Folkmoot takes over our lives for a while

Tuesday is our day at the hospital.  Evelyn wheeled 4 people out in wheelchairs while I drove some people from their cars to the fitness center.  It was hot and muggy causing everyone to expect rain that never came until late evening.  I have begun to work on sermons for the coming Advent season so I won’t have to rush so much when we return to Texas.  I have 2 finished and am working on the 3rd.  Advent has 4 Sundays.

Wednesday was Open Door day.  We serve the 2nd and 3rd Wednesdays.  It was quite warm in the building as usual.  We had eaten a late breakfast and weren’t hungry.  The cooks are surprisingly good most days.  They can’t really plan what they will serve until they arrive to see what food is available.  Many of the groceries donate meat, vegetables and desserts but not much in advance of the serving date.  Therefore, the cooks come it to surprises most days.  This season is a bit more expectant because crops come in to prevent huge amounts of waste.  Since they are locally grown and are perishable, they spoil more quickly and more plentiful this time of year.  Being from the Midwest, we are not accustomed to fruits and veggies being ripe this early.  Peaches are coming now but won’t be available until mid to late August farther north.  We went to choir practice in the evening and left there in the rain.  It seems to have rained each Wednesday when we rehearse.  Of course it seems to have rained every day.  Actually it has!  At least for the past month. 

Thursday was the beginning of Folkmoot in the evening.  First, however, Gary, Marty and I played 18 holes of golf.  It was dryer on the course than it was Monday, but I didn’t play much better.  I have been driving well off the Tee but not today.  We were home by noon and beat Evelyn from her Bible study.  We both rested in the afternoon but drove off to the Stompin’ grounds for the Folkmoot Gala.  There are groups representing 8 countries this year.  I say representing because the polish group is from Chicago and the Scottish group is from Winnipeg, Canada.  They were all good but not as good as in past years.  The hit of the show was the group from France who dance on stilts.  They do some moves that cause the audience to make oooooh sounds.  There is always a beer and hors d’oerves party afterward, and this is the 30th year of the festival.  I went for the beer as usual, and struck up a conversation with one of the dancers from Chicago representing Poland.  He was very nice, and I determined to invite him to our house for beer.  I had talked with him and his friend, causing them to miss a beer because the keg misfired before they could get to it.  We left for home a bit early.

Friday was the day for the international parade through downtown Waynesville.  It was a hot day, and the groups dress in costume to parade and perform.  The group from Martinique were likely comfortable, but those from Slovakia, dressed in wool uniforms, must have been miserable.  We left immediately after the final group went past us and came home.  We had taken a lunch made at home.  We rested in the afternoon again and dressed for the ballroom dance in Clyde.  I had been having some aching in my left leg and was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to dance much.  I was able to dance plenty but had to be careful to not do much twisting.  We had a good time with Dallas and Karen who will be leaving for Pittsburg this coming week.  They love the Pirates and have to make a visit each year to see them play.  I guess I understand why since it is closer than a trip to see the Cubs.

Saturday was the Arts council day on which the main street is shut down and booths are set up displaying crafts.  The Folkmoot dancers participate in performing.  It was another rainy day but not enough to affect the party.  Evelyn didn’t want to go, but I wanted to invite a couple of the Polish group to church and also beer sometime this week.  After the short rain, the humidity began to heat up again.  I walked the 3 blocks in town to find the Baptist church where the groups were served lunch and waited for my group.  When I saw Paul, expecting he would not recognize me, I was surprised that he called me by name.  We chatted briefly, and I gave him my calling card and asked him to call when he knew his final schedule so we could get together.  I also hoped he would call today so we could make arrangements for us to pick him up for church.  He didn’t call, but they will be here next Sunday.  He is Roman Catholic, but he didn’t seem hesitant to attend a different denomination.  E and I had slept late, eaten a late breakfast and planned to eat a late lunch.  We ate when I returned home about 3, planning this would be our only meal for the day.  We finished a movie we had begun and watched another film of 99% black actors called “The Brothers”.  It had some funny parts but was mostly full of terrible language.  I doubt most blacks talk this way and thought the film was an insult to normal black people.  Both our daughters called and talked with Evelyn during the evening the evening and we walked around our loop between calls.  E watched another movie on the Hallmark channel and I watched the Cubs before retiring.  I have been trying to give away some tickets to the Folkmoot performance tomorrow without much success.