Yesterday morning I ate breakfast early, walked with Cameron in the cold rain out to get the newspaper and back. Took a bath, including washing my hair with my new Bumble and Bumble shampoo and conditioner. I packed up all my baked goods, taking some out of the freezer, talked to Ray on the phone from Cloudland Canyon. He is fine, although one of the students was so car sick, they had to stop twice for her to throw up. Poor kid. He is making pancakes for them about now.

I got to the Fellowship and there were already some visitors from other congregations, as well as many of ours. Coffee had been made and some breakfast items set out (Krispy Kreme donuts, which I did not taste). I added a few of my mini-muffins and kept watch to replenish as needed, but there wasn't much interest. I guess I wasn't feeling very sociable, because I stayed in the kitchen, greeting UUFA choir members as they arrived with their food and reassuring them that it would be reheated (or whatever). It was kind of amusing that whoever arrived started telling me about their dish (or asking me questions) just because I was standing around in the kitchen. I signed up for a morning and afternoon workshop and got my packet of music. It didn't seem like 100 people--I don't know if the rainy weather kept them away or 100 isn't that many.

A little before 10, Kay arrived to take charge of the kitchen. I helped her a little, putting silverware in baskets, before going to the opening. Amber said that one of the presenters had (abruptly) resigned from her job and they had to find others to fill in, just on Friday. Rev. Alison welcomed people and even led a workshop on music and ministry. I like her more and more. We sight-read several songs with Amber, Kathy and Kevin, before breaking for the morning workshop. I worked with Kathy and sopranos and altos on a song based on The Hobbit. It was fun to have someone else trying to coax the best sound from us, but, as usual, made me appreciate Amber even more. Kathy suggested we should sing like Julia Child and I should have liked her jokey style, but it didn't feel as affirming as Amber's.

I lined up first for lunch. There was tons of food, covering every surface in the kitchen. After I ate, I stood around to be useful, but there was really nothing that needed doing. In the afternoon session, I worked with Don, a young man who I liked even better, but still not as well as Amber. We learned a very difficult piece with syncopated rhythms--If you can walk, you can dance. We sight-read a lot more pieces, including a marriage song and a song about death, that both made me cry.

I had a lot of leftovers to take home--cookies, which will be great and keep well. Mini-muffins, which need to be eaten immediately and can't be refrozen. And one loaf of sliced bread I made Friday, that I put right into the freezer. I would normally be making pancakes this morning, but i just have to eat muffins before adding any more bread!

I got home about 3:30 and my parents had been there and brought in the mail and left some laundry. It was raining, sometimes lightly and sometimes more heavily. There was only one egg, so I didn't let the chickens out. I called my parents and they had gotten one egg. I rested a while, reading my book, and put away clean dishes and tidied a little. Then I headed to my parents to pick them up and drive to Hull. (I took them some mini-muffins).

We had dinner with a man named David and his step-son, Nasif. David's wife is Brazilian and she has been spending time with her father, who is sick. They would like to bring him to Hull, but he would not be eligible for Medicare and they would have to pay for any medical expenses out of pocket, which they cannot afford to do. So David and his stepson are in Hull, while she is in Brazil. They are quite lonely, being more liberal than most of the Hull residents. They have lived there less than 3 years. David taught physiology (?) at a medical school on Domenica for many years. Not sure if that is where he met his Brazilian wife, but they came to Hull because David's mother was dying here (I think). He spoke proudly of his mother, who dropped out of school at 15. At 76, when her second husband died, she went back to school, to college, and graduate school. Her master's thesis was an authorized biography of Buck Owen. They lived in Bakersfield, California--his mother and Buck. Not sure how they ended up in in Hull.

Dinner was delicious and was preceded by a Brazilian drink with a kind of sugar cane liquor, lime, sugar, and wine. I liked it quite well. We were joined by David's neighbor, Tammy, who has been a member of the Fellowship for years. She is a PA at the University health service. Naturally, we had a discussion of health care in the US, and the costs and prevalence of malpractice. The evening was quite pleasant and I was home by 9:30. I thought about TV, but went up to my bed and read instead. I couldn't quite finish my book before I fell asleep. During the night, I woke up several times to heavy rain, but finally didn't wake up until almost 7, when the sky was lightening (although still raining--no sunny heat for me today--I had to turn up the thermostat).