We decided to once again hold our solstice party, the first since 2019.  I was especially eager since a number of these friends I hadn’t seen in person since Covid struck.  We checked that everyone attending was fully vaxxed.  We had it on Friday 17th, unusually early, but the next Friday was December 24th.  Hopeless. 

Melenie came on Thursday and all day Friday we cooked together.  Woody had three dishes this time, roasting a turkey breast that Melenie and I turned into a curried salad, making his cheesecake and his noodle kugel (from his grandmother’s recipes).  Melenie and I make both black bean cucumber and  chickpea feta salads, mushrooms stuffed with a tuna mixture, lobster mac and cheese.  Also, a cheese board.  Our friends brought various delicious things.

Everybody but 5 people we had invited came.  Guests seemed very happy and excited to be at a party again after so long.  I wore a fancy dress Woody had given me during the holidays in 2019 but had never worn. There were no occasions that were suitable for wearing it until party night.  We’re slowly putting the house back together and cleaning up today.

Schwartzie and Mingus were locked in the bedroom/office wing of the house.  Mingus mostly dozed but Schwartzie kept throwing his body against the door to get out.  He m-rroww-ed, “I’m a party animal, I hear people!”  Various people caught him three times until we put a chair against the door. He was angry when only six people remained and we let him out at last.  Willow had retired to her ‘condo’ inside the wall downstairs.  The instant the last couple left, she came out.  When I got into bed, she climbed on me and examined me my face and head to make sure none of these invaders had damaged me.  She had a lot to say, mostly with body language.

We had two mild days.  Friday night, it was mild enough so we left the door to the sunporch open and several people sat out there.  It was a fun party and I was glad to see friends I hadn’t been with since Covid struck.  I hope we’re not sorry we took the risk, but everyone is vaxxed and most were boosted and several had actually gotten themselves tested before they came. One reason I wanted to do the party was because it seems with so many refusing to get vaccinated and passing around the disease, we may have Covid as a permanent part of our lives in this country.

The weather turned in the middle of the night.  I woke under just a light blanket feeling frozen.  I pulled the quilt up over me and went back to sleep, truly exhausted.  I have mss to read for my June workshop and a 600-page novel I am supposed to read for the Monthly Review.  Small print too.  We still have sage, parsley and rosemary in the herb bed, but they will probably die back this coming week, as it’s supposed to get quite cold.  Tonight, leftovers and the Pats game at the Colts.  So many NFL teams are ravaged by Covid this week.