Posted February 10th, 2004 by Michelle

I’m still waiting for the final word on this mysterious new opportunity that might fall into my life, so I still cannot share. Hopefully I will know by Friday, and then maybe I’ll buy a digital camera and expose you folks out there in cyber-space to the wonders and beauties of Napa Valley in the spring. How these two- my new whatever and a camera- are related, I don’t know, except that maybe I’ll eventually be able to afford said camera, but still, this spring is not to be missed. Yes- SPRING. Today was 68 degrees and my car was too hot when I climbed in it at 2 in the afternoon. I had to open the windows and the sunroof. And the mustard- god, the mustard- not to be believed. There is a field just past the CIA on Highway 29 that looks as though Minas passed his hand over every blade. It simply has to be seen to be believed. The mustard grows with such abandon, such rich, sunny health, that I almost believe it could cure everything that ails me. Almost.

A group of my friends here and I have started a tasting group. Once a week we get together, having decided on a varietal and a menu the week before, and we spend the afternoon and evening cooking, drinking, and talking, first about wine and then about everything. They have been wonderful nights, long and funny and so worth it. And suddenly I realize that I love my friends here. There are four of us, with a possible addition of a fifth, and we are perfectly matched. Our childhoods were alike only by being ridiculous, our younger adult years matched only by wanderlust, and now we are here, together, sometimes in my own home, and I have moments of not wanting to be anywhere else. Clearly these are the salad days but I don’t want them to end. I don’t want any of my friends to leave. I want this to go on and on and on. I’m scared even to acknowledge them, my circle of Elizabeth, Jon, and Mollie, my wine coven, because if I call it by name maybe it will leave me. But I can’t help but yell this from the rafters, even if I’m the only one hearing. I love my friends here. I want to keep them.

I have a ticket to fly to New York on the 19th to see Sean and Jordi’s show. I won’t know until Friday if I can go. But- well. I can name three things in my life that leave me vexed- three things, three possibilities, black and white decisions, and I just don’t know which way to go. Some of them will be decided for me, some I’ll just forget about and passive aggressively ignore, but maybe I’ll actually make a choice. Ugh. Who knows.

Why do I love sugar so much?

*sigh*