Eating, Drinking, Laughing And Crying.

This is the bloom of the Japanese Magnolia (aka Tulip Tree) growing in our back yard. It has a deeper, more purple blossom than the more common pinker ones and it blooms later than they do. I think this is a fantastic color. 

This is what it looks like with the sun shining through the petals. 
The tree in our yard was here when we moved in. It was small then but it has grown over the years, as they do. Not into one of those giant, spreading, sky-touching trees, but bigger for sure. I need to trim it as it has branches all crammed together and being useless but I'm going to need a saw for that. 

Lon and Lis got in last night exactly at martini time and before you knew it, Lis had found the platters she wanted to put the delicious appetizer foods on- the cheeses, the crackers, the salmon, the raspberries...

Lis is always the presenter because she is so good at it. 

Mr. Moon was making martinis and I was stabbing deli blue-cheese olives with the cocktail spears and we were toasting and then sipping and snacking and pretty soon, Lis and I were on the porch where we get the real talking done. 
Mr. Moon made us a very, very good duck-breast appetizer and brought us out a plate. I was honestly quite surprised and impressed. 

There was another round of martinis except for Lon who is on medication for a sinus thing but Lis and Glen and I took up the slack. 
Sigh.
Although it felt like midnight by the time we got around to cooking supper, it was really only about seven-something. The guys started a fire and cooked some amazing steaks and Lis roasted baby potatoes and I made salad and sliced sourdough. 

And then of course came the coconut pie. 
Y'all- it was a pretty heavenly Valentine's Day meal. 

We all went to bed a very reasonable hour and I slept the latest this morning, feeling absolutely no guilt. Lon and Lis had a rehearsal for the gig they're doing at a CD release party and Glen had a basketball game to go to at noon. So they all got nicely dressed and out the door and me? 
I fell into complete uselessness mode. I did nothing. Between the martinis and all the things I did yesterday, including going to town to pick up last minute items, I was just a heap of flowery-overalled human. Oh, and Maurice kept jumping off our bed and then back on, over and over all night as if she was in training for some cat olympic bed-jumping event and that kept me awake which didn't help either.
I even took a nap this afternoon. Which I almost never, ever do. I laid down on the bed with my Alexander McCall Smith book, read for awhile, put the book down, pulled up my cover, and was asleep before I had the time to appreciate the peace and loveliness of it. 

When I woke up, Glen was home, asleep in his chair, and Lon and Lis were napping in the guest room. I guess we just can't party like we used to. Well, we can but we need naps the next day. 

Here's a picture of Levon at the basketball game with his Boppy.

He's eating Dippin' Dots. Glen said he really did watch the game. Levon is playing basketball this year and I hear he's pretty good. I believe that the guy behind Levon is showing how everyone cheering for FSU felt. 
Despair. 

Glen said it was a terrible game. 

And now Lon and Lis are back at the event they're playing for and they're having supper at the venue. Glen and I are going to eat some leftovers. Maybe when Lon and Lis get back we can play some cards. We always have a good time doing that. 

It has been so good to see them, to catch up. Lis and I were able to let loose of some long-held emotions which is generally what we do when we get together. We feel safe with each other. We understand each other. We hold on to each other and we make each other laugh. 

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Here's a tiny bouquet of violets. Some of the purple ones are blooming too. It really won't be long before the kicking of bamboo commences. 

There is talk of us going to the Waffle House tomorrow morning before Lon and Lis leave. This is becoming our tradition. In my opinion, it's a fine one. 

I feel so damn lucky. 

Love...Ms. Moon