Rain, Rain Go Away

Well, last year we had a serious drought.  This spring it started raining and wouldn't quit.  With Iowa River flooding predicted, the University of Iowa began putting up flood barriers around building, and there was lots of sandbagging.  University buildings close to the river, such as the Theater Building, were closed, and students were evacuated out of the Mayflower Dorm.

The closure of the UI Theater Building meant changes in the Summer Repertory Theater schedule. Rather than the anticipated three plays, the schedule was reduced to one play, and the venue was moved to the local performing arts center.  We saw the "Bad Seed" on stage.  I remember the 1950's movie which I found very creepy.  The play had the same premise, but was purposely played "over the top," so the audience was regularly laughing that the people in the play weren't catching on to the obvious.

Next up was the UI Summer Opera, Gilbert and Sullivan's "Iolanthe."  I was unfamiliar with that operetta.

I did finish another piece, "Broken Heart," by Charlette's Collectibles.  I changed the colors from red, blue and cream to shades of green and purple.  And I changed the saying on the piece.  It took some time to think about and find a saying that I liked.  I ended up Googling "broken heart quotations," and looking through pages and pages of quotations.  I finally found one: "Only the broken heart has the ghost of a chance to grieve, to forgive, to long, to transform," by Christina Baldwin, author of "Life's Companion, Journal Writing as a Spiritual Practice.  The quote was used with the author's permission by Judith-Victoria Douglas, "Ariel's Cottage: A Place for Love."  That gave me the idea of what I wanted to say on the stitched piece.

This March was the 6th anniversary of my husband's death.  Sometimes it seems like just yesterday and the tears start, but I am trying to piece my broken heart back together, like I take cut-up pieces of fabric and transform them into a quilt.