A Sweet, Bittersweet Party

Note:  The top bidder for the quilt was my friend Suzanne, who is donating $250 to the Berkeley Food Pantry.  Thanks to everyone who bid and "liked."

Val's utterly delicious, eyes-roll-back-in-your-head Walnut Cake

Yesterday, my dear friends from the pool class had a birthday lunch for me.  Anne, my carpool partner, set a beautiful table, with a small signature garden bouquet, and served up mushroom soup and salad.

Valerie brought her renowned (have written earlier post about) Walnut Cake, an English recipe that is killer.   I brought home a slice for Jerry, and he gobbled it this morning with his coffee.

That was the sweet part.

The bittersweet part was that this was also a farewell for our friend, Ellen, who is moving to New Hampshire to begin living in an assisted living facility.   I've been helping Ellen get organized for the move, finding realtors, packing up, sorting things in her house.  Anne and Val have helped, too.

Ellen doesn't want to go--who would?  She's giving up her life of 40 years in California, where she was an elementary school principal.  She's lived in her house since 1977.

Here's a picture of Val and Ellen and me yesterday:

And one with Anne:

We four met at Albany Pool in 2002 (actually Val and Ellen met way before that--they're sisters-in-law of over forty years).  We are irreverent, especially Ellen and me, and like-minded about politics and humor.  Val and I use bad language, Anne does not, Ellen sometimes.  We find some of our classmates tedious, or eccentric, or funny.

As of April 27, Ellen will live in New Hampshire, and we don't know when or if we'll see her again.  I'm trying not to think about it.  In the meantime, it's all about lists.

There'll be an empty place at the table