Block Party

 Today was our annual block party, which always fills me with a little dread, since being around groups of people isn't really my thing.  

I also had a birthday cake to bake,  for one of my teachers ( I try to make a cake for all the employee birthdays, and simply ran out of steam yesterday and didn't get hers done) and the house to clean, so I had to get up early and face the day with my toughest yoga work out to mentally prepare for what lie ahead- lots of cooking and shopping and delivery of cake!

The block party was started 12 years ago by a couple with lots of enthusiasm for activities and neighborliness, and  while we always participate, we are not really model neighbors.  This year one of my employees happened to move onto my street (a weird coincidence) and when he mentioned not attending, it felt like a terrible thing to do!

You have to come! We all dread it, but we all do it!  

I guilt tripped him enough to have him come over early to help me cook, and move the table, since Mark was helping his sister move, until right when the party started.

We had a pretty nice time cooking and drinking coffee, which is pretty much my favorite thing to do on a Saturday afternoon, anyway. 

The party went well, and Freyja had a blast playing with the neighborhood children and eating tons of candy, and wacking the hell out of a pinata.  

The families that have taken over the organization of the party the last couple of years have made a point of writing NO ALCOHOL on the invitation, which was a pretty weird thing to do, since prior to them writing that, no one had ever brought alcohol to the block party in the past, that I know of -perhaps they just weren't sharing with me?   

This year, many people, in protest,  showed up with wine and beer, and one couple brought a giant thermos of Jungle Juice, in a wagon,  just to be cute.   The winos and jungle juicers had a gay old time playing bingo, which was led by the son of the nonalcohol invitation people, and I don't think anyone was badly offended. I hope not at least.  Mark drank a PBR out of a coffee mug, it was all very absurd.

I made 25 devil's food cupcakes, with cayenne pepper dark chocolate ganache, which is pretty nice for adults, but probably not the best thing to serve to children- the hot pepper had already gone in, before I thought of that angle.

buttermilk mashed, garlic potatoes, with dill and chives

a prune and green apple stuffed pork tenderloin for Mark, with sauteed cabbage and green apples

macaroni salad, for something traditionally block partyish

people slowly gathering in the street.

games for the children & the lady with the jungle juice

our little corner!

Mark manning the pinata

a visit from a vintage fire truck

Mark pretending to be a creepy old Bingo lady

a movie on the front lawn of the people that I suspect that Freyja would like to be adopted by (they have nice grass AND a big dog).