Eliot and I woke early to breakfast ourselves and the sheep. Berengaria and Sheepie are quite patient, but Albie is always starving (for food and attention). The new lambs feed themselves, of course. After the awful news of yesterday, we had a long day ahead of us so found ourselves rushing through the morning chores. Once back in the house, we prepped the Dining Room for an emergency meeting of this year's volunteers. There'd be a lot of people coming, so we needed to move some furniture around a bit.
Eliot seems particularly enthusiastic about this year's Wool Week, and he's been quite willing to help out. While I scooted the chairs to the edge of the room, he carried the fruit bowl to the sideboard. (There is a natural affinity between my brother and food.)
I arranged the posters and donation cans that we'd be handing out, while Eliot answered the doorbell. "That sure was fast! I just ordered those things yesterday! Just set them down over there in the corner for now."
It wasn't long before we had everything arranged on the table in neat stacks and ready for the meeting.
We agreed to slide the table to the other side of the room, what with the crowd expected shortly. It sure is a good thing there's a polished floor in the Dining Room. That table is heavy!
Harold and Mina were the first to arrive, excited about the meeting and brimming over with good ideas. Mina is Islandshire's local "fix-it" girl (who also happens to be very skilled at the potter's wheel).
The boys started chatting about Harold's new Tunis sheep (now called Carper and Ruth) and how uneventful their first night had been. Mina had a quick look at the brochures and wholeheartedly approved of the "Love a Longwool" theme. "You'll have to do something special with Berengaria and her lambs, Islandshire's very own Longwools -- and Albie, of course. You couldn't have asked for a better ready-made theme!"
In her usual hurried manner, Lori popped her head into the dining room. "I'm not late, am I? Oh, good. I see there are still some others who haven't arrived yet. I was sure I'd be the last one again. Had to stop and get a lemonade on the way over here, you know." Lori is the proprietor of Islandshire's one-and-only thrift store, not to mention the greatest bargain shopper you'll ever meet. And she always has a to-go cup with lemonade in it!
We barely had time for a quick hug before Mabel and Joan walked in. This is Joan's first Wool Week, and the twins are very excited to be taking an active part in the events. They're very skilled when it comes to needlework, and they already love wool!
By now, everyone except Sioned had arrived. Since she'd been part of yesterday's planning "committee", we decided to start the discussion without her. The focus on Longwools this year met with unanimous approval and excitement. A quick look at the flyers and collection cans, and we were ready to start dividing the work up.
Mina volunteered to distribute posters and donation cans. Eager to start, she asked "When can we start setting up the grounds for the fete?"
It was time to break the bad news, and it hit everyone like a ton of bricks. There was that awful silence again. This time, though, I had the answers before the questions began. "Don't worry! We've got a new plan that should work -- with a little help from everyone here." Just then, Sioned arrived. "Sorry I'm late! I ran into Sonja on the way over and had to tell her the news about the weather and everything. By the way, I bumped into Eydie. She apologized for not making it here this morning, but Steviekins is sneezing a lot, so she's taking him to the vet for a check-up."
"Don't worry. I was just telling them about the Love a Longwool theme . . . and the weather problem." Everyone started talking at once now, all eager to do what they could.
Through the din in the Dining Room, Sioned remained preoccupied and quiet. She just kept looking at the brochures and papers on the table.
I could tell she had an idea forming, since she didn't even really notice me standing next to her. Just what was she looking at?
Suddenly, she spun around and called for our attention. "I've got it! We could schedule different events each day in the Community Center. That way, it won't matter what kind of weather comes. Instead of everything happening at once, we'd have a different event each day or evening. There's only one other thing. Sonja's worried about everyone on the Island being able to come up with cold-weather clothes."
"No worries there," piped in Lori. "Why don't we schedule The Thrift Shop Sale as the first event of the week? I'll fill the Community Center with cold-weather outfits and accessories, and all proceeds will go to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust 'Love a Longwool' fund. That will give everybody a way to support Wool Week AND get ready for the bad weather."
"I'll need some help from the boys to get everything carried over there and set up in time." Harold and Eliot didn't wait to be asked, shouting "No problem there!" They're always eager to help. And if you want the word to travel fast among the boys on the Island, just tell the President and Vice President of The Merry Men Club (who just happen to be Harold and Eliot).
After yesterday's disappointments, it was encouraging to see things falling into place now. Just goes to show that the old sayings are true: "the more the merrier" and "eight heads are better than four" (used with a little editorial license, of course). "That's perfect! And for the second event, I could give a presentation on the various sheep breeds in the conservation program. That would be a good way to get everyone excited about supporting the RBST and choosing wool. The talk could take place in the evening, which would give the boys plenty of time to clear the remainder of Lori's stuff out of the Community Center during the day."
"There could be a bazaar in the Center on the following day," added Mina in a stroke of brilliance. "I could bring all the dishes and pots that I've made and set up a booth, if that would help."
"And we can set up a needlecraft and knitting booth!" blurted out Mabel and Joan at the same time. (They're really good at speaking in unison and finishing each other's sentences.) "We've got all kinds of great wool things to sell!"
Things were speedily falling together. I handed out new forms for everyone to fill out and turn into Trudy over at the Gazette (who handles all the Community Center scheduling). Wool Week was back on track and sounding like it'd be a fun time after all!
Enthusiastic and ready to start, everyone took their forms and started heading home. Even Harold rushed out pretty quickly. Probably off to spread the word to all the "Merry Men". The old town crier had nothing on Harold.
Sioned helped us put the Dining Room back in order. First, we slid all the furniture back into place. Then we packed up the brochures and posters to take over to the Community Center. Someone had suggested that we decorate the walls over there in advance, since the place'll be in pretty constant use by us during Wool Week and no one had booked it for the days beforehand.
Eliot appeared with the fruit bowl that had been sitting on the sideboard and reached for an orange as Sioned and I left the room. "Better grab a snack now, Eliot. There won't be much time for mundane things like eating and sleeping for a while now." My brother went white. And speechless. Isn't he handsome?
Be sure to check back tomorrow for more Wool Week fun!