The women in my neighborhood formed a group 3-4 years ago; the purpose of which was social, educational and just plain fun. We call ourselves "Women of W_______" (our subdivision name begins with "W") or WOW for short. Not everyone participates every time, but most will make time for a few of our meetings every year. Some of the things we have done are: toured museums (and had lunch), gone to an educational documentary at our IMAX theater (and had lunch), attended an open rehearsal of our symphony (and had lunch) painted pottery at Bisque Art (and had lunch). Sometimes we just go out for lunch! Some of our get-togethers are at night, and they usually revolve around food (do you see a trend?). Once in a while we have a dinner, and a local chef and cooking teacher will come into one of our homes and cook a theme dinner, bring wines apropos to the meal, and we all watch him cook and then eat (even though we are really supposed to participate in the cooking process, most do not). We have to have a minimum number of people for this type event, and sometimes we have to throw it open for friends to come, in order to make our required quota. My friend Pam has attended these occasions, and she eventually was made an "honorary WOW". Last night, she had a seated, pot-luck dinner in her home, in order to thank those of us who have hosted her in the past. Twenty two women came and I can truly say "A good time was had by all".
I made pork tenderloin with cherry/cranberry sauce, Nancy made extraordinary beef tenderloin, and everyone else brought either a side-dish, a salad, a dessert or wine. There was an amazing amount of excellent food, plus an early birthday cake for Nancy, who organizes the group's meetings. Pam is a spectacular hostess and her home sparkled with warmth, as does her personality. I tend to serve on paper plates, if there are more than 6 people present, but Pam served us with fine china, real silver and linen napkins!!Our friend Jackie (her neighbor) helped her prepare and made luscious bacon-wrapped scallops. Jackie, you are on notice - I WANT MORE! Pam pressed her husband, David, into service as bartender for the evening. I must say he handled himself with a great deal of grace in the presence of so much estrogen!
Previously, Nancy, who organizes our events has provided favors for us to take home, items such as canape spreaders or pastry brushes. We decided to carry out a "Spring" theme and have fresh flowers in small pots as favors, as well as a main centerpiece on each of three tables. Pam and her parents painted the small pots, Jackie decorated them with polka-dots and squiggles, and I was tapped to do the flowers. Pam and I collected flowers from various sources, and on Tuesday, I set out to do the 31 arrangements. Four hours later, I had finished. I am a professional florist, but I am not as fast as most. I like to take my time and enjoy the process, which I cannot do if I am rushed. I added small bits of whimsy, such as miniature fruits and vegetables, small bird's nests with eggs, raffia bows, snails and frogs. They were appreciated by all, I think.
We WOW's are truly blessed, I think. We all benefit from the camadarie of our get-togethers and the creativity of our neighbors. If you have no such association in your area, I suggest you look into starting one. I am available for advice on the subject........ you can "just ask Judy".
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