Go ahead and laugh!

It is simply providential that I took this picture. This is our puppet stage being put together. It is made of pvc pipe. What you can not see it that there is a connector at the half-way point of the pipes my headless husband is pushing together.

This is what the stage looks like when it is completed.

So, why in the world am I telling you all about this? It really is a funny story... now.

We were only about a minute or so into our puppet skit. I'm holding one puppet while Michael is holding two puppets. My arms are a bit too short to hold the puppet up properly. My forearm barely goes over the top so I have to rest it on the pipe. Have I mentioned that I have hardly any upper arm strength?

Well, can you guess what happened next? My end of the pipe comes out of the connector. Michael has both hands busy with the puppets. So guess who is stuck holding the pipe up with the other hand. About a minute later one of Michael's puppets exits stage and so he puts the pipe in the puppets mouth to help hold it up. By now both of my arms are screaming at me. I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or moan in agony.

It doesn't end there, my friends, no, it gets worse. All of a sudden my pipe pops out of the center connector. Now I am holding up a 3 ft pipe entirely by myself. Michael's puppet never enters the stage again, even though he speaks a few more times. We lose our place in the script and Michael asks me 'Where are we at?' Now how am I supposed to show him where we're at? (You should be laughing by now. Go ahead, you know you want to.)

Have I mentioned yet that the puppet scripts are long? I am not exaggerating that at all! Just ask my cousin who helped us record them.

Finally, the skit ends! I was never so happy to hear the end of something before. Michael has to quickly leave but before he does he quietly says "fix it!"

Really? Me? Fix it? You're kidding, right?

No he wasn't because there is a part two to the skit in just a few minutes. I was able to get the pipes together but the slightest touch would make them fall again. So for round two we had to hold the puppets straight up. STRAIGHT UP, PEOPLE!

Duck tape, also known as gray tape, or as my momma would say, MacGyver tape, fixes everything right? We'll be investing in some before tonight. Oh. yes. we. will.

It's a little blurry, but this lady who was keeping Josiah for me walked him down to drop pennies in the boys bucket. We thought it was so sweet. He clapped for himself after he dropped his pennies in.

Despite falling puppet stages, the night went well. There were four new visitors last night! Michael has promised a balloon larger than himself to whoever brings the most visitors.

Thanks for having a laugh with me!
Joy