Brain's Last Weekend and Other Monday Musings

Benjamin's pet rat Brain spent his last weekend with us.  We heard a loud thud coming from Benjamin's weekend.  When Benjamin investigated, he found his pet rat, Brain, decked out dead on the bottom of their cage.  We don't know what happened, but it must have been sudden and quick.  Brain must have been on an upper level and then dropped like a stone.  Rats don't always live long, and we had her for at least a couple of years.

Pinky remains with us, and Benjamin's concentration and affection will be on her.  Rats are social animals, and with Brain gone, she will need the increased contact from Benjamin to do well.

Tootsie, our foster dog, is very sweet and intelligent, but we are not big dog people and our fostering arrangement is coming to an end.  She will remain available, and some lucky family will be rewarded with this amazing animal.  

I saw two plays over the weekend.  One was Psycho:The Musical.  It was entertaining, and showed the value of little theater, which represents a highly skilled ensemble cast, people who are close knit and respond well to a director they like.  The other was Alice In Wonderland, put on by the Girl Scouts at Flying Dragon.  It showed the value in giving our children stage exposure and experience, and is always a delight to see the children grow in ability and confidence.

Currently, our family is involved in a third kind of theater, community theater, preparing the production of A Christmas Carol.  It does not have the tight control and finely honed craft of a little theater, nor the kinder tolerance and learning nature of a children's theater, but it does give many in the community the opportunity of putting on an entertaining, enriching show, that contains a balance of newcomers and veterans.

Any truly great community offers all three types.  I am grateful that Waycross does.

I had a close friend lose her beloved Grandmother, someone she was very close to, early in the weekend.  She was able to visit her quite a bit at Baptist Village (a retirement center and nursing home) the last few days.  Both of my parents died too suddenly to spend any last time with them, so I can very much appreciate being able to do that.

I have a just a two day workweek.  I have Wednesday as a vacation day, Thursday and Friday as holidays.  I am looking forward to it, particularly with my middle son Doug coming down. Maybe, also, I can get some writing done.

We'll see.

Until next time,

T. M. Strait