January Birthday Party

For years Mom had the neighbors on HJ Ave get together for a birthday party — there are plenty of folks on the street that shared January for a birthday and that gave her an excuse to celebrate her own birthday at the middle of the month. Yesterday brother Jim (the Idaho brother) hosted such a party at the farm and most of the birthday hats were there, except of course Mom. She died two years ago, to the day.

Two years can be a long time or a blip on the time radar. Mom always measured the events she attended by one trust-worthy standard. The food.

"Mom, how was the meeting?"

"Not so good, the meal was terrible. I brought it home if you want it—it is in the refrigerator"

or

"Did you have a good time?"

"Oh yes, it was a potluck, and everything tasted so wonderful."

She might have been given leftovers, but might have been keeping them for herself. She loved potluck leftovers for breakfast.

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Most of us like potlucks. Yesterday's party had a full range of surprises. Brother Jim baked Sole as a change from the usual chicken/beef/pork/ham options. It was overwhelmed by the home-made chicken pot pies neighbor Cathy made, or the wonderful salads of many kinds, potatoes and ham, and some dips and other treats I ate but did not really know what was in it. Grapes and pears from the farm appeared as home-made wine.

The plates came back clean. Most of the food was eaten. I made a huge dish of Curried Rice and had leftovers. I made it because Jim was worried about lacking a starch for the meal. We should have known better. I toned down the curry and added more butter. A quarter pound of butter seems necessary for three cups of uncooked rice, right?

The party started at 2 pm and folks were there for several hours. Some were in the TV room, others in the living (holy) room, and others in the basement where the wood stove was going. At least five pre-teen girls were in and out of the house sledding on the hill, and later playing hide an seek in the house. It has been a long time since anyone played hide and seek in that house, and it needed to have small bodies crawling into tiny spaces to feel alive again.

Bee talk with Cathy King and Craig and Sandy Fuller took place. The bee tree they removed and I showed in photos in one of the magazines, is dead. The lesson is that November bee removals are not healthy for bees. It is a bit late in the season. The neighbors all like the bee students on the farm. I enjoyed the conversations with all the neighbors, and see the role that Mom filled in keeping the neighborhood in communication with each other.

The neighbors called Mom the Queen or HJ Ave. She worked for that honor and enjoyed the role. They respected this 93 year-old woman and considered her as a role model.

Mom would have liked the afternoon. The food was very good.