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Medford Leas Residents Association
2010 Talent Show
Photographs by Margery Rubin
Text from an article in the November 2010 issue of Medford Leas Life
The Talent Show on the last day of September was the wrap-up of Active Living Month. It started with Kitty Katzell reciting two inanities that she remembered from school days. "Why Fire Trucks are Red" and "How You Get Double Petunia from a Petunia" -- (Here they are. You can't say you weren't warned).
  Kitty was followed by Eleanor Merrick singing the classic tribute to folding beds, "My mother-in-law is dead. Mp-daadyaada-day" (you want more?)

Karen McGreer and Warren Sawyer sang "Because You're You" by Victor Herbert and Henry Blossom. Then Karen sang "Alfie" by Burt Bacharachand Hal David. They were accompanied by Nan Hanslowe on the piano.
....

Russ Haley played a "couple of piano riffs"

Sally Miller read two of her poems. A teacher, she wrote "New World Mystery" for her fifth grade class. "Elephant Love Song" won a Syracuse newspaper's contest for a science poem. Sally's poems

Gerry Stride, Director of Community Life, sang "We Have This Moment Today" by Bill and Gloria Gaither.

Toby Riley
accompanied himself
on guitar

 

Bud Stratton
recited
Casey At the Bat
Danielle Peterson, from Therapeutic Recreation, played a fine rendition of Brahms’ “Rhapsody in B Flat Minor”

Ariel Hyun, accompanied by Nan Hanslowe and Bud Stratton, led the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to Gordon Clift, Liesel Marcus, and Mary Cullen.

Ariel went on to sing “Nature Boy” for Gordon Clift, followed by “You’ll Never Know.”

Gerry Stride and Ed Ellis,
from Fitness and Aquatics,
put on a skit.

Sally Klos recited
two of her cat poems

(Casey at the Bat was the finale for the talent show. Sally's poems are mentioned last because they are last on this page.)


CATECHISM

Pumpkin sits by the sliding door
Pondering the yard she’d like to explore.
There are four-legged critters out there to be seen.
Now what can this be? What does this mean?
Others come in on a wing and land on their two dainty feet.
Obviously intended for Pumpkin to eat.
She talks to them through the glass
With grumbling and spitting. Alas!

Pumpkin soon tires of this fruitless anticipation.
There are other things to grab her attention.
A brown paper bag has appeared on the scene.
Now what can this be? What does this mean?
She stalks the bag
gearing up to attack whatever might therein reside
Then finds that it is much better
to simply take a nap inside.
Do not disturb, she seems to say.
This is where Pumpkin plans to stay.

There are other plans for the brown paper bag,
And Pumpkin is ready for a game of tag.
Here is a basket with yarn rolled up in balls of blue and green!
Now what can this be? What does this mean?
Pumpkin begins with a tentative tap, tap, tapping
on each little ball,
What does this mean? Of course! Let’s unwind them all.
Pumpkin considers her catechism has not been so terribly tough.
After all, she’s pretty much figured out all that stuff.
Isn’t that enough?


WASH DAY
CATEGORICALLY SPEAKING

I have to say about my kitty
That (as cats go) she’s really quite witty.
Today I had plans intentional,
To gather dirty clothes unmentionable.
I sorted them into categories,
White and lightest,
Black and darkest.
Into the washing machine went the latter,
But wait, there’s something the matter.
Out of the blackest garment I ever did see
Were two green eyes staring at me!
Oh, my, what a quandary with all this laundry
Something with black fur
And a great big purr.
Never fear. It was Pumpkin dear.
Now it was-- purrfectly clear.
She’d sorted herself out categorically
To be with the black and the darkest, you see.