delicious day

I had today to look forward to.
The air was on the cold side but the sun was bright and after a morning of pulling out plants and weeds, I was ready for an alfresco lunch with C. You see, I am getting ready to plant my herbs for my micro enterprise of French influenced herbal teas. I am starting with three herbs and they will be beautiful to look at , an experience to sip, and a moment to give yourself to the simple healing powers of such plants.
I had some pretty fennel that I was keeping for bright green feathery garnish, but it was time for it to go.We munched on it with some baba ganoush.Fennel is one of my favorite vegetable, always, relentlessly in France paired with fish. It is a vegetable of Provence, and its licorice sweet flavor goes well with the acidity of lemon slices and the mellow flavor of a wild dorade caught in the Mediterraneum. Once I made a cream of fennnel soup that was amazingly delicious.But again, there are two camps in this world: the licorice hater or the licorice lover, no middle ground . I am in the lover group, hopelessly addicted .
The group show at Eclectrix gallery called "eat it" was fun. First we picked up Dot who offered me a beautiful yellow cala (" for the artiste" she said) and we headed for dinner at one of my faves:Picante, been there for years, always consistent,great margaritas, love their rajas, outdoor patio under heat lamp it was, when Dot pointed out a group sitting close by. The woman who had taken care of Dot at 2, while raising her own two sons, and helped me through my years of free lance work, with a young child. Now, the sons are men, handsome and articulate and Dot is a woman, now all in charge of their destiny.
Dot took the portrait with the painting and on the way back, claimed that she had a book to give us, could we wait outside her place a minute.. she came out carrying the beautiful bouquet of apple blossoms and yellow calas.the single flower had been a ruse, the bouquet was the deal.The deal of the day, of the delicious day of beauty, love and gratitude.