My “Funnest” Day!

Can I just tell you about the “funnest” day I’ve had in a long time? (Yes, I know it's not a word. But it fits, so I'm using it!)

 

On Saturday I was invited to a Kentucky Derby party by one of my former neighbors. Hats, bow ties and Mint Juleps were de rigueur, and more guests than not were wearing Derby Day attire. I even saw a seersucker suit amongst the partygoers.

 

There was lots of food and drink and some games of chance. You could buy squares for a few bucks. It meant absolutely nothing to me, but still I participated. And…somehow…I won ten dollars. Don’t ask me for what. A horse came in and apparently landed on one of my squares. Neat trick.

 

Anyway, I had been looking forward to this get-together for a while, but as the day drew closer, the introvert in me became a little hesitant about plopping the fuchsia chapeau on my head and heading the seven miles to my former neighborhood.

 

On the other hand, I purchased the fuchsia chapeau specifically for this gathering and I just couldn’t see me getting use out of it by wearing it on a random Thursday afternoon Costco run.

 

I’m not exactly a hat wearer and even in the winter, I’m more likely to wear earmuffs or a hood covering my cranium.

 

No, this fuchsia hat is strictly a Kentucky Derby sort of hat. So, rather than waste the opportunity, I got ready and headed out.

 

And, boy, am I glad I did.

 

I saw lots of former neighbors, which was fantastic. And everyone looked fantastic, too. I love when people play along with a theme.

 

The food was delicious and the bourbon was plentiful. Not being a bourbon drinker, I alternated between my hot pink drink bottle filled with water and a couple of glasses of not-too-sweet Rosé. So I was happy.

 

Everyone took lots of pictures and many of us sat in comfy chairs on the deck above a creek with towering trees framing either side of the flowing water. It was, well…picture perfect!

 

Since I had been to one other Kentucky Derby party many years ago, I knew that the race itself is sort of anticlimactic. Oh, not for the horses, the riders and the owners, I’m sure. But for the spectators. Two minutes and – poof! – it’s all over.

 

But everyone stood in the living room in front of the TV cheering on their favorites and it was an exciting two minutes.

 

Afterwards, the winners in the room were announced, and the women were each given a red rose, which was a nice touch. I also won a door prize, which was a commemorative 150^th Kentucky Derby glass.

 

I left with renewed friendships and plans for future get-togethers. I mean, sure, I still get together with several people from the neighborhood on a regular basis. And I’m a member of the monthly book club, so it’s great to stay in touch that way. But sometimes when you move away from a neighborhood, those ties eventually unravel and you lose touch.

 

This neighborhood – my old neighborhood – though, is one in a million. If Vince hadn’t passed and we hadn’t purchased a four-bedroom, three-story home with way more rooms than I needed and flowers beds that seemed to require weeding on the daily, I would have loved to stay there. But it was just too much. And the memories of being with him in that house were just too difficult.

 

But I still feel welcomed there, which is pretty special.

 

Most everyone knows one another and are warm, friendly and inviting. They help one another out and get together “just because.” There are annual parties in the cul-de-sac and some neighbors shop together and even travel together.

 

I have to admit that the first time the welcoming committee came to my house shortly after Vince and I moved there, they scared me with all that information. I had come from a community where I didn’t know any of my neighbors – and I was completely okay with that. I told Vince that I thought we had moved into some sort of Stepford Wives neighborhood.

 

Oh, and by the way, he went and told Pat and Suzy – the welcoming committee neighbors who became good friends! So they have never let me forget my fear that I was going to become a Stepford Wife.

 

At any rate, it didn’t take long before I was on the steering committee, hosting meetings, joining the monthly book club and writing the bimonthly newsletter.

 

Pat and Suzy told me I’d "joined the Dark Side." Haha. Funny girls.

 

But, anyway, after I left the party and got to my car, I instantly removed the fuchsia hat. Frankly, I was surprised that I managed to keep it on my head the entire day, but I’m guessing I was worried about hat hair. I drove home with a big smile on my face as I replayed the many interactions and conversations from the party.

 

In my new neighborhood, I’ve met quite a few neighbors, and many are very nice. We don’t seem to have a “dark side” here, although there are neighbors who socialize and play cards together and such.

 

Because Maggie Minx has become overly protective of me and barks at every dog and person we pass on the street, it precludes me from having extended conversations with anyone and I tend to simply wave hello and move on as I drag my little “Dobershire” away.

 

On Saturday when I arrived home from the Derby party, one of my neighbors whom I’d never met was walking by with her Shih Tzu. She knocked on my car window and introduced herself and said she had admired my personalized license plate. She said her name is also Jane and told me quite a bit about herself, so I know she’s originally from North Carolina, is 89 years old and is “living in sin” with her man. (Oh, the things we tell strangers!) We spent the next ten minutes talking and getting to know one another (while Maggie – who was inside and evidently could tell I was home – barked incessantly.

Sigh…).

 

By the time I got inside and calmed down my ferocious beast of a dog, I realized I was still smiling at the full circle my day had been. I had lovely interactions with neighbors – old and new – and it was an all-around wonderful day.

 

And, plus, I won ten bucks and a commemorative 150^th Kentucky Derby glass. What more could I ask for?