Holiday Blessings

This is the time of year when memories flow through me like a clear mountain stream. I love the traditions of the holiday season, and my greatest joy is tending them the way a gardener tends her herbs.

What are holidays without baking? Sara May and I spent time together this week baking cookies. Without any prompting from me, she made a faerie-sized platter of tiny cookies and tucked them into her faerie mailbox to share with our tiny garden visitors.

Sara and her Amma baking cookies

Freshly baked cookies for the faerie...

...tucked into her faerie mailbox

Out come the Christmas Cove Designs hand knit stockings from Maine-one for each child. Four miniature stockings will magically appear on the faerie mailboxes on Christmas morning, stuffed with tiny whimsical gifts.

I remember how each Christmas Eve I searched my grandparent's tree for three things that always hung from the lower limbs. A bright red apple, which honored my Bopie's best friend Bob Lee. A potato, and I can't remember who that was for (but it could've been me), and a carrot, the favorite vegetable of my Bopie's brother.

Edwardian Squirrel

Since my grandparents passed, I've kept that tradition alive, along with some of my own. At the top of our tree is a glass eyed Edwardian squirrel who once decorated a fancy lady's hat, but now reigns supreme over our celebrations. A hundred paper origami cranes, a symbol of peace, were hand folded for me by my daughter-in-law. The multi-colored birds perch happily on every branch of the tree. An old clip on chickie, an early 1900's Santa, a birdhouse my husband made from a walnut, and a Santa Claus painted mussel shell from Burnt Island, Maine, are all keepsakes of many Christmases past.

Walnut bird house and origami crane ornaments

Mussel Shell ornament from Burnt Island, Maine, off the coast of Boothbay Harbor

I'm sick in bed today and missing a much anticipated gathering at the home of a special friend talented illustrator Stephanie Roth Sisson and her husband Fred. I'll take this missed opportunity as a time to wrap stocking stuffers and a time to reflect on the blessings I've been granted–a good family, dear friends (and that includes YOU, my invisible, but ever present blog friends), good health (today excepted), the love of simple pleasures, and the ability to make a living doing something that gives me joy.

Thank you all for your enduring friendship (that includes YOU, Eleanor, friend for 40 years)!

Faretheewell,

Sharon

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.

Old Friends-New Places

My dear friend Kim Moreno is 1/6th of the Fab Fems, who are also known as the Slumber Sisters. We have all been "no-holds-barred" friends since high school, and in the case of Sue Eiler, since about 5th grade. My "sisters" know the worst about me, yet they still love me.

Twice a year on pre-set weekends we have an extended "sleep-over" at one of our homes or in a place where we can have an adventure. This November we're renting three great cottages at the Victorian Centrella Hotel in downtown Pacific Grove. We'll gab all night, eat too much, and spend too much time trying to decide where we want to go, but we will have a ball together. My hope is that when I am checking out of this life my "sisters" will be there rooting for me.

Now back to Kim, who is an indescribable personality and over-achiever. She is just getting her doctorate, and we are all proud of her. When Kim found out that we were planning a trip to Italy, her mouth dropped open because we would be there at the same time she and Ralph (her adorable husband) were there.

Lucca by night

So we set up a rendezvous spot in the incredibly beautiful town of Lucca, which is a walled city (actually surrounded by three ancient walls) in Tuscany. I had high hopes that we would be able to pull it off, but I wasn't sure how we could connect and all hit the target at the same time.

Kim told us to meet them "at the Santa Maria Plaza entrance to the city between 8 and 9." We hustled out of our room, which was on the opposite side of Lucca, and trekked over to a bistro where we could munch a croissant, drink coffee, and keep a look-out for them. When they didn't show up, I tried to call them on their cell, but it didn't connect. I was disappointed and felt sure we wouldn't meet, but just as I lost all hope, the phone rang. "WHERE ARE YOU?" Kim asked. Jeff answered, "Exactly where you told us to be."

Kim and Ralph were on the opposite side of Lucca (a block from where we'd started). We set up another meeting place. We came together like a confluence of four rivers, bubbling, laughing, shouting, jumping up and down and hugging each other. It felt so great to see friends half a world away from home.

Although we had talked about bike riding the ramparts (wide wall encircling the city has a pedestrian and bike friendly road), we ended up gabbing, walking aimlessly from one place to another (because we couldn't stop talking), and we did manage to visit a few high spots.

Kim says, "You guys will love this place!"

Kim is off to the next find while Ralph and I linger at the market

One "MUST VISIT" for me was the home of Puccini, who composed some of my favorite music La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, etc. .We found his home and Ralph, Jeff, and Kim stood by as I kissed his door. Wow, he might have actually touched exactly where I planted my lips.

Puccini's home with Ralph and Kim

I plant my lips

Kim and Giacomo

After Kim and Ralph left for Pisa, we rented bikes and rode the ramparts. It was beyond lovely looking down into gardens, a moat, an arboretum, and riding through whirling clouds of golden autumn leaves.

Tree lined rampart where we biked the two mile loop around Lucca

View from rampart into backyard gardens

Humble backyard garden

Moat at base of inner city wall

Memories are woven of love, laughter, old friends, and new adventures.

Our favorite cafe in Lucca

Opera Caffe Bistro

The most beautiful drink ever seen

A simple supper

May your memories be as golden as Lucca leaves,

Sharon