A Delightful Lunch Out with a Friend - Catching Up

My friend JenyBeth has been having some problems with insomnia, and overslept our lunch date. But I phoned her when she was 1/2 hour late, and with immediate apologies, she was sitting across the table from me within 20 minutes, despite her living a LONG way north of me. I guess the freeways must have had clear sailing for her, and the restaurant is one she's familiar with, so no getting lost. 

I'm not gluten allergic, but I find that my body generally 
feels a bit happier without it. I knew, however, that 
I could find something to eat that I would enjoy at 
Olive Garden, and that their food is consistent and 
tasty. Thus, my choice of restaurant. I'll ask JenyBeth 
to choose a place for our next get-together in three months 
or so. 

We had a delightful meal and a chance to catch up. I did have noodles which I'm quite sure had wheat, but I was able to avoid most of the things I try to stay away from - breads and dairy products specifically - so I call it a successful meal. I didn't have any bad effects from the gluten later on, so I'm happy with how the meal went. 

JenyBeth showed me photos of several quilts 
that she had made over the past few years. 
Her Dad, Richard, had encouraged her to take 
up quilting many years ago, and she's doing 
some lovely work now, with good colors and 
innovative designs. This is NOT one of hers, 
she doesn't have public posts of her work, but 
it is a style similar to one she showed me that 
I found quite attractive. 

She showed me several photos of quilts she finished in the past year or so, and we talked a bit about her mother, Cindy. Cindy is living in a long-term care facility now, and she's absolutely blossomed. She was always a real people-person, but being wheelchair bound limited her ability to get out and interact with others. That barrier has been lifted now, and she's involved in a bunch of activities, has a nice circle of friends living alongside her, and is even part of the Welcoming Committee. I'm delighted to hear of this change, and I'll try to get out and see her at some point. We have good memories to share and when she's happy, she's a lot of fun. 

I'm delighted to hear that Cindy, JenyBeth's Mom, has 
settled in to her care facility and is really enjoying her 
time there. She was always a real people person, but her 
disability (requiring her to be wheelchair bound) had 
limited her ability to get out and about. Even getting 
in and out of her house was extremely hard. She had 
a high stoop to get the chair over, and then a fast 
turn to head to the driveway. MS is not an easy 
disease. 

Of course there's a million other things going on in my life, but I'll try to get to those in my last two posts of the week. Right now I'm focused on getting ready to leave for the pool and having a productive day at the shop. So I'll end this here and wish you a wonderful day. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini.