in the garden - just flowers and more

Ahhh - a welcome to summer and all that it brings.

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Florida Sunflowers

grown by my good friend Janet! 

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more of those amazing Sunflowers!

You are a sunflower, my friend!

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Iris and Peonies from my garden.

Finally the sun came out and the iris and the peonies were the first to show up! 

Both are so fleeting in their bloom that I always cut a lot of them to have in the house to enjoy.

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Pink Peonies

Had an amazing crop of peonies this season - both deep pink and a very pale pink. 

For 3 weeks straight I had vases in every room filled with them.

They are so beautiful and their scent is sweet and filled with summer.

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Blue Hydrangea

Nothing says New England, and Cape Cod, more than a hydrangea to me. 

I planted this one last year after we moved in and it is coming along beautifully. I added 2 more this spring and hope for 

more blooms next year. 

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White Speedwell

These are so delicate and pretty and, along with the purple Salvia, they are magnets for bees!

I think next year I am going to put some of these in right next to the vegetables .......

a little extra help with pollination would not be a bad thing!

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White Hydrangea

I inherited a large one of these with the house last year and I divided it into 3 - all of which have almost doubled in size.

I also added another late in the summer. Hydrangeas are so continually prolific adding color and texture to the garden all summer long. 

And I still have some of last years' blooms dried and sitting in a vase on top of the refrigerator.

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The lilies - both the Daylily and Lilium varieties - have just begun to bloom along with the Shasta Daisies, Cone Flowers, and Astilbe. 

All of these will continue blooming throughout the season.

By July they should all be joined by the rest of the players; the flowering Hostas, Lianthus, Sedum, Coreopsis, Butterfly Bush, and Rose of Sharon.

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And lest we forget the veggies!

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Cipollini  Onions

This is my first time with onions and I am trying both Cipollini and one called South Carolina Sweets.

So far... so good.

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Pumpkins to be

Yes, ever since my "accidental" pumpkin patch (in Columbus, OH) I have been a fan and wanting to try it again.

So here we go...... Dried the seeds from my Halloween pumpkins last year and we currently have @ 10 healthy plants and lots of blossoms (hoping those bees find those blossoms)! I also planted Long Pie Pumpkin (also from seeds I had dried) which are currently looking just as good. 

I may have another urban pumpkin patch on my hands.

If so - we luckily have lots of children in the neighborhood and they can come pick their own Jack-O-Lantern.

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Also growing well in the garden is patty pan squash, cucumbers, tomatoes (in pots on the deck), Japanese eggplant, 

and lots of herbs.

and, of course, the gardener.

Providence, RI

June, 2014

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within the familiar - back in the saddle

Prop at Trinity Rep warehouse

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No turning back. 
I'm really doing it again! 
And - it actually feels GREAT!!

Six weeks until rehearsals begin for "Ivanov" and I am deep into my research, pulling costumes from the warehouse and theatre, fabric shopping, thrift store hunting, sketching and re-sketching. 
Repeat. 
Some characters seem very well defined in my mind while others are still searching for the "hook" I need in order to allow them to dwell in the world I am creating.  
And it needs to be consistent and have the right balance so that they can all share the space.
It is a world/time that is of it's own making- The male and female silhouettes are based in the early 1890's, definitely European, vaguely Russian, but ....... 
there is a real contemporary edge to all of it. 

"let it incubate
sprawl
be ungainly, misshapen ...
then it will emerge."


It feels so good to be back working with the words of a text. I LOVE delving into characters - listening for the character's voice, trying to understand what makes them tick. The playwright is telling us a story and the characters create that story. My job is to give the audience the visual clues that help them understand each character, how they relate to each other and all the nuance in between. 
I'm having such a good time!!!!!

Not to say that I am not having moments of indecision, fear, inadequacy, etc, etc.  But that usually accompanies any new project - no matter how many have preceded it. So all the sleepless nights and over-thinking seem quite normal at this point.
The sketches (for costumes that will need to be built from scratch) need to be ready in 4 weeks so that the shop can begin all patterns. 

Once rehearsals start we can then begin fittings and, of course, there will be changes and adjustments. There are still open questions that will not be resolved until rehearsals commence - such as the new prologue being added and what that will need in terms of costuming, how the contemporary music being written for the piece will be incorporated, and some other staging issues that we foresee.

Truthfully, that is the beauty and joy of working on the stage -
in the moment, as a community, for a purpose.

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Costumes at Trinity Rep warehouse

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