All That's Left
A week ago Thursday, the Friends of the Middleton Public Library hosted a fundraiser at Barriques, a coffee shop/wine seller located in downtown Middleton. The $30 per person/$50 per couple tickets provided each guest with free hors d’oeuvres and unlimited wine and beer samples -- and a great schmoozing atmosphere. (The beer, of course, was from Middleton’s own Capital Brewery.) And what a successful outcome for this first-time endeavor. It was difficult to make an exact head count, but I’d guess that at least 50 people were in attendance during the 2½-hour event.
The Friends Board of Directors had carefully planned the event for most of the year, with Vice-President Mary Drake taking the lead in coordinating all of the arrangements. More than 30 of the local businesses she contacted agreed to contribute in one way or another. Many of these sponsors donated a product or service for a silent auction, which must have brought in an additional $1,000. I successfully bid on two items: a pie from Costco’s bakery and a gift certificate from Carr Valley Cheese. (I did go to the event feeling hungry.)
“Did you get the pie?” JoAnna asked me when I told her about my Tuesday trip to Costco.
“No, I didn’t bring the coupon along,” I said.
After she returned home from work on Friday, she suggested we go to Costco to pick something up for an easy supper. Starting at 7:00, we were playing cards – sheepshead, of course – with a group of friends who live on the east side of Madison, and these gatherings generally run until at least midnight.
“And we could pick up the pie, too,” she added.
“Pie, pie, pie! That’s all you’ve thought about since I brought home that coupon,” I teased. “You and your sweet tooth.”
Costco’s pies are huge. We didn’t have a lot of choices, though. A latticed apple pie. (I imagined what it would taste like after 30 seconds in the microwave – and with the addition of a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.) Chocolate cream. (The kind of dessert that causes weight gain just by looking at it.) JoAnna, though, parked herself in front of a pecan pie and stared at it lovingly.
“I take it that’s the one you want,” I said, throwing up a verbal white flag of surrender.
She even took the pie with us to the card party. We returned home with more than half of it intact, which JoAnna and I whittled away at the following morning. We both had pie for breakfast.
Between the sugar and the caffeine, we experienced a productive Saturday morning. JoAnna reorganized the dining hutch and rearranged the living room in preparation for the Christmas tree we’ll set up two weeks hence. And in-between reading RSS feeds and posting a few blogs, I reorganized and tidied up my work space in the family room – the computer table and rolltop desk.)
Surprisingly, there are still two pieces of pie left on Sunday morning, though based on the picture that intros this post, some may argue with my math.
But not for long. I have dibs on a piece for lunch. (And it will be topped with a scoop of chocolate ice cream. Good thing a long walk is on today's schedule!)
