The Party

Now, this is the kind of Autumn I've been waiting for!

It's a lovely, sunny Fall day, and I'm so glad to have it. It has, thus far, been the perfect day for a stroll and good conversation with my walking buddy, a quick trip to the thrift store, and home to clean up from last night's party.

The party was an annual affair. Usually, it's hosted by friends Steve and Sara, two of the most fun-loving people I know. Steve and Sara enjoy hosting an annual chili supper at their home, the outdoor-cooked iron pot of sustenance drawing friends and relatives from right next door and miles around. The annual costume party follows closely after, and I know that's a lot for Steve and Sara and their daughters to do.

Still, my kids really look forward to it, and so do Bo and I. We all think ahead about what we'll be, and we try to follow the lead of our hosts, resourceful people who come up with clever yet frugal costumes that make their guests laugh. One year, Bo and I went as a pair of trees with a clothesline between us. One year, he went as pirate, and I went as an Indian maiden. The kids have been everything from a princess to a punk rocker, from a bumblebee to Charlie Brown. Last year, one couple came as a washer and drier.

And dressing up is just the beginning of the fun. We bob for apples, have a scavenger hunt, play silly party games, throw darts at balloons filled with candy, and, as a grand finale, carve pumpkins. Everyone exercises their creative side, and the pumpkins each develop a personality of their own as their carver saws and hacks and chops and scoops. When the youngest and oldest carvers have all finished their masterpieces, we pop in the candles, line up all the lovely pieces, and flip off the lights. The oohs and ahhs are priceless, as everyone laughs and comments on which is the most unique or cutest or funniest.

Then everyone gathers up their pumpkins and their candy bags and their children or spouses, heading into the dark night to their homes.

This year, Steve and Sara got a break when we offered to host the annual costume party at our home. While we didn't have as much fun as we do when Steve and Sara host, we still had a good time, in spite of difficulties with encouraging certain boys to help with the preparations. We had about twelve guests, plus our own family, lots of food, and a special surprise in addition to our regular festivities.

At about 7:30, we announced that we would be taking a little night hike down to our cabin to have some hot chocolate. Everyone bundled up, and we all made our way down the cabin lane, enjoying a beautiful waxing gibbous moon and a starlit path. Once we arrived on the forest-darkened cabin porch, I called to Bo, "Did you light candles earlier?" Warily, he replied, "Uh...no." Yet the cabin was candlelit. Tensions rose as we approached the window; inside stood a darkened figure, cape and tophat all we could see. The teens conjectured, "It's just a cutout!" "No," I insisted, "there's someone there."

I called for Bo, who came ahead of me, opened the door and, sure enough, there stood a man, all in black, his back to us. I entered cautiously, and then several of our guests came in behind. "Excuse me, Sir," I ventured, "but we saw the light and...I hope we're not..." He turned, startled, and began to explain. He'd just been reading, he said, and didn't expect anyone to come to the cabin at this late hour.

Thus began the performance by our dear friend David, who then proceeded to give us a short biography of the person about whom he'd been reading, Mr. Edgar Allan Poe.

We'd prearranged this meeting, of course, but none of our guests had known that. Several of the guests, however, knew and recognized David and were able to calm our other guests. David went on to perform two of Poe's poems, Nevermore and The Bells, by candlelight to a very receptive audience who then enjoyed hot chocolate and a little tour of the cabin. Introductions were made to those who didn't know David, and everyone enjoyed a good laugh.

I'm so blessed to be able to have a place where friends can gather and meet each other.