Ribs? Apricot glaze? You know that I never stand between a woman and her barbecues! (And the barbarian in me loves meat-on-the-bone.) If you ever need rosemary for throwing on the coals, we have one in back besides the one in front that I have to keep pruning. I'm glad that Jim's allergies didn't kick up so badly this time. Between Tabitha and Skrogg, that sofa probably has cathair all the way through to the ties, so avoiding it in favor of the other chairs seems sensible. That way he can enjoy the conversation more. Skrogg usually waits for the first people to show up before hiding, but this time she was taking no chances. Definately a shy cat. As for reasons to hold a party? Dodger is supposed to be moving down here to go to school, Lyrra is supposed to be coming out on walkabout, Anton sometimes visits his sister, you have a birthday, or you could simply pick a day (conjunction of planets, project finished, roses are in full bloom). The weekend before the 4th of July isn't good... I might be out of town and folks generally seem to be doing things already on the holiday weekends... but the rest looks clear. I'm probably going to reserve the goth party idea, with all black foods, for when Dodger or Lyrra shows up. Oh, you didn't see the panicked look on my face when Marque asked if the coffee was fresh? There was a justice scale in my mind: one pan had a thought balloon: "it is 3 hours old" and the other: "but I ground the beans today". :gulp: I suspect that Dodger is a coffee snob from some conversation last year, but if the coffee is black, too, it should be drinkable. ;^) Carolly