Week 27 in the Year of Drinking Adventurtously. Madeira.

I skipped this week. I only managed to scan the chapter. The long holiday weekend was jam packed with activity and I just ran out of time. One little bit of information I found interesting is that July 1st is Madeira Day — the day in 1976 when Portugal granted autonomy to the Madeira archipelago. That was the connection the author made for this time of the year. Still, the fortified wine seems like a better choice for cooler weather…

Nevertheless, my crowded social calendar this weekend did present plenty of opportunity for adventurous drinking. The exception being the baby shower I attended on Sunday afternoon.  This is the final one of the round of three I’ve attended in the the last 5 months. Must be something in the water here in Bucks County.

The childless woman at a baby shower is a lonely woman indeed. The grandmothers and mothers, the young women already thinking ahead… All the talk is about babies. I have nothing to contribute to the conversation at all.  It’s hard to muster enthusiasm for little pink dresses and onesies, tiny quilts and stuffed animals, bottles and breast pumps when that’s never been part of your life. So you sit awkwardly, smiling and pretending while the gifts are opened. Wishing you had that glass of Madeira after all…

Go see how Lula enjoyed her Madeira. I bet she fared better than I did!