Members of the Willapa Hills band were setting up in our library yesterday afternoon and the thirty-plus house concert guests were expected momentarily when…CRASH! The horrific sound reverberated throughout the house and, even though there were at least three of us who witnessed the cause of said cacophony, it took a few seconds to make sense of it.
My first thought was that Sunrise, who is only partially sighted, had tripped on the hearth (always a worry of mine, but truth-to-tell, he is more sure-footed than any of the rest of us.) Houseguest Linda, who was upstairs, thought that some of the band’s instruments had fallen. Nyel, in the kitchen, “couldn’t imagine…”
In reality, it was our ‘what-not coffee table’ that had collapsed and its contents had lurched and rolled and spilled themselves hither and thither across the carpet. Miraculously, the glass top of the table was still intact. The legs of one end had simply given way causing the rest of the table to fall apart. All of the artifacts, so carefully arranged and displayed, had escaped.
Though several of in the room were nearby, no one was touching the table and, thankfully no one was hurt. Only stunned. Among the objects that had scattered about were many old, hand-made marbles and a score or more of pottery shards – all bits and pieces that we have unearthed from our garden beds over the years. Band leader Andrew Emlen said it took a minute to realize that nothing had smashed and that those pottery bits had never (at least in our lifetime) been whole.
In the manner of ‘many hands make light work’ we carried everything into my already overstuffed office and ‘deep-sixed’ them, even as the first cars were pulling up to the house. Nyel and I quickly unearthed an old coffee table from the back forty – yet another reason to save everything, even the discards – set it up in place of the broken one and the band finished their set up. In no time at all, with guests none the wiser, our house was filled with the sound of the most fabulous folk music ever.
It was the final performance by the Willapa Hills, at least in the configuration that we have grown to love. Jessica and Sunrise Fletcher have now officially retired and it remains to be seen whether Andrew, Jennifer Hanigan, and Kerrie McNalley will continue the group and, if so, by themselves or with others.
So, why did the table crash without provocation at that particular time? I can only think that our resident ghost, Mrs. Crouch, was registering her presence for some reason. I’m glad she ‘was here’ for the concert and even more pleased that she announced her attendance before rather than during the festivities. But I do wish that she would prove useful in putting all this mess back together… Fat chance!
I’m sorry on many counts. I am sorry to have missed Willapa Hills. You know Dave and I, along with Jo and Jon so enjoy them. I am sorry about your sweet table which I have always admired. And sorry to have missed the ghost. You know I always come early and surely would have helped pick up and may caught a glimpse of Mrs. Crouch!