Almond Cookies and Elderberry Wine

This weekend, I enjoyed a long standing tradition for the third time, the Kern County OV and Dinner. In that particular part of the state, there is a tradition that the Official Visit to that county is followed immediately by a dinner where the previous year's Grand Officers, at least those that are not still Grand Officers, help serve the meal and then go have a mini-reunion. Serving this dinner is one of those things that I call a residual obligation. Those are obligations that you have in the year after you've been a Grand Officer, like attending the SLC Christmas Party. Well, the first time I attended this event, in 2008, is when I learned of this little tradition and dutifully wrote it down in my little book as something that I needed to know to do when 2009 rolled around. But of course, by the time 2009 did roll around, I was again a Grand Officer, so I didn't have to serve after all. I have been told that perhaps I only agreed to go up the Grand Line to get a free roster every year and put off serving this dinner until 2014. Somehow, I don't think those were the reasons. So last year, I got to see all my 2008s, and this year I got to see all my 2009s, but neither year did I get to go with them for the mini-reunion. In fact, this time they even had a meeting in another room of the same hall and when I popped in for hugs and hellos, they shoo-ed me all back out. Of course there was a good reason for it since a bunch of what they were doing is to surprise me, but I really didn't go in to peek. I would have liked to peek, but the 2009s are all pretty sharp and there was really no peeking opportunity, darn it! But the part of this tradition that always sort of makes me wonder is that after serving the meal to us, the former year's Grand Family go somewhere else for dinner. You know, my daddy always taught me to be suspicious when folks serve you food but then won't eat it themselves. He also mentioned once how easy it is to hide the cyanide in almond cookies because you expect almond cookies to smell like almonds. And what about those little old ladies in Arsenic and Old Lace, who poisoned the elderberry wine. You never saw them drink any of it, did you? So what's up with this tradition that they serve the food but don't eat the food. Even if they want to go have their own private party afterwards, shouldn't they at least play royal food taster and eat a bite or two of each dish, just for our peace of mind? I mean, so far as I know, no one has gone to the dinner and died yet, but why take chances? :-) On Sunday, we attended the first of the receptions for the 2010 Grand Officers. All of the Grand Officers, except the Associate Grand Matron, the Associate Grand Conductress (me), and the Grand Secretary can have receptions if they want them. Sometimes they don't choose to have one, but they can if they want to and most do choose to do so. There are different philosophies on when to hold them too. Some WGMs have all their officer receptions at the end of the year, so last year, almost every one of them was in August. Some WGMs spread them out throughout the year, so in 2008 and 2010, they started in April and trickled out through the year. Each way has its up sides and down sides and no way is perfect. On the all at the end way, it is nice to have your reception towards the end of the year because it really is a celebration of your year of service and it is nice to celebrate that towards the end. But at the same time, it is a bit less special when yours is one of two or three receptions in the same weekend because it gets a touch repetitive for the Grand Officers and for others who are going to all the events too. When they are all bunched at the end of the year, you have to have several in a weekend. So the end of the year positive is balanced by a mild one of a group negative. When they are all spread out, you can put just one on a weekend and you are the only honored member that weekend, which helps make it your very own special weekend. Unfortunately, that also means that you can have it in April when you are only half way done. So the one and only positive is balanced by mild earlier in the year negative. Regardless of when you have it though and regardless of whether you share a weekend, your reception is your very own special time. The one last Sunday had lovely music and nice refreshments and a fun theme. There was plenty of happy laughter. It is also pretty funny to hear the introduction speeches. There is a tradition that after all the preliminaries and escorts and speeches by distinguished members and such, some person, often a member of the family, gives a speech introducing the Honored Member, after which the Honored Member is invited to speak. This introduction speech often gives historical facts about the Honored Member, like where they went to school and where they worked and stuff like that, but it also usually contains some funny stories. Well, no one can tell funny stories about a lady like her husband. I think the best part is that sometimes, the husband doesn't seem to understand why what he just said was so funny. On Sunday, the crowd couldn't help laughing when the Honored Member's husband, who was completely, innocently talking about how, years before they got married, he would carpool people home after work, commented how his wife to be always got in the back seat. Maybe you had to be there, but the crowd just burst into giggles and our terribly dirty minds started to wonder if there was any "parking" involved. ;-) Last year we had one husband who really told funny stories and we all wondered if the dog house was full and if the couch was comfortable. You never know what is going to be in the introduction speech, but of course it's okay because it's only being heard by the three hundred people in the world most important to you, so no problem. :-) Of course, what they sometimes forget is that when it is your reception, you get to speak last, moo ooo waaaa aaaahhh. Next weekend, I will be in Patterson, Ceres and Fairfield, but not Orland.