Always Older, Never Wiser

This is the coil vase Lily's been making, partly at home, partly in class. And isn't it beautiful? After it's glazed it's going to be the prettiest vase ever. 
Class was fine today except that for me it was yet another opportunity to feel unskilled, ignorant, and frustrated. I did not have on my happy face. I finished cutting out leaves for the wind chime I have in mind but I'm not even sure that I have time left in the class to get them glazed and fired. We're going to give class a rest this summer and get back into it in the fall. Lily wants to be able to do fun summer things with her kids on her days off, and Jessie and Vergil will be heading to the hills before we know it. Glen and I have already booked the house I love so much near their property where we have stayed three summers in a row, I think. I was very worried that the house had been destroyed by Helene. A creek runs beside it and after seeing all of the pictures of houses being taken right off the banks by what had been gentle, chuckling creeks which turned into wide, raging rivers, I was so afraid it, too, had been taken. The photos that came back from Old Fort, which is the nearest little town, showed almost complete destruction. Roads destroyed, buildings swept away. But I've been in touch with our wonderful landlady up there and the house is fine. They had a lot of erosion but that should be dealt with by the time we're going up to North Carolina. 

Well, that was a rather untidy segue. 

So yes, class was fine and then we met Lis at what USED to be Japanica(!). I don't know if you remember but sometime last fall it closed for "remodeling" which in restaurant-speak, generally means, "You've seen the last of us."

But no, no, no! They actually did remodel, removing the hibachi area, and opening up the space with new tables and chairs and all around decor. 
It is fancy-looking! And beautiful. And they changed the name from Japanica to Kyoto. 

Here's a picture I took as we were leaving.

The decorations are quite whimsical, all of them bright and colorful. The entire method of taking orders has changed and there is even a robot server although it didn't seem to be in use very much. The real servers did a great job.

It was so very, very good to see Lis. And Lauren joined us too so it was a merry chattery group. Everyone ordered sushi but me. I got the tofu curry bento box which is what I always got at the old Japanica and I have to say I did not enjoy it as much as the ones I've gotten in the past. But it was good and I brought home leftovers to join the Greek food I brought home yesterday. There is an international cuisine lunch in my future here soon. 

Jessie gave Lis two of the mugs she's made this year which are adorable. Lis couldn't believe she made them. And I gave her the pillow that called to me yesterday, asking me to please take it to Lis. The only problem was that it wasn't a long enough visit and Lis had to get to the old Capitol downtown where she was taking her cards and artwork to the gift shop there to be sold. You can only imagine how few artists and venders can get their wares into that gift shop so it is a huge honor for her to have her work there. 
Oh Lis. She has so very, very many talents. 

And the opportunity to see her was far more delicious than any meal could have been. 

For a little while last night and this morning, it looked like the house signing might not happen tomorrow due to an attorney SNAFU but that all got straightened out today, much to Mr. Moon's relief. 
He is so ready. I go up and down in my feelings about it all and I wish with all of my heart that I was far more excited than I am. 
If there was ever an example of yucking someone's yum, this is it. And I am very much the yucker in this case. 

I've got to try harder to let him feel that I am supporting him in this because it is so important to him. I know that many of my feelings are irrational and fear-based and all kinds of negative shit. Oh, if only we could run our hearts and minds through a power wash that would blast away all the ancient, dirty cobwebs preventing the light from shining through the windows of our souls. 

I will ponder this. 

Love...Ms. Moon