Romantic Memories

"Some things don't last forever, but some things do. Like a good song or a good book or a good memory you can take out and unfold in your darkest times, pressing down the corners and peering in close, hoping you still recognize the person you see there."

-Sarah Dessen

 

 $7.96 read the sign by the grocery store mums. Their blooming faces radiating joy in shades of peach nuances blended with mauve overtones, each shade more interesting together than alone. It is magic: the one 6" plant perfumes the dining room as though a dozen  arrangements decked the walls.The olive green cache pot, originally from Blue Hills Nursery, was passed between my mother and I for over a decade.
 
My gilt edged blue notebook comes out with wine. I like to record what a wine tastes like, what food it would best pair with- and the story it tells.
 
In my wine journal Roederer Anderson Valley Estate Brut does not have a page of its own- it has a life of its own.
 

Ill never forget my first time: with Roederer Estate Anderson Valley Brut. We were dining on the patio of  Spencer's on The Mountain.  I was 50 years old when the first drop touched my lips, but I was 21 again when the glass was finished. 

Over the years, it is on a pedestal in my memory bank as simply the most seductive beverage ever to touch my lips.  Even more so when enjoyed at home, sipped from the vintage Franciscan 'Royal Spendor' cut crystal goblets that I began collecting in high school. 

That is, until this weekend, when my daughter-in-law introduced me to an even more powerful love potion. It is quite simple-

Pour the chilled bubbly not quite to the goblet top. Finish filling with a generous shot of peach schnapps. 

Life should be romantic, by design. Some things should last, like good sofas and sturdy marriages. Other things should be sweet for the tender surrender to time. Brought out to share with intimates over dinner, their scents and tastes calligraphy on our tablets of our hearts .