I feel sorry for anyone who doesn’t have a friendship with a true Southerner. My dear friend Susan reached out to me this morning and suggested we chat on my front porch for a spell. She suspected that I might be feeling sad after a week at home without my two boys.
A lot happened after I dropped off my middle child at college (and my husband assisted the older one with his dorm move-in the same day). I had made a mess of my neck the previous week, so the doctor prescribed a round of prednisone. As my husband says, “You either love it or you hate it.” I LOVED it! Rooms I had been eyeballing for months but knew I wasn’t up to the job of cleaning suddenly were in the realm of possibility!
I didn’t languish last week: I organized and dusted shelves and closets, washed slipcovers, and got out the Rainbow vac!
Now, after all the dust has settled, my neck is bothering me again (but not as much as before), and I’m back at my easel, this time hoping to emulate Miss Mustard Seed’s French inspired landscapes in a large piece for my dining room. So far, it’s just not my standard way of painting, so I’m struggling. I even spent some time this morning scraping excess paint from the lower half of the canvas to try a different composition. Miss Mustard Seed’s style of soft, muted tones of bucolic subjects may never be my thing.
So there I was, frustrated with my non-French looking landscape, dropping wet paintbrushes on the floor and scraping thick, half-dried paint off with my palette knife, when Ms. Susan texted me. I happily cleaned my brushes and encouraged her to come on over!
In true Southern form, she came with gifts in hand! Her husband, an avid antique collector, had found a silver spoon for me. It is monogramed with a “V” and has April 23, 1908, engraved on the back. Susan had also made a batch of apple jelly that perfectly went with the spoon, which, as she told me, could be for my purse so I wouldn’t need to eat with a plastic spoon out and about. I love that!
Our conversation covered a great many topics, and I should have had a pen and paper with me. Susan is full of knowledge about kitchen science, gardening, family relationships, personality types, as well as the comings and goings of individuals in our local community. I cherish the time I get to spend with her.
So, if you’re feeling a little lonely during this COVID spike, consider inviting a friend over to chat outside. It’s warm, I know, but just a few minutes of friendly conversation can revive the spirit.
Love it! 🙂