Commedia

Today I finished the Theatre History unit on Commedia dell arte that I started with the mentorship students yesterday. I gave them a brief overview and then listened to their reports on one of the stock characters. Then we did some improvisation on our feet. It was fun to see them take the character on a walk around the room. Commedia is great fun because you can be irreverent and silly and you don't have to stick to the lines.

I had taught this same module two years ago but I didn't go as far. This year I had them do a whole little scenario (a summary of plot points, not really lines). And we did it outside on some old timbers (even with buzzing wasps) and the students were good sports. So much focus is given to the early commedia troups in using masks that I wanted to incorporate them somehow, but of course the only masks I know of around here are Greek or homemade and really don't resemble Commedia, so... we made our own temporary ones out of tin foil in about 10 minutes! Some kinda fell apart, but it was fun for a try and really influenced some of the actors to use their bodies in expressive and imaginative ways!

After class our family had a little picnic in the old playground and then we had to play on the new playground, of course. It was nice to go a little further than our backyard to have lunch. And that was Weston's idea - the picnic. He loves picnics. We have to be careful though these days with all the wasps keen on getting a sugar hit before they hibernate. Seems like they can smell a fresh apple a mile away!

Oh, an incredible wind that just came up ALL OF A SUDDEN. The trees are bending and many leaves are being ripped off! We NEVER had weather turns like this that I can remember growing up in Oregon. Seems like down there you could sense weather coming for hours before it changed. The boys are so excited. "Look Dad! There goes a HUGE tumbleweed!" "Do you think stick land will be blown away?" -"Let's make some cocoa!"

-Poor Donovan lost two privileges tonight and it's hitting him pretty hard. Not only did I make s'more cookies, but we happen to have his favorite pop in the fridge: Cranberry Soda and that also constitutes as a special treat. He lost his movie privilege as well and that sobers us all. We may decide that none of will watch a movie tonight as part of the consequence. It's hard for the boys to understand our logic, but we have to come through on our word and help them. Hopefully we can pull out a board game or do some charades.

Disobedience wares us all out, but overall I'm grateful for the amount of time that we are home together. It's way more than when one of us in a play. We just don't get quite as much work done.

Dave and I are both very tired between our activities. I can only read about eight pages of Calvin and Hobbes with the boys snuggled in with me on the couch before I feel REALLY sleepy. David too. As you can see in the blurry pic, he got a cat nap in right after our picnic!

Still, we have little to complain about and long to savor each golden September day before the col sets in. I think we have a storm coming now!