BID FAST, BID HIGH!!

 

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!

I hope ye be wearing green something or other, or the locals will be pinching ye!!  Seriously, I don't know where that came from.  I got pinched a lot as a kid because there was hardly EVER any green in my wardrobe.  There still isn't, but lucky for me, there is no one here to pinch me ... except maybe Jonathan!

And so today ... I'm as sore as I can be.  Lifting those heavy cages appears to have given me a workout I didn't know I was getting.  After a lot of cleaning and a little more sewing, I was off to the Elks Lodge once again.

THIS time it was for an event I usually do not participate in.  This is like gambling to me ... it never fails that you get carried away and spent WAY more than you wanted.  This is the Merced Search and Rescue fundraiser dinner.

Here's how it works ... the Elks Lodge donates to this charitable organization, which means we get a table for ten at the dinner.  It's prepared by our Sheriff, and since everyone knows how good his food is, the place is packed to the brim.  It helps that he's the most popular Sheriff of all time around here, but I won't go into that.

This is truly a fundraiser.  You buy tickets, about 25 for $20.00, that you tear up and place in bags by the items you would like to win.  Then there is a silent auction of similar items.  Of course we all paid double for dinner, and add to that a live dessert auction AND a live auction with probably another 30 items.  

And the most popular event ... yes there is one more ... is the gun raffle.  Here's how that works.  They pull out a deck of cards, and you pay $20 for each card you pick.  They are torn in half and placed in a bucket.  When the drawing is held, if you have the other half, you win the handgun.  I think there were EIGHT.  Here's the kicker.  They throw all those cards away and bring out the NEXT deck of cards and do it all over again.  

One guy bought half the deck, and of course won.  He did that THREE times.  I don't have that much money to throw away.  I think if I did, I would just go buy the gun at the Gun Shop.

Nor did I win anything with the 50 tickets I placed in the bags.  It's okay though, it's going for a good cause.  By the way, the entire time, the actual search and rescue DOGS were roaming around the room.  One was even posing for pictures with you ... barking up a storm.  That was pretty fun!!

On to the dinner (you can see all my losing tickets there), we had to wait quite awhile to be served.  There had to be 20 tables, and we were at the back end.  It took well over an hour before we got a plate, but it was full to the brim.  

Barbecue chicken and tri-tip, scalloped potatoes, green beans and vegetarian lasagne (??) with a roll.  It was good, but not up to the normal Sheriff standards.  Turns out he has a brand new barbecue on wheels that isn't seasoned yet.  It's okay though ... I was stuffed to the gills.

I bid a couple of times on the dessert auction items, but as usual, things went crazy.  Four dozen cookies went for $375.00.  The pistachio cake that was bought by someone at our table was $325.00.  It was good, but not THAT good.

If it looked like an item was only going for $125 or so, I would bid it up, then drop out.  It's crazy what these things went for.  The last one was a dutch apple pie in a beautiful red and white dish.  My favorite!!  I bid on it just for kicks.  I'm not kidding here ... that pie went for $1,150 ... that's ONE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS!!  There would be NO pie for Nancy!!

Sadly, this was one of the last things to go, and I couldn't stay and watch.  This is the sweetest, quietest, most well behaved little girl EVER!!  She is a rescue ... and I wanted to take her home, just to be sure someone didn't buy her and not take good care of this sweet baby.

I couldn't stand it any more.  No I didn't buy her, but I had to leave the building.  My Elks friend sitting next to me MAY have though.  He and his wife would give her the BEST home.  He was very tempted ... loved the little girl, but they really didn't want a puppy.  I'll find out today who she went to.  

On the other hand, you know those little cars that kids drive around the yard?  The little Jeep went for $1,000 as I headed out the door, with $80.00 less in my wallet.  For once I showed great restraint!!!

So bless your little Irish heart and every other Irish part ... and never iron a four leaf clover, you don't want to press your luck!!  Hope you have a Happy Green Day!!