When Simple Equals Good

Busy night tonight. Preparing for a spontaneous event on Thursday. Turns out I am capable of being that person who is willing to try new things and take risks. Then again, if you knew about Brown Sign Day, random grape-ings, and certain firehouse events you would already know this to be true. But these are stories for another time.

Instead, let's talk about the joys of simple things.

Tonight, as I walked through the door, I was talking to my dear friend Barb Pemberton, who lives in Missouri. I've never been to Missouri, which may, in fact, make me a bad friend, as she has lived there now for several years. It's been a while since we've spoken. My best phone calling time is during my commute home from work, so I took advantage of that and tried to reach her.

Barb is awesome for many reasons, but one of the very best is that she laughs heartily at ALL my jokes. She becomes my studio audience, and I play to that. It had been a while she's we've connected, so the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was end the call, so instead we talked as I made a very simple dinner of gaspacho and corn on the cob.

It turned out great. The food, yes. But especially the conversation. Good friends are timeless and precious and a gift. Don't ever forget that.

Simple things are often the best things.

So, as we spoke, I shucked some ears of fresh corn and put them on the stove to boil in some salted water. Then, I chopped up a cucumber, an Italian green pepper, one tomato,  a small onion, and some baby tomatoes. They went into the food processor, along with the juice from a fresh-squeezed lemon, some salt, and about a tablespoon of olive oil, seasoned with some hot red pepper flakes.

 And in the end, the simple things turned out wonderfully. I got caught up on much needed conversation, and after I hung up, enjoyed a refreshingly healthy and tasty summer meal.

Not too shabby for a busy night that could have easily consumed me with obligation, but instead was rather nice.