A Good Mood

I had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! My friend, Dorothy, and I went to visit KJ (another stitching friend) in Chesapeake, MD. KJ and her husband, Bob, have a beautiful house that makes you feel like you are at an elegant retreat, which is what KJ says she wanted us to feel. No kidding! It was like going to a five-star B&B, but to be with a friend. She has two guest rooms -- actually, the one I stayed in is KJ’s stitching room, but it’s so beautifully appointed that you feel like a truly valued visitor. She had fresh flowers in both rooms, and baskets of products in the bathrooms (anything you could possibly ever need). In the evening, she’d sneak up to our rooms while we were still stitching and turn on a small light and the radio (low volume), and she’d leave a cold water of Perrier on the side table, with Lindor chocolates in a beautiful little bowl.

The food was superlative. Her husband likes to cook and he prepared fantastic meals for us. We got there at 9 a.m. and he started us with a breakfast of French toast to die for. After we had stitched for a few hours, he took us out to lunch for clam chowder in Deale. For dinner (very late), he fixed a delicious dinner of steak, potatoes and asparagus. Dorothy and I helped prepare dinner on Sunday. It took us three hours to prepare the ingredients and only 20 minutes to cook it! We had the best Cajun jambalaya I’ve ever tasted, and Bob did his best Justin Wilson imitation while we worked in the kitchen! I’ve never eaten collard greens with such wonderful flavor. And for dessert, we had peaches marinated in peach schnopps and covered with Hagendaas Ice Cream. Wow! I was certain that I had gained 5 pounds over the weekend; and yet, when I weighed myself this morning, I had not gained an ounce.


While we were fixing the dinner goodies, I tried my hand at preparing Margaritas, using their new Margarita machine. It was one of those trial and error things, so I made several batches…and wouldn’t you know that each batch got better than the last? Hmmm, maybe WE got better! Yummy!


KJ’s priest joined us for dinner Sunday night and when we sat down at the table, he proceeded to tell us about one of his parishioners, a detective, who was called to a house where they’d found the owner face down in the tub, covered with Cheerios. “Oh my gosh, really?” Of course I believed him…he’s a priest for goodness sakes…but THEN he says “Yes, they are now on the trail of a cereal killer.” Moan! Groan! I couldn’t believe I fell for that!!! All those Margaritas must have addled my brain, because I'm SURE I heard that one before. I could not resist: “Now that’s just plain corny.” Then things really deteriorated after that.

H was invited to come for the weekend, but he wanted to stay home and finish the dining room. I would have loved to have him there with us, but he certainly gets more done when I'm not there. He and Bob have a lot in common. No, H is not a gourmet cook. But they both like motorcycles, and they both do major house remodeling jobs. I’ve always said there is nothing as sexy as a man who can both practice law and build a house (my favorite husband, for example). Well, Bob and KJ are both rocket scientists. So, Bob is a rocket scientist who can build a house AND cook a gourmet meal. Anyway, H agreed to come pick me up Sunday so we could all go to lunch together.

Yesterday morning, while KJ was off doing something and Bob was reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee, I asked him if he ever sat back and thought how good life was, with his beautiful wife, beautiful house, and two beautiful dogs. He smiled at me and gave me a knowing nod. Life is very good. I’m hoping that KJ will come to my house in July or August so that I can return the hospitality.

And life is very good for me, too! When we got home and I walked into the house, I saw that the dining room is finished! Most of the furniture was back in place and all we had to do was put the piano back where it belongs. No easy feat! A neighbor came over and helped us move it. Then we put the rugs down … and do you think we ate dinner in that new dining room? No way! The day was so gorgeous that we ate outside on the porch and the breeze carried the scent of my roses up to us.

Life is very good indeed! Tomorrow I will call the piano tuner. I'm in a very good mood right now.