harvest ball

Our Harvest Ball was lovely last evening. The elegant potluck may have been served on paper plates, but they were pretty paper plates and the food was outstanding. My mac&cheese went in a breath (wow, they liked it! they really liked it!). There were plates of roasted Jerusalem artichokes and a dish of roasted potatoes, feta cheese, and lemon juice. The leftovers of that last dish were kindly deposited in my (empty) m&c container. I was happy to bring them home.

The hall was lit with thousands of tiny lights and many candles and the lights turned low. A handful of people showed up in period (mid-to-late 19th century) clothing. Many of our men who are normally handsome just in jeans and tee shirts showed up in tuxedos, showing off their inner woofiness. Even I wore a dress, not a fancy one, but come on, it was a dress.

The dancing was lovely. The caller (our Queen Mum) left space between the dances for quick chats so that we weren't rushing from dance to dance. The band -- called Spare Parts, consisting of a husband and wife and the spare part (a guest artist) -- played elegantly while dressed in gorgeous evening clothes.

We integrated brand new people seamlessly while entertaining and engaging experienced dancers. We danced many "old chestnuts," especially fun when you've danced to their modern descendants.

I ended up dancing most of the evening, then towards the end just sat and talked to a small group of people, after engaging in some fun conversations earlier in the evening. I wish Robert could have been there, but of course many people asked for him, so he was in some sense there in spirit.

And somehow, I didn't manage to leave until nearly 11 and got home close to midnight. Robert was still up, but close to crashing and the cats gave me a hearty greeting before I, too, crashed and fell into a deep deep sleep.

Next week is the marriage of the century -- our own Queen Mum is wedding his beloved man-of-his-dreams with activities spread out over a couple of days and a cast of what seems like thousands. The wedding will be especially renewing after the devastating votes this week in California, Arkansas, and Arizona. (Thank you Mormon church, who, as Jon Stewart quipped, pioneered the concept of one man, one woman.) Perhaps the newest marriage in our community will re-energize us all to go out and do what needs to be done. Onward.