hospitality

We are preparing to host a rather large gathering of friends and family at our place end of the month. Many preparations are underway. “List” and “task” are daily words in our household. In Simple Abundance today, Sarah speaks of hospitality and everything it seems to entail. She reminds us of how frenzied we can become attempting to create the perfect atmosphere and she offers suggestions for keeping it simple, such as hosting a potluck or keeping the fare minimal, focusing on one course as a theme.

She wraps up the day’s entry with this quote from Mireille Johnston, “family and friends will sit at your table exalted and firmly convinced that while the cloudy future may be in the laps of the gods, the glorious present is happily on their plates. And they will leave reassured by the knowledge that the energy and grace, the carefree laughter, and stimulating smells, the power of these great simple dishes – all of these miracles and more can be summoned up again at will.”

As I was doing this and that in the yard, with the general intent of tidying up, I saw a butterfly. She was a new one to me. I watched her for five to ten minutes, flitting here and there. I almost gave up trying to photograph her. She finally settled down and I was able to get a few good photos of this beautiful little creature.

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