Monday, May 21, 2012

A play closes, another begins

Saturday was a tough day for me.  My little queen of the house, Xena Warrior Princess, aged 16 died.  She suffered a stroke on Friday night and quickly declined through the night.  I adopted her as a 'senior' schipperke rescue almost six years ago.  For all those years, she was my dearest friend and a fierce 17-pound watch dog who could easily make anyone believe she was five times larger.  On our daily walks, she took particular joy in facing down a neighborhood akita.  I've never seen so much courage in such a little package.  I will miss her feisty fidelity and must admit shed tears for her loss.

Later in the day, I finished the linen shirt I've been working on so I could wear it to see my Sally Bowles robe in Cabaret that night.  Katherine Le Fevre's portrayal of Sally Bowles rivaled that of Liza Minelli.  Of course, I am biased by Katherine's performance of the song Maybe This Time, while wearing the robe I'd made for the play.  The show closed Saturday night to a packed house.  Afterward, I joined the cast for a farewell 2012 season party on stage.  During the party, Fran Harrison, costume designer, enlisted me in her next project. The Chatham Players have produced  A Christmas Carol almost every year since 1988.  Let me tell you, Scrooge's current robe has seen better days! I will be sewing a new robe for Ebenezer Scrooge for the 2012-13 Season production.  Sally Bowles' robe was a cake walk compared to this costume.

A new queen, Roxie, now takes Xena's place.  Roxie is another senior rescue that I have had for about four years.  She has always had to compete for attention with the dominant Xena.  At age 14, Roxie's moment has arrived.

We shall see what we do with the opportunities given to us. Good night!

6 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear about your loss. I am sitting here looking at my 8.5 ye old Great Dane with tears in my eyes. Remember the good times.

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  2. The loss of a pet is devastating. My sympathy to you. Hopefully Xena is in a place full of Akitas that she can reign over. The shirt came out great, and you may actually get more wear out of it as a short sleeved version.

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  3. My sincere condolences on the loss of Xena. She and Roxie are fortunate to have had you as a part of their lives.

    Nice shirt! I'm looking forward to see what your next project will be.

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  4. Thank you all for your kind comments. I wasn't sure if I should mention Xena or not. I certainly didn't mean to write an Obit, but I knew that everyone who has a loved pet would understand. Our pets are part of who we are, just like our sewing. The best I can do now is to make a vintage Aloha Shirt next, maybe two. I have a funny Joe Boxer floating slices of watermelon print and a true Aloha print I brought back from my trip to Hawaii two years ago.

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  5. I'm so sorry for your loss. She leaves with a bit of your heart, but she also gave you the memories which will last forever.

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