TGIF

Barbara and I had our annual Christmas lunch today, and we had quite a feast. First, we had that harmonic dressing (clothes dressing, not turkey dressing) that women have where we both showed up with black pants and a pink top. For kicks, I asked her what color bra she was wearing. Mine was beige; hers was gray (probably I should use some fancy color name like mine was "champagne" and hers was  "gunmetal").

First we each had a glass of wine; I ordered first which was good because Barbara was there to correct me when I accidentally ordered a bottle instead of a glass. Whoops. Wishful thinking.

Then we split a beet/cauliflower salad and an order of garlic bread. A for the garlic bread which found us licking our index fingers to get the last bits of garlic crumbs from the empty plate) and B- or C+ for the beet salad. The complaints: not enough beets, unnecessary bad winter tasteless tomato slices, cauliflower stained purple from the beets which was odd. It tasted good, but it was the weak link of the meal.

Then I had this parpadelle/mushroom dish which is very wide, flat pasta with a brown sauce/broth and mushrooms. She had a chicken dish which is made by putting the chicken under bricks (literally) so it's flat. We'd give both an A. These dishes are what each of us always order. Then we each had cappuccino, exchanged gifts, etc.

We were sitting in the window seat and I pointed out a bulldog being walked who was pushing himself along on a skateboard. The dog owner was stopped by people who wanted to talk about the dog, and we agreed that if you want to make friends, get an interesting dog and go for a walk. What was sweet is that people who didn't stop to talk would smile as they saw the dog on its skateboard. Barbara had previously seen these two in Central Park and I thought how much happiness this dog has brought to people. How can you not smile when you see a big bulldog using a skateboard? We also saw a pug wearing a Santa jacket.

We talked about gratitude, and how your health is the number one thing to be grateful for. Today I am also grateful for: New York City dressed up for Christmas like a grand old lady, my cab driver who spoke Bengali (I was curious and asked ) on his cellphone  and wished me Merry Christmas; clean sheets, prosecco, and lovely little gifts exchanged among friends.

Today I am especially grateful for old friends, which reminds me of an old, sentimental poem:

There's no friend like an old friend
who has shared a perfect day.
No greeting like her welcome,
no homage like her praise.