All about friends . . .

I love you
not only for what you are,
but for what I am
when I’m with you;
I love you not only for what you
have made of yourself
but what you are making of me;
You have done it without a touch,
without a word,
without a sigh;
You have done it by being yourself.
Perhaps that is what
being a friend means
after all.
~unknown

I cannot remember my mother having very many friends when I was growing up. I expect that she was too busy taking care of the home, my father, and us children . . . until she went back to work again, and then it was her job that took up most of her time. She does have lots of friends now and they are good friends, people she can rely upon when she needs help. People who can laugh with her when the times are good and cry with her when they aren't so good. People that know when to listen and when to speak. Good friends . . . and I am so very grateful that she does, for everyone needs friends.



I have always surrounded myself with friends. I am a woman who enjoys the company and companionship of other women. I’ve had many good friends through the years . . . some younger . . . some older . . . all dearly beloved and cherished by myself. When I make a good friend, I make them for life, and I truly admire each one of them for what they are, and who they are. I like to think that friends are family you get to pick for yourself. As Todd is always saying, "You can't pick your family, but you can always pick your friends." (I'm sure he stole that saying from someone else, but I have no idea who!)



I have often heard it said that in order to have a friend, one must first be a friend, and that is so very true. There is nothing less satisfying than having a relationship with someone who only takes, without ever giving anything back. There is something very special about the easy camaraderie of two people, who know each other well, and can give and take with the ease of knowing the other’s faults and yet loving the other anyways, despite their shortcomings. I expect people to take me as I am, and so . . . I accept them for who they are in return.



I look upon other women as fellow sisters . . . and companions in this great adventure we call life. We are not in this to compete with each other, but instead to uphold, cherish and love each other. When we see one of us beginning to falter and fall back along the way, we have a duty as a beloved sister to grab hold and help the other to come forward and to support and uphold her in every way possible.

“We are all in this together. We need each other. Oh, how we need each other. Those of us who are old need you who are young. And, hopefully, you who are young need some of us who are old. It is a sociological fact that women need women. We need deep and satisfying and loyal friendships with each other. These friendships are a necessary source of sustenance.” ~Marjorie Pay Hinckley



It may sound silly, or even sad . . . but . . . a great deal of my friends are what I call my "Invisible Friends." When I was a small girl, I had invisible friends, but they weren't real. Now, I have invisible friends and though they may live thousands or hundreds of miles away, they are every bit as real to me as my "real life" friends, and every bit as precious . . . perhaps even more so. Oddly enough, it always seems a lot easier to share your heart with someone who lives further away, than it is to share it with someone you have to face in person. But then again . . . I have always been much better with the written word, rather than the spoken word. I am really a very shy person.

I have shared my heart with each of you on here each day and told you things that I perhaps would never have told a person in real life . . . and you have listened and never judged, and upheld and supported me in beautiful ways, and I am grateful for that. I consider you all to be my friends and much treasured by me. What a wonderful medium this must be for someone who is a shut in and can't get out. Somewhat of a double edged sword perhaps, because just as you must choose your friends in real life very carefully . . . so must you do so on here . . . perhaps I've just been very lucky. I know I've been very blessed.



My first friend, and the best friend that I have ever had . . . is my own sister. We share a history together, and a lifetime with each other. She has always been there for me, and I hope that I have always been there for her. I have tried to be. I love my brother too . . . but he is not a sister. A sister is a very special person . . . and mine surely is the most special of all!

At the end of the day, I could probably live without the companionship of a man, but . . . I would dreadfully miss the companionship, understanding and friendship of other women. We’re really are all in this together! We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give!

We're eating alot of potato salads this summer, probably because we planted a whole wack of potatoes! Probably much more than we two humans could possibly get through, but they serve a double purpose really as they put a lot of good into the soil they are grown in! I love creating different kinds of potato salads, using different ingredients and making them unique and quite tasty, or at least they are to me! They're never boring at any rate!



*Potato Salad with Runner Beans and Pesto*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

I love the flavours of summer . . . new potatoes, runner beans . . . always a delicious combination,especially when paired a lovely Pesto sauce.

2 pounds of yellow fleshed potatoes (Yukon gold or charlotte)
1 pound runner beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup Pesto sauce (I like to make my own, but if you have to
buy it don’t use the jarred kind, try to buy the fresh one,
available in the refrigerator section of the store)
¼ cup finely chopped spring onions
4 TBS white balsamic vinegar
2 TBS toasted Pine nuts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put the potatoes into a pot of lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes or so. Add the runner beans and cook for about 4 minutes longer. Drain well.

Transfer the vegetables to a large bowl, cutting the potatoes into smaller chunks if large, and allow them to cool for 10 minutes. Mix in the pesto and the spring onions, tossing to coat. Set aside to cool completely.

Just before serving, mix in the vinegar, pine nuts and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve at room temperature.

Note: I have a very good Pesto recipe here.



Baking in The English Kitchen today, Everything But the Kitchen Sink Cookies!