Dropped Dead Stitch
Page 21
“Does Curt have any more friends like that? Why don’t you ask him now? He looks like he’s having a good time.” Jennifer gestured with her wineglass again.
Kelly glanced around Mimi’s shady backyard, turned into a veritable bower of flowers for the wedding. Every one of Mimi’s guests appeared to be having a great time. The wine was flowing. Well, not flowing exactly. More like pouring from bottles. Pete had brought a wide selection of wines and spread them out on the tables with plenty of glasses. Real wineglasses, too. Pete had insisted. Some things taste better in glass, he’d said.
Consequently, all of the wedding guests were helping themselves, save for teetotaling Jayleen. With Pete’s delicious appetizers and desserts, guests had lots of tasty food to choose from. Everywhere Kelly looked, she saw guests laughing and talking and eating all at the same time. Mimi and Burt wandered about the garden from cluster to cluster visiting with family and friends. Standing together, arms around each other’s waists, they positively glowed.
Watching her dear friends standing beside each other beneath the grape arbor during the ceremony, gazing into each other’s eyes as they exchanged vows, had brought tears to Kelly’s own eyes. She never cried at weddings. But Burt and Mimi were special.
Their love for each other had developed so naturally, like the spring flowers pushing through the soil in Mimi’s garden—bursting into bloom. Mimi and Burt had bloomed, all right. It was obvious, watching them gaze at each other beneath the arbor, the minister could have been speaking gibberish and they wouldn’t have noticed. They only saw each other. If there was such a thing as “true love,” surely this was it.
“If Mimi and Burt smiled any wider, they might burst,” Jennifer laughed softly.
“Yeah, ‘happy couple’ doesn’t even begin to describe it. They’re going to be airborne any moment. We may have to tie ropes around their waists to keep them on the ground.”
Kelly and Jennifer swung quietly for a minute. “That was such a beautiful ceremony. Quiet and simple,” Jennifer said. “No big church fanfare. Just good friends surrounding you. That’s the way it should be. When two people are meant to be together.”
Kelly waited for Jennifer to say something else, but she didn’t. Kelly was about to add a comment of her own when she noticed Jayleen heading their way.
“Looking good, Jayleen,” she greeted her friend.
“You should wear a pantsuit more often,” Jennifer observed. “It’s really flattering.”
“Thank you, gals, but right now, truth be told, it’s getting kind of itchy. I can’t wait until I can take it off,” she said with a grin.
“Curt’s looking real good, too,” Kelly added. “I almost didn’t recognize him.”
Jayleen gave a brief glance over her shoulder and smiled. “Well, take a good look, because Curt can’t wait to ditch his duds, too. Some of us just can’t stay all spit ’n polished for too long.”
“It’s still early. You and Curt could still get a trail ride in this evening,” Kelly suggested. “No need for dinner. Not after Pete’s spread.”
“You and Steve ought to come up to the canyon and join Curt and me for a ride again. It’s been a while since you’ve done that.”
“I’ll put it on my daytimer, Jayleen. Promise. And Steve’s, too.”
“You do that. Sometime in July would be great. June is already booked up. I’ll be busy hosting a retreat at my ranch. A psychologist friend suggested the idea. She’s been counseling some teenage girls who’ve run into problems early on, and my friend thinks a few weeks in the mountains might help them sort things out.”
“Whoa,” Kelly said. “That sounds like a wonderful thing to do, Jayleen. Will the kids have work sessions or counseling or something?”
Jayleen nodded. “Both, actually. We’ll get ’em working around the ranch, helping out with the livestock, and talking with their counselors. There’s a lot of work to do, so they’ll be busy. But outdoor work helps some folks to put things together, you know. Kind of like what Diane did when she came up to live with me, remember? That’s when I got the idea of having a retreat for teenage girls. Try to make a difference in their lives before they’ve had a chance to screw things up to hell and gone. Like I did, for instance.” She chuckled.
“That’s a wonderful thing you’re doing, Jayleen,” Jennifer said.
Jayleen smiled at her. “I was wondering if you’d be interested in coming up to the ranch and participating, Jennifer. The girls could really get into those fiber sessions. Everyone needs some quiet time to think. You and I could teach them to knit and crochet. Hell, maybe they’d like to learn to spin, too. What do you say, girl?”
Jennifer stared at Jayleen for a few seconds. “You mean stay up there at your ranch with the kids for a week or two?”
“Or as long as you’d like. The entire session lasts four weeks. Whatever you’d like to do. Play it by ear, if you want.”
Kelly observed her friend, watched her ponder Jayleen’s suggestion, and wondered what she’d say. Inside, Kelly was fervently wishing Jennifer would say “yes.” Jennifer could be a powerful Big Sister presence for some of the girls. Good for the girls and good for Jennifer.
Jennifer looked at the ground and sent the glider on another rocking arc. Kelly kept quiet, as did Jayleen. Finally, Jennifer spoke.
“You know, Jayleen, I think I’d like to do that. Let me check with Pete and my office and see how much time I can clear this month.”
Jayleen’s grin spread almost as wide as Mimi’s and Burt’s when the minister pronounced them wed. “Whatever you decide, Jennifer, is okay with me, girl.”
“Good for you, Jen,” Kelly added. “A summertime retreat in the canyon. Gotta love it.”
“I just hope I can help—” Jennifer started, then glanced over Kelly’s shoulder. “Oh, no . . . that photographer is waving at us again. I can’t believe they want more pictures.”
“C’mon, gals, the wedding party is waiting on you,” Jayleen said as she beckoned them to follow as she walked away.
“Let’s send the photographer home after these photos,” Kelly said as she and Jennifer headed toward their friends, already gathering in an unruly cluster. “Then we can relax without having him snap any more candid shots.”
“Good idea. You escort the photographer off the premises, while I grab that last piece of pecan pie.”
“Too late. I saw the pie plate. It was empty.”
“That’s what you think,” Jennifer said with a grin. “I saved a piece, then put a napkin around it and hid it under the wine table.”
Kelly laughed out loud, causing their friends to turn as they approached. “Good thing we didn’t bring Carl to the ceremony.”
Jennifer’s Afghan
GAUGE:
5 stitches = 1” and 5 rows = 1”
MATERIALS:
10 skeins Plymouth Galway pure wool knitting worsted (or similar)
40” circular knitting needle, size 8
INSTRUCTIONS:
Cast on 265 stitches very loosely.
Knit 5 rows (for border).
Row 1: Knit 5, purl to last 5 stitches, knit 5.
Row 2: Knit 5, K2 tog 3 times *YO, (K1, YO) 5 times, K2 tog 6 times; repeat from * across row to last 5 sts, knit to end.
Rows 3 and 4: Knit.
Row 5: Knit 5, purl across row to last 5 sts, knit to end.
Repeat rows 2-5 until blanket measures approximately 60” or to desired length, ending by working row 4.
Knit 4 rows for border. Bind off all stitches very loosely.
Pattern courtesy of Tea Time Quilting and Stitchery in Breckenridge, Colorado. Pattern designed by Judy Morseman of Tea Time Quilting and Stitchery.
Author’s Note on Recipes
The recipes I’ve included in this book were contributed by my two oldest and dearest friends. Nancy and Diane and I grew up across the street from each other in what was then the sleepy little suburb of Arlington, Virginia—across the river from Washington, D.C. We
were about five and six years old when we first met and became playmates, and we’ve been close friends ever since. Both Nancy and Diane continue to live in northern Virginia, while I live in northern Colorado now. I hope you enjoy the recipes.
Nancy’s Butternut Squash Soup
When Nancy sent me her soup recipe and brief note, I was reminded of all the good times we shared growing up together. Nancy is now retired from a forty-year career in the federal government.
FROM NANCY
I have been Maggie’s friend for sixty years. Those early years were spent in the old neighborhood. As latchkey kids (Nancy and Diane), we were at home tending to all the household chores including cleaning, ironing, and cooking. Later in life the cooking and ingredients became more sophisticated. I married and spent time around other good cooks. We all read Gourmet and Bon Appetit in the sixties. However, following directions specifically was not really necessary. We made do with whatever was left over as the beginning of a stew or soup, and then stews became soups and soups became sauces. Here is a squash soup recipe.
1 butternut squash peeled and cut up (or bought that way)
1 sweet potato or a large baking potato cut up
3 large leeks cut up (white parts only)
3 garlic cloves minced
3 shallots minced
1 stick butter to saute all of the above to a soft consistency
Add salt and pepper and 1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp curry powder
32 oz chicken broth
2 cups heavy cream (whipping cream)
Cook until all is soft in the liquid. Process in Cuisinsart or blender to a smooth consistency. Heat later for dinner or luncheon soup. Add croutons and parsley for decoration.
Nancy Appler, Vienna, Virginia.
Diane’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies
When Diane sent me her cookie recipe, it sounded so good I e-mailed her to throw some in the freezer and save them for me for my next visit. Diane’s a real estate agent in northern Virginia.
DIANE’S REPLY
Yes, I have actually sold some of these recently. Everyone here at the office loves these cookies.
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
6 tbsp light brown sugar
6 tbsp sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup oatmeal
Preheat oven to 375°.
Combine dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, and sugars) into bowl and stir. Then add butter and egg and vanilla. Mix well. Add the chocolate chips and the oatmeal and stir together. Then drop by teaspoon onto cooking sheet.
Bake for 7-9 minutes until slightly golden brown. Remove from baking sheet to rack or aluminum foil or wax paper and cool.
Makes about 2.5 dozen cookies.
Diane Anthony, Vienna, Virginia.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Jennifer’s Afghan
Author’s Note on Recipes
Nancy’s Butternut Squash Soup
Diane’s Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies