Every year Bethel Heights hosts a harvest party for their crew and friends. It’s a delightful evening with good food and lots of fine wine. One of the highlights every year comes from Jamie Tombaugh, who tells a story. It’s a different story every year. He used to memorize a new one while working in the fields or in the cellar, but since he retired he will sometimes retell one. Tonight he told an old favorite, Dylan Thomas’s “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.”
I love this story and can sink into the workplay and rich images as Jamie tells it. This year, for the first time, I was aware of structure, even as I was enjoying it. There’s no plot; it’s just a day-in-the-life of this child. But it’s wonderful. I love it and yet it breaks the rules that you must have a conflict. Well…I’ll think about it another time, when I haven’t tasted quite so many interesting wines
