The Luau
A lovely flyer went out early this week announcing that Waltonwood was going to have a first time ever Hawaiian Luau in the Café, with food, libations, flowers, music and hula. I am not sure that the new, young Activities Director and her new, young assistant really knew what a Luau entailed, but they designed the flyer and prepared for the setup of many chairs in the Café. When Mike arrived an hour before the show he found out that a monthly birthday dinner had been scheduled for the same afternoon and a long, L-shaped table was being set up in the Café and with it all the available chairs. Communication in this place is zero! In the end, thank goodness, everything worked out. I danced on the wooden floor next to the MC, and people were sitting in the hallway and across, in the Player’s Room.
At home, the days before the show, I practiced two dances, cutting out a third one because I am still being treated for pain in my SI joint! I got my beautiful long, blond real-hair wig out of the closet and made a quick trip to WalMart to get rollers, because the hair was very straight. A heavy metal candle stick served as a stand for the styrofoam head that my wig was pinned onto. A 25th wedding anniversary gift from a good friend in Pasadena, it changed purpose long ago when we did not burn real candles anymore and has served me as a hat stand for many years. Now, it was perfect to put the head with the wig on and put rollers in for a day and a night. Don’t you love it when an item can be used for many different purposes? A few hours before the show my wig was beautiful with soft waves, and the fact that a few of my real bangs 
were a shade darker was not a problem, because I wore a white flower haku lei on my head to match the lei around my neck. It looked beautiful! I looked beautiful! I had selected a floral Muumuu and went to the Club on easy-to-take-off slippers, because I would dance on bare feet.
First I went to the Assisted Living/Memory Care, where my MC was performing already. I danced my two hulas, and everybody enjoyed it. I remember all 
those who lived in Independent Living before; it was fun to see them again and dance for them. Then I went over to our side of the building. Chairs were being set up in the hallway, then more chairs in the Players Room, as the audience grew. They served Margarita’s (looking just like Mai Tai’s, and I don’t think anyone knew the difference), and chips with a dip and meatballs. Delicious, said everyone! I only had one Margarita because I had to dance, but everyone feasted on the delicious food and drink.
My MC came over with her instruments, set up, and played our slack key CDs, interspersed by my dances and explanation of what hula really is. I deemed that necessary after people had been asking me if I had a grass skirt, if I was belly dancing, if I would be dancing Tiny Bubbles, wave my hands like this and told me they would definitely not be volunteering to dance when asked, and so on. All Hollywood images! The fact that as a tourist attraction people in the audience are asked to come on stage to learn to dance hula is absurd. It downplays hula, makes fun of the volunteers and gets laughs from the audience. Perhaps that’s what they are doing it for.
We had over 50 people in the audience, someone said, and it was a great success.
The morning after
Oh,Oh! My Sacroiliac joint was not happy. I have been taking Advil and sat with ice packs during our morning coffee, and immediately started doing my floor exercises again three times a day. With no therapy until Monday morning, I am hoping that the pain will be at the level it was before Thursday afternoon or better. Keeping my fingers crossed!
It’s a Wonderful Life!
Until next time,
Ronny