Loose Leaf Notes: Cookies and the Buddha

It seems I go out these days just for an excuse to show off my new purple knit scarf, or to eat cookies. There were two Scrabble games going at once and half a dozen varieties of freshly baked cookies to eat at my friend Juniper’s house this past Saturday night. “I’m not even going to put my cookies out. They’re all the leftover Christmas cookies that I’m sick of, and they look stupid next to yours,” I told Mara, master poet baker and one of my regular Scrabble partners.

“Colleen has a cookie complex,” she announced loud enough for everyone to hear. By then I had moved on to the guacamole and the tomatoes stacked with fresh mozzarella and topped with basil and balsamic vinegar that Juniper’s daughter Autumn had made, because I’m just not the type to eat dessert first.

We complained about our Scrabble letter picks while Donna joked about mixing her background in social work and her love of pottery together by opening a shop called “The Crackpot.” Ginnie was giving Mara some informal career counseling to the sound of Jack Johnson playing on the stereo. Mara said something (unrepeatable here) to Juniper’s son Seth, having to do with our hard core dedication to playing Scrabble, which made me imagine all of us on motorcycles wearing black leather jackets with Scrabble letters printed on the back.

I couldn’t help but notice that there were rocks lying on top of wrapping paper under the white lighted tree. “Is it a step up from coal?” Donna asked after I pointed them out. Juniper wasn’t home from working at her Seeds of Light bead shop yet, and so Autumn explained. “The only thing mom wanted for Christmas was a load of gravel for the drive-way,” she began. Juniper’s boyfriend had given her a gift certificate for gravel, along with a sampling, and a Tonka truck with a battery powered dumper that Juniper later told us she had fun playing with on Christmas morning.

There was also something wrapped for me under the tree, but it wasn’t a Christmas present. Back in May Juniper was on her way to the airport when she called me on her cell phone to wish me a Happy Birthday. She was en route to San Francisco to visit her son. “I’ll bring you a present from the City of Love, something RED!” she promised.

It was a smiling red Buddha with a round outstretched belly. “He must have eaten more than his share of Mara’s cookies,” I said.

Photos: 1. Mara's cookies. 2. Scrabble at Juniper's. 3. Colleen wearing the purple scarf that Joe gave her for Christmas. Joe wearing the wool scarf that Colleen gave him.

Comments

Show us a pic of the Buddha, Colleen. Happy New Year!

Posted by: kenju | January 1, 2007 7:16 PM

That's a really sweet picture of you and Joe. Happy New Year!

Posted by: terrilynn | January 1, 2007 7:31 PM

That does it! As soon as I get over the flu, the scrabble board is coming out. I am "pea green with envy" over all your scrabbling friends.

Cute pic of you and hubby!

Happy New Year to my newest cyberfriend!

Susan

Posted by: Susan | January 1, 2007 9:22 PM

Merry Christmas (belated) and Happy New Year Colleen! Great picture of you and Joe...can I have some cookies?

Posted by: J&J's Mom | January 1, 2007 10:51 PM

The Buddha is not very photogenic or maybe he's shy. His skin is bright gold and his robes are a deep wine red.

Posted by: colleen | January 1, 2007 11:00 PM

I never seem to tire of left over Christmas cookies.. much to my dismay. :-)
Love the scarfs!

Posted by: Coll | January 1, 2007 11:11 PM

I'm envious of your Scrabble games. Nobody will play with me. They think I know too many words. Chickens.

Posted by: Tara | January 2, 2007 8:58 AM

You look wonderful in the purple hues, no wonder it is a favorite gift for you! Very pretty.

Last night the game channel was doing an announcement for people who loved to play Scrabble and I went to get a pen and paper and Martin switched the channel on me so I missed it. You play enought to make it in the big leagues!

BTW...I love tomatoes, mozarella and basil. I only recently discovered that treasure.

Posted by: Deana | January 2, 2007 9:02 AM

Aw, man! I thought I didn't have to be tempted by looking at any more cookies! Why are they so good?! I've done far too much feasting and festing of late and have 1 more dinner and lunch to go! Then...serious diet and exercise!
Beauty pic of you and Joe fully scarved!

Posted by: Ruth | January 2, 2007 9:12 AM

love the cookies and the scarves...you and your friends are rabid scrabble players, aren't you?

Posted by: Ampersand | January 2, 2007 11:29 AM

I have to say those cookies look great! People don't really make cookies here for Christmas...shame really!

Posted by: Claire | January 2, 2007 2:20 PM

HAPPY NEW YEAR, COLLEEN... have you heard of the new game "SYZYGY" ? My sister gave it to me and it's lots of fun...a take-off of Scrabble and doing Crossword Puzzles with as many players as you want. Fast action & tests your coordination, etc.

Posted by: ginnie | January 2, 2007 6:23 PM

I'm not aware of the game but will have to check it out. I do love Boggle. Do you know that one. I can even get Joe to play it once in a while because it's not as slow as Scrabble can be.

Posted by: colleen | January 2, 2007 6:55 PM

Love all the pictures of ALL those goodies...the cookies are amazinglooking...but one question:hy aren't they chocolate?
And the two scarves are very beautiful...!

Posted by: OldOldLady Of The Hills | January 2, 2007 7:02 PM

Hi Colleen looks like a lot of fun ;^}
I finaly had some time today to go through comments etc & I wanted to thank you for your kind comments on 12/21, we weathered the trip to MA & Back pretty well but I'm still somewhat in recovery from it.
Happy New Year to you.

Posted by: Becky | January 2, 2007 7:10 PM

Sounds like a great evening with friends and LOVE your purple scarf.
BUT...the thing that got me most....I went to read your entry on the red gift...and LO and behold, what do I find? MY first comment here and finding your blog back on May 19. That was a surprise...lol
Where's the Buddha? Would have liked to have seen him.
AND....before I forget...I have the new desk calendar from We'Moon and saw your poem in there and contributor byline. Love that desk calendar!

Posted by: Terri | January 2, 2007 7:11 PM

It's a hard-Scrabble, cookie-scarfing life there in Floyd, VA.~,:^)

One of these days, I will have to show you how Scrabble is done, sister. By then, I will have gotten good at it.

Posted by: Rick | January 2, 2007 9:25 PM

We must see a picture of the red buddha!

Posted by: srp | January 2, 2007 11:54 PM

You're on, Rick!

Naomi, the chocolate is on the far left.

Becky, glad to hear you're recovering.

Red Buddha is shy and described above.

Posted by: colleen | January 2, 2007 11:56 PM

A shy Buddha......HA! I guess there is something new under the sun, Colleen.