2023/15. THINGS THAT HELPED SWEETEN THE DAY

Usually it's Judge Connors keeping order in the court, with the help of his very capable staff, but Wednesday night it was my team doing the ordering. We loaded boxes and trays and all sorts of everything else into our cars, drove the short route to the 2nd District Judicial Complex and rolled them cart by cart into the back entrance of the courthouse. It was after midnight when we finally finished. Our waking hours… our working hours… are often in the dark. It's a genetic trait Dave married into.

Thursday would bring Dave’s retirement open house. Knowing how full the day ahead would be, we gathered all our silver trays and flower arrangements, multiple tablecloths, two boxes full of Dave’s various plaques, awards, clocks and medallions, and the large painting Tom Plummer had created, where Dave is seated rather royally before shelves of books, and  carted them into the courthouse well after public hours. We had access because we know the judge. In fact, it was the judge who did most of the lugging. (We keep him humble.)

Glen Proctor, Trial Court Executive for the Second District, who is over every aspect of the courts except the judges themselves, had assembled multiple tables outside Dave’s courtroom. As there were no hearings scheduled for the following day, they had cordoned off the hallway and seating areas for Dave’s retirement celebration. Glen, if he ever tires of his taxing position as TCE, would have no problem being an event planner. He was marvelous to work with, allowed us our own vision and offered what he could appropriately offer to make this occasion memorable. My sisters Sherry and Libby helped. We shifted tables here and there, tried various colors of tablecloths (we have quantities) and eventually created the flow we wanted. Libby’s black tablecloths flowed sweetly around the tables. We lifted large vases of ripening tulips, just ready to burst, onto each table. Platters, empty for the moment, were arranged here and there to make sure they would fit. 

Over by the doors to David’s courtroom we arranged a couple extra tables for all those awards that have been sitting in boxes in our house. “Are you sure we want to display all this stuff Cori?” Dave asked, feeling rather like he was preparing for his own funeral.

“Well,” I answered, “If there was ever a time when showing this stuff would be appropriate, this is it.” 

Two large tables were filled with evidence of David’s years of meaningful service. From a plaque of appreciation for creating the Farmington Area Baseball League (the precursor to Farmington Parks and Rec) to the most recent glass plaques honoring him as President of the National Council of Trial Court Judges, and all of the in-betweens. As we scooted things over to make room for more, I was struck at how many places he had left his mark. Those two full tables had nothing of his family, except a photo of him and his dad and son from his chambers. We would have filled so much more had we included his family and church service. But this was a time to celebrate his influence as a public servant.

These are the T H I N G S that made the day special. They are only things, but they did make it sweet.

A serious award sits in front of a funny cross stitch
we found last month in an antique store at one of his
national judicial conferences.

 

When you live a life as full of service as Dave has,
you end up with a LOT of tokens of appreciation.

More tokens. The very large painting was made by
Tom Plummer, sho also made one of me.
Sadly Tom passed away unexpectedly last week,

...here are just a few I happened to snap some photos of...

our daughter Annie crocheted this darling
Judge Connors doll for him. Best award.

This is the plaque atop one of the seven various
award clocks he has been given 

Just for the record, here’s the menu for what we served, because that was where so much of my energy went before this event. I think of food in Yin and Yang, savory and sweet. 

Photos first:

I made one hundred shot glasses filled with lemon mousse. 
I'll share the recipe in another post later.

 
The YIN:
Croissant sandwiches
Caprese on garlic toast (tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil with balsamic vinegar and olive oil)
Meatballs in homemade marinara sauce with melted mozzarella cheese
Fresh melon and tangerines
Italian olives
 
The YANG:
Lemon mousse
Mint chocolate brownies
Chocolate eclairs
Andes Mints (an homage to our wedding reception when these mints were a new product)
Other nuts and sweets