Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Class Is Cancelled Crisis

We had planned to teach a couples’ cooking class, but only two reservations were made. This led to cancellation of the class, which we thought was a simple procedure of returning the two checks that secured the reservations – until Ivy called from the welcome center.

Richard answered the phone, and I heard him say, “I’d better let you talk to her.” “Hi, Ivy,” I said. “We’re at the welcome center,” she replied. Was this supposed to mean something to me? The welcome center has nothing to do with any classes, except to advertise them. I tentatively mumbled, “Okay?” “I knew I should have called before we drove up here,” Ivy lamented. “Are you still having the class?”

Oh, that’s what this is all about -- the cooking class! The Ruritan Club, where we were supposed to conduct the class, was locked up tight – and there is no phone there. There is also no cell phone service on our mountain; that’s why Ivy was calling from the welcome center. As I explained to Ivy that we had only received two checks and canceled the class, she queried me about the check that she had sent a month before. What check?

Now I was more confused than ever. Meanwhile, her husband, Hugo, was prompting her in the background to have me “whip something up” for them. I had just placed two carrot cakes in the oven for sending to relatives for their birthdays, but that didn’t qualify for dinner or that night’s dessert.

I was in my usual state of no foundation garments; Richard was in a raggedy t-shirt, and the kitchen floor really needed sweeping to rid it of all the wet leaves that had been tracked in with the storm. I laughed and assured Ivy that I’d let her know when we rescheduled to he cooking class.

As soon as I hung up the phone, I had second thoughts. We like Ivy, even though we’ve had limited exposure to her, mostly through Scrabble nights at the Tellico bookstore she manages. I thought it might be nice to get to know her better, and to make her husband’s acquaintance on a couple-to-couple basis. I called back and invited them over.

We threw on a bit of better clothing, performed a lick-and-a-promise sweeping of the kitchen, whipped up an Italian olive salad and Feta appetizer – and it was show time.

I had some garlic mashed potatoes and some mashed butternut squash leftover from a previous meal. Richard had prepared and frozen several portions of his leeks, peppers, fennel, and ginger salmon topping, which we combined with a nice salmon filet from the freezer. We now had the main course and sides. Richard rose to the occasion with one of his wonderful salads, which Hugo declared to be the best salad he’d ever had. We finished with bread pudding that I had also had leftover and frozen.

Ivy and Hugo got an abbreviated private lesson in couples’ cooperative cooking; we had a wonderful supper, and we seem to have made new friends.