Now I Am Seventy

Apologies to A.A. Milne:

But now I’m six,
I’m as clever as clever.
So I think I’ll be six now,
forever and ever!

I guess this was really just the sixty-fourth anniversary of my turning six.  (For God’s sake, check the math; it was never my strong point).

And I’m deliriously happy with the result.  The impending visit of my sister, sister-in-law, and three-year old niece, which I presaged on this site here, and wrote about on Ricochet here, was a resounding success, at least from my point of view, and–I hope–on the part of all others who partook.

And today I have undertaken a newly-learned culinary experience, trying my hand at my sister-in-law’s family recipe for Bengali Chicken Curry with Potatoes.  (It’s not dissimilar to this one, although with the inclusion of a few family tips.)

Most endearing, from my point of view, is the inclusion of her father’s “special ingredient.”  It’s not my secret to pass along, but I have to say–as a person who’s made Pittsburgh her home for more than half-a-century–that it almost made me cry with pride, as it’s an ingredient invented in Pittsburgh, and which those of us in the “Burgh” are inclined to put on almost anything, from macaroni and cheese to pierogies, to green salads.  Some even put it on ice cream.

Perhaps you can figure it out. Just a soupçon; don’t get carried away. (No, people.  It’s not horseradish.  Or pickle relish. Good grief.)

It’s a so much simpler recipe than many I have tried before.  I’m delighted with the result, and I’m going to make it regularly from now on.

Seventy is good.  I look forward to what, and who, is coming next in my life.

PS: RIP Dame Maggie Smith.  One of the greatest ever.  A woman who was comfortable with all stages of her life, and who didn’t mince either words or presentation when it came to showing herself in all  her glory, through all those decades.  Her characterizations  of chippy, acerbic, and yet still vulnerable, elderly women are heartrending portrayals for the ages.   I aspire to such self-confidence as I dodder into senescence myself. #NoBotox  #NoFillers #NoPlumping #NoBBLs. Or any other artificial or inorganic ingredients for that matter. #JustAsIAm.

I highly recommend “Tea With The Dames, ” a wonderful little documentary which can be streamed on several different platforms, and which stars Dame Maggie, Dame Judi Dench (who–let’s be clear–has a riotously foul mouth), Dame Joan Plowright, and Dame Eileen Atkins at one of their annual get-togethers.  What marvelous old ladies, with none of the “Hollywood” glitz and phony “youthfulness” one can’t help associating with many stars on this side of the pond.  (H/T Debra Winger, Shirley MacLaine, and a few others who seem to have grown older naturally themselves.)

I’m sad that the end will inevitably come for all of them, but I am grateful for the grace these ladies have brought to that end along the way. And I aspire, in my own small way, to do the same.

#HilarityEnsues

#DoingMyBest