of age and under, and admit to the charges.

The YAB is made up of a group of volunteer community members who want to help county youth through some tough times in their life.

“It is an opportunity to head off disaster,” said Linda Sepa-Newell, one of the YAB board members. “It is a retooling experience that gives people the opportunity to work with kids and get them back on track.”

If a young offender committed a crime such as shoplifting, vandalism or fighting, the Shoshone County Prosecuting Attorney’s office can recommend the offender and their parents to go through the Youth Accountability Board.

"We have helped over 1,000 youth since the board was formed in 1983,” said Karen Rumpel, one of the original board members. “We average about 25 cases each year.”

One of the advantages of going this route is that the youths will not have a record that could limit them from joining the military, going to college, or other entering vocations that do not allow prior criminal records.

If the Prosecutor’s Office decides to refer a case to the YAB after the youth admits to the charges, a letter is sent to the parents or guardians of the youth, instructing them to contact the designated YAB representative. An investigator sets an appointment to meet with the youth and parents and begins the investigation process.

The case is assigned a date and a time to come before the YAB for a hearing. The investigator presents the facts to the board, and the youth and parents provide the board with information about their perspective on the charges, and answer questions. The YAB then draws up a contract with the youth and parents, which is signed by all parties.

In cases of theft or vandalism, the YAB mediates the cost of the damage, encourages the victim of the crime to face the youth, and helps communication between the two parties.

“Store owners may not know we even exist,” said Sepa-Newell. "Specifics to the contract may cover community service hours, a letter to the victim, an essay, a mandatory jail tour, payment of restitution or other activities deemed appropriate by the board."

“The contracts can be flexible,” said board member Karen Henry. “We try to fit the sentence to the crime, and the kids. Rarely do kids who have gone through this process offend a second time.”

Upon successful completion of the contract, admission to the allegations of the petition will be vacated and the case dismissed.

If the YAB option is chosen there is an $18 fee to go through this process.

“Sometimes antisocial behavior is a thrill to some youth,” said Sepa-Newell. “This process gives the youth a realistic experience, including the jail tour.

"Another value of the program is to teach skills and an opportunity for the youth to see the impact of their illegal activities on the community, and to see the ripple effect.”

Then the youths are given the opportunity to provide community service at local public agencies or businesses, the youths are embraced by the community, and a negative is turned into a positive. It also helps the kids save face by not having a criminal record.

“Even good kids will make a mistake,” said Sepa-Newell. “It is sad when kids have to go through the court system.

"This is a way to stop that process, and being a part of this YAB process as a volunteer is a wonderful thing.”

#102--My Tree--Evening Snow

How easily it falls, how easily I let drift

On the surface of morning feathers of self-reproach:

How easily I disperse the scolding of snow.

- Philip Larkin

#101--My Tree--11-19-2007--First Snowfall

Announce by all the trumpets of the sky,

Arrives the snow, and, driving o’er the fields,

Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air

Hides hills and woods, the river, and the heaven,

And veils farm-house at the garden’s end.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

#100--My Tree--11-14-2007--Captured at Dawn

Each time dawn appears,

the mystery is there in its entirety.

- René Daumal

Thanksgiving Reflection on My Family

This week's Sibling Assignment was given by me. I posed this assignment to my siblings for this week:

In keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, and getting back to video making, make a video about what you are thankful for. It can be one thing, many things, however you want to do it.

My video is a Thanksgiving Reflection on My Family.

IEG's video is here, and Raymond Pert's will be here when he completes it.

Thanksgiving at Lake Roosevelt

This year my sister IEG and her husband JEJ invited our family and my mom to have Thanksgiving with her at her home overlooking Lake Roosevelt in the northeast part of Washington state. I had fun helping Mom make Loganberry Pie with turkey cutouts on top. The loganberries were grown in IEG's garden this year.
Mom also made some pumpkin pies. I helped roll out the crusts.
Look at this handsome guy. PKR and I took a walk this morning around IEG's residential community, and walked down by Lake Roosevelt.
It was a beautiful clear and crisp morning with the sun shining down on the lake.
Kiki Aru spent some time today relaxing and watching TV.

The Princess finally graced us with her presence on this lovely Thanksgiving Day and spent some time playing on her Gameboy, and applying her makeup.Z2 made a fresh fruit salad for Thanksgiving dinner.

Here are the girls anxiously awaiting to eat this wonderful Thanksgiving feast.

Here they are afterwards, trying not to explode after all the wonderful food!!

Do those two look like sisters?

Below, PKR is doing his Star Wars Princess Leia imitation with the turkey salt and pepper shakers. "Obi-Wan Kenobi, I need your help. I am stuffed too full of Thanksgiving dinner, and I can't get up!"

Z2 and I provided after dinner music with some flute duets.

It was a wonderful day, topped off playing the game "Apples to Apples".

Stay tuned for more fun tomorrow!!!

Be Thankful in All Things

This week Raymond Pert told us he hoped all of our Thanksgivings had not been normal, and to share about an unusual Thanksgiving Day that we remember. Inland Empire Girl’s post is here, and Raymond Pert’s is here.

This assignment brought to mind one particular Thanksgiving when I learned to apply the following verse from Colossians 3:15-17.

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

The year was 1996. It had been a rough year. My dad had been diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of May, and was told he had a month to live. He died one month later.

As Thanksgiving that year approached, The Princess was six, Z2 was two and Kiki Aru was one. And we were expecting another baby. We had decided we wanted four children, and we were a bit surprised, but excited that we were expecting another baby so soon after Kiki Aru's birth the year before.

The day before Thanksgiving, I had a checkup with my doctor. I was about three months along, and they were listening for a heartbeat. I could tell by the look on the technician’s face, and her body language, that something wasn’t quite right.

I was wheeled to another, more sensitive machine, to see if this machine could detect any heartbeat. Again, no such luck.

I was told to dress, and I called PKR at his school. He was in the midst of helping the staff and students at his school, Meridian Academy, prepare for their annual Thanksgiving feast. Through trembling voice and tears, I told him they couldn’t find heartbeat, and asked if he could come right away. He was there within half an hour.

In the meantime, I was checked into the hospital across the street, and I was scheduled to have a D and C that evening.

I remember my father-in-law being at the hospital, giving comfort and encouragement to both PKR and myself. The girls were at home with PKR’s mom I believe.

My memories of the next day, Thanksgiving Day, were lying on the couch at PKR’s parent’s house recovering from the previous day’s procedure, and grieving for the baby that was lost. I don’t know for sure, but I always think of this baby as a son, Kelly Michael. That would have been the baby’s name if it was a boy.

My thoughts that day also reflected on the Sunday School lesson that had been taught by CW that previous Sunday. His lesson focused on being thankful in all things. I learned being thankful was an action; a choice we make that also produces peace in our lives, which, again, is also a choice.

Through tragedy and grief, I learned that I could be thankful. I learned that, as a mere mortal, I do not know the whole picture. I love the illustration I was once told that I often think of as I ponder life. Life is like a tapestry, but all we see is the back side of this beautiful artwork, with all the end threads, and a mish mash of colors and strings. But God sees the finished product, the beautiful artwork from above…the big picture.

I don’t see the big picture. But I need to put my trust in the One who does. And be thankful in all things.

A few months later, I remember being in our kitchen in Meridian, and all three girls were sitting around the table, and I knew that this was to be our family…our three beautiful girls. There would be no more children. And that was okay. I was thankful and contented with this revelation.

SeenThatBefore over at Go Figure wrote about “The Lesson” in his recent blog post. The Lesson he wrote about is that “life isn’t fair”. No, it isn’t. But it is how we respond to the unfairness of life is the key to dealing with things that come our way that we are not expecting. Like the way the Whitworth coaches and players responded to their situation....with grace.

And another way is being thankful in all things. Even when it doesn’t make sense, or rips your heart out to do so. It isn’t easy. And it isn’t just a trivial Christian phrase I am throwing out. It is a life lesson that has brought me much peace.

Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving season.

Eat, Pray, Love

Today my book group met at my house today, and we discussed our book we read this month, "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert.

It wasn't only the book we read, but that theme also seemed to resonate through our time together today. What a peaceful, enjoyable, enriching experience I had today with the four other women who were at my home today. Times like this are such a blessing.

Because the author Gilbert ate her way through Italy, I decided to have an Italian themed menu for today's book group. And I think we enjoyed the food today almost as much as Gilbert enjoyed her food experience in Italy.

I contributed some cheese filled tortellini with red sauce, and some bread with dipping oil.

NP brought a lovely green salad she had "The Veranda", our fancy restaurant in uptown Kellogg, prepare.

VA prepared a wonderful pasta salad made with tubular pasta, pesto, sun dried tomatoes and feta cheese and Kalamata olives.

MP experimented on a soup, and we are so glad she did. It was a wonderful mixture of cannelloni beans, Swiss Chard, and sweet potatoes, with a special pesto to put on the top. Divine!!

SD brought dessert, which was a chocolate cake with marscapone cheese in the middle, and a thick chocolate glaze. I just had to have two pieces.

As we enjoyed our food, we discussed how much we enjoyed the book, and how Gilbert brought out the characters so well in this book. MP liked the Indonesia section the best, but the rest of us hadn't made it past India, so we are all looking forward to finishing the book.

One part I enjoyed most was her describing learning about meditation in India and how real and practical she made meditation sound, and the struggles she had trying to quiet her mind to listen to God. Boy, could I relate to that section of the story. Often, when I finally get a quiet moment to listen to what God's Spirit has to say to me, it seems as if my mind wants to go in a million different directions.

As always, we had wonderful conversation other than the book, sharing our lives with one another, our frustrations, our joys, our triumphs, and our struggles. Isn't that what life is about...having people to build relationships with and share these things.

We ate our wonderful Italian food.

We prayed as we shared our lives, and also shared about our former book group member, VG, who has moved away, but recently had a lumpectomy and found cancer in her breast. We pray for her. We pray for MG's daughter who continues to battle cancer. We pray for NP, as her son contemplates entering the military after graduation. She would like him to wait, and she cries, and hopes he goes to college, becomes an officer, then enters the military. She is scared of him enlisting because of the war.

We love, because we take the time to listen. We take the time to share our lives. Even though it is only a couple hours each month, those are precious moments for each of us...one we all look forward to and hope we don't miss. We did miss JR this month. She had a good excuse, though. She is returning from a trip to St. Thomas where she has been scuba diving.

Next month we are reading Frank Peretti's book "Monster" for our book selection. Our Christmas book group is always fun, because we always have a cookie exchange. We are meeting at MP's house this year.

I encourage those of you reading this blog post to take some time to

"eat, pray, love".

It will definitely enrich your day.

I've a bout with Atychiphobia

I've been dwelling probably a bit too much lately on one of my greatest fears...atychiphobia...the fear of failure.

Why am I afraid of failure? It's not that people will laugh at me. It's not that I'll look stupid.

I just don't like to disappoint people.

There are two main areas in my life right now that I feel as if I'm failing. And I tend to avoid these areas...not deal with them....push them away.

But this, of course, compounds the problem. It just prolongs the inevitable.

In The Message Bible, it says in 1 John 4:18--

God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.

As I read this scripture, it encourages me to trust in those who love me. Not only God's love, but those in my life who can help me through these fears. Yes, they may be disappointed, but love will overcome the fear, the disappointment, and the shame I feel.

But it is easier to write about than put into practice.

But I need to take a deep breath....plunge ahead.....and trust the love in my life.

Oh, if it were only that easy.

Eric Clapton - I Ain't Gonna Stand For It

My latest CD I have been listening to is Eric Clapton's "Reptile". This video is from one of the songs off the album. What I love about the video is how much fun these guys are having. Eric Clapton has been performing since 1963, the year I was born. I remember the first time I really heard about Eric Clapton or paid that much attention to him, was when one of my boyfriends in high school liked him, because he was a great guitar player, and this guy was learning to play the electric guitar. That was news to me. I probably didn't even realize he sang the song "Cocaine", one of his more popular tunes that seemed to be a popular dance tune in college. I always marvel at the longevity of the careers of these musicians who started in the 60's and how they continue to perform and how their talent has sustained them for over 40 years. If you have a chance, check out "Reptile" and enjoy. I love Clapton's bluesy guitar playing, and the variety of tunes he plays on this album.

Honoring Our Veterans

Inland Empire Girl gave this week's sibling assignment. The assignment is:

In honor of Veteran's Day: A Tribute to a Veteran.

IEG's post will be here, and Raymond Pert's will be here.

Kellogg Middle School did a great job at their annual Veteran's Day Assembly last Wednesday. It gives the students a chance to focus on what the Veterans of our community have done for our country.



Z2, as 8th grade class president, was nervous because she had to introduce the speaker for the assembly. The speaker was Jimmy Lewis, a teacher at Kellogg High School, whose story was very interesting. And what I liked was the connection I had in little ways to his story. That is one of the beauties of returning to my hometown. I love hearing other people's stories, and the connections I have with them.

Jimmy Lewis, U.S Army Veteran

I'll try and tell as much as I remember of Jimmy's story. He moved to the Silver Valley when he was two, and lived in Smelterville. He attended elementary school at Silver King School, and had my mom as his second grade teacher.



He talked about not really liking school all that much, and not really applying himself all that much. When he turned 18, he had to register for the draft. It was 1972, the year he graduated. He graduated with my brother, Raymond Pert. Whereas Raymond Pert had a choice about his future, Jimmy's future was decided for him. He was drafted into the Army after high school to fight in the Vietman War.



Jimmy shared about traveling many places while in the Army. And, at one point, he was given the opportunity to learn how to be a helicopter pilot. He decided that would be something he would like to do. But he had to take a written test, and score a 90 on it. He took the test, and only scored a 88. But his superior officer must have seen something in Jimmy, because he asked him if he really wanted to learn to be a pilot, and Jimmy said yes, so the officer changed the score, and Jimmy became a pilot.



He shared about many different kinds of aircraft he piloted in his years in the Army. He retired in I think it was 1997, and he hasn't flown an aircraft since then. He compared this to a truck driver retiring, and never going out and driving a semi-truck again once he was retired.



Jimmy told the students how the Army helped him, and how he got to see a lot of the world, and how, for someone from Kellogg who had never really seen much of the world, and really thought much about life outside the Silver Valley, it was a good experience for him. Even though it wasn't really a choice he got to make, he was glad he had the experience.



PKR and Jimmy are both co-workers at Kellogg High School. The Princess really enjoy Jimmy and Jimmy understands The Princess and some of her struggles, and has helped her during her years at KHS.



His son Andrew and The Princess have a special friendship, and he was over here the other night watching cheesy scary movies with a bunch of kids.



His wife teaches 5th grade at Sunnyside Elementary, and, even though she wasn't Kiki Aru's teacher last year, she still means alot to Kiki Aru.



I liked hearing Jimmy's story, and am very thankful for the men and women who, either by choice or not by choice, defend our country.



I do not understand war, and I don't agree with war, and wish we didn't have to have wars, but I do respect and honor those who put their lives on the line each and every day for their countries.

Post #300-Was it a ghost?

This week my assignment for my siblings went like this: Do you have any ghost stories to share? Interpret this however you would like.

Inland Empire Girl's ghost story is here, and Raymond Pert's will be here when he is done.

I wrote about some of my ghostly encounters here, but I remembered another story that I'd like to share. This one goes in the I'm not really sure what I saw category.

A few years ago I started writing a historical fiction novel about the Silver Valley. As I was working on my research, I would occasionally walk along the Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes below our old house, and walk toward Smelterville, along where the Bunker Hill Company was located.

One day I glanced back toward the hillside, and briefly caught sight of a man. He was around 19 or 20, dressed in black pants, and a white shirt, about 5 foot 6 or 7, with black wavy hair and darker skin, like that of some of Mediterranean descent.

After seeing this brief vision of this man, my description of Antonio Albertini was born...the Italian immigrant who is one of the main characters in my story.

I'm not sure if I just saw a shadow and developed the rest of the description in my mind, or if I really saw a young Italian man standing down by the old Bunker Hill Company.

Either way, it helped me develop and formulate what Antonio would look like in my book, and also brought out some of his personality traits as well. Antonio is rather moody and brooding, but can have a good sense of humor as well.

I've never caught sight of him again, though I have tried. Now he just resides in my head, being created and developed in there, and is also being developed on the written page to some day come alive on the pages of my book.

Perhaps it was one of these Idaho miners in this photograph.

Or maybe one of these railroad workers from Washington state.

Naw!!

Another Opening, Another Show

Another op'nin, another show

In Philly, Boston, or Baltimo'

A chance for stage folks to say hello!

Another op'nin of another show.

Last night it was the stage at Kellogg High School. Tonight, it was a stage about 15 miles down the road, in Wallace, at the Sixth Street Theater.

Tonight was the opening of "Country Through The Years...Hee Haw Style", taking the corniness and country humor of the old Hee Haw show, and mixing it with some country music.

But this time, I'm not an actor, or a writer, or a singer. I am the lighting technician. I light up the stage. I blackout the stage. And because of the type of show this is, I have a lot of lighting cues. And it is really fun!!

I love the theater, and I want to learn all different aspects of it. Some day I will probably take the opportunity to direct a play, so this helps me gain more understanding of the total process of what it takes to put on a production.

The audience really enjoyed tonight's performance. The cast received a standing ovation. They did a good job.

If you are interested in some fun entertainment, come and check out "Country Through The Years...Hee Haw Style". The show will run this weekend, and the following two weekends. Go to http://www.sixthstreetmelodrama.com/ for more information about show dates.

#99--My Tree--The Love of bare November days

Not yesterday I learned to know

The love of bare November days

Before the coming of the snow....

- Robert Frost

Opening Night--The Curious Savage

PKR made his directorial debut tonight in his first Kellogg High School production as the new Drama Instructor. He came out to introduce the play. Tonight was opening night for "The Curious Savage."
The Princess played the part of Fairy May, one of the residents at "The Cloisters", a sanitorium. Here are some of the other residents of "The Cloistures."
“The Curious Savage,” by John Patrick, is the warm-hearted tale of Mrs. Ethel Savage, a slightly eccentric, extremely wealthy widow. Being the recipient of her deceased husband’s estate, she wants to make the best use of it, despite her greedy stepchildren’s selfish attempts to get their hands on it. Mrs. Savage, however, has put her wealth into negotiable bonds in the hopes of establishing a fund to help others realize their hopes and dreams, much to the siblings’ chagrin. They then commit her to a “sanitorium” in the hopes of shocking her to her senses. There she meets a variety of social misfits, all needing exactly the kind of help Mrs. Savage can provide and who eventually appear more sane that those outside the walls of the institution. These wonderful individuals run the gamut of characterization possibilities, and immediately endear themselves to Mrs. Savage (and to the audience as well). With the help of her new-found friends, Mrs. Savage leads her stepchildren on a merry chase which eventually brings them to the pits of humiliation and despair even as Mrs. Savage obtains her freedom. The dominant mood is comedy with plots, plans, and hi-jinx, however the philosophy is far from laughable. The audience is left with a feeling that the neglected virtues of kindness and affection have not been entirely lost in a world that seems motivated at times only by greed and dishonesty.!
Here are the stepchildren, Lilly Belle, Titus and Samuel Savage.

I was so proud of these students tonight. They did such a good job, and provided a wonderful evening of entertainment. I saw them in rehearsal about 3 weeks ago, and they have come so far. PKR was very proud of them. Reaction from the audience was very positive.

In case you want to come and see, there will be performances Friday and Saturday night, Nov. 2 and Nov. 3, and Monday night, Nov. 5.