A visit to Grandma's house

When I was in sixth grade, I was invited to fly to Grandmother's house in Kansas City, MO all by myself! No parental accompaniment. Just me. I was meeting my two cousins, who were already there with Grandma!

Grandmother had her hands full too! My older cousin Debbie was a few years our senior, but Jeannie was about my age. What could Grandma possibly do to keep three active, pre-teen girls happy for a whole week? Her suggestion? A puppet show!

That's right - she suggested that we put on a puppet show. I remember sitting at the breakfast table as a group, writing our masterpiece. After debating several ideas, we decided to do a story called "Happily Ever After" which would take place immediately after Cinderella married the prince. We divvied up roles - My older cousin was Cinderella and the Prince, I was the Queen and King, and Jeannie was the Court Jester and the Wicked Step Mother. We had a blast making the puppets out of socks and fabric. We even went around town to visit some of Grandmother's friends who had knitting yarn or other supplies we could use. I recall a few late nights of sewing and painting, rehearsing and arguing over who had the best role!

Finally, we were ready to debut! We invited the children of Grandmother's neighbors over to see our show. We were such a hit, Grandmother received numerous phone calls that afternoon asking for a command performance for the parents of our first audience. An encore!

Grandfather had built a wonderful wooden puppet stage, which I've since inherited. In fact, it's the stage that I use when I do shows today. And when I do a show, I always remember crouching behind it with Jeannie and Debbie, singing:

"I am just a jester, a jester, a jester.
I am just a jester, my name is Chester,
and I'm here to cheer you UP!"

My favorite poem

Grandmother wrote lots of wonderful poems for her own children as they were growing up. My father, Bruce and my Aunt Judy were the subjects of many of them themselves. My favorite of Grandmother's poems, though, has to be "Lion." Even as a kid I could recite it from memory and often shared it for "Show and Tell" at school. In fact, I often shared Grandmother herself for show and tell!

Later, as I grew up, I became a fan of Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein poems. I can even recite many of them from memory. I use one or two as the basis of puppet shows. But no one poem has the impact of that toothless old lion up in the tree!

Lion

by Helen Graebner

There's a big old Lion

living up in our tree

But no one can see him

but Mommy and me.

He's a fierce old fellow

but he won't bite you

'Cause he hasn't any teeth,

so he cannot chew!

He lives on soup and milk and tea,

That big old Lion living up in our tree!

He swishes his tail

and he groans and growls,

He shakes his head

and he moans and howls.

He's a fierce old fellow,

but he won't bite you

'Cause he hasn't any teeth

so he cannot chew!