Before the guests arrive

Before the guests arrive there is always motion, a blur of washing linens and tucking in sheets, scrubbing tile with solvents, the airing of rooms and the burning of scents. There are last minute trips to the fish market and wine store and pie shop, the chopping of firewood and dusting off chairs. What breakables stay out for display and which get shut away get considered, while topics of conversation, safe or to be avoided, are discussed. There are cuttings of flowers and placing of lemons in fruit bowls, the setting of bread to rise on the counter. Gnats are caught in traps. Then it's time to stack the books and fluff the cushions, stuff items in closets, watch nerves and tempers flair. Rushed noses get powdered. Babes wiped clean. And finally, when the guests pull into the drive, there is the inevitable sweeping of wayward crumbs under the rug.