Lucy, You Got Some Splainin' to Do!

I kind of got myself in between a rock and a hard place. No real surprise - it has happened before.

Like the time I was the go-between on a business deal Brian had set up . . . A friend of Brian's at work bought Indy 500 tickets from a friend of ours at church. Or was it the other way around? I don't really remember now. The point is . . .

I was the one to transfer the money: $350 in cold cash.

Trouble is, there was a span of about three days between the day I got the money and the day the money was to be delivered.

You can probably guess what happened . . . straight from an I Love Lucy episode. The day of delivery came and I was a little short on cash - $350 short!

Fortunately, my situation this time does not involve cash . . . well, not directly.

I volunteered to host a table at a fund-raiser. Not just any fund-raiser mind you. The charity hosting the fund-raiser is a big time donor to the oncology center where I work.

Translation: job is on the line.

It shouldn't be that big of a deal, right? How hard could hosting a table be?

I just have to decorate the table . . . eight place settings . . . fine china . . . and silver.

I don't own any china.

My plan when I agreed to host the table (in addition to helping a worthy, charitable cause) was to expand my current jadite collection and decorate the table with that.

My current collection, however, consists of the following:

• one jadite restaurant ware D-handle coffee cup;
• one 1/4 cup measuring cup; and
• one Jane Ray salad plate.

Not a real big collection. Definitely not service for eight.

But because I have a wonderful husband who is used to me getting in tight places, we are now winning the bid on a -

93 PIECE COLLECTION OF JANE RAY DISHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please don't go bid against me - remember my purchase is going toward a charitable cause and will be used for this purpose for many years to come!

Keeping my fingers crossed.

I will worry about the silver later.