Our Austen Evening

On Sunday afternoon, our piano club, newly christened a "piano society," met at a friend's house. For a few hours on that chilly, windy afternoon, we sat inside listening to our children of all levels play a variety of piano pieces--popular ("Let it Go," "Walking on Sunshine," "Red and Black," "Secrets," Coldplay), classical (two different "Carol of the Bells), folk ("Old Susannah"), jazz.  And all I could think of was Jane Austen. That somehow in that afternoon twilight of the first day of the time change, when the day ends before you're ready, I was transported to another era when people sat around playing and listening to music.  (It helped that there was a lovely antique cross stitch in black silhouette of a woman playing piano.) Sure, we were recording some of it with our digital phones and the pieces were not Regency, but no one was surfing online, no kids were playing video games, there was no tv on.  All the music was real and live, not MP3.  And I was so grateful that we had come together to give each other this gift.  So I even did my part and played mediocre renditions of "All Through the Night" and "When the Saints Go Marching In."

Clubbin'

The kids have joined a club: the library's summer reading club! And they are thrilled beyond belief. We were there last week, playing computer games and picking up books on knights and on Arthur, when we passed the circulation desk and heard them talking about the club. I thought the kiddos were too young, but there is a pre-reading club. If you do 10 reading activities--being read to, retelling a story, learning a nursery rhyme, acting out a story, illustrating a story--you win a prize and get invited to the end-of-summer party. Sis was so proud to receive her club "card" where we'll check off activities. Then, knowing of clubs from tv shows, she asked me where the club building was! The library, of course. They glowed with happiness all the way home, where we proudly posted the checklist on the chalkboard and promptly read 4 books. Then they went off and read to themselves, reciting and retelling their favorite stories. It's been about a week since we were at the library and, not counting carefully, we have done about 40 reading activities: that's 4 books a night, plus some stories during the day; they acted out Cinderella; recited nursery rhymes; and retold me their favorite books. It's fun to see them so excited about books and clubs . . . . I loved both as a kid. Well, and truly, even now . . . . happy reading!

A Sense of Belonging

Still reading the NYTimes. I have a need to post but nothing coherent to post about, so I'm digitally digesting my daily reading.

Just read, from the magazine this weekend, about a Supper Club that meets on the First Wednesday of the month to share meals.

I love stories like this (there have been several in Mothering recently), about supper clubs, book clubs, art groups, playgroups. Because I love to belong to groups like that--we did a dinner group in my moms' club; I have an art group (and have tried a story group) for the kiddos; my playgroup is my central social outlet and source of much friendship and support; I don't have time to read but always love the idea of a book club, even though, oddly, I've never belonged (though, really, isn't graduate school one big stressful and competitive book club?). And I'm always inspired to start something like this. I sat there, while reading the article, wondering who in my group of friends and neighbors would like to play along, knowing as I mused on it that, in the end, we probably wouldn't easily be able to play. But I like the idea. Maybe when we don't eat dinner at 5 pm!

I am a joiner. Never saw a problem with it, still don't. All that rejection of groups with "I don't need a club to have friends" doesn't offend me, but doesn't make sense either. In this time when there is little geographical community, what is wrong with community based on mutual interest? Now, I'm not into exclusive clubs--Girl Scouts let in atheists and gays, UUs are open to everyone, my Chicago chorus didn't require auditions (thankfully), my college fraternity was service-based and let all interested join, and my playgroup is pretty much "If you feed us, we will come." But I like the formal structure, regular schedule, familiar activities, predictability flavored with variety, ritual and tradition. I'd make a great Catholic if it weren't for the catechism. Oooh, and give me a uniform or matching t-shirts and I'm all atwitter. My mom used to joke that I'd probably love being a nun (hmmm, perhaps she knew more than I did! :) )

Well, I've heard how well my cousin the Trappist monk eats at his rural monastery in France. That's the ultimate supper club, no?

I'm not sure I need to take it that far, but, maybe a few organized family potluck picnics this summer wouldn't be a bad idea . . . any takers?