garden party!

For the past few weeks, I've had an old song running through my mind. The song is "Garden Party", as sung by Ricky Nelson in 1972. The first verse, the part that has been playing on repeat for me, is as follows:
I went to a garden party
to reminisce with my old friends
A chance to share old memories
and play our songs again.

This was certainly befitting of those lyrics! The hostess, who has been holding her Garden Party for the past five years, usually has the affair in October, in memory of her mother. This time, the party was to honor several attendees, women whose stories are featured in a new book in progress by the hostess. The book, which will hopefully be completed this summer, is titled "Celebration in the Garden: Slices of Life and Recipes of Southern Women".
I became involved with the kickstarter project in November of last year. I had been searching for local projects to support, in particular, projects in Georgia. This one caught my heart, promising to delight both my palate and my soul with tales which connect daughters to their mothers and the recipes of their younger days. What a beautiful concept! Stories of love through the generations, with a family recipe to add to the warmth of a mother's touch.
I had been eagerly awaiting the Garden party held yesterday in the North Druid Hills. The meteorologist had forecast severe thunderstorms, but none materialized. My first niece accompanied me on this journey and we both dressed for the occasion in spring-time frocks and nice shoes. Our hostess was reading an excerpt from one of the chapters of her book when we arrived and we listened as the tale unfolded.
After, she greeted us enthusiastically and offered to make us tea (I had told her on the phone that I was thinking of the soiree as a mid-afternoon Tea Party!), but we declined. Several foods had been prepared using some of the family recipes which will appear in the book, so all made plates of Chicken Divan and Lane Cake and Mini-Biscuits and other delectable dishes. Nice! Then we chatted and nibbled and sipped, periodically being treated to another tasty slice of the book for the next few hours.
What a wonderful afternoon!