Life is a Miracle Collection

Musical Theater and Puppetry

Musical Theater and Puppetry

Since I wasn't working in Germany, I got involved in Community Theater in a production of "Hello Dolly", playing the second female role. I created and directed full-stage Marionette Puppetry Productions for a period of six years. Marionettes have come a long way since their origin. They have been dated back to Egypt as early as 2000 BC. Sometimes, ancient Egyptians were buried with their puppet as part of their prized possessions.

I sculpted the faces, hands and feet from a special white clay which I fired in my oven. So, it was a bit of a challenge. One time, I worked into the night fashioning costumes. I took in so many velvet fabric fibers that my throat closed from an allergic reaction. In the emergency room, I tried to explain it was from "black velvet". The attendant asked how much of it I had "drunk", thinking it was alcohol.

Because we had a 30- day vacation per year, we were able to go to Holland almost every Fall. We visited a delightful couple, whom we met through their son Robert Voogel. Our paths first crossed with Robert's in a little town in Northern Holland called Den Helder (home of the Dutch Navy Museum). We took a video of Robert's father dancing with a mop, while his mother fashioned a summer dress for me with, what else, tulips on the skirt.

They are the national flower of Holland; There are 75 species, named from the Persian word for turban. In the 16th century, mostly by Hollanders, but all over the world, there was a "tulip frenzy". It happened in a period called the Dutch Golden Age. People were paying as much as 15 times what the average skilled laborer would make in a year!

Every year, Robert traveled to remote areas in third-world countries, carrying medical supplies and administering First Aid; He was studying medicine. He spoke excellent English, but his parents did not. So, we conversed in a mutual language, German.

Robert's dad, Francis, had a healthy habit of eating an orange after every meal for good digestion (although too many can have the opposite effect). His wife, Marie, also seemed pretty health- conscious. For lunch, she prepared open-face sandwiches with rye bread, lean deli meat, low-fat cheese, tomatoes, pickles, with an egg on top, and pearl onions on the side. Larry and I continued to serve them, ourselves, for many years (preferring German-style, overhanded, keeping the fork in the left hand). When they made a return visit to us, Francis stopped at a swimming pool to exercise. Robert couldn't come.

On our way back to Germany, we had met another Dutchman on the road. Can't remember his name, maybe because I tried to forget. His English was good, but he misunderstood an important fact. Larry had said he hoped to become a minister. This man thought he meant a Minister of the Interior, or some such office, and that it meant Larry had some clout. He tried to convince him to sell Air Force BX cigarettes on the world-wide Black Market!

He and his Russian girlfriend came to visit us in Germany. We regretted letting them stay. They had borrowed a new white Porsche, which they tried to sell to us! His girlfriend spoke very little English, so she "confided" in me (about her problems with this man) in broken German. I had given her a Kleenex, which she promptly, melodramatically, tore to shreds! Since he was not honest, I envisioned her to be a spy, and perhaps our apartment was bugged. But it seemed my suspicions were unfounded. I was relieved; I no longer had to whisper in our bedroom!

Traveling to Amsterdam one last time, Robert met us at his dad's optical shop. Larry drove across the city alone. Robert had insisted, I ride with him in his tiny sports car. It was a white-knuckle trip to his house, zipping through the traffic, dodging other cars! Amsterdam, the capital of Holland, is one of the most populous places in the Netherlands. I was always glad to see his parents, but this time, I wanted to kiss the ground they stood on! They had ridden with their son, so they understood my discombobulation! As usual, we had a great visit and affectionately said our goodbyes, saying a special prayer for Robert's safety.