Friends

As Vince and I try to figure out where we want to retire, the easiest place for me to go would where I grew up. This area holds no appeal at all for Vince and I never push the issue because I want us to end up somewhere we’ll both be happy. I don’t think the humidity and definitely the hurricanes weigh heavily against us ever moving back to my home town but . . friends . . I have the best friends here. After moving a few times, even though I’ve had friends everywhere we’ve moved, it’s just a different kind of friendship when you know you’re not staying there. The friends I have here, some have been my friends since 1st grade, some even earlier. My friend who wrote the cookbook is sure he remembers us being friends in the nursery at church but I think you have to move out of the nursery when you’re 3 years old and we didn’t move there til I was 5 years old so . . something isn’t adding up in his head.

Some of my dearest friends are Roger and Eileen. Yesterday my uncle asked me how long I’ve been friends with them and I think it was 1978 when I got to be friends. It says a lot about them that they still like me.  Their kids were small. I had no kids and I thought their kids were monsters but now I know . . they were being kids and now they’ve grown into wonderful adults. I had the meanest dog in the world so when they would come to our house, it was always a hassle with that dog. If I had been them, I would never have come to my house because of that dog and I would never have invited me to their house because I probably made ugly faces at their kids. I’ve grown up, we have some hilarious memories, and a few memories none of us mention but we do all remember a few bad times. Everything that has happened has made our friendship stronger and I love them both so much.

Roger loves to cook and he knows the foods I love to eat (pretty much all foods — I like to make it easy for Roger).  He makes the most amazing creme brulee and he makes it for me almost every time I’m in town. His is so much better than mine, even though he’s given me his recipe. Mine is never half as good as his. He’s doing something different and just not telling me. I know Roger!

They invited me over as soon as they knew I was going to be in town and, of course, I went. While Eileen was going to finish up the topping on the creme brulee, I was sitting and talking with Roger and I was telling him that my torch only worked a couple of times and then it stopped working. Then, when Eileen started to use it, theirs wouldn’t work. Roger messed with it and finally had to light it with the electronic match thing . . apparently the flint wasn’t working.

Creme Brulee Torch

Did I ever tell you about the Independence Day fireworks display back in about 1992? I think it involved half the neighborhood crouching behind something for safety and a trip to the ER.

Creme Brulee Making

The flame was a bit out of control but the dessert was amazing, as always.

They’ve just returned from an extended trip to Italy and Roger fixed a pasta dish that he had while there and it was so amazing. They were so sweet to send the leftovers home with me and we enjoyed it again for dinner last night.

Great friends, great food . . there’s no place like home!