Rummaging through a deceased socialite's belongings causes me to pause and think what does all of this collecting get a person?
There were at least 300 decks of unopened playing cards! How many bridge parties does it take to use that many decks?
One table contained glasses. I did not count, but there were easily 500 stems of various sizes; all designed to hold anything, but water. I picked up six champagne flutes, and ten linen cocktail napkins. Four of the napkins are embroidered with captions: Enigmatic. Whimsical; Provocative, and Lucid. Four others had embroidered top hats with dancers, and martini glasses.
One of the many shoppers was turning the pages of a journal like book with hand written notes about parties and gifts. I was so hoping that she would not purchase the book. She put it down, and I was poised to swoop it up, when her mother took it.
"I am a writer, and I would so love to have that." I piped up.
"Oh, do you?" I expected to have to barter with her, but she asked, "are you a local writer?"
"Yes!" I proclaimed.
She handed over the book, and said,"You can do more with this than I can."
"Yeah." I all but jumped across the table that was between us.
Reading through the book of party invitations, menus, and a list of Christmas gifts from 1976,
left me pondering the scope of Mickey's reach. The list included: Governor and Mrs. Edwards, Mayor Vic Schrio, District Attorney Harry Connick, and the Pontchatrain Beach owner, Harry Batt! All of these public officials and personalities, received orange gift baskets.
Mrs. Easterling had saved the thank you notes that she received.
So much of life remains between the pages of a well kept book of parties, gifts and appreciation.
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