Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Here We Are


For the dead days, I sure am busy.
Last night we had a party here. You had another party you say?
And yes, I answer, we did.

Kathleen and her best friend since childhood, Vicki, who is visiting from Indiana, decided they wanted to have a champagne, caviar and Godiva chocolate party and since Kathleen knows how hard it is to get me out of my house and since she knew I don't drink and drive, she decided we should have the party here and we did and it was awesome.
They brought the caviar and chocolate and champagne and other ladies brought champagne and I made a Brazilian seafood stew and bread. A few neighbor ladies came over including the famous Ms. Petit Fleur, and also my brother, the token male, and also Jan, the director of the Opera House and my dear friend Liz of the West.

We feasted and some drank champagne and some of had beer and/or vodka and it was a cozy evening with eight of us around the old oak table that I've had since May was two and which was the very same table my nursing school buddies and I sat around and ate on and studied on in 1983, '84, and '85 and which I served Mr. Moon the first meal I ever served him (turkey flautas, by the way) and we stuffed our faces and we laughed and had a good time.
And then some of the ladies spent the night but now they're all gone and Jessie's asleep upstairs and I'm going to town to see OWEN because I haven't seen him for three days and I'm missing him like crazy.
And there's another party tonight, believe it or not! But not here.
And then tomorrow we go to St. Augustine for Lis's CD release party, the Blue Moon New Year's Eve and oh, honeys, that is going to be a big time. A huge, big, good time.

And then...the new year. I am not going to talk about resolutions or even resolve.
But I will say that the New Year is a good place to put a bookmark in a life.

Mostly, I want to keep living here with the people I love and my chickens and this old oak table where I have spent so many hours. Mostly I want everything the same, only for me to be better. Better at a lot of things.

And that's vague but isn't that what we all want in the end? To be the best one of us we can?

Well, this isn't much of a post. I am itching to go see that boy. But I just wanted to say good-morning, how's it with you? I'm thinking of so many of you who are going through big changes and small ones that add to big ones. Moves and babies and a divorce (give her her two dollars!) and maybe you have resolutions and maybe you are just resolved to hold on to what you have and be happy with it.

Which, as Garrison Keillor said, is enough.
This life. Mine is enough for me.

I'm thinking about you and I'm hoping we all get through these last two days of 2009 healthy and well, looking forward to the next chapter of this book of life we're all writing daily, moment by moment, choice by choice, word by word, sunrise to sunrise, breath to breath.

Good morning. It sure is here. I hope it is there, too, wherever you are, however you got here, whatever sort of table you sit at.

Now go eat some fruit. Or chocolate.

Love....Ms. Moon

23 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Heheh! Good one Hank!

    It was so fun, thanks for hostessing such a great time! I still have a little bellyache... too much stew? too much choc? caviar? champagne? Ginache Cheesecake? Champagne?

    Hard to say, but it was worth it.

    Kiss the boy.
    xo pf

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  3. Thank you for hosting a perfectly wonderful evening! Such great company, such fabulous food! Hope to see you at 7.

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  4. Vague but beautiful like a Monet.

    (Or, if you don't like Monet, nothing at all like a Monet.)

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  5. Ha.. I was thinking about the New Year yesterday. I'm more than ready to be done with 2009, and sadly, I remember being VERY ready to be done with 2008. I'm really hoping the tides are turning and 2010 will at the very least be better than 2009, but I'm also realizing things don't usually change without me taking steps forward. So--here's to a year of forward motion. Cheers.

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  6. Parallel universes, Ms. Moon. This is what I tried to write about last night, but you said it much better. As always!

    Life can be over the top stuff like champagne and godiva chocolates, but mostly it's the day to day goodness of a kitchen table full of memories, the smell of a baby's head, or collecting chicken eggs. The goodness of day to day life.


    Thanks for saying it so well.
    Love,
    michelle

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  7. its possible to brazilian food without having a brazilian at your table???..looks*...hm..maybe one of you ladies was waxed..:-P

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  8. Fruit for me. I've had 3 days of proper eating and movement and am hoping for more more more, a string, a lifetime. I like what you said about the book we're writing choice by choice. Yes. I love that you have that big table in your book and wonderful friends gathered around it too.
    I hope for this too one day. You inspire me.
    Keep on keeping on. Enjoy all your activities and your sweet boy.

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  9. You just got me morivated to run out and buy the items for a party at my house! and then I remembered that I have two friends, and I don't eat caviar or drink champagne, and I actually don't have a TABLE. Well-not true-I have a table, but it has the computer on it, and all the mail I pile up, and the ever-present stack of books, and....so. No party for me. Luckily, I ALSO remembered that I really don't LIKE parties, so life is good.

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  10. ay ay ay, ms moon.

    my computer has been out two short winter days, and i can't even begin to consider thinking about the possibility of perhaps catching up on your posts.

    you're like a silkworm, ms mary. spinning spinning spinning.

    in my house we sit around a beautiful table as well. i don't know what sort of wood, though michelle might.

    it's the table that sat in our mother's kitchen for 30 some-odd years. countless meals, holidays, conversations, interventions.

    oh yes. plenty of those.

    this morning the table played host to multi-grain pancakes with real maple syrup. very special indeed, as maple syrup has become the new black(gold) in this economic climate.

    the syrup was a gift from out-of-town guests. the man wanted to ration it out carefully to the children, but i just went ahead and doused their flapjacks.

    'tis the season, and you only live once. at least in my book.

    xo

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  11. This post for some reason put me in a festive/nostalgic mood.

    I love the Garrison Keillor reference. I'm a big Prairie Home Companion fan.

    "the New Year is a good place to put a bookmark in a life." - I may quote you on this.

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  12. Your night sounds like what i am planning for this evening! I am making dinner for one of my most dearest friends. only me and her. so not quite 8 people. and nothing quite as fancy as choclate and champagne. but lots of love. definitely lots of that.

    right now, i am guessing you are holding that dear sweet grandson of yours and i can only imagine the smile on your face and the joy in your heart! happy new year, ms moon, its gonna be a great one for all us if we let it!

    now im gonna go eat a clementine and maybe a dark chocolate hersheys kiss. for you. ok.... well, more for me. because they are oh so yummy!

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  13. I've been thinking about SB today, too. Hope you're snuggling that baby right now!

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  14. That's my resolution, right there: Seek Happiness, and to hell with everything else.

    Thanks for helping me see my table as a sacred thing, an altar to joy, so to speak.

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  15. DTG- Very funny.

    Ms. Fleur- I just took a LOT of bottles to the recycle. Wowzer! Hope your tummy is better.

    Jan- We're coming!

    Steph- I LOVE Monet.

    AJ- I'll drink to that.

    Michelle- It sure works for me. But it's mighty nice when an evening of those unexpected riches can be enjoyed. Their rarity is what makes them so good.

    Danielle- So next year you'll be here? YOU can make the REAL Brazilian food.

    Bethany- Good for YOU! My favorite thing I ate last night was a salad of arugula dressed with a vinaigrette. Simple, delicious. And so GREEN!

    Kori- I don't usually like parties either but this one was just delightful to me.

    Adrienne- Mmmm. Real maple syrup. Every time I go to buy it, I hesitate and then don't. I swear though, I will next time.
    We do only live once. That we know of.

    My Brain- Quote away. I would be honored.

    Tanya- Have fun with your small but lovely party! And yes, I held Owen a LOT today and also I got to hold Waylon. It was wonderful.

    Ginger- I talked to her. She is good.

    Nancy- Wherever we gather is an altar. That's what I think.

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  16. I say... Now, go eat some fruit...AND chocolate!

    Love you, and your postings and over-posting! Love this thought of Loving My Life, Regardless. Love that I found you and your chickens. Love that we write right and left, cry and laugh. It is the best. Happy Solstice. The new year holds great adventure.

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  17. how wonderfull would that be?? a big pot of feijoada, maniok, some vatapa and caruru...all dishes with beans, meat, rice or sea food like prawns...al together with a hot sauce molho de pimenta..or..whats the name again..mojicca?..which is like filets of fish with tomatos and onions and cilantro?...and all would go laong very well with the champagne you girls crave...

    i really wish that for me ...for a moment and a possibility to be in lloyd at that very table of yours...:-)

    and thank you a lot for the wonderful coment on my new years post..i m still glowing:-)

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  18. Swallowtail- Thank-you so much and yes, great hopes for this new year.

    Danielle- Make it happen! And that post was beautiful.

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  19. Perfect. Splendid. That's enough for me.

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  20. I got my two dollars! Then I had to give those two damn dollars to Discover Card. Godfuckingdammit.

    That made me laugh.

    I love you.

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