May 5, 2024

The past four days have been full of fun with friends and family! Thursday, many of our Four Old Broads gang met up for a tasty covered-dish dinner. It was fun to visit, laugh, and learn a bit of origami. (Thanks to Suzanne for hosting, to Lena for the origami lesson, and to Cindy, Elyse, Karen, Eric, Shawn, Lena, and Suzanne for a yummy dinner!)

Friday, D & I traveled to Muscle Shoals, AL for a weekend visit with his brothers in a lovely lakeside home (Thank you to Jeff & Jerri for hosting and to Michael, Karen, Russell, & Amy for joining us for our reunion!). Much fun was had! Outdoors, we fished, rode a jet ski, kayaked, played pickleball & cornhole, enjoyed a relaxing sunset cruise & a bonfire, then oohed and ahhed at fireworks. Inside, we chatted, enjoyed delectable meals, assembled creative Derby hats, and watched the Kentucky Derby.

Sunday, we all drove to Huntsville to visit some beloved spots: the final resting place of Dr. & Mrs. Meigs and their old home at 819 Watts Drive. Then, unbeknownst to me, a months-long plan was coming to fruition: we drove up to Monte Sano State Park where I was greeted by family and friends for a surprise 70th birthday party (MANY thanks to Lauren, Matthew, Joseph, David, and everyone who surprised me!)! I was totally gobsmacked because my family and friends are so good at keeping a secret, and because it was one month ahead of my birthday. What a joy it was to see so many loved ones — my heart is full!

April 7, 2024

What. A. Blast! Had SO much fun this weekend with these zany and talented actors! Along with our wonderful and dedicated directors and crew, we had a smashing (and record-breaking) first weekend presenting “Four Old Broads” in Monroe, NC! Most of us had never met until auditions, and yet — thanks to the intelligent and encouraging direction of Lena and Karen — we bonded and formed a perfect ensemble cast. The audiences were great — they laughed and encouraged us in every scene.

And the fun doesn’t stop — there are 3 more performances next weekend (unioncountyplaymakers.org)! Many thanks to those who came to support us (A heartfelt thank you to Carolyn, Elizabeth D, Yoni, Elizabeth P-V, and David!!!) I hope many more of you will join us for the very funny “Four Old Broads” — you’ll be glad you did!

March 4, 2024

Wow — what a week! D & I began the week by spreading the word to our neighbors about the March 5 Primary. We encouraged them to vote by distributing handcrafted postcards. Then, we canvassed for Indivisible in additional neighborhoods; it continues to be refreshing to have conversations with voters at their front door. In fact, one voter who wasn’t home when I knocked, sought me out when I’d moved to the other side of the street — she wanted to know more about the leaflet I’d left. I loved the fact that she was so interested! We also trained to become voter registration volunteers for YouCanVote.org (Thanks, Holly!)

There were also more entertaining rehearsals for “Four Old Broads”. I love that we’re all motivated to get together for additional practice, and that we’re all having fun playing our roles and working together. Gonna’ be a hoot — get your tickets now (UnionCountyPlaymakers.org)!

Thursday, D & I attended the campaign kickoff party for Woodson Bradley, who’s running to be our next NC State Senator. She is fierce and impressive, and she fired up the whole group of 200+ with her dynamism and her ideas. I also enjoyed hearing from Rachel Hunt, who endorsed Woodson and who is now running for NC Lt. Governor. It was exciting to see such a diverse group of supporters, including some very engaged (and engaging) teenagers!

And the week ended with a whirlwind 36-hour trip to Huntsville to celebrate a milestone in the life of my BFF, Susan. Her hubby Jeff enlisted the help of friends and family, and threw her a surprise 70th birthday party, that was attended by family and friends. We sang and laughed and shared memories and watched video tributes and enjoyed yummy food. It was a fitting way to celebrate her first 70 years, and much fun was had by all. I thoroughly enjoyed the party, as well as the opportunity to visit with some more friends before and after the birthday bash. The entire trip was SO much fun!

January 28, 2024

This week ended as beautifully as it started! First, I enjoyed a visit with one of my favorite former students (now all grown up), then I was thrilled to learn about my role in the upcoming “Four Old Broads”.

Then, Thursday night, D & I helped celebrate the 7th anniversary of the formation of IndivisibleCLT. This local chapter of the nationwide movement began when a brave woman took a chance and posted an invitation on Facebook in early 2017 (Thank you SO much, Carolyn!). Three likeminded folks arrived at her home, and this group of four grew and organized and began campaigns of postcard writing, phonebanking, canvassing, registering voters, and protesting. They even gained nationwide attention, such as being featured in a 2018 Time magazine article. As the photo of the anniversary celebration demonstrates, this volunteer army continues to grow in numbers (including young people) and in determination.

Today, a large number of us met to canvass in Tricia Cotham’s district (remember the woman who ran for NC State House as a Dem proclaiming Dem values but flipped parties a few months after her election, giving the GOP a supermajority that has passed a number of egregious laws?). We’re spreading the word of her betrayal to her constituents and encouraging them to vote. (Thank you, Jackie, for hosting and for the photos!) It was exciting to be back talking to voters (and wearing my doorknocker earrings) as we “leave it all on the field”. Let’s all do our part — remember two things: Democracy is not a spectator sport. And the antidote to anxiety is ACTION!

January 24, 2024

What a week! First, I was excited to visit with a former student while she was here in Charlotte. It’s truly wonderful to see former fun teens grow into fascinating adults. I loved having Courtney in class because she loved life, people, and learning French. She even traveled with fellow GHS students and me to France, where they all enjoyed seeing, tasting, and experiencing new things. (Travel, especially international travel, is so important to opening our eyes to the world and to different ways of life — I highly recommend it!) Courtney & I have kept in touch over the years, and she even met D & me when we went to Atlanta in 2017 where we canvassed for a candidate for the first time ever (for Jon Ossoff — the first time — when he was running for the U.S. House). We had a lot of catching up to do, and enjoyed doing it. We even FaceTimed with another former GHS student (who also traveled to France with us). Good times!

Then, I learned tonight that I got a part in an upcoming play, Four Old Broads. Sounds perfect for this old broad, right? It takes place in a retirement home, and I’ll be playing Beatrice (a former burlesque queen — I plan to work in a few growls, dontcha’ know?). I’m really excited about working with a talented group of gals and performing in this fun play — should be a hoot! It’ll be the first two weekends in April, if you’re in the area.

December 27, 2023

To top off our Christmas celebration, D & I drove to visit a longtime friend outside D.C. (Thank you, Paul, for hosting us!). While there, we enjoyed a lovely dinner with him and friend Dana, too — more conversation, laughing, and delicious food!

After dinner, D & I treated ourselves to a professional production of Ragtime at Signature Theatre. Ragtime had impressed us years ago, first a community theatre production, then a school production (with our own L & M in lead roles). Once again, we found the music, the messages, and the performances quite powerful. In tonight’s program, we read that E.L. Doctorow (the author of the original novel which incorporates real and fictional characters from America in the early 1900s) wrote his book in 1975. In 1905, in 1975, and still today, America continues to grapple with racism, antisemitism, anti immigrant sentiments, and sexism. We have made positive strides, but we still have much to do. Perhaps we can take to heart one of the final songs Make Them Hear You: Your sword could be a sermon Or the power of the pen. Teach every child to raise his voice. And then my brothers, then Will justice be demanded by ten million righteous men. Make them hear you.

Let us raise our voices together to demand justice!

December 26, 2023

What a wonderful weekend we’ve spent with loved ones! D & I drove to VA to spend the Christmas holiday with Matthew, Lauren, and Joseph (Many thanks to L & J for hosting us!). We also got to visit with cousins Paul and Terri and my Aunt Fran (Thank you, P & T, for hosting us!). The entire extended weekend was filled with conversation, laughter, good food, and puzzles — and we loved every minute of it! Our conversations included remembrances of times past as well as future plans for travel and more visits. I always love to be able to spend time with loved ones, and I really loved laughing so much! At times, we ate out and, other times, we ate in (cooking together happily). Our last evening here (in Richmond), we were treated by M, L, and J to a magical stroll through the Botanical Gardens, which were decorated with an extensive array of lights in a variety of colors (see the photos above). Many, many trees, plants, and bushes were colorfully lit, and there were vividly colorful light displays in the forms of flowers, fairies, insects, birds, and animals. The evening was topped off by a delicious dinner in a restaurant that specializes in a fusion of Mexican and Asian cuisines.

We hope that you all were able to have a peaceful and relaxing holiday. May we all share love and kindness throughout the coming year!

December 3, 2023

The MeigsMade Meigsnet workshop has cranked out two sets of Meigsnets since we’ve been here in Charlotte. I wrote about being a part of the Dillworth Players’ dinner theatre production of Murder on the Menu in October, which was lots of fun. Then, this past weekend, I was in The Lotus Project’s inaugural production of Godspell.

It was a joy to be welcomed into another community of theatre friends in our new city. I loved being a member of this super diverse cast in which the directors intentionally included all ages, all races, all genders, and all abilities (Thank you, Susan and Kayla!) As they explained to us and to audiences, the story of Godspell is about the human spirit and a person who included everyone. They added that The Lotus Project’s mission is to spread kindness — like Jesus did — and they hoped that audiences would be motivated to spread some kindness to make the world a better place. As the oldest cast member, I felt love and acceptance from everyone, and our combined energy was exciting and motivating. As one Godspell song says: Come sing about LOVE! We did, and we’ll continue to do so out in the world.

November 5, 2023

Inspired by Swing Blue Alliance phonebanking team members (in MA), D & I drove to Suffolk, VA to knock on doors for VA state legislators. Every seat in the VA state legislature is up for election this year, and I remembered folks flying and driving to AL in December 2017 to knock on doors for Doug Jones, so we wanted to return the favor. We had a great team of vols who traveled from Massachusetts, New York, and Washington, D.C. and we hit the ground a few days ago. As a team, we were proud to canvass for Delegate Clinton Jenkins (candidate for the VA Senate), his wife Karen (candidate for the VA House), and Nadarius Clark (candidate for the VA House). We all had some wonderful conversations with voters at their front doors.

During our time in Suffolk, we attended a rally that featured Congressman Bobby Scott (VA’s first black Congressman), Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA’s first black Congresswoman), Delegate Clinton Jenkins (first black Delegate from his district), Karen Jenkins (who would be the first woman Delegate from her district), and Delegate Nadarius Clark (the youngest Dem ever elected to the VA House). All the speakers gave encouraging remarks and motivated us to go out and talk to more voters!

We drove back to Charlotte today in time for my “Godspell” rehearsal (I’m part of the secondary ensemble), then more canvassing for Shamaiye. My final conversation of the day was quite gratifying, and the voter said that — because I drove out there and talked to her — she will vote for Shamaiye, and she’ll urge her partner to, also! There are some consequential elections (in multiple states) Tuesday — encourage your friends there to show up and VOTE!

October 23, 2023

It was a weekend filled with acting and activism! First, there was the closing weekend of “Murder On The Menu”. Our cast of crazy characters spent a (very) few whirlwind weeks in rehearsal, then kept audiences guessing whodunnit. (Thank you, Elizabeth, for driving from Durham to support me and, David, for always being front & center to cheer me on!) It was fun to meet and get to work with fun folks who welcomed into the Dilworth Players (Thank you, Wes, for this opportunity!).

This weekend was also another opportunity to don my doorknocker earrings and canvass for our favorite school board candidate (Go, Shamaiye!). Once again, being a “little old lady” was an advantage, because folks weren’t threatened and they opened their doors to listen to my reasons for supporting Shamaiye. (42% response rate — Yay Team!) Even better, many were persuaded by Shamaiye’s endorsements and qualifications and told me they’d vote for her!

Sunday, the weather was picture perfect, and it was the day of our Indivisible POWERing UP for 2024 event! We had a great turnout, and attendees learned of several different ways they can take action and have an impact in 2024: postcard writing, attending rallies & protests, phonebanking & textbanking, registering voters, and – my personal favorite – canvassing. It was also motivating to hear from NC State Senator Rachel Hunt and Congressman Jeff Jackson. We’re fired up and ready to go!

And a Facebook video memory reminded me that Sunday was the 6th anniversary of the launch of our campaign for the AL State House. What a glorious day that was with so many loving friends who showed up to support me in front of “the classic GHS”! How very fortunate I was to have a DREAM TEAM of Wonder Women and my Superman (Thank you, Alice, Alanna, Susan, Lisa, Susan, Cindy, Gina, Leslie, and David!) who donated their talents, their time, and their energies to organize & direct all aspects of our campaign as well as to assemble & lead our army of volunteer postcard writers, phonebankers, and canvassers. Although the end result was not what we had hoped, our campaign resonated with a lot of folks and taught me so much. It changed my life and showed D & me our new path forward.