Found Gold

Our friend left yesterday morning. He was a long way from home and it was time to hit the road.

Both he and The Prospector drove to Manteca for a reunion luncheon that happens every month down there. My husband goes down frequently, but this was Al's first time, in many years, seeing a lot of the people that he graduated with.
They mingled with some old high school friends, had lunch and then they said goodbye to each other and went in two different directions. The Prospector headed back up here and Al got on the highway heading north, back to Washington... and home.
We will see him again in September at a big 50 year high school reunion. (Yes, we have known them a long time.) He and his wife Ginny will both be down here. We are looking forward to this trip and seeing them again.
 It was a good visit. Al is an easy person to have around. His quiet manner and willingness to go with the flow makes him really easy company. He even fixed us dinner Tuesday night. Yes, that's what I call good company.
 I emailed Ginny and sent some pictures. She promised me that they would be here. We are going to hold them to their word. After all, we will be the best looking, youngest couples at the reunion. Right guys?

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You will never guess what I found. I was watering the plants on the porch and ...

I guess we didn't get an accurate count on those Easter eggs when my grandsons were out there finding them  on Easter morning. I found a green egg in the ivy.( No ham... just one green egg.)
"Hey Beans! You missed one. Now Papa will have to eat the chocolate inside the egg."
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And then, as if someone was leaving me small surprised, I found another treat.
 Remember the candy that my friend from Michigan sent me for my birthday? Well... I found one little box hiding in the corner of a drawer. There it was wrapped in its foil, inside this pretty little box, looking like the fine Italian candy that it is. I set the box out on top of the buffet and relished the idea that no one was home and... it was all mine. Like finding gold in the bottom of my gold pan, I marveled at its beauty.

  I opened the container and slowly pulled the silver wrapper from the pretty box. Then I  removed the candy from its shinny wrapper. This La Florentine torrone is a wonderful candy with almonds and lemon, orange or vanilla nougat.
I had saved the big box that the little boxes were in and this is what is said on the back:
We blend together crunchy almonds, smooth golden honey, pure cane sugar, fluffy egg whites, as well as rich flavors pressed from the finest oranges, lemons and vanilla beans.
No artificial preservatives or coloring of any kind are added.
This one was orange. There it was. waiting for me to finish its bon bon, nougat goodness.
So, I did...

Going, going, gone... until only crumbs were left. I licked my fingers. The wrapper laid crumpled and empty on the buffet.
 Receiving this candy was an act of love from a friend and eating this last piece reminded me of distant memories in my childhood. As I bit into it, all the holidays with my Italian relatives came back. It was a remembered taste. A taste mixed with long ago.
One little candy with so much nostalgia packed into it. Such good memories in something small, found in the back of a drawer.
After Al left, I found the delicious chicken he fixed us for dinner. We ate it again for dinner last night thinking about the enjoyable visit.
A green plastic egg, found in the ivy, reminded me of a wonderful Easter with my family.
The little box of nougat candy in a drawer that brought back memories of a found friend and my childhood long ago.
Each discovered with joy, reminding me of a wonderful time, laughing grandchildren, good friends and family.
How sweet is fate? How delicious is the chance of finding gold in the bottom of my pan?