Fun and food

With some books, the fun just goes on and on. Tonight several of the contributors participated in a panel on Grace & Gumption: The Cookbook, the book that grew out of Grace & Gumption: Stories of Fort Worth Women. The evening began with wine and refreshments--potato soup, cheese grits, and chicken enchiladas, all cooked from recipes in the book--at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame. We mingled, talked, laughed and had a great time meeting people we hadn't known. Then we moved across a small plaza to the new Museum of Science and History, where dessert was applesauce cake, again from the cookbook, and coffee. Six of us presented ten minute sketches on our chapters and then signed a fair number of books for people who thanked us enthusiastically for an interesting program. It was a lively evening with a receptive audience, and we felt free to offer comments to the speakers--when Joyce Williams said something about my reaction to her chapter on frontier cooking, I called out "I don't cook squirrel," and when Joy Donovan said she didn't know why she was picked to be part of the cookbook, Katie Sherrod said, "It's because you're so cute," and I added, "It's your pearls"--she had on huge overkill pearls. We have this wonderful camaraderie in the group, a closeness that I have found only one other group--my memoir class. There's something about women sharing food, wine, and stories.The top picture above is Brenda Sanders-Wise, second from left, with her husband to the left, and to the far right her brother Drew, who is a great storyteller. I'm sorry but I don't know the fourth person. Brenda wrote the chapter on The Garden of Eden, representing the black community, and we are all waiting for Sunday dinner in The Garden. I don't know the two ladies below but they were obviously having such a good time. Participating in those two Grace & Gumption books and their continuing public appearances has been one of the richest experiences of my life.

A note from the puppy kingdom: this is our third day with only one accident. That perfect day is within reach. If I'd paid attention tonight, I could have prevented the accident we had. I was by the vet's today to pick up supplies and was reassured that I'm doing very well. Poor Sophie feels like she's been in her crate all day--she has been a good part of it. I'm trying to give her love and company tonight.