Back in the Saddle

Sorry for the delay since my last “transmission.” It’s been a hectic September with lots of house bidness, instructional design work and koi-pond related chores. So blogging was definitely on the back burner. Anyway, here’s what’s been going on in the proverbial nutshell:

First, we put up a new fence in the back yard – even though the old one had kind of that “ivy in Wrigley Field” charm to it. By that I mean, the ivy was basically holding up the fence and not the other way around. For all its nostalgia value, though, it had to go – especially as our adjacent neighbor decided to sell his property. I can just see the realtor now, “And one of the quaint features of this home is the fence falling down into the neighbor’s property. But they’re really nice people and I understand the husband writes a most amusing blog….”

We also had the tree trimmers come out and do a little whacking away at our avocado and magnolia trees which were both getting pretty out of hand too – although I have to say that raking up all the leaves did put me into something of a Zen-like state of transcendental calm. As in: “Carry water. Cut wood. Rake leaves.”

On the business front, I went over to Stanford to monitor a 3-day course called “Executing Complex Programs.” Although the title did conjure up some macabre visions, it was a fascinating experience to share a lecture hall filled with 70-80 extremely smart program managers from all around the country/world. It was a very cosmopolitan vibe and I found it very stimulating to talk with folks from organizations ranging from the Brazilian Navy to Walmart. It also brought home how fortunate I am to be living/working in this intersection between the theater world and the “corporate” environment. I guess my dream is that somehow the two worlds could be integrated in some way and learn from each other. But quien sabe anyhow?

Next, we did a “partial clean” on our koi pond. In the course of doing so, we discovered that our tree trimmer was also into fish and had a pretty empty pond of his own out near the wilds of Morgan Hill/Gilroy. So we transferred over to him something like 15-20 of our fish. Go with god, my finny friends!

We also had Mike, the “fridge guy,” come over a number of times to try and get our old Maytag working again. Basically, the freezer would be frigid and fine but the bottom part was as warm and muggy as DC in August. Turns out that this is a fairly common complaint with old refrigerators. Poor Mike had to make three trips but we think we have it licked now. But keep your fingers crossed. Every time I open the door I pat the milk carton apprehensively just to make sure it’s still cool and not curdled. But so far, so good!

We also did a flurry of last minute errands and packing and housecleaning to get Beatrice ready for an extended visit with her Mom and Dad. Her Daddy-o is 93 and has been going through a little bit of bad patch lately. So please send all sorts of prayers, good wishes, positive vibes, and personal checks to Saint-Paul-les-Dax care of la famille Brodberger.

Okay, okay! I’m kidding about that personal checks part… kinda/sorta….

Finally, and most painfully, our beloved “tuxedo” cat, Figaro Dakota, passed away from kitty cancer. It’s very painful to write much about this but I’m sure all of you who have had wonderful animals in your life know what I’m talking about here. The following note from a friend beautifully captures Figgy’s spirit:

He was a real huge presence and soul. I'll never forget the night he came into (your guest) room and snuggled me and then drank my water, the little Dickens! There are cats and then there are those cats who are somehow more than cats. They really seem to be different souls trapped in a cat's physical body. They're too big to be satisfied just to do "cat things". Figgy was one of those.

Figaro also inspired me to write my first play, “Nocturne with Apples,” which was the first time I really discovered something of my own voice as a writer for the theater. So I owe that to him too as well as 15 years of happy comradeship. Figgy also inspired this haiku:

Black cat with a mouse.
How proud the mighty hunter.
Yellow lanterns shine!

Okay, time now for me to have a good cry! I'm sorry but there it is! I promise to be more cheerful next time. According to my master plan for blogosphere domination, my next post will be on the “splendors and miseries of girl singers.” You can think of it as kind of a sequel to my “country and western job aid” that I did for the boys!