Life as I know It

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San Luis Obispo, California, and South Bristol, Maine, United States
Author ~ Illustrator ~ Lecturer

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Candlelight and Friendship

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well,
if one has not dined well."

Virginia Woolf, 1882-1941, from A Room of One's Own



Before the whirlwind hit the kitchen

Phew, I made it. For the past week I fretted over the upcoming storm. Don't get me wrong; I wanted the storm; we need the water; but I wanted it AFTER the gathering at our little house. To have a comfortable sit-down dinner, we needed to use the farm table under the grape arbor as well as the long harvest table in our dining room.

My friend Kary and I talked on and off during the week. Kary's husband John was to be the bbq man, and I was worried about him working in a storm-all alone, but my luck held. The clouds broke, the sun shone through and slowly a trickle, then a rush of my oldest friends arrived with FABULOUS foods in hand.

Ciro Pasciutto's homemade bread and Susie and Ellis Bassetti's focaccia

When we all gathered in a circle in our kitchen, I felt my eyes fill with tears. As I scanned each face, I saw the history of friendship–Kary, David and Julee, Steve and Heli, and my someday husband had all helped me move to Cambria in 1982. Patrick and Susan had provided Noah and me with a home we could afford, Susie and Ellis were two of our first friends (Susie filled Heart's Ease with her legendary wreaths). Vicki and Dick, Bonny and Lee, Ginny, who is a friend from both Maine and Santa Barbara, Kim and Ciro, Johnny the bbq King, and Karin...all a part of the colorful patchwork of my life.

6 comments:

Dawn said...

What a precious evening! It was especially nice to read about your friends, and how much you cherish them. You must be a wonderful person to have such wonderful friends. And the food looks delicious.
Sneding a warm hug from cold Austria,
Dawn

Brenda@CoffeeTeaBooks said...

That looks like so much fun, not to mention delicious.

My Farmhouse Kitchen said...

I just love reading this..and how true..an evening of longtime friends...30 years of friendship..standing in a kitchen..in a circle around a table of beautiful food...

What a very special night...

Old friends are a treasure...and I treasure each and every one of them...

It is a night I'll never forget...

Old friends...True Friends...and how lucky were are to have each other...

Merry Christmas Dear Ones.....

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

What a lovely time spent with wonderful long-time friends over good food.

Have a lovely Christmas.

FlowerLady

Dee/reddirtramblings said...

Ah, the hand of an old friend. I feel like you and I are that since I read your books to my children and talked flowers with them from the time they were very small. Did I ever tell you that the Diva and I made a sunflower house one summer and had a picnic within its walls?

I'm glad we now know each other if only virtually.

An old friend (going on 20 years) this week sent me this quote: Two things here on earth are essential: "Health and a friend. They are the two things most to be prayed for." St. Augustine~~Dee

Anonymous said...

BON APPETITE !!! As the beloved Julia Child would say to you Sharon !!! As you can guess I was watching the movie Julie/ Julia , it was wonderful and then I read your blog about friendship and food , and that is what it really is about isn't it ?
It is a basic gift to give such joy and delight to others with good food!
Nice to see you are back from Italy.
Izzy (patchworksails@yahoo.com)