Pancake Breakfast!

"Do you think anyone will show? God, it would be pretty embarrassing if no one did." As we finished cleaning the house Friday night, we both had the same thoughts but the wife spoke first.

I replied, "Well, a few of the people are on vacation or out of town. I'm not sure there will be many people coming for breakfast."

Turning into the parking lot Saturday morning, only two cars were parked at Ft. Tuthill where this week's group run was scheduled on Soldier's Run -- one of my favorite 10k courses. Arriving twenty minutes early, both of us were nervous that our post-run pancake breakfast may be a 'dud'. Breaking the tension I said, "We might as well stretch," since there was not much else to do but stare at the entrance for cars to putter through on a thirty degree morning.

Today's pancake breakfast was a big day for my wife because in Louisville she had a strong social network and often had pancake breakfasts for the pure joy of socializing. Here in Flag, a new city for both of us, her personal tradition has yet to begin as well as establishing strong friendships. For her, I hoped the breakfast to be a success.

With ten minutes until eight a.m., our hope were fading. "Maybe people forgot about the new starting time from 9 a.m. to 8 a.m.?" Five minutes later, traffic starting to flow into the parking lot and, boy, did it flow! I knowingly glanced over to my wife who seemed to have the same thought, "God, I hope we have enough food and drink!" Our paranoia was finally relieved and now we could relax and enjoy the run as well as hosting the post-run festivities.

"Welcome!" Neil, the group organizer announced, who was also stunned by the turn-out, "I see you all read the internet posting about the run and breakfast. Bob, are these all friends of yours? Would you like to say a few words?"

Typically before the morning's group run, we introduce ourselves only by name but this time I extended the invitation, "Karen and I would like to invite all of you to our house for a pancake breakfast with fruit, bacon, Blood Mary's and Mimosas!"

"Bloody Mary's and Mimosas! Why bother running? Let's go now!" Amazing how the words, Bloody Mary and Mimosa, evokes an imagery of a sophisticated morning social event yet, more important, an acceptable morning cocktail. With that some twenty plus runners and ten plus dogs hit Soldiers Trail for a very fast-paced, group run.

Afterwards, I drove to the grocery store for food and beverage re-enforcements returning to a backyard full of dogs romping about and a house full of runners sipping Mimosas or clutching Bloodys with the wife at the helm of a griddle flipping buckwheat, blueberry blackjacks and talking-up a storm -- she was in her element -- political conversations.

Clearly, this was her day and I took a backseat to cooking and overseeing the event to imbibe in a few Bloody Marys, the 'conversation enabler' or after a few, 'a blithering idiot'.