Last supper

4/12/10 Nine (crafty and useful) corks, trashed

Those of you, Dear Readers, who are longtime followers of the blog (and I do appreciate all two of you!) have likely been wondering if I'd ever do another cork downsize. Wait no more!

Actually, these little numbers hardly qualify as corks, since they transcended their bottle-stopping role long ago. I'd seen various bangles that you can place on wine glasses to differentiate them at a party. My idea, all irony aside, was to make my own, using corks. I drilled holes in the corks, inserted rubber bands, and -- presto! -- every dinner guest can personalize their wine glass. No more accidentally sucking the dregs out of someone else's glass at the Dyer-Payne household.

I'm really good at solving non-existent problems.

I'm also rather optimistic about projecting the guestlist at our parties. We've rarely had nine people over here at once, and we've certainly never had nine people simultaneously drinking wine. In five years, I've pulled the corks out two or three times, and that was for show. I have to admit that when you're entertaining just one other couple, it's pretty easy for everyone to keep track of their own glassware.

Tonight was the best night to bid adieu to the corks, since we got as close as we ever do to a dinner party. Grandpas Fred and Laurent wrapped up their visit with Chase by cooking up a marvelous meal of scallops, asparagus, and whoopee pies. I cracked open a bottle of Fat Cat wine -- I have a strict wine-buying policy: only buy bottles with a picture of an animal on the label -- and we toasted to a great visit. Thanks to the corks, everyone safely stuck to their own glass.

After dinner, I unceremoniously said goodbye to the corks by tossing them all in the garbage.

Seeing Fred and Laurent off will be much tougher.