What a Difference a Day Makes

Was it just yesterday that we were hosting our brunch out on our deck in warm, but breezy, spring weather with enough sun to require sunscreen? Today’s sudden wet chill completely reflects my work day full of problems and stands quite in contrast to yesterday’s bliss.

We ended up with enough food to easily feed 30 instead of 15. My two elderly Jewish cooks came with big Pyrex dishes of kugel and blintzes and other desserts. My office is enjoying the second smoked salmon-goat cheese strata that we never even cut into. I suppose the bottom line is if there are Jewish women cooking, there is never the problem of having enough food!

I thoroughly enjoyed myself at the brunch. I now know these people well enough, for the most part, that I could just ask them to make another pot of coffee while I continued my discussion with the person sitting next to me. One guy brought his dog, much to the delight of Dylan, my 12-year-old who only wakes up from doggy dimentia when a spry young female enters his territory. While Dylan was entertaining his guest Sugar on the lower level of our yard, Jake was chewing through the wire fence so that he could lob his Kong over the deck gate and try to entice our guests to throw it for him.

The only unfortunate part of the day was the fact that we never got to rest. During the brunch David had to go to the airport to pick up our Israeli houseguests, who came in, ate leftovers and took a nap while we washed dishes. We promptly put them in the car and took off to see the Cezanne show on its very last day, do a quick dinner out, and then head to the Kennedy Center for the 35th anniversary celebration.

What a program! I actually identified feelings of PASSION surfacing as my senses were bombarded by some of the greatest performers ever: the Alvin Ailey Dancers doing "Rock ‘o My Soul", Sarah Chang’s hauntingly beautiful violin as she soloed with the NSO, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band marching the saints in, Judy Collins who always sends in those clouds, and on and on and on. What a wonderful taste of Americana for our out-of-country guests!

As I fell into bed with only 6 hours to go before the alarm clock went off, I had a feeling that today would be quite another day. And so it has been. I have not touched one thing yet today that wasn’t broken. My staff are hard at work to fix all the problems, but I am cold and tired and just zombied today. I just want to be drinking good hot coffee on my deck with my feet up staring up into a bright blue sky. Maybe another day...