Tea Ceremony planning

I am planning a tea ceremony for some friends on Monday and it is a countdown. Last week I put together the guest list, chose a theme and composed a haiku to send on hand lettered invitations. Yesterday I received confirmation from two guests. Today I started cleaning: the garden first, then the house and then the tea room, toilet last. I took out the utensils that I will need for the ceremony. I will see how they look together and how they embody the chakai theme. Then I washed everything and put them out to air dry.

Tomorrow I will go shopping for the meal, practice the tea procedures and order of things. Then clean the tea room once again and vacuum everywhere again. Sunday I will do the ahead of time cooking, like making soup stock and tea sweets. I will also make a wrap a small gift for the guests and write down a list of all the utensils for guests to take home.

Monday I will pick the flowers in the early morning, and fill the containers with fresh water. Then clean the tea room, dust and vacuum again. I will cook the meal, arrange the flowers, hang the scroll and arrange the serving trays. Then I will sift the tea, prepare the tea utensils, set out the tsukubai basin, and clean the toilet before I put on kimono and meditate before the guests arrive.

Oh yes, I almost forgot to get the sake.