mrs-roboto's Diaryland Diary ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Perhaps The Fact They're Stringing Holiday Lights In Downtown Spawned This Entry ****disclaimer: this one's not so funny. Need a laugh? Go here. Have I ever mentioned how much I adore hosting dinner parties? Or parties in general? I love, love, love planning menus and mailing out invites and decorating my house with fresh flowers and candles. Tonight, we are having friends over to celebrate Pete's promotion to IS. I have devised an Italian feast with fresh pasta and homemade sauce, chicken cutlet parmesan, bruschetta and goat cheese, and much red wine. For dessert we will indulge in a chocolate and caramel torte. There will be music and laughter and storytelling. A perfect Friday night. When I was a small child, my grandmother and grandfather would have these large gatherings of friends over to their home. They'd play pinochle and listen to records and consume old peoples drinks, like Rob Roys. Most of her friends had been stricken with Polio in their youth and were crippled in way or another. They did not drive and had difficulty getting around on their own. I remember my grandfather would cruise around town loading them all into his tiny hatchback and then he'd help each one back out when they arrived at the house. It was a lot like that comedic skit where clown after clown is pulled from a minuscule vehicle only these people had stunted limbs and walkers instead of big shoes and face paint. I'll tell you one thing though, they had immense spirit and stamina. They'd dance till the wee hours of the morning and belt out Sinatra ballads at the top of their lungs. I remember one gentleman in particular. His name was Johnny McNally. His body was pretty twisted and wrecked but he had the most stunning face, beautiful skin like porcelain and crystal blue eyes. My grandmother tells me he was quite the heartbreaker in his day. He'd twirl me around and tell me what a beautiful little princess I was. Have you ever seen a three year old swoon? I'm a sucker for a full house. I grew up surrounded by a large extended family. Holidays were shared with aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and close family friends. As time went by though, people moved, married, and drifted. This is the way things go in this day and age. We're a mobile society. Few people die in the same town in which they are born. Many individuals hardly know their extended family (Pete can't even remember all the names of his aunts and uncles and I fear that my neices and nephews will be the same way). I feel lucky that I even had the opportunity to share so many moments with my kinfolk. Sometimes, when I relay my memories to my husband, he points out that I was born in 1974. You see, the tales I tell sound like they are of a different era, a more innocent and simple time, like the 1940's. Being surrounded by a clan can make you feel that way. There are traditions we observe as a family that are decades and decades older than I am. There are songs and stories and recipes (like mom's swedish meatballs) that will live on long after me too. I suppose in this way my life has transcended the times it has occupied. But I have also moved outside of that comfort zone of family and friends and a longtime homebase. I have traveled to the opposite side of the country. I have made a a life and a home for myself. I have sought out community interaction and tried to make a difference in the lives of others. I have put down roots. I'm glad I've done all of this. I'm happy with the decisions I've made. I think they were important for me. I think they made me who I am. I will admit this, no matter where I am, I seek to recreate just a little bit of that "family warmth." I look to know people with the same intimacy I would know a cousin or an aunt. I look to establish long-term connections and strong bonds with those around me. So perhaps this explains my love of hosting? My enthusiasm over barbecues? My desire to plan five course meals for every holiday? I suppose it doesn't matter what causes my need to plan such events. I think I'll just keep having them. 11:21 a.m. - 2002-11-15 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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