Here’s Hoping for Sparks

What the hell. I just re-heated my coffee in the microwave; I’ve read my emails; I’ve read your Facebook updates; I’ve played my Scrabble word; I’ve read all the blogs I read every morning; I’ve made my list of things to do for the day…so, I might as well write a little something for Not Alice this morning.

We’re playing matchmaker over here tonight. It’s our annual tying-of-the-bows night…it’s the evening when we host four florists from our church for dinner. After dinner, while Deb and I clean up the kitchen and get dessert ready, our florist friends tie about 100 bows for the annual Greens Workshop (which takes place this Sunday, December 5 from 2-4PM. Please come. It’s a great event).

One of our florist friends is divorced…she’s the mother of adult daughters, and we adore her. And, as you’ll recall, our friend Maria died exactly a year ago Thanksgiving night. Which left her husband Jim alone. On Sunday it occurred to me that our florist and Jim might just make a nice couple (they already know one another), so I asked our florist if she’d mind my including Jim in our dinner. She lit up. And I mean she lit up. So, I invited him. He jumped all over that invitation. Didn’t take him even a second to accept it.

Deb wonders if Jim’s “ready” to see anyone yet. My experience is that men get “ready” pretty quickly once they’re alone. I’ll let you know how it goes, okay?

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Two Things that Should have Rocked but Were only Mediocre

Oh brother. I did the unthinkable. I cooked a meal that was only mediocre. 

You know, it was a long day anyway, but to top it off with a mediocre meal cooked for guests…well…ugh. Yesterday was Maria’s memorial service. That was mediocre, too. I didn’t like it. I thought I would, but it was one of the most impersonal services I’ve ever attended. I’ve got better ideas for my memorial service. Just you wait.

Anyway, I did like that Jim had set up a table with various Maria things…pictures, etc (including the toothy-grin picture I’ve posted previously on this blog). One of the things he displayed was a card Deb and I sent when Maria became alert after her first stroke. It’s hilarious because of the hilarious notes we wrote inside. She LOVED that card and talked about it a lot. I like that Jim set it out for everyone to read…because it shows the wilder side of the three of us.

But then Deb and I had to hurry right home and prepare for guests for dinner…it was the night of the florists. Our four florist friends from church come over here for dinner every year. We cook a (normally) great meal, and as Deb cleans up (she always gets stuck with this. THANK YOU, DEB) the florists tie about 100 bows to be used on the wreaths at the Greens Workshop (which occurs this Sunday. PLEASE COME). When they finish, we have dessert (this year, it was a gorgeous pumpkin pie baked by Deb…the only part of the meal that was flat-out delicious). This has become a wonderful tradition for us all. We like one another, and we love our night together. 

But this year the meal was only okay. I hate that so much I can’t tell you. It just didn’t come together the way it usually does. No no no. It was fine. But it wasn’t memorable. And I like any meal you ever eat over here to be memorable.

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