Saturday, January 17, 2009

Community

A day that begins and ends in community offers welcome protection from numbing cold.

The morning meant clearing, painting, dusting, sweeping, and swabbing the cooperative gallery at Shenanigans. Seven of us -- two sculptors, two potters, two
fiber artists, and I -- spent the morning preparing the gallery for a new year. When we return Monday with new work and complete the refurbishment, perhaps folks will find a bit of peaceful contemplation in a year that promises sober economic and war news and welcome political change.

The evening meant potluck at the community center with friends and neighbors. Supper was an edible surprise ball: instead of unwrapping crepe paper to reveal trinkets, I moved along tables laden with homemade dishes (unlabeled as the couple ahead of me lamented since they're vegetarians), taking a smidgen of this and a smidgen of that. The surprising tastes were as delightful as the animal murals and Christmas lights and happy chatter.

Good books have promising beginnings lingering endings. This day made good reading.

No comments: