Potluck

Darn, I got up before the alarm went off at 6:00 yesterday--an hour an a half earlier, in fact. However, I decided to get up, did my thing, got to Kimball early and home early, so I had breakfast before 8:00. I've been thinking about the monologues I promised Fern and a topic occurred to me. I spent the morning on a first draft, and modified later. Had to get out, so I went to Ralph's, where I found the minced onion; also got salmon and blueberries. I drove to the Goodwill near where Ellen used to live and dropped off some donations. Saw the new supermarket that just opened in the same shopping center and went in to browse. It didn't seem as good as WinCo to me. Home, I had lunch, then made the cranberry meatballs to bring to the potluck at Dudley House. This entails adding other ingredients to ground beef, rolling small, then popping them in the oven for a half hour. After that, they're simmered in the slow cooker with the cranberry sauce, chili sauce, and a few other things.
For the first time in months, I made the conscious decision to skip my afternoon walk. I just couldn't fit it in with the above, as the potluck was at 6:30. Showered, packed up my slow cooker, and took off.
I was early enough to help set up at Dudley House. Gatherings are held in the basement, which is roomy and has a full kitchen. We moved tables around, added chairs, and otherwise laid things out. I guess about forty people were there; I met most and it was great fun. This group isn't restricted to senior citizens, but as far as I could see, only two were within shouting distance of sixty. I sat with Lynne, director of docents, and two woman named Carol and Cathy who I'll bet are pushing ninety. However, they were animated and fun.
Lynne gave me my official name plate (it's made of light metal, with a picture of the house on it). I had brought flyers about our performance on the 17th and gave them out. (I wouldn't dream of relying on SCAN to publicize, run as it is by two young women who seem clueless about p.r.) I saw that several people had brought wine--my kind of folks!--and had the equivalent (in plastic) of two glasses of Chardonnay. A local historian named Richard Senate spoke on "Hollywood in Ventura County" and was very entertaining. I was pleased that my meatballs were all snapped up (I always put toothpicks by the pot to get them out) and several people told me how much they liked them.
I was charmed that Bob Dudley attended. He's the great-grandson (or maybe great-great) of Benjamin Dudley, the patriarch who built the house. I chatted with him for a few minutes; he said he hadn't lived in the house, but on a ranch up in the hills, where he was born. He must be at least ninety and he still lives there
The evening was great and I'm glad to be part of Dudley House.