Thursday, April 11

Slept really late, until nearly 8:30 on this overcast and nippy-cold morning. Where did spring go?

Had breakfast, and then around 9:30, I asked Hubbie if he remembered he had a 10 a.m. Master Gardener meeting today. Oops, yes, but he had forgotten. I reminded him last night before we went to bed, but he still forgot this morning. So he hurried to get ready to go.

Since I was in exercise clothes (just a t-shirt and shorts), he accompanied Mother to our house before he left. She went to her puzzle, while I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises. Didn't do much else for the rest of the morning.

Hubbie returned at noon. I was at a loss for lunch ideas, so we decided on grilled cheese sandwhiches, which Hubbie prepared. Mother had her usual Ramen Noodle soup. She has always liked grilled cheese sandwiches, but lately she has been having trouble swallowing bread, which sort of balls up in her throat and won't go down, she says. So she favors soups and other soft foods that are easily swallowed.

She returned to her puzzle after lunch, and I showered and got into around-the-house clothes, with a plan to change into dress clothes later for several evening events at the college where I go for water aerobics. The events are part of the Scottish Festival celebration.

Two of the events coincided...a by-invitation-only-sneak-peek book sale at the library, sponsored by the Friends of the Library, of which Hubbie and I are members, and a Business After Hours gathering (not sure why we were invited to this). We planned to attend the book sale first, and then go to the after-hours event, then at 7 p.m., attend a program presented by the college concert chorale and the town's choral society.

We expected there would be food at the after-hours event, so I didn't plan supper at home. For Mother's supper, I dished up leftover goulash, cottage cheese, and coleslaw, that she could have at her home. The goulash was in a glass dish that she could heat in her microwave.

Hubbie accompanied Mother home around 3 p.m., and shortly afterward, we dressed for the evening. We figured that the Business After Hours event would call for business attire, so he wore a dress suit, and I wore a dressy jacket and slacks. If the weather had been as warm as it was the past couple of days, I'd have had trouble figuring out what to wear. I guess I need to shop for a dressy spring/summer jacket and top. So few events in our small town call for dressy clothes, that my wardrobe is lacking in that area.

Even though I wore a lined jacket, it was cool enough that I was forced to throw on a shawl to be warm enough to walk between buildings on campus.

We started the evening at the college library. I had vowed before we went that I would not load up on books, but of course broke that vow once we were there. The several tables of books were irresistable, and I picked up seven volumes, while Hubbie picked up five John Grisham novels. Four of the books I bought are mysteries, and three are "relationship" novels. A couple of the mysteries were recommended by a lady friend and former instructor at the college, and two, set in a covent and monastery in the 1300s, just looked interesting.

Lately, I've been drawn to relationship novels, like the one I'm currently reading that revolves around the lives of a group of women who've belonged to a book club for twenty-five years. I recently finished a similar book about a group of women in a knitting club.

Usually at this annual book sale, the Friends of the Library are treated to champagne and nibbles, but since there were two other venues offering food, the library served only cookies and coffee. We declined the treats and went on to the student union around 5:30, where the Business After Hours was held.

Light hors d'oeuvres and punch were served, including ham roll-ups, two types of humus dip (one spicy orange), along with veggies, various chips and crackers, as well as two types of scones from a local popular coffee house..spiced mixed berry, and chocolate chip.

A young man at the refreshment table suggested I try the mixed berry scone, commenting that I would thank him later. The scone was good, but I preferred the chocolate chip one, thank you.

I wondered why we had been invited to this event, since both Hubbie and I are retired, but it later became clear, when a college rep welcomed us and spoke about the many things the college has to offer to the public, like an exercise room, mountain biking trails, and a cafeteria, where anyone can enjoy lunch for just $6.50. The new student union rooms are available for community meetings, too. Folks are welcome to enjoy the library and the swimming pool, as well.

People from all walks of life were invited to the event for the purpose of spreading the word that the college is not elitist, as many in town believe, but strives to be community-friendly.

At this event, I talked with a member of the arts council visual arts committee. She wondered why I have not been attending meetings, and I told her I just didn't think I was contributing enough to remain on the committee. She insisted that I return, because only she and one other older member have been the buffer to a young bunch whose enthusiasm threatens to run off the established artists. So I agreed to attend meetings again.

From this event, we went back to the library, since it was too early to attend the concert. Here, we were encouraged to tour the art exhibit in another building, so we did. We should have visited this gallery earlier, since they were offering hoagie sandwiches, which would have been more satisfying than what we had at the after hours event.

The exhibit was mounted by one student as her senior thesis. It included a lot of creative ideas, like a huge piece that covered one whole wall. It featured hundreds of black spiders crawling on a white surface. Attached to the piece was a shelf with a can of Raid sitting on it. The theme of her thesis was "fear," so a lot of her work featured creepy-crawly things.

A couple of folks encouraged us to get to the concert chorale venue early, because this year it was being held in a small room off the fine arts auditorium, since the acoustics are better there. So we hurried to the room and arrived around 7 p.m., though the concert was scheduled for 7:30.

A couple we visited with at the library saved seats for us, thankfully, because the room was soon packed wall to wall. The concert was titled "Fly Me a Dream," and included poems, a guitar player, and solo singers, one of which was a little girl about four years old, with long blond hair. She sang "Castle On a Cloud," from Les Miserables, and she brought down the house. She had a beautiful sweet voice, and she sang right out, completely unafraid of such a crowd of people.

One of the professors gave a powerful rendition of an excerpt from Martin Luther King's "I Had a Dream" speech. He is caucasian, but his intonations were reminiscent of King. Before he read the speech, an African-American young man sang "MLK," which was the tenth and final song from U2's 1984 album, "The Unforgettable Fire." The young man mesmerized the audience.

The speech was followed by a soprano singing "He Had a Dream." Then one of the college professors, a woman, read "A Girl Born in Afghanistan," by Greg Batholomew. The chorale then sang the reading.

One interesting piece was called "Leonardo Dreams of His Flying Machine," in which the composer imagines what might happen in Leonardo DiVinci's mind as he attempts to unravel the mysteries of flying...whoosing noises with this one, as he tries to take off and fly, then rising and falling voices, as if the plane is dipping and leveling in the air currents, bells and whistles as he lands.

The concert ended with two currently popular numbers..."I Dreamed a Dream," from Les Miserable, and "Fly Me to the Moon."

Afterward, we hurried back across campus to our van, which was in the library parking lot. I was glad for the comfort of my shawl. Fun evening, and we were home by 9:30.