On this glorious Christmas morning, there is a palpable joy in the air at Refuge Farm. The crimson-tinged sun rising amid the sky streaked with the passing clouds of an old year. Joy and merriment is abundant here. Splash carefully folded his sleeping bag, and a merry fire was sparking with delight in the Fire Ring. Rocket and Loma were clearly filled with spirit, and word was the Chairman and a Bride would make an appearance to share the fun. The coffee was rich with roasted goodness. And amid the pleasant spirit there was an update on the other events of Holiday.

As you know, there has been another in the series of Public Health Emergencies that marked the year about to pass in the wake of our lives. The Boys had contributed an enthusiastic amount of labor in preparation. The candles had been placed at an appropriate distance from the cheerful tree. The ladies had worked on their part of the festivities a good part of the week. We had all donned appropriate apparel, and that was where part of the effort to be prepared came a bit off the scheduled plan. The Bride noted that the phone had chirped insistently while Christmas sweaters featuring unicorns and The Jolly Fellow were slid on. The entire party looked their seasonal best, and all that was required was the scheduled visit of a County-authorized Marriage Commissioner to solemnify the vows with the authority of the State. They gathered around the Groom as he picked up the device to return the call.

Part of The Farm’s increasing distance from the modern world is the separation of data sources. As a rule, we do not ‘carry’ our phones, since they have a distressing ability to slip from hunting vests and rest quietly next to unoccupied stones around the joyful leaping flames in the Pit.

The plan for the afternoon of Christmas Eve had evolved. The Justice of the Peace had agreed to appear around two. Guests had been added to a growing crowd of revelers. The Russians were inbound. The shrimp were coming out of the freezer. Champagne had been cooled and placed at the ready. Everyone was dressed appropriately, did, at 11:30 or so, dressed and ready to wed.

The Chairman called back the first number on the ‘recent’ column of the device. Naturally, it was on speaker mode to include the larger crowd in the happy sentiments of the day. A lady whose voice none of us could recognize answered, followed by the realization she had no idea who was calling her, any more than we could tell who had been called. A short and befuddled conversation followed, concluding with apologies about confusion on a Holiday, and the connection was lost.

Next step was to check the voicemail, which under other circumstances would have been the logical choice for first examination. The Groom held the phone up so all could hear the short message which explained the situation. It was the noice we had just heard, that of the Culpeper County Recognized Marriage Commissioner. She announced she had just tested positive for Covid, and could not preside at the wedding.

That was fairly dramatic, since the various cheeses had been arranged on a silver platter around the shrimp, and the first bottle of champagne had been opened to test for suitability. In perfect symmetry, other guests arrived for the ceremony that was clearly going to be missing a small but vital component. shrimp were just coming out of the fridge, the champagne was cold and other people were inbound to the house.

The tidings were passed swiftly to the couple to be honored with the ceremony. There was a moment of awkward pause, and then a joyful decision to proceed with a simulated seasonal celebration of an actual state-endorsed affair. There was joy from the Fire Ring all the way up to the Big House, the Zoom call to assorted family across the land was consummated with cheery connection, a ring was presented and accepted with grace, and Natasha, once of Crimea, presided with elegance and grace. A delightful afternoon passed with warm fellowship and the spirit of family shared.

It worked. Follow up texting with the Pandemic Challenged Commissioner indicates the paperwork can be completed in the week to come, before the new year sweeps over us in happy confusion. The Groom announced that both the original plans for the wedding would now be complete. There would be the dress-up component, guests and public display. And the original more casual plan including a drive-by visit to the JoP in pyjamas would complete the happy ambiguity of the Pandemic Season.

Being so distant from the perils of the plague made us forget for a moment the sort of world we all shared this past year and reminded us brightly of Love, and of friendship with good neighbors and the joy of this world, the enduring one we will share together!

Joy to the World!

– Grace and Vic

Copyright 2021 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotora.com