TPG Blog #13: Birthdays, Friendships & THE Best Peach Cobbler - You're Welcome!

Hello my friends,

Today is my birthday – I know, thank you, and I gift you today with a recipe that begins with “Melt 1 cube butter …”.  It doesn’t get much better!  Back to the cobbler in a minute – you’ve got questions about this picture, as do I.

Last month, I posted this picture on my college friend Trisha’s social media feed for her birthday.  It was well received but we collectively had more questions than answers:

Why?

Who were we?

Who did we THINK we were?

Were those clothes just in our closets?

I’m sure there were more questions that people were afraid to ask.  I just couldn’t stop laughing as I posted it, remembering how this group of friends made me feel all those years ago - truly accepted for being “me”.  We had so much fun together and for your peace of mind, I’m sure we were going to a party with a theme like Charlie’s Angels or well, I don’t know.  But I’m sure it was fine – all fine!  We were such a tight knit group, all friends, all from small towns and all trying to find our way as ourselves.  We’d laugh until we cried and not remember how it started.  It was truly a sisterhood, although a bit messy at times but we appreciated that part and helped each other through.  Friendship is formally defined as a state of mutual respect and support.  When you have it, you know as you feel it deep down inside.

One of my wisest friends, Vicki, told me over a cup of coffee to envision your friendships as blocks on a wall.  The wall is a set size and never changes but the sizes of each of the friend boxes fluctuates over time based on how close you are to that person – the closer you are, the bigger the friend box.   These girls had big, refrigerator-size boxes on my wall while we were in college that are smaller today but the important thing to remember is that they are still there – this picture a reminder to me that they’ll always have a place on my wall.  And Vicki will too.  My wall list goes on and on and your list does too if you really take a minute to think about it.  And remember that when you go to a class reunion or a wedding or run into an old friend at Home Depot or hit it off with another parent supervising a class field trip for your kids, it has the potential to change your friend wall – and you should be open to that, my friends.  Your days unfold exactly how they are to unfold i.e. that friend is on your path for a reason. At some point in your life, I hope for you that your kids are your friends.  Long marriages – quiz them and they will say that at their core is mutual respect and friendship.  It is said that you become the average of the 5 people that you hang out with the most so choose wisely – maybe the time has come for a friend wall remodel.   Today may be demo day!

I had two lunches with friends last week that were so, so good, each for it’s own reasons.  The first was with my college roommate, Debbie, that deserves it’s own blog post so stay tuned.  We met for lunch and really hadn’t sat with just each other for years.  We were literally inseparable in college - when you saw one you saw the other.  We were back together for 10 minutes, and both realized “why” again.  Four hours of a lunch date later, we returned to our lives, both with full hearts and so much bigger boxes for each other on our walls.  The second was with my friend, Katie, whose humor and outlook I really enjoy.  We just instantly pick right back up where we left off without any “I’m sorry for not …” or any of it.  Just two friends sharing a quick lunch to check in with each other with support and camaraderie and honest answers because you’re loved and they want the best for you.  Both upgraded my average of the 5 – look for that in your friendships, be vigilant about it and I’m here to tell you that it will forever change your life. 

My dad’s best friend was Ray Scott who we called “Uncle Ray”.  He and his wife, Diane, would come and visit us, spending the afternoon before going back to the metropolis of Los Banos, California.  There were 6 kids in total between the two families and I remember our mom’s just tossing this outside with bowls and spoons for us to devour on a summer afternoon – then they locked the door, poured another glass of wine and flipped the record over on the turntable.  Honestly, cheers to them – they had it going on!

Diane Scott’s Peach Cobbler

(Diane Scott to Kathy Caywood, about 1970) 

1. Melt 1 cube butter (that’s right!) in 8” square pan.
2. Pour this batter over butter:

          1 cup flour

          1 cup sugar

          2 tsp baking powder

          ¾ cup milk

          pinch of salt

3. Place this over batter:

          3 cups peaches, sliced & stirred with ½ cup sugar and about a tablespoon            of cinnamon

4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes.

Top warm cobbler with vanilla ice cream.  I just had a vision of you taking a bow to deafening applause from those gathered ‘round your kitchen table. Or from the deck just outside the locked door of the house.  Nice work, sis!

Let's raise our glasses to us all on our birthdays!  Navigating this world is better with my friends, big and small, on my wall, that truly love me for who I am.  Yes, I have found myself along the way and I have no words that are big enough to thank you.   Now get out there, raise your hands up and have great and meaningful friendships, everyone – it’s what we do, you know.

xoxo

Kelly, The Birthday Girl