Another dance competition season is in the books, the hot books.
Our daughter’s fourth and final competition took place on the weekend at the Chatham Capitol Theatre.
Without air conditioning.
It seems Friday’s whacky weather and resulting power surges and outages damaged something with the climate control system at the theatre.
That left zero ventilation in the dressing rooms, on the stage, and backstage for hundreds of performers from nine difference dance studios, as well as hundreds of parents, grandparents and friends in the audience.
It was warm for us dance dads. But we had it easy. The dancers must have sweated their butts off, including when getting changed in the stuffy confines in the basement.
Dance moms may not have had to go on stage to perform, but they were up and down the stairs regularly, helping with costume changes, hairstyles and makeup.
Eggless Chad and I popped in and out to see our girls dance through much of the weekend, spending as little time in the theatre as possible, especially on Saturday, the warmer of the two days on the weekend.
Of course, we had to rehydrate at a nearby watering hole now and again.
On the Sunday, I found a seat near where the ventilation system in the theatre was at least blowing air. I stayed as close to that airflow for as long as possible.
I give the dance company putting on the show credit – they went out and got cases of water for people, and boxes of popsicles for the dancers to help keep everyone hydrated and cool.
The previous weekend, Brenna had a cluster of six dances in little more than two and a half hours. It was exhausting for her and her dance teammates. This Sunday, she had five dances spaced out between 10:15 a.m. and 7:40 p.m. Add in the final awards ceremony, and we didn’t get out of the theatre until after 9 p.m.
She was again exhausted.
Not sure which is the better of the two options.
All I know is a couple of glasses of cola after 9 p.m. is not a smart move if you are looking to get some sleep that night and have to get up early for work the next day.
Sometimes, I can drink a caffeinated beverage that late and have no issues. But a late meal might not have helped.
It’s puttering season
My yard vacuum died last fall, much to my chagrin. But I picked up a replacement recently.
The old one resembled a lawn mower, in that it had four wheels and you pushed it along. The new one is a leaf blower/vac, but with a wider vacuum option that what most blower/vacs offer.
Just as importantly, it has a metal impeller to mulch the leaves and chew up twigs that get sucked up too.
I usually cover the backyard gardens in leaves for the winter, so it was time to get to work last week clearing off the flower gardens.
The new vac does a great job mulching up the leaves, meaning fewer trips to the yard and leaf depot for yours truly.
Small things keep me amused, and happy as I putter.
I hope to finish off the gardens, including some needed pruning, this week, and get our pond running.
That is usually going in mid-March, but this year’s weather changed everything. Once dance competition season arrived, about all I could do was toss in a secondary pump to get some oxygen into the water.
We’ll get the filters going soon, and clear up that water for the fish.
Finn the ’fraidy cat
So far, Finn has shown no interest in joining me in the backyard during times of cleanup. He is an evening prowler, I guess.
Then again, he hates the sound of a vacuum, and the leaf vac has that familiar whine that sends him into the basement.
Naturally, he gets me back for running a vacuum. He’ll bide his time, jumping on me when I’m snoozing in the chair, or sitting on my chest when I’m watching a baseball game.
One of his favourite moves is opting to play after midnight. The toy of choice might be my foot, which is dangling off the side of the recliner. Instant wakefulness occurs when a couple of claws penetrate your sock, trust me.
I might have to counter by tossing his butt outside during the day now and again. Go play with the birds, buddy!
