Treasured Friendships

How lucky, how blessed, how fortunate am I, to have strong bonds with such special people. My amazing friends! There are people here in Sweden that I remained connected to all the long years away, living my life in far away places, such as in Minnesota and then later in California. There are those fabulous guys in Minnesota that I still hear from, yet some have left us, all too soon! The neighbors in San Jose, the coworkers at Hewlett Packard and then all those who touched our life in both Mariposa and in Oakhurst. It is a rich life I have lived, where I have learned to really treasure each and every relationship however varied and different. What I find most incredible with REAL friendships is that time somehow stands still. There have been times when forty years have gone by,between visits, when we have actually had an opportunity to see each other. Yet it has each time seemed as if though it was yesterday we had been together. Pretty amazing! Thank you all, for allowing me to be so rich!

Another thing I have pondered of late, now that my calendar needs updating, is this thing with numbers and years. I have such a hard time with both! My best friend will say, when I mention such or such event, " oh, yes that was in the spring of -87 or, oh yea, when your Mom turned 65, or remember when we were in Ireland year XXXX "! Yes, I remember Ireland so vividly, but not the year! Have a hard time remembering when John, Maria and Fredrik were born. Mix years up on the calendar, sometimes I "plug" birthdays in on the wrong day, sometimes even the wrong month, can't keep anniversaries right etc. I think it was last year I sent Maria and Ray a card for their wedding anniversary, stating: Happy 19th or 18th, when it actually had been 20 years!!!!!!!! As the Mother , shouldn't I know better? Why do I not stop and THINK??' "Cause THAT is actually part of the problem! So, to all of those of you I have congratulated on the wrong day, wishing you well for the 34th birthday when it actually was your 37th, or whatever........ please forgive me...... no offense intended. There is one very important person in my life,that does in fact, keep track of everyone in our family. That is my Auntie Helmi, what an amazing person she is! She is now 95 years old herself and has all these years kept track of all of us. So, if I can't remember when someone was born, or when someone died, I have been able to call Moster Helmi! She knows!!!!!

Now we end another decade? Is it true??When I was young the year 2000 seemed unobtainable, or so VERY far away one would NEVER live THAT long!!!! (Because I didn't stop to figure it out.) But I did! The the HYPE........... the world was going to stop, no computers would work, orders would not get filled, food would run out. The mountain men purchased ammunition, just in case! We sold baby chickens like never before and never since, as people thought that if nothing else they would have eggs to fry and chickens to eat, what a funny and wild frenzy that was! Happy New Year to one and all! Can't wait to see what's next!?

Well, next for dinner is: Tomato and Avocado Bruschetta with Shrimp, Scallops and Tarragon Cream followed by Basil and Parmesan Potatoes and Beef Tenderloin with LemonCream Sause, Grilled Zuccini, Portabello Mushrooms and Green and Red Peppers............Wan'na Come Over?

In conclusion congratulations to beautiful Hilary and Luke, Karla and Tom......Life goes on!!