Outside, the rain grew heavier as the afternoon turned to evening, while inside the light was warm, the company was true, and the pasta dinner was on the way. We started with some prosciutto and olives and fennel biscuits. The older we get, the more we seem to appreciate simply being at home. The delights of the city – at least what delights us these days – are rarely found to be accessible late at night, and our bar-hopping shenanigans and clubbing chaos are long behind us. Gratefully, we leaned into the afternoon with some tea, embracing the coziness of these last weeks of winter.
I made a very simple, light pasta dinner with artichoke hearts and broccoli and freshly-grated parmesan cheese. A bit of butter and cream, along with a small diced onion, added the only flavor we needed, and it was done in about 20 minutes – also ideal for anyone watching their meat intake in this season of Lent. (On Fridays we do fish!)
As the evening marked the anniversary of Madonna’s ‘Ray of Light’ album release, I told Kira we should wind down for the night with a listening session of the whole album. Lowering the lights and operating with only a few lit candles, we settled into the same room in which I first listened to that album way back in 1998.
It was as magical and mystical as I remember it being all those years ago, and hearing it with a friend made it mean a little more. By the time ‘Mer Girl’ wrapped up the night, the rainy cloak of something approaching healing and solace had wrapped itself around us.
When next we meet, may the fountain be running, the windows wide open, and the leaves on the trees…
