Valentines and Vegetables

Now that we are officially officers of our local Sons of Norway lodge (remember?), it's time to start fulfilling our duties at the monthly meetings, of which we had one this afternoon. As newsletter editor, Susan prepared her first one and had it mailed out in time for people to read it and know all the details in advance about today's meeting and the social program to follow. As youth director, she planned some Valentine-themed craft projects for the children to do during the business meeting to keep them entertained and occupied.

Jack, Hillary, and Madeline, with their backs to the camera, work on crafts. Suzanna is visible between them, and Abigail is mostly obscured by Hillary.

As vice president, I . . . let the president run the meeting and the other officers do their duties. I did help Suzanna with her job, though. As musician, she was called upon to play the Canadian, Norwegian, and American national anthems at the start of the meeting. However, the songs in the Sons of Norway songbook are a little beyond her skill set, so I played the keyboard alongside her--I played both hands, and she played just the treble line with her right hand.

Here are some of the officers visible at the far end of the table: our president Cathy in the center, our secretary Lynette to Cathy's right, and our marshal Paul to Cathy's left. Other officers and members are to the right and left, out of camera range.

We had invited our neighbors Chuck and Reba (those are their kids, Madeline and Jack, in the photo above with the girls) to the meeting as potential new members, and they sat patiently through the business meeting and then joined us for the food and program to follow. The program director had arranged for one lodge member to make Valentine-themed table decorations, and there were Valentine candies sprinkled in the middle of each table, too. She asked everybody to come up with a Valentine sentiment containing a fruit- or vegetable-related pun (e.g., "We make the perfect pear" or "If you carrot all, you will be my Valentine," etc.). Two lodge members were appointed to judge who had the best puns, and Hillary won one of the prizes! Abigail and I had our names drawn to win door prizes, so our family left with a small collection of Valentine's candy at the end of the day.

Next month's meeting will precede a memorial service for lodge members who died in the past year, and that happens to be Susan's grandpa E. J. (remember?). Then we'll eat a special supper in celebration of the lodge's anniversary, which will be followed by the program: a play written by one of the lodge members. There's lots going on in our little lodge!