White Elephant party

   The Small Town Toastmasters had a White Elephant party last night. It was a fund raiser for the club. There were several things that the club needed as a whole and no one was anxious to raise the dues. Another club had used it as a fundraiser and it worked well for them.
  Each member was supposed to bring a white elephant item to sell. A white elephant is, by definition, something that you want to get rid of. To me that means that you are trying to get rid of junk. I couldn't think of anything I really wanted to get rid of so instead I knitted two washcloths and bought a handmade bar of soap. It was not exactly a white elephant item, but I wanted it to be useful.
   We decided that we would have a potluck. We set a date. Everyone got busy finding their items.
   Last night they were all on display with nice descriptions of each item. There was a faux fur apron, a mug and coaster set and a set of books. There was a jar of dilly beans, a glass fish and a bowl of ceramic fruit from Italy. One member decided to donate time, as an accountant she would fill out a 1040 tax form for the person who bought the item. My eye wasn't on any of those things. My eye was on the basket.
   I don't know why, but I like baskets. There's just something about a container made from wood, grass or made to look like it's made from wood or grass that attracts me. I just counted and I can see eight baskets in the room I'm in right now. I have my harp stuff in a basket, my dulcimer stuff in another basket. I have treats in a basket. Maybe I was Little Red Riding Hood in another life.
  I looked over all of the things several times. I went back to the basket. There were several items in the basket. There were mini Beanie Babies in the original wrapper. There was an unpainted wooden candelabra. There was a green and yellow crocheted scarf and a necklace and bracelet set. I didn't care about the other items in the basket. I just wanted the basket. I made a bid on it. Then I walked away to look at the other items.
  When I came back someone had outbid me. I was trying to deice what to do. I did want the basket, but I didn't need it. Maybe the person who bid on it wanted what was inside. Should I increase my bid or leave it alone? I pondered it out loud with my friend, Dana, while we were eating. I didn't want to say what item I was bidding for.  She didn't say anything. Once we were done she announced that the bidding was going to close on the silent auction items. I decided I was going to go over and increase my bid.
   A few minutes later Dana sidled up to me. "Do you want the basket?" she asked.
   "Yes," I said, "I like the scarf too."
   She said, "How about I increase my bid and we'll split the cost." What she really wanted was the Beanie Babies. This worked out well for me. She went over and bid.
  After a while the bid were closed. I knew that I would have the basket and that Dana would get her Beanie Babies. It turned out that I had got all the items I bid on. I bid on the mug and coasters. I also bid on the ceramic fruit. No one had bid on the fruit and the person who brought it really didn't want to have to take it home. It had already come from Italy to New Jersey to Iowa and finally Wisconsin. Now I would be taking it to Minnesota. It will look nice on our dining room table.
  As I was loading items into my basket, I found that there were two tiles with saying on them. Someone came over and admired the tile so I gave one to her. There was also a framed stamp with a Shakespeare quote on it. We could hang that in the music room.
  I happily hauled my new treasures to the car. The club had made more money than anticipated. My washcloths had a good home and I had a new basket. It was a great party.