"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." Dickens

The month of June has proved to be rather Dickensian a la Tale of Two Cities with one day bringing good things and the next bad. A lot of them didn't even happen to me but were a part of my life nevertheless. I've been sitting in my comfy chair eating proschiutto with melon, the salty pork wrapped around slices that if left uneaten another day would have been spoilt.  I know it isn't but it feels like this is the first moment I've had to myself in three weeks! I'm not sure if it was something in the air or what but this month many of my friends have been going through really big changes in their lives.  Mostly good things, but others not so good at all, and some literally life and death. I feel a little whelmed by it all honestly and am glad for a day to just slow down and take time to do important things like eat melon and proschiutto.

One of the good things that has happened is that mint plant peeking around my curtain.  It's a present from three weeks ago when one of my oldest friends/one of my newest friends came to visit for the weekend.

My newest friend is in there, they're only 5 inches long right now but I'm so excited to meet them properly in the fall when they pop out much bigger.

Their Mommy is one of my oldest friends, the darling Lizbeth, and we spent a simply divine few days together.  Relishing each other's company and the simple things that bring us both so much pleasure. We ate prosciutto and melon outside on a patio in Lincoln Square (Is that why I grabbed those things when I went grocery shopping a week later? I think my subconscious was hoping if I ate those maybe she'd appear!). We wandered around my grocery store picking foods we would make together. We ate Vietnamese sandwiches and were sustained on a long hot walk home by cold fruit smoothies.

We waltzed around my wee kitchen cooking pasta with tomato sauce topped with fresh basil, and green beans, and summer squash, and fancy fizzy drinks which we ate on the floor watching Sherlock.

I took her to the European bakery I've recently fallen wildly in love with were we peered at tasties and made very hard choices about what to eat! I selected a lemon curd tart which I'm pretending was monogramed just for me.

Lizbeth had to eat for two and chose a delicious lemon cake which I'm sure the belly bean enjoyed. We watched more Sherlock.

She brought farm fresh produce from Ohio and we ate deliciously nutritious breakfasts like fried eggs with cheese, tomatoes, cucumber and cream cheese on homemade sourdough bread. Watched even more Sherlock.

After cooing at tiny people things in stores we came home and ate cold pasta salad made from leftovers  with cucumber salad and guanabana juice. Finished Sherlock. I wish so much we lived closer to each other, but I cherish every moment I have with her, and I can't wait for this exciting new chapter in her life to start!

I had dinner at Miss Eire's last week where a whole crowd of folks feasted on food made by Miss Connie's lady friend. She made green beans and bacon that had been cooked in maple syrup. I almost died it was so good. And to top it off Miss Eire surprised me with an afghan she'd crochet just for me! She's such a sneaky bugger she'd been making it for months, had shown it to friends while I was in the house, and I  had no clue whatsoever.

 I'm still floored, not only that someone did that for me but look at the colors! They're spot on! I think I even used that exact same green yarn to make a scarf ages ago. No lie. I'll dig it out some day and take pictures to prove it.

It made a lovely background for this photo of a chocolate and raspberry tart I got at that same Euro bakery on a walk with Miss H and Miss J (who both just got kick ass new jobs!!). We had an emergency summit Girls Weekend which naturally involved wine, desserts (see above for me and gelato for them), talking about our feelings, painting nails, and chick flicks.

Actually we ended up watching Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy which can't technically be classified as a chick flick...actually none of the movies in this photo are chick flicks. But you get the idea. We did go shoe shopping...

Last Sunday night I was fed a scrumptious meal by Miss Cait, she always manages to cook meals that are completely different from the style of food I make. I love how there are so many ways to be a cook! I also learned how to say pretzel bread in German. But promptly forgot it as I am wont to do with German words. They just don't stay in my brain! Except for scheisser. Or fraulein. Or "Ich bin ein berliner" which is a very useful thing to know how to say in case you ever feel like a jelly doughnut.

Photo by Kate Duffus

Then this week I had visitors in the form of Miss Kate and her man David! They were only here for one night but as I hadn't seen her since Lizbeth got married ages ago it was fantastic. So much to catch up on! We did manage to squeeze in a trip to the Garfield Park Conservatory, which I'd never been to, and will certainly be going back to. The fern room was something out of Jurassic Park. Or a Midsummer Night's Dream. Kate and I both agreed that fairies lived there. And possibly velociraptors. It was a great visit, especially so soon after seeing Lizbeth. The two of them were thick as thieves in high school and then I came along and we became a trio. We had such fun times together and now we're all grown up! Lizbeth is married with a bairn on the way and Kate is heading in the marriage direction herself!

There was a slightly horrifying/hilarious moment hours after they'd left for the airport when after having drinks with my buddy I realized Kate had my keys! And my keys were at that moment flying in the air on their way to Virginia!!  I kept a remarkably cool head for the amount of cider I'd been drinking on an empty stomach and after laughing at myself calmly called my building manager who came to let me in. I barely had to wait five minutes for him and he had several extra keys so it wasn't anywhere near the crisis it could have been! Still, have learned my lesson and will be making duplicates. O the perils of living alone!

I did take it as a sign, however, to lay low for a day and so here I am, finishing a post and snacking on chocolate pudding. I hadn't planned to eat that today but I was watching Nora Ephron movies and in Julie & Julia there is a mention of chocolate creme pie. And suddenly I remembered I had a box of instant pudding in my cupboard. And a lot of milk. Next thing you know I'm eating chocolate pudding out of a bowl watching Julie kill lobsters. Clearly I'm the type of person who is susceptible to the power of suggestion. Though, the reason I have a lot of milk in my fridge is because Miss Linda told me if I don't start drinking more milk my bones are going to crack into bits and I'll turn into the Glass Man from Amelie. Ok, she didn't actually say that but I believe it was implied. And pudding contains two cups of milk so really eating this pudding is just good for my health.

Also, pudding makes me think back to when I went to Philly as my Aunties bought a pack of Kozy Shack specifically for me to eat! Somehow the discussion we had while eating the pudding led to what foods we don't like and I shared that the film of oil on the top of natural peanut butter freaks the shit out of me.  Of course that was the only kind my good mother bought when I was a kid and I lived in constant dread of being the person who had to open a fresh jar. It's literally impossible to stir in the oil without it leaking down the sides of the jar getting all over your hand or your finger coming into contact with it on the knife. So one of the few acts of rebellion I have performed against my parents is buying Skippy. My Aunties thought this was hilarious of course and encouraged me to try natural peanut butter again, alleging that things had come a long way since I was ten.

Of course I told them that was bullshit and I'd rather die.

But when I ran out of Extra Crunchy Skippy after making too many Lazy Girl Peanut Noodles last week I found myself looking at all the options in the peanut butter isle. And guess what, even Skippy makes natural peanut butter these days. And it says you don't have to stir right on the jar label. And when I fearfully peeled back the safety seal (keeping the jar perfectly level, poised for sloshing oil) there was no skim of sickening stuff on the top. Might of clapped my hands with glee. Now I don't have to go to Foodie Hell for not eating natural peanut butter and my children can have childhoods free from the fear of oil films. Now if only the milk industry can figure out a way to fill the jugs with no spillage that dries into horrid white flakes that get on your hand when you open the lid...

Well, those were mostly the good things that have happened to me and my friends in the last month.  There were many bad and sad things too but as they aren't mine to talk about I won't. I've just been thinking a lot of Happy Thoughts for my friends and baking a lot of brownies. But It's a new month tomorrow, perhaps a fresh start for everyone and even if it isn't what else are friends for?