Thursday at the store we were swarmed by a group of ladies wearing red hats and purple scarfs. When I say swarmed, I almost mean it! In a moment, the place was filled with delightful women and roars of laughter and chatter.

The local Napa chapter of the Red Hat Society decided to drop in on Rancho Gordo for a tour before an organized lunch at a nearby restaurant. If you're not familiar with the Red Hat Society, it's a worldwide group of women who were inspired by a wonderful poem by Jenny Joseph called Warning. Its opening lines, "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple / With a red hat that doesn't go and doesn't suit me" are a warning cry to anyone in their path. I interpret the message as "I've paid my dues and I want to have some fun and I couldn't care less what you think about it!"

We had over 30 of them and we all admitted it was a little sadder and too quiet once they left us!