Aidan and I went to a pot luck on Monday. There were so many odd things, where do I begin? First of all it was on a Monday afternoon. At one o'clock, eating around 2:30. We only knew one family that was going to be there and of course, they weren't there when we got there. So here I am, knocking on the door of a strange stranger's strange house - and there's no furniture in there. Well there's an old sofa and a coffee table made out of scrap wood, and I can see someone opening a refrigerator. I knocked several times before someone waved me in. I would have just walked in, but I wasn't sure if it was the right house. And I'm a bit shy.

I was greeted by a rosy shining broadfaced woman with clear blue eyes, young dreadlocks, and an unidentifiable thick accent. She was very nice, giving me a big hug and kiss right away, and invited us to show ourselves around the house and the grounds, which had an old barn, a pond and an overgrown apple orchard covered in buds. There were a few other people there, but it wasn't clear what all of their relationships were. It seemed like the whole bunch of them were squatting there and drawing on the walls during their stay. The dreadlocks were abundant. Our friends who invited us arrived soon after, followed by the other pot luck guests.

Aidan eventually had 3 other kids to play with. They were all girls and they were playing like one was the mommy and the other two were the kids, with the mommy telling the kids what to do and caring for them while the kids exasperated her by not cooperating. Aidan had a lot of trouble finding his place in this game. Was it uniquely girly? I explained to the grown ups downstairs that he's more into things like predatory animals and the next day he confirmed it for me by cutting me up into pieces with a credit card, eating me, and then making me go into the garbage (the space behind a chair) and making me stay there NO MOMMY STAY THERE! He's actually a really gentle sweet kid. I swear.

While we were waiting to eat I took a walk around with my friends and we went into the barn which was full of the most beautiful birds. I tell myself that they were barn swallows, but I don't really have any idea what swallows are - just that these birds looked like they might be called "swallows". They were small and graceful and they flew in and out the window holes and around in circles inside the barn. They look like the birds on Victorian Valentines. Like they should have a ribbon in their mouths that says "be mine".

There was a man in the orchard painting the trees, and I think that he himself out there with his easel and bushy grey beard was even more picturesque than the rows of trees in bud.

I regret not talking to anyone enough. I'm far too timid and we had to leave to be somewhere soon after the food came out. I do better in soial situations with Steve, who is excellent at them, but in the middle of the day on a Monday he was at work. I will see them again, I am sure.