A friend from book club came over to visit this afternoon. This was only the second time she'd ever been to my home, the first being Christmastime two years ago when I hosted the holiday book club meeting. Paulette is a widow in her early 70s that I really like and admire. She's a retired nurse practitioner from Philadelphia who spent many years working for Planned Parenthood. She attended the Women's March on Washington in 2016 which I really admired at the time. She's one of the kindest people you'd ever want to meet, and I always enjoy seeing her. I invited her over for a glass of wine and some conversation on the back porch, and she seemed happy to accept!
I was a bit nervous about inviting her over. I love to entertain but do it so seldom, and have people over so rarely, that I freak out and try to make everything perfect. Even a casual invitation to a friend to come by stresses me out for days beforehand. I want the whole house to be spotless, and the food and drink I serve to be beautiful and delicious, no matter how simple the get together might be. The upside to all that craziness is that if I invite friends over semi-regularly, the house stays relatively clean all the time. Today I worked for about four hours getting ready: cleaning and mopping the kitchen, scrubbing both bathrooms, cleaning and mopping the screened porch, arranging a vase of grocery store flowers. I was pleased with my efforts. The house looked good, and the cheeses and crackers and fruit and wine I had to serve were delicious. I think my friend enjoyed herself and the conversation. I hope so!
A photo of the banana flower I took the other day after a rain shower. Today I noticed that the little yellow parts in the center are growing tiny banana fruits! Paulette and I sipped wine and nibbled cheese on the porch and watched hummingbirds hovering around the banana plants and this flower. It was a lovely afternoon.
I'm glad you had fun! The flower is gorgeous, is it going to be a bunch of bananas?
ReplyDeleteFood and good cheer: I can not think of a better way to spend an afternoon.
ReplyDeleteI think any seventy year old person would be charmed near speechless at an invitation from a pretty young friend who also has a thoughtful brain and an easy way with words. And hummingbirds! I'm so pleased the afternoon was a success.
ReplyDeleteEverything sounds great! I'm sure you're a wonderful hostess!
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice afternoon for both of you! I understand the need to try and get everything clean and perfect when someone is coming over. I am the same and I wish I was not. But you are right, it is one way to get the house cleaned!
ReplyDeleteI'm sure everyone enjoys your company and your hospitality. Your sincerity and humanity are the reason for this and there are other good qualities that make you a wonderful host.
ReplyDeleteI hope that Paulette invites you over to her place soon Jennifer. Even though there are plenty of years between you, age is just a number. Did she get to meet the feathered ruler of the Barlow household?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Shirley also goes into cleaning mode before visitors appear. I just think - "Take us as you find us".
Paulette sounds like she makes a good friend, and it is nice that she came over to see you.
ReplyDeleteI love having guests and want them to feel really welcome at my place, and so I try to make my flat as welcoming as possible. Making them feel welcome also means I do not want to meet them totally stressed out and exhausted, and so I do not clean other than what I do every week anyway. Being a single household during the week and in a relatively small flat makes for less housework, of course, than what you have to do with an entire house, porch, garden, two people plus pets living in the house. But you know your friends come to see YOU and not to check on how well you did the dusting :-)
Worked for Planned Parenthood AND went to the women's march? I want to be her friend, too. I also clean a lot before a guest arrives, even if it's Sweet Cheeks.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Sounds perfect and Paula sounds like someone I’d want to have as a friend. Glad, although you still probably got carried away in preparation for her visit, you didn’t make yourself so stressed that you couldn’t enjoy it. That’s what SG does.
ReplyDeleteI do know that feeling of wanting everywhere to be perfect for visitors. I try to ignore it but find it difficult. Comforting to realise that others feel the same.
ReplyDeleteI think we all want to give a good impression when we have people over; we do. We do that top to bottom, side to side, scrub down of the house, too, and plan what we think is the prefect food and drink, and then none of it matters because you end up having a nice time and that's all that counts.
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I adore you. You are the sweetest, best woman.
ReplyDeleteThat's about the prettiest banana flower I've ever seen. I don't remember them bring such a bright purple. I'm sure Paulette was thrilled with the invitation and all your efforts! Just remember perfection NEVER happens and cut yourself some slack. :)
ReplyDeleteI do identify with your reaction to people visiting. I'm much the same. Even if it's someone I know very well, who surely will just accept me as I am, I still feel I have to be on my best behaviour, do everything perfectly etc. I wish I could be a bit more relaxed about people dropping in.
ReplyDeleteYour time with your friend was a bright spot in your routine for both of you. Like you, I clean quite a bit before a friend comes over, so the side effect is my house looks pretty good the rest of the week. Fun with a friend and a cleaner house, two pluses.
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