Last March, our youngest DD was given an Eastern Star appointment as district chairman for Cancer Research. She was charged with raising $1,000 for this worthy project. That’s a pretty tall order for difficult economic times!
Months of planning lead up to this weekend’s show: Hoot ‘N’ Holler. It featured a fried chicken dinner, followed by a Hee-Haw type variety show. DD was the hostess and box office girl.
The Shriners clowns agreed to come and be part of the entertainment. Did you know it can take up to two hours for these fellows to put on all that make-up? Tell that to your man next time he complains about your beauty routine! 
Here are several pictures of our friends, to show you the theme decorations. It was fall and country all the way.
DH did a tribute to Junior Sample, complete with a commercial. Here he is in all his glory, going over last minute skit details with our friend Gayle.
Any good variety show will include music. I hadn’t planned to play, as country isn’t my interest. However, we received a $100 donation, on the condition that I play some numbers. Here I am, playing some Fats Waller, and some Scott Joplin. DD sang also, but her daddy enjoyed it so much that he forgot to pick up the camera! le sigh!
The Shriners clowns performed three skits for us, including this fishing-in-a bucket number.
Your fish has to be as big as mine!
The biggest catfish (pillow) ever was pulled out of the ice chest.
This is the picture of DD, her dad, and the clown named “Trouble” that was taken for the newspaper write-up.
We are so proud of all that she accomplished with her committee. The show earned $945! When memorial contributions for the year are added, she should make that lofty $1,000 goal. Wow!
I’m in the front row, the second lady to the right of center, and wearing a long-sleeved blue shirt. The ladies’ shirts have an angel embroidered on the front and back shoulder (our theme mascot); the mens’ shirts have clowns on them, to honor the Shriner’s clowns. Last spring I did the machine embroidery for all of them, plus a shirt for each officer’s escort. Now you know why there was a big gap in my knitting progress last year!
Here’s the entire “Pride”, declaring a truce and napping on DH’s lap as he naps, too. (Left to right, that’s Victoria, or “Torrie”, Minky, and Casper.) Naps are a good thing…especially with cats to relax you.
As Irish luck would have it, it was in town for the St. Patrick Day’s parade. (No, I didn’t attend that rain-soaked event. My deductions were prompted by the shamrock stickers on the windshield and all over the bun. ) We saw it one more time Sunday afternoon, and DH volunteered to circle the block and get a picture. Thanks, honey. I’m amused by the “sandwich” being in compliance with the One Way sign in the photo, even though it is in the parking lot.
This is the entire reception line. I was a good girl, and put my knitting down for the occasion. (I’m second from the right.)
Here’s a closer shot. I’m in the middle, surrounded by Susan, our Grand Marshal, and Faye, Friend of a Feather.
Here I’m greeting Melanie and Norma. Melanie is Worthy Matron of Baton Rouge Chapter. Norma has served loyally as my Page this year.
which were friendship gifts for Eastern Star grand chapters (state meetings) I would be attending. All of those have been given away, and it’s time for Louisiana’s grand chapter, my home state. I have 17 soap bars left; as of today, I have 14.5 washcloths knitted. I can’t begin to tell you how much I want to knit something else. However, between here and the end of March I also have to make a gown for our DD, prepare music for three church services, as well as for that grand chapter (I’m the grand organist this year), and in general plan a bit. There just aren’t days to goof off. le sigh. Oh, how I look forward to playing with wool, or alpaca, or any of the knitting delights that wait for me when I have completed my obligations!
and Casper and Victoria took the opportunity to enjoy it together (something they seldom do…she’s too bossy.) It looked inviting!
Both Missouri and Oklahoma’s gatherings will include a breakfast meeting where everyone brings a favor for everyone else at the table. This is so much fun, to receive little gifts from people visiting from all over the country. It makes it worth getting up for breakfast! Planning a gift that I think will please the recipients, and that speaks of my talents and interests is both a challenge and a big part of the fun. Typically, the tables seat 10, so deducting for DH and myself, I’ll need 8 gifts X 2 gatherings, 16 knitted gifts. This year, I have been making 
but hadn’t been to the Farmer’s Market to purchase soap. While I was running errands one day, our lawn man knocked on the door, and gave DH a sample soap. He said he had just begun making soaps to sell, and wanted us to try the sample. It was a heavenly, creamy lavender…why, yes, I wanted some. Could he make smaller bars, say, 50 of them? You should have seen his face! I believe it was his first order. He went home, played with his molds, and made super-thick bars that he could cut in half for me. They turned out wonderfully, and just fit in the little plastic bags Hobby Lobby sells for jewelry-making findings. I present the combo tied with narrow ribbon, with my calling card tied into the bow. They have been well received at previous events, where the people seated at my table jockeyed for their choice of color.
