Nordic Ware Holiday Wreath Bundt Pan

This beautiful Nordic Ware Holiday Wreath Bundt Pan was a present last Christmas. I was excited  to use the pan this year and  make my Christmas Cherry Wine cake.  This Holiday Wreath Bundt Pan has beautiful intricate pine cone and holiday bow designs and I think the final cake turned out very festive.

Cherry Wine Cake Recipe:
1 box white cake mix
4 eggs
¾ cup oil
1 cup cherry wine
1 (3 oz) pkg. cherry jello

Glaze:
½ cup cherry wine
1 ¾ cup confectionery sugar

1. Spray bundt pan with "Baker's Secret" or butter pan and dust with flour. 
2. Preheat oven at 325 degrees. 
3. Combine cake mix, jello, eggs, oil, and 1 cup of wine. 
4. Pour into pan. 
5. Bake for 60 minutes or until cake is done.  
6. Remove from oven and pierce cake while in pan with pick. 
7. Make glaze. 
8. Pour over warm cake. 
9. Let cake sit 15 minutes before removing from pan

Mr. Redford's First Christmas Snow

Oh the decisions to be made on a snowy day… attack the falling snow on the window pane or the Christmas tree? This is the first snow of the season and first Christmas for my new kitten, Robert Redford. Purposely left decorations off in the back of the tree and only decorated with nonbreakable ornaments. He has only chewed the bottom branches of the tree and loves to play under it. What fun he is having!

Indiana Pressed Glass Willow Cream and Sugar

Indiana Pressed Glass Willow (Oleander - Magnolia) leaf pattern cream and sugar from my Grandmother Miller's home. Some collectors call this pattern WOM, a combination of the three pattern names. This pattern was produced in the late 1930's and sold mainly through Montgomery Wards catalogs in the 1940's. Woolworth's sold a large line of glassware that is now considered vintage or antique.  The sugar and creamer sets were reissued by Indiana Glass in 1974 without the tray which might explain way there are so many Willow sugar and creamer sets missing the tray.

The creamer measures 2 3/4" in diameter x 3 1/4" high and  handles have decorative glass design.

The Sugar bowl measures 2 3/4" in diameter x 3" high and didn't come with a lid.

 

Piedmont Opera's Production of Silent NIght

I enjoyed a night at the Piedmont Opera's production of Silent Night to honor the 100th anniversary of America’s entrance into the Great War. Silent Night is based on the screenplay by Christian Carion for the motion picture Joyeux Noël  and is sung in English, German, French, Italian and Latin. Silent Night was easy to follow with the English translations projected above the stage as well as the informative pre-show talk. Here's the synopsis of the opera.

Prologue
Late summer, 1914 War is declared. At a Berlin opera house, the announcement disrupts the careers and personal lives of international opera singers Anna Sørensen and Nikolaus Sprink. In a small church in Scotland, it inspires dreams of heroism in William who demands that his younger brother Jonathan immediately enlist with him as their priest, Father Palmer, looks helplessly on. In the apartment of the Audeberts in Paris, it angers Madeleine who excoriates her husband for leaving to fight while she is pregnant with their first child. Amid the fervor of nationalistic songs, the men prepare to leave for war.

Act I  In and around a battlefield in Belgium, near the French border, around Christmas Scene one – December 23, late afternoon
A horrific battle is fought between the Germans and the French and Scottish. An attempt by the French and Scottish soldiers to infiltrate the German bunker fails miserably; corpses begin to pile up in the no-man’s land between the three bunkers. Nikolaus is seen violently engaging in combat–stabbing a man to death and growing in despair at the violence. William is shot, Jonathan must leave his brother behind to die.
Scene two – December 23, evening
In the Scottish bunker, Lieutenant Gordon assesses the casualties after the battle. Father Palmer attempts to offer solace to Jonathan in prayer. In the French bunker, Lieutenant Audebert discovers the French General waiting in his makeshift office, who reprimands him for surrendering and threatens him with a transfer. The General leaves and Audebert laments the loss of his wife’s photograph to his aide-de-camp, Ponchel. When he is alone, Audebert tallies the casualties in the last battle, while missing Madeleine and their child who he has not yet seen. He sings of needing sleep, a sentiment echoed by all of the soldiers. As it starts to snow, covering the corpses in no man’s land, the soldiers slowly begin to sleep. Alone in the German bunker, Nikolaus reveals to an imagined Anna his despair about war.
Scene three – December 24, morning
In the German bunker, crates have arrived – and little Christmas trees from the Kronprinz. Lieutenant Horstmayer criticizes the Kronprinz for not sending them more useful presents, like ammunition and reinforcements. He receives a directive from headquarters that Nikolaus has been ordered to sing at the nearby chalet of the Kronprinz, along with one Anna Sørensen. Nikolaus departs for the chalet, excited that he will be reunited with Anna again after many months apart. The French soldiers have received crates of wine, sausages and chocolates from the quartermaster and open them jubilantly. Ponchel, a barber by trade, brings coffee to Audebert and sits him down for a haircut. He is reminded of having coffee with his mother every morning, who lives only an hour away by foot. The alarm clock he carries next to his heart at all times (which shielded him from a bullet in the last battle) rings at ten o’clock every morning to remind him of their daily meeting. In the Scottish bunker, crates of whiskey have arrived from home. Jonathan writes a letter to his mother, not mentioning his brother’s death.
Scene four – December 24, early evening
At the chalet of the Kronprinz, Anna and Nikolaus perform a duet. Following the performance, they steal a few moments on a terrace outside. Anna notices the cruel effect war has had on her lover’s spirit. She has arranged for Nikolaus to spend the night with her and is angry when he says he must return to his fellow soldiers. She vows to accompany him back to the battlefield.
Scene five – December 24, night
In the French bunker, Gueusselin volunteers to infiltrate the German bunker, and with several grenades, sidles onto noman’s land. The Scottish soldiers drink whiskey and play a bagpipe that another unit has sent them, as Father Palmer sings a sentimental ballad about home. The men in the other bunkers hear the song and react to it with sadness, caution and annoyance. Nikolaus arrives; his fellow soldiers greet him with cheers and applause and gasp in amazement at seeing Anna with him. When the song in the Scottish bunker is finished, Nikolaus sings a rousing Christmas song loudly in response and midway through the bagpiper begins to accompany. Emboldened, Nikolaus stands atop the bunker raising a Christmas tree as a gesture of friendship. Against the protestations of their superiors, the soldiers from all bunkers stand. Nikolaus bravely moves to the center of no-man’s land. Gueusselin abandons his plan to grenade the German bunker. Eventually, the three lieutenants, waving a white flag of truce, agree to a cease-fire … but only on Christmas Eve. The soldiers slowly and cautiously move toward each other. They share their provisions, their photos and their names. Anna appears and all of the soldiers are awed by the sight of a woman. Father Palmer has set up a makeshift church and celebrates mass with the men, while Jonathan finds his brother’s body and vows revenge. Father Palmer finishes the mass and urges the men to “go in peace” as bombs explode menacingly in the distance.

Act II
Scene one – December 25, dawn
The following morning, Jonathan tries to bury his brother. Because the truce is officially over, two German sentries are prepared to shoot him, although Father Palmer and Lieutenant Gordon intervene. Looking on, Horstmayer proposes that it may indeed be time to bury all of the dead. The three lieutenants meet and decide over coffee that the truce will be extended until after the dead in no-man’s land are buried.
Scene two – December 25, late morning, early afternoon
The soldiers pile up the corpses, Father Palmer delivers last rites and the soldiers form a processional bearing the wagon of bodies away. Anna looks on with Nikolaus and promises that he will not suffer the same fate.
Scene three – December 25, all day
In the meantime, news of the cease-fire has reached headquarters, and the British Major, the Kronprinz and the French General all react in anger and disbelief. They declare that they will punish the soldiers for their betrayal.
Scene four – December 25, evening
Lieutenant Horstmayer prepares to return to war and Nikolaus berates him for his allegiance to the Fatherland. Horstmayer arrests Nikolaus for insubordination, but Anna takes his hand firmly and leads him across no-man’s land as Horstmayer orders his men to shoot, but no one moves. Reaching the French bunker unharmed, Nikolaus regains his voice and demands asylum for he and Anna.
Scene five – December 26, late morning
The British Major admonishes the Scottish soldiers for participating in the Christmas truce. They are to be transferred to the front lines. When a German soldier is seen crossing the battlefield, the Major orders him killed. Jonathan complies and dispassionately shoots the man.
Lieutenant Audebert returns to his small office and discovers the French General there. The General tells Audebert that he will be transferred to Verdun as punishment for consorting with the enemy and that his unit will be disbanded. Audebert informs the French General – his father – that he has learned he has an infant son named Henri. They vow to survive the war for the child’s sake.
The Kronprinz angrily announces that the German soldiers are to be deployed in Pomerania as punishment. As the soldiers are taken off in a boxcar, they hum the Scottish ballad they heard in the bunker on Christmas Eve. The battlefield is now completely empty. Snow begins to fall again.

Mamma Mia - It's A Hit (Winson-Salem Journal Review by Lynn Felder)

Break out the champagne. We’ve got a hit, folks.

Photo by Danny Alverez

Oh, don’t bother with the alcohol. “Mamma Mia!”, which opened Friday at Little Theatre of Winston-Salem, has enough sparkle and bubble to make you feel like a dancing queen. The 100 percent natural and hangover-free high of “Mamma Mia!” is provided by a huge cast, a full orchestra and chorus; boatloads of energy — both youthful and not-so — and several bushels of sequins.

The irrepressible music of ABBA also helps. From “Dancing Queen” to “Money, Money, Money” and “Waterloo,” the hits just keep on coming, and this cast delivers them with gusto.

The plot is skimpy and convoluted, but ultimately sweet and funny.

Donna, the owner of a struggling taverna on a tiny Greek Island, had a daughter 21 years ago with somebody — either Sam, Bill or Harry.
Said daughter, Sophie, has summoned these three back to Greece on the eve of her wedding to Sky. Thus begins a 24-hour sprint to discover who’s her daddy. She wants her father to walk her down the aisle.

Donna is understandably flummoxed by the sudden appearance of these long-ago lovers, but she gets support from Tanya and Rosie. They all comprised a girl rock band back in the day, Donna and the Dynamos.

Jennifer deCoste is a lusty Donna, not at all subdued by time and financial struggles. She is a spitfire. DeCoste’s rich voice is particularly well-suited to the ABBA pop, which ranges from silly to soulful.
Jean-Marie Buckley as Tanya and Ruthie Tutterow as Rosie both display fearless physicality and great comic timing.

And, speaking of physicality, the Mutt and Jeff duo of Dru Billings as Pepper and Nic Zayas as Eddie are standouts. Stephen Gunter, a high school student at UNC School of the Arts, raises the performance level of the whole chorus.

The May-December flirtation between Billings and Buckley is delirious. He defines lanky, and she is petite and curvy. They are hilarious and outrageous together.

Graham Harrington is sweetly appealing as Sophie, giving lovely voice to “I Have a Dream” and “Name of the Game.” Andrew Duggins as Sky is a good match for her. Becky Koza as Ali and Meredith Brown as Lisa, Sophie’s friends, are frothy, buoyant and a joy to watch.

The three dads, Sam played by Troy Hurst, Bill played by Mark Flora and Harry played by Glenn Otterbacher, are all in, fully committed.

The creative team, Justin Bulla, director; Garrett Saake, music director; and Kacy E. Crabtree, choreographer, have really pulled off an amazing piece of entertainment. Crabtree has made dances that suit the performers — pushing the ones who can handle it to great heights. In a show that is about free spirits singing and dancing, anything goes — even snorkels and flippers on “Lay All Your Love on Me.” It’s a lark!

Justin Hall has outdone himself on the costumes — all complement the performers and the movement.

I almost never think a show moves fast enough on opening night, but I’ve got to hand it to Little Theatre: This one is ready for prime time.

Need a little getaway to a Greek island, a night of total escape and joy? “Mamma Mia!” is just the ticket.

Robert Redford the "Red (Flame) Point Siamese"

Introducing my newly adopted rescue “flame/red point” Siamese kitten. He’s such a handsome fellow with reddish points and blue eyes that I could not resist naming him Robert Redford! Mr. Redford is very curious, entertaining and a chatterbox. He is a delightful pet and a wonderful addition to my household.

What is a Flame Point Siamese cat? These cats were introduced into the Siamese breed in the UK during the 1930s. Seal Point Siamese were bred with red tabby or tortoiseshell British Short hair cats that carried Orange genes. 

Appearance:

• Their coat is cream colored
• Their points are a coppery-gold color
• They have bright blue eyes
• Their nose and paw pads are pink
• They have coppery-gold stripes on their face, tail and legs

Bees and Chinese/garlic Chives

Nearing the end of summer, the Chinese/garlic chive begin to flower in my herb garden.  Chives are extremely attractive to bees and have plenty of pollen in their flowers. What a joy to watch these bumblebees flit from flower to flower gathering pollen.

This lady is filling her pollen basket (orange mass on her leg) with pollen.

Hard working bumblebee feasting on the white flowers of my Chinese/garlic chives.

Monarch butterflies and Milkweed

I have enjoyed visiting this small stand of milkweed this summer near the edge of the garden to see who might be dining.

A monarch butterfly feasts on milkweed nectar

Milkweed is the only plant the Monarch Butterflies use to breed and is the main source of food for their developing larvae.

Common milkweed with Monarch

The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem "Mamma Mia" Cast

Sophie Sheridan – Graham Harrington

Ali – Becky Koza

Lisa – Meredith Brown

Donna Sheridan – Jennifer deCoste

Tanya – Jean-Marie Buckley

Rosie – Ruthie Tutterow

Sky – Andrew Duggins

Pepper – Dru Billings

Eddie – Nick Zayas

Harry Bright – Glenn Otterbacher

Bill Austin – Mark Flora

Sam Carmichael – Troy Hurst

Father Alexandrios – John Foltz

​

Ensemble

Shelly Beard

Destiny Boyd

Elissa Brannan

CJ Brewer

Sean Browne

Cessily Evans

John Foltz

Devante Goolsby

Stephen Gunter

Angela Hodges

Elizabeth Lopina

Matthew Monroe

Lora Mouna

Anne O’Brien

Talley Sugg

Richard Talbot

On a small Greek island, Sophie dreams of a perfect wedding — one which includes her father giving her away. The problem? Sophie doesn’t know who he is! Her mother Donna, the former lead singer of the 1970s pop group Donna and the Dynamos, refuses to talk about the past, so Sophie decides to take matters into her own hands. Sneaking a peek in her mother’s old diaries, she discovers three possible fathers: Sam, Bill, and Harry. She secretly invites all three to the wedding, convinced that she’ll know her father when she sees him. But when all three turn up, it may not be as clear as she thought! Told through the legendary music of ABBA, Mamma Mia! has become a worldwide sensation that has audiences everywhere dancing.

Chasing Butterflies

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail female butterfly attracted to the milkweed plant.

Using it's proboscis, this butterfly drinks nectar from a milkweed flower.

These two Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies are swift fliers and didn't stay long.

This Pinepevine Swallowtail  on my butterfly bush proved difficult to capture a photo.

Lovely Lavender and Bees

Lavender is at the top of my list for a great bee-attracting plant and my lavender plants have been very popular among the bees this summer. Not only does the Lavender plants smell heavenly but they can be used to make Lavender tea and other baked goods. 

Bumblebee enjoying the Lavender

The Honeybee has discovered my newest Lavender plant just beginning to bloom.

Monarch Caterpillar

There’s a small patch of milkweed plants near the garden that the bees and butterflies love the flowers of the milkweed. Happy to see this Monarch (larva) caterpillar munching on the leaves one of the milkweed plants. Looking forward to seeing it change into a beautiful Monarch butterfly.

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LMC Summer Theatre "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Coast

Lees McRae Summer Theatre
 "JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT"  CAST

Director/Choreographer Dr. Janet Speer
Women/children’s Chorus Choreography Kim Krege Florio
Dance Captain Jarrett Koski

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Narrators: Kim Krege Florio, Courteney McClutchy, Emma

Jordan, Kariana Sanchez, Jael Gadsden, and Caitie Moss

Joseph: Kevin Korczynski

Jacob: Dick Larson

Reuben: William A. Martin

Simeon: Landon Ricker

Levi: Jarrett Koski

Napthali: Gabe Vanover

Issachar: Thao Nguyen

Asher: RJ Christian

Dan: Nic Baynum

Zebulon: Ben Lamoureux

Gad: Jason Carroll

Benjamin: Carsten Kjaerulff

Judah: Jabriel Shelton

Potipher: Gabe Vanover

Mrs. Potipher: Geana Anderson Welter

Butler: Jason Carroll

Baker: Corey Barrow

Pharaoh: Dominic Aquilino

Ensemble:  Angela Hodges, Barbara Hosbein, Beth Allison, Bryce Palmyra, Claire Kimmel, Corey Barrow, Daniel Binder, Elizabeth Hardy, Geana Anderson Welter, Isabella Karatowicz, Jackson Whiting, Jacob Florio, Jacob Vergara, Jennette Calvert, Jenny Fitzpatrick, Joanne Thompson, John Priar, Kalli Collins, Katelyn Woolard, Kelsy Martin, Laura Carringer, Nina Allbert, Rachel Sabo Hedges, Sarah Bickley, Sunny Binder, Will Garrett

Children’s chorus:  Addison Fitzpatrick, Alice Oden, Alli Grace Pittman, Annie Yawn, Ava Knight, Ben Vergara, Bodhi Parker, Casey Knight, Cassidy Birks-Kilman, Clara Oden, Elijah Calvert, Gabe Knight, Gabe Guignard, Gloria Guignard, Isabella Hardy, Izzy Garrett, Jackson Best, Jaclyn Binder, Kaleil Yawn, Katie Birks-Kilman, Keller Best, Keller Wallin, Lauren Burnley, Lilly Birks-Kilman, Lizzy Knight, Madirose Hicks, Marly Vergara, Reese Campbell, Sam O’Brien, Sarah Birks-Kilman

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat kicks off the Summer Theatre main-stage season June 25

The Lees-McRae College Hayes Auditorium and Broyhill Theatre stage will come to life in vibrant colors on June 25 with the premiere of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

The first of three shows in the highly anticipated Lees-McRae Summer Theatre line up, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat tells the biblical saga of Joseph, a young, prophetic boy sold into slavery by his jealous brothers.

Family-friendly and set to an engaging cornucopia of musical styles, from country-western and calypso to bubble-gum pop and rock ‘n’ roll, this Book of Genesis tale emerges both timely and timeless.

Directed by Janet Barton Speer and written by Phantom of the Opera writers, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, the two-hour long show will take place June 27-30 at 7 p.m. and June 25 and July 1-2 at 2 p.m.

“I have directed “Joseph” four times previously and still find it as exciting as the first time I experienced it,” Speer said. “I am taken with the way Webber and Rice created this piece, using vaudeville, song and dance–and even some clogging in our show–to tell the biblical story.”

My Perennial Flower Garden

Always a surprise and delight to see my perennial flower garden in bloom. My island of mixed perennials consist of  Red Hot Poker, Iris, Lupine, Yarrow, Lavender, and Stella De Oro daylily. The Lavender and Stella De Oro have buds and are getting ready to bloom.

My Mother planted these Lupines and I'm always happy to see them return each spring.

Red Hot Pokers are putting on a show!

Installing my Nucleus Hive of Honeybees

1. Collected my nucleus hive of bees from Beech Mountain Beekeeping. Secured in car to make sure no bees can escape during the journey to Banner Elk.
2. Placed nuc hive in position near the hive stand.
3. Placed new hive on the stand, with the entrance block in place to reduce the entrance.
4. Sprayed three empty frames with sugar water.
5. Opened nuc hive and gently smoked the bees.
6. Lifted out first frame of bees and placed in hive.
7. Continued to transfer remaining frames of bees.
8. Added one frame of foundation at front and in-between each frame of bees.
9. Shook any bees still in the nuc hive into the new hive.
10. Fitted crown board and the hive roof.
11. Gave the bees a feeder full of syrup. Will continue feeding until the bees have drawn out all the frames of foundation.