Tornado!
On Thursday morning we received a warning about an impending tornado in our county. An hour later came the message from a family member, a pilot, to “hunker down, guys, this is going to be serious.” Schools were closed at noon, and remained closed the next day. Two gardeners walked down on the grassy slope behind our cottage to blow away leaves and needles and, with a net on a stick, clean out the drains coming from the property to drain into the large pit next to the house and the small pond at the very bottom. Minutes later, we saw them running back to their car, as torrential rains pelted down on them. Fierce winds blew rain against the windows. At the bottom of the lawn and into the Divide a new, four feet wide stream of water came gushing down towards the small pond. The little stream that flows from there to the large pond in Wimbledon exceeded its banks as far as I could see from the bedroom window and I can’t wait to go down there when the ground has dried a little and investigate my trail. That night, the rain subsided a bit and when I walked Lani in hurricane force winds, we almost stepped on a small frog. A new living creature to Lani, she did not suddenly pull to get it, as she would have done before, thanks to the new collar!
Fashion Show
On Friday afternoon they announced a “wear red” fashion show at 2:00 p.m. in the dining room. Other than “wear red in honor of the victims of heart disease” not much information was forthcoming. When I arrived, I saw more than I expected. It ended up to be a real party. Tables set out with linen tablecloths, little plates with red napkins, pink mimosas. The chef at the head of the room had outdone himself on fancy appetizers (come and get it) and those who did not have anything red to wear got a red feather-boa. People from Assisted Living were already seated and others found a table in expectation of things to come. The music was lively and so were conversations.
Remembering the fun fashion shows in California I had showed in, I printed a one page document for the announcer to read, telling the audience what I was wearing. I fancied it up a bit, to make it more interesting. Just for fun, I will print it here:
Ronny is wearing a black sweater with a textured front, which she acquired in a boutique when she visited her mother in the Netherlands.
The white “thousand shells” lei comes from the Big Island of Hawaii, where Ronny and her husband resided for twelve years. In those days Ronny used this lei frequently when dancing hula.
At that point I was inspired to stand still, bend my knees and do a few hip motions indicating “around the island”. I had not planned that, but the audience roared 🙂
Ronny’s red, tiered skirt was manufactured by her friend Anna Konya, (annakonyadesigns.com), a special designer in California. Look closely and you will see some tiers in a Hawaiian design, like she does in every skirt she creates.
The red handbag is an original Gianni Bini, a designer who was born in New York from Italian Parents.
Ronny’s black leather boots are from the popular Born Footwear Collection.
And…because she always likes to be prepared, she is carrying her red travel umbrella, just in case of an unexpected shower.
(At that point I stood still, opened my little red umbrella, put it on my right shoulder and walked on. The audience cheered and laughed and clapped!)
The runway with the red carpet was very short, about 150 feet. As I would do in a professional show, I walked to the end, turning to the left and right to show my outfit, twirled twice, to show my wide, tiered red skirt, then back and forth again, at the beginning turned around and walked back the same way. What fun!
Other people were encouraged to walk on the runway, but of course they did just that, walk to the end of the runway, cheered on by the crowd. The new Executive Director walked, and a few employees as well. At the end everyone started dancing. An hour later we enjoyed the Friday Happy Hour and dinner.
It’s a Wonderful Life!
Until next time,
Ronny