These are the daffodils I just planted--can't believe they bloomed!

Wow! Everything went well yesterday, but my shoulder really aches.

Ray singing with the men--in Hungarian.

We had pancakes for breakfast and had a short walk. It was a beautiful day, but we didn't really take advantage of it. Ray and the men from the choir sang in the morning and I sat in the congregation.

After the service, he went up the street to get us some lunch from Loco's. It took him an hour! Meanwhile, we waited for people to stop chatting and clear out so we could set up. We moved things out of the Fellowship Hall that are always there, like a tree that was shedding all over the floor. Pat M. arrived with beautiful big snowball hydrangeas from her yard. She had found some fabric on sale at Joann's that was green and black, the colors Alison had requested to match the pennants Stewardship had used the year before. We moved some things into the back of the sanctuary and some things into the administrative office (3 boxes of lost and found, for instance). It took me awhile to get everyone to cooperate, but patience is good. Meanwhile, Pat was a whirlwind, moving tables by herself and cleaning the floor. Heather K. helped too, but we kept wondering where Ray and other helpers were. Of course, they all arrived at about the same time. But Ted had to sit; his back was bothering him so much. Bob and Denise were there to help, too. And Caryl S. The new bulletin boards are designed to be flipped over during special events. There are three holes at the top that hang on three screws that go into the cement block. Unfortunately, it is not that easy to get it lined up right, and some of the screws come out when you try to take the bulletin board down. It's still a very clever system, but not as simple as I would like. There's an old sideboard that is in the foyer, which is often used as a bar. We moved that into the Hall and covered it with a tablecloth. Pat had some green ribbons she used to loop up the corners of the tablecloths. It looks pretty and keeps people from tripping over them. Other people arrived to help, but some of them were working in the sanctuary under Myrna's direction. Of course, I took no pictures, but Pat did a great job.

They set up a projection screen and folding chairs, in case there were too many people to fit in the sanctuary. Ray went to the house to get the frozen mini-quiches (and some toothpicks). A lot of the food arrived at the last minute. I rehearsed with the choir for about 15 minutes, in between answering questions and giving instructions. Hank was there and Kay arrived. Most of the food came at the last minute, but we arranged fruits and vegetables on trays to be passed. One woman brought a tray of bananas, in their peels, with things written on them (au naturel, yummy). She instructed that they were to be passed like that and not cut up. I ignored her, but the tray ended up on the coffee table. Not quite embarrassing, but definitely odd.

Someone decided we had to have coffee. We had to rearrange things and add another table. (I think about 4 people drank coffee, in the end.) Ray arrived with the mini-quiches, having completely missed the rehearsal. I explained to Hank and another guy how to heat the mini-quiches and preheated the oven. They heated a bunch of them (earlier than I wanted) and laughed about leaving the guys to cook. Of course, they were just reheating, but apparently that was a lot to ask. I went in and sat with the choir and stayed for the beginning, until we sang the anthem. (Lift Up your Voice, very upbeat). Then I snuck out and waited in the kitchen and hall. There were not as many people as we expected. I don't think any other ministers from Athens were there, although the mayor was on the program and said something nice. Mostly there were other UU ministers from far away, charging Alison and the congregation and congratulating us. It was nice, moving, but way too long. Several of us watched on the screen, but we put away the rows of folding chairs. We didn't heat all the mini-quiches. We were ready...and we waited. I actually proofread the whole membership list that Shaye printed out for me.

Eventually, the people came out. Deb and John manned the bar. Rosemary served punch. Kay and I and Jane and others passed trays of food. Bill H. made cheese straws. They were delicious. The quiches were a big hit. There was probably twice as much food as we needed. Someone brought out plates and someone else put out bins for dirty dishes. Next time I will have carefully selected and trained helpers, but it was okay. Many people complimented me on how nice it was and what a good idea it was to pass the food. So, it was a success. Kay bought the extra frozen mini-quiches and we distributed all the leftover food. Cleanup was not too bad, because the wine glasses were rented and we didn't use many plates or coffee cups, just punch glasses. And all we threw away were napkins. People spent their time chatting and didn't cluster around the food tables. We ended up leaving about 7:30, the last ones, with some cut-up veggies. I need to figure out what I need to be reimbursed for (rentals and booze).

But I hadn't eaten much and was hungry when we got home. And I had foolishly started some bread in the morning that I had to get out of the fridge and finish. I think that is what did my shoulder in. And we didn't have enough flour, so I used corn meal. Kneading cold bread dough made with corn meal took a long time and I got hungrier and hungrier. Ate some soup. And half a banana and some ice cream with a brownie. Watched TV while I ate and the bread rose (not much) and baked. Small flt loaves. So sad.

But I am glad to have that successfully behind me. It really wasn't that hard and now I know more than I did. And I can look ahead to my next activities.