I'm Back

Sorry, you may have noticed a lack of activity on the site for the past week but actual work intervened. I’ve been up at our national meeting which was held in Philadelphia of all places.

 

One of our events featured a quartet of Mummers and so I may have some pics to post later this week of me trying to teach conferees the Mummer’s Strut – the dance my Mom taught me on the numerous occasions that we watched the New Year’s Day parade from the Bellevue Stratford while growing up. Good times. (funny story trying to explain the “Mummers” to non-Philadelphians. Many of the conferees literally had their mouths open gaping at the elaborate and colorful costumes of the quartet. And the band wasn’t even in the full regalia with the backpieces and full complement of ostrich feathers. After explaining that the Mummers had “clubs” and prepared all year for the New Year’s Day parade, one person asked me, “so they’re like the masons or Kiwanis?” Not exactly, I said. A little more, uh, social. After thinking about it, the best parallel I could draw was to the New Orleans’ Mardi Gras Crewes. Also on the subject of trying to show people the Mummer’s strut, the “band” was playing “When the Saints Go Marching In” and only one other Philadelphia woman got up to join me and I was pretty winded by the time the song wound down and was looking to head to the bar for a drink – and we had the whole conference looking at us - but then the guys broke into “Oh Dem Golden Slippers,” which to my way of thinking is the penultimate Mummer’s string band song and one that instantly recharged me – so we were good for another three and half minutes, after which I had definitely broken a sweat.).

 

Secondly, yesterday was my birthday. I’m not going to go into details, but it was one of those “milestone” birthdays.

 

Anyway, got a lot of stuff to post and comment on so please bear with me as some of this stuff goes up fast and furious.