My friends and family are mad – in a good way. I often say that if you’re not weird in some way, well, you’re just not all that interesting. In my community, we’re weird in a colorful variety of ways, as the photos below will attest.

This is the second year I’ve participated in the Mad Tea Party over at A Fanciful Twist (which is one of my very favorite blogs!). And the second year, unbeknownst me me in advance, that the date has aligned exactly with our annual Big Backyard Bash. It’s not surprising, though. The fae communicate in realms beyond our conscious ken. It was truly meant to be!

Here are some of our antics as we head off through the looking glass once again…

This is me in my party duds, and clearly in dancing mode.

We had a whole bunch wonderful musicians to entertain us on our outdoor backyard stage. It was like an outdoor open mic jam! Fun!

Some fae folk showed up, including of course the ones who live here…

The party went on all afternoon, and much fun was had.

We had a couple of young canine visitors. Isn’t the wee fellow adorable?

Our own dogs had a fun time. Here’s Star. She’s 9 years old.

And the baby of our family, Aine, who is 9 months old…  They are both really tired today. Aine must have run miles with her young doggie friends. Our two feline friends hid away from all the activity; it’s a bit too much for their sensitive cat souls.

We had some lovely dancers…

And I spotted a couple of strange fey who communicated in ways new to me.

What would a Mad Tea Party be without some adventure croquet?! (You can spot another puppy friend helping out with the game).

A young friend of mine was very helpful, too.

It was a good time, and the party lasted into the night.

I don’t have any late-evening pictures, but there was a fire, some awesome tunes from a DJ friend, fire poi (aka fire spinning), and sing-alongs. And a gorgeous setting crescent moon.

P.S. I should mention too, how wonderful the healers in our community are. When a friend fell and got hurt badly, he was supported by a whole team of experienced folks, from RNs to Reiki healers, until the ambulance arrived. It’s good to know that in a crisis, a true “through the looking glass” moment, the tribe pulls together and does what needs to be done. Many blessings to W, who is home now and beginning his healing process.

P.P.S. Our community was also very supportive of us fundraising for our Rethinking Everything Adventure! We had a table of games, puzzles, books, and other items that were for sale by donation. We’ll update the GoFundMe site later today with the additional details. Thanks everyone!!!