4/16/10 Longaberger basket, wine caddy, bottle of wine, and two cheese knives, given awayHad to dust off an old housewarming ritual today. You remember the scene from It's a Wonderful Life:
Mary: Bread... that this house may never know hunger.Our friends Jason and Naomi invited us over to their new home tonight, so we needed to combine proper guest etiquette with downsizing. Frank Capra to the rescue!
[Mary hands a loaf of bread to Mrs. Martini]
Mary: Salt... that life may always have flavor.
[Mary hands a box of salt to Mrs. Martini]
George Bailey: And wine... that joy and prosperity may reign forever. Enter the Martini Castle.
[George hands Mr. Martini a bottle of wine]
The bread and salt (don't worry -- I bought those for the occasion) I put in a basket that I had made nine years ago at the Longaberger factory in Ohio. Yeah, I get around.
The wine was a bottle I purchased months ago but realized I likely won't drink before we move, given I'm the only imbiber in the household. We put the bottle into a spiffy wine caddy that materialized around here some time ago.
For good measure, Joanna brought some cheese and two cheese knives from our large cutlery collection. Okay, there's no cheese in the movie, but I like to imagine George and Mary accompanying Mr. and Mrs. Martini into their new home for some Depression-era brie on crackers.
In return, Jason, Naomi, and little Maddie (born a year to the day before Chase) gave us a wonderful evening of conversation, friendship, and hospitality.
So we returned richer than we left.
And some credit to Edward Fitzgerald's Omar Khayyam.
ReplyDeleteWow. That reference took me a whole lot of Googling to figure out. How did you know that???
ReplyDeleteA Book of Verses underneath the Bough,
ReplyDeleteA Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread--and Thou...."
Evidently no longer referenced in public education, it is one of those long-term memories that rattles around in the brain of many of this aged generation who were expected to read (and--gasp!--sometimes memorize) poetry and other forms of literature. Probably not available for Kindle and iPad.