Another Day in the Country
Tea party time
© Another Day in the Country
What could possibly be more fun during these hot summer days than having a tea party — especially if the tea is iced!
We began having tea parties in Ramona almost as soon as we arrived.
“What a good way to get to know people,” my sister enthused.
We also had the absolute perfect front porch for a tea even though we’ve never had one there.
We did have a Halloween party once on that front porch at Ramona House. The weather turned bad, and we were almost blown right off the porch. But we never had a tea party, a leisure affair with crystal and tiny sandwiches, iced tea, and luscious desert-type tidbits.
We often invited our relatives for Sunday dinner at Ramona House. It was such fun to get out our fancy dishes and serve them, just as we’d so often imagined. Afterward, we would take it onto the front porch and talk — my favorite pastime.
On these occasions, we’d secretly smile to ourselves. This was just exactly what we’d dreamt would happen in Ramona while we were living in California.
From the very first minute that I spied this sweeping porch that went around two sides of the house, I’d pictured a porch swing, flowers, and family and friends sitting out there, swapping stories.
Jessica’s dream of having tea parties and getting acquainted with a variety of people soon came to fruition.
But, of course, it didn’t happen with half a dozen people on the front porch. It happened with 100 people in the parish hall.
Some of you were there! We did have fun but eventually realized we were stuck in the kitchen and had no time to have fun with our guests, so the large-scale teas were done.
Every couple of months, we do have our friends over for a meal. A couple of times, we’ve had a formal tea with tiny cakes and linen napkins — the whole nine yards of frippery. We were just itching to have another tea. There were a bunch of new dessert ideas Jess wanted to try out.
Our cousin Janet used to come to Ramona from Lawrence when we advertised that we were having a tea. She usually brought friends or family with her.
We were reminiscing about those teas one day when Jess said, “I know what would be fun. Let’s do a tea for Janet, in Lawrence, where so many of her friends live.”
Jess immediately began planning.
“Choose 10 of your friends,” we told her, “and invite them to your house for tea. Tell them to dress up in all their finery — hats, gloves, vintage clothes.”
And Jess began dreaming of all the delicious things she could make for this tea, trying out new recipes on our neighbors, considering what dishes we’d use and what kind of delicate sandwiches we’d make.
I’m sure that Jess must have talked about her ideas for having a tea with her coworkers at the health department in Marion. One day, one of them showed up with two boxes of fancy dishes, place setting for 12, exactly perfect for a tea.
“I paid $3 for the whole lot at an estate sale,” Kim said, “They are yours!”
And they were perfect — even including a matching centerpiece vase that incorporated flower vases and candle holders.
For three months, my sister has been fantasizing about this tea, and on Friday we packed the car full of fancy cakes on ice, umpteen kinds of bread and fillings, several kinds of tea, tea pots, kitchen utensils, cutting boards, sauces and spreads, a vintage tablecloth and napkins, fancy paper doilies with which we made “waitress” hats, aprons, and tiered trays, and headed to Lawrence.
It just so happens that on our return trip after the tea, we were heading straight to the airport to pick up my grandson for the rest of summer vacation.
“I guess we’ll just tie Dagfinnr to the roof when we pick him up,” I joked to my sister, as I eyed the load we were carrying.
Janet, who invited her friends to tea, is the most perfect hostess imaginable.
Anytime we show up, invited or impromptu, she’s always prepared with snacks and beverages on offer.
“This time,” we told her, “we’ll be serving you and doing all the work!”
We almost had to tie her to a chair. I think she was relieved, when Jess finally needed another mixing bowl, and we had to ask her where she kept them.
At last, she could do something!
The tea was perfection. The ladies came in all their finery — sporting mink stoles, bridesmaid gowns, fancy hats, gloves and this wonderful spirit of laughter! It was delightful!
Afterward, we repacked the car, had plenty of room for Dagfinnr, and headed down the toll road to Wichita.
We’d never been on this portion of the freeway from the Council Grove exit to Wichita, which goes through 35 miles of the Flint Hills — rolling green prairie on either side of the road as far as your eyes can see.
We “oohed and ahhed.” I took pictures out the car window because we didn’t want to be late to the airport and agreed that this had been a perfect day in the country.