Occupied

Doing things other than what is expected at times is occupied?
Busyness or otherwise engaged in something, taken or unavailable may be some other possible reasons.
I have been otherwise occupied in watching the remake movie of The Untouchables circa 1987, the Kevin Costner one and actually quite good.
I think most of us gals do like Kevin Costner.

Any-who, we have been on an entertainment spree starting with, last night’s advent of actually leaving our home after dark to attend a surprisingly good concert at our local Center for Performing Arts right here in River City AKA Punta Gorda, actually one of the few venues that does not skirt the river.
It was the, Feel the Spirit concert that you might have read and that I did mention, on I believe Wednesday.
We had been gifted free tickets from the executive director, Mr. Lee Stein, and as I said it was an offer that we couldn’t refuse and are extremely happy that we didn’t.
For me though physically it was a trial of my abilities that I had not tested in quite some time, after getting seated in excellent orchestra seats by the usher we found that ours were the ones across the aisle, but he already parked my walker and then when his mistake was discovered he brought it back dear Alan Brown and his wife Carol who were volunteer ushers both in their seventies and just darling, during intermission Carol and I had quite a conversation discussing hurricane experiences and other things too… uh oh, I had, had a fear that I was going to be a problem, but the volunteers there were very gracious and never made me feel that way. Even when during the intermission Hubby felt that we should move into the wider open area behind where we were sat so he could get me my scooter since I would never be able to get to the car with my walker. And that was due to the fact that he had to park the car quite a distance away. He originally dropped me off at the door, but even then I had to sit a few times on the way to our seats, fortunately my walker has a built in seat for just those times with a compartment for my purse and my water bottle that I did not realize was not allowed within the center, oops! I do have that habit of keeping water with me at all times, if necessary so I can take my medication like my Baclofen, my anti-spasmodic, which I did take during the intermission. And it turned out to be fortuitous because the lines to the ladies room and other things were very long since they had a very nice turnout.
Hubby and I spent the second half in the back where he did have a regular seat and I was able to park next to him on my scooter, it was just perfect!

The first half of the concert was dedicated to old Negro Spirituals that many of us are familiar with if any of you grew up in the nineteen fifties and sixties with the Civil Rights Movement well underway which we did! Mr. Earl Nelson was the guest conductor for that first half; he is a former senator from Michigan and now a Punta Gorda resident who just so happens to also be an African-American who has been also noted for his forming of the Earl Nelson Singers that still performs in Lansing Michigan and continues to enjoy their retirement by singing! He feels they “are preserving the beauty and dignity of Negro folk music.”
After we returned from the intermission the patriotic songs were sung…this half the conductor was the man who is responsible for the chorale all the rest of the time, Mr. R. Bruce MacGregor and for the whole shebang the accompanist was Angela Navarro who did an excellent job with the many changes of voices from song to spoken words flawlessly…
The voices of the choir were just as lovely for this portion as well as the first; all had pure richness of tone. And even the spoken words by a man who had the power and depth of a James Earl Jones bass in his larynx spoken with affirmation and his name is Mr. Richard Weber, as he gravely articulated the wonderful Testament of Freedom and also America the Beautiful. What a gem. Hubby and I both wondered why he wasn’t a singer he sure had the chops for it!

Interestingly there were two occasions that the audience was asked in the program to chime in and we all did, for America and Let There be Peace on Earth, so appropriate with the recent Egyptian crisis appearing to have finally subsided with Hosni Mubarak deciding that the people really did want him gone and so he is leaving and just being earlier that day.

The Charlotte Chorale on April first will be having another concert which is entitled “A Bouquet of Chorale Favorites” at a different location and for more information call 941-204-0033, may I suggest calling way ahead for the time, day and tickets since they will be more than likely SRO, for you regular folks that means, sold right out! But you all knew that…LOL

On that unabashedly giving of my wholeheartedly enjoyment of something that I didn’t do in a very long time; please folks don’t be like me… going out here and there during the day is fine but stretch your cultural needs too and try a night time venue of entertainment fun also! And I am sure that you will not be sorry I wasn’t…

Enjoy the world; there is much to see even in your own backyard!

On that joyous reality let me be the first to wish you all a very happy good night and to kindly ask you to count those blessings and share those overages and we will too!

And next time please be here or be square, ya hear!