Thoughtful talk

Tonight eleven women met in my living room for a happy hour/work session. We were talking about the book to which we'd all contributed, Grace & Gumption: Stories of Fort Worth Women, and the book with which we plan to follow up in a couple of years: Grace & Gumption: The Cookbook. The talk and the exchange of ideas was lively, and I marveled at how freely we threw out thoughts. One woman wondered if the description she had of how to butcher a deer (1850s chapter) was too graphic, and we assured her not. Another moaned that her women--all philanthropists--didn't cook; they had servants to do that. At the end of the evening, we were all excited about the project and filled with ideas. We'll meet again in several months to exchange information found.
One contributor suggested that we were defeating ourselves--we had done the book to showcase the accomplishments of women, outside the home, and now here we are, putting them back in the kitchen. But a chorus countered that idea. Said one, "Women need to take back to the kitchen. Now it's cool for men to cook, but demeaning for women." Others of us insisted that was what women did--they accomplished outside the home, and yet they kept the home running smoothly and the family fed. And some of us, me included, insisted that cooking was a relaxing avocation. It will be interesting and fun to see how this book goes together.
And speaking of cooking, Saturday night I had a delightful dinner party. I served buffalo meatloaf (made with the heartiest recipe I know--with ketchup, mustard, onion, celery, etc.) and cooked in a skillet in the oven, along with an Italian veggie recipe I had seen Michael Chiarello do on the Food channel, and my standard blue cheese salad. My guests raved, though one said he thought I needed practice on my Toll House pie and he'd be glad to test for me. But good as the food was I was more impressed at the conversation. I sat at the table as we lingered over dessert and silently marvelled at how wonderful it is to have friends who have thoughtful and intelligent discussions about things that matter. One of our number is an Episcopalian priest and his wife is deeply involved in the crisis that is tearing that church apart in our diocese, the others of us are struggling with matters of faith, so there was a lot of religion talk, a smattering of politics (we were all in agreement), a bit of light-hearted banter. It was a soul-satisfying evening.
The weather has brightened, and so has my mood. It wasn't sunny today, but it was warm and didn't rain, a mixed blessing--we need the moisture but that cold rain can really dampen spirits. At least mine.