Pig-pickin'. Some call it barbecue. Whew.

We are slowly coming out of barbecue recovery.

The Bells Bend Farms pig-pickin' was extraordinary. Fund-raiser for farming out here. Glorious afternoon, just beautiful beautiful tables with our own hydrangeas, striped grass and Queen Anne's lace in mason jars. It was just a lovely day all the way to the paper lanterns floating into the night sky and the luminarias transforming our driveway into an otherworld fantasy.

Shoutouts first:

Yazoo!!! Donated kegs. Wahoo!

Which brings us to The Riders in the Sky--purveyors of mega-wahoo and fantastic music. We couldn't have done it without you.

Hatch Show Print: We did our own invites, but Hatch donated the cardstock, all cut to size.

Syd: This girl can flat track down beer (as long as it's Yazoo, our very own), Porta-Potties, paper, envelopes, auction donations, people who can whip our computer into submission as detailed below, and on and on. Ice, lighting, you name it.

Casey: Pit-meister extraordinaire. (Of course, Tom was the meister-master, supervising preparations.)

Rachel Lawson: Caterer advice and fab beans. And more.

Max and Ruthie: Layout and computer-tending for invites.

Brooke: Gorgeous, as usual, as was her salad. Brooke was up from picking to pit. We couldn't do it without her.

Patrick: Firewood. Himself.

Jody: Street performer, good time guy, and he keeps our computer running too.

And all our usual neighborhood wonderfuls: Ellen--address-wrangling, tablecloths, tent gear, auction accessories. Sharon--cornbread and a delightful playhouse. DiAnne--flowers and rooster. Emily, Rachel, EricTheFarmer, Peter, Kevin. Becca, Joe. India--flew home for the event!

Artists: You know who you are.

The Slaw Sluts: You know who YOU are--responsible for handchopping cabbage for 180 dinners!

Amelia and Sabina: These guys not only helped before and during, they were up at the crack of dawn the morning after stacking chairs, clearing tables, and generally cleaning up.

Our gratitude extends to those who inadvertently entertain: Zach the Dapper Chopper, chopping barbecue in a starched striped shirt and Panama hat. Lulu, who couldn't decide which table to lie under. The gentleman with the deadly baseball cap, taking out flies one by one.

And Tom, without whom this event would not be--endless months of phone calls, negotiations, consultations about barbecue sauces (tomato or vinegar?), coleslaw, cornbread.

And me--I'll extend some self credit here: invitations, lemonade, ten dozen lemon bars, accounting, auction.

I hope I haven't left you out. If you're like me, you won't care much, at least for another few days, because you're still lying in the hammock with a bad book and a glass of tea, orthopedic shoes sitting side by side in the grass.