"The Lord of the Henhouse"

     We went to the 6 x 6 Auction Gala at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum last night with every intention of clapping and cheering.  Period.  No bidding!
     Only hours before we had bailed out our PT Cruiser from  the car hospital at twice the cost we had anticipated, so buying artwork (we agreed) was out of the question.  Besides, not only is our pocketbook empty, but our walls are full.  Even a piece that measured six inches by six inches would be a stretch.  No bidding!
     The four long tables displaying the silent auction pieces were lined with temptations.  The theme, “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” was the impetus for a wide variety of creativity.  There was definitely ‘something for everyone’ but we kept our names off the bidding lists as we had vowed we would.
     We loved it that so many of our friends were among the artists, not only from the local area, but from far away, as well.  There were even a few ‘relatives’ represented.  Or maybe ‘connections’ would be a better description of my cousins by marriage, Bruce Jones and his 95-year-old mother Virginia Williams Jones (always known to me as “Ginger).
     It was a painting by Ginger that did us in.  We hadn’t been to the preview earlier in the week so the nineteen works presented for the live auction were surprises to us.  We enjoyed all the bidding wars going on around us.  In fact, we were sharing a table with Gordon Schoewe and Peggy Christianson so we felt absolutely in the thick of it all without even raising our #29 paddle.  And then in came “The Lord of the Henhouse” by Virginia Jones.
     How could we resist?  Farmer Nyel’s chicken coop has been without a rooster for some time and will no doubt continue that way.  The jaunty fellow being bid upon would fill a void.  Not in the coop, of course.  Probably in the kitchen.  Up went #29!  Several times.
     Today we’ll figure out the perfect location for Ginger’s rooster.  We are delighted with our new acquisition.  And the fact that we added to the Museum’s coffers makes it even better!  We are crowing all over the place this morning—and an hour too early, too.  In all last night’s excitement we forgot about turning our clocks back…