OOPS!!!

I had hoped to show you the back of the "waistcoat" for the older granddaughter, the one whose birthday is on December 12. It was coming along just great! and was already 17" long, out of 19 3/4" needed, after a quick start on Saturday, and lots of knitting on Sunday and especially Monday.

Sunday we drove to Brooks for the rehearsal and two performances of Handel's Messiah. It was a beautiful winter day, bright sun gleaming on fresh white snow, and the roads were blessedly clear. We arrived during the noon hour and got a room at the Super 8, actually, a suite with two fireplaces. I had thought that maybe we should reserve a room for that night, based on our previous experience in Brooks. In the 70's one June weekend we went for a little jaunt around Alberta to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We ended up in Brooks and looked for a motel room. Not a room to be had!! and we finally were offered what was actually a broom closet in the Brooks Hotel. We took it, and were awakened the next morning by the maid coming in to get her equipment.

But this weekend was a different story. I think we were the only people in that wing of the motel. It was a great room and perfectly quiet all night.

The rehearsal was very poor, but you know what they say, "Bad rehearsal, good performance." The 4:30 performance was o.k., but needed some tweaking. The 7:30 performance was much better. It was a smallish stage (in a school auditorium) for the 100 or so singers, so they had to stand on risers for the entire concert, mercifully brief at about 70 minutes. But counting the rehearsal and the two performances, by the end of the evening, the choir had been standing for over three hours.

At the end of the second performance, just before the "Hallelujah Chorus" a soprano fainted, and knocked the soprano in front of her off the stage and into the orchestra, where she knocked over the bass player's music stand and fell between the risers holding the cello and the bass. Fortunately, she was only shaken up,not injured, and the fainting soprano revived and said, "I'm all right, I'm all right." She was helped off the stage and the other gal was helped back up onto the stage, and we gave a rousing rendition of the Hallelujah Chorus. A concert that we'll all remember!

After a relaxing start to Monday morning, as Jim drove home, I knitted diligently on the waistcoat, and continued knitting at home until 6 p.m. when my right arm started to ache. Then I quit since I needed that arm to play on Tuesday evening.

So last night we were in Rosebud giving the final performance, a very fun concert because it included two other Rosebud choirs, and the children's group which always gives a good and polished skit at the Christmas concert. I took along my knitting, since I knew it would be a very relaxed atmosphere, and worked on it before the concert and during the first half.

After the concert there were refreshments served, and Susan and I grabbed a bite to eat before we left for home. It was only when I parked the car and gathered up my things to take them inside that I realized I HAD LEFT THE KNITTING BAG BEHIND!!! Alas! It means that there's no way on earth that waistcoat will be ready to be mailed on Friday. It means that dear granddaughter will have to wait for her present.

So today I'm back to working on the waistcoat for the younger granddaughter. It's coming along well, so maybe this one will be finished on time for her birthday.

Sorry, Sweetie!!! Grammy meant well, but just didn't hit the mark this time.