Wednesday was a wonderful evening with the Nunnery women - Paula and Darla. They took me to Armani's restaurant on the Causeway to celebrate another milestone I have coming up, my birthday. This was especially fine since Armani's, as the brand name implies is something of a big deal whether as a jacket or a restaurant. The dinner ended up costing more than my mortgage payment for the three of us, but it was superb!

We started with cocktails and had them with dinner instead of wine. Mine was a dirty Absolut martini. Darla had cosmopolitans and Paula her usual 18-year old Glenfiddich scotch. The amusee' was truly amusing: A curled slice of proscuitto rested on a melon ball which in turn was held by a cucumber heart rolled in poppy seeds. To refresh your memory, an amusee’ is a small tidbit you are given before a meal with several courses to awaken your palette and to signal your senses that more wonderful things are to come.

They have this wonderful antipasto bar where you select your choices, and then they are brought to the table. On my plate, I had them put roasted red peppers, octopus, huge bay shrimp, portabella mushroom preserve, tiny cap mushrooms with grape leaves and vinaigrette, and tomatoes with marinated mozzarella. I know this sounds like a lot but there are just tastes of each item. Next, we had a pasta course. Mine was cannelloni with spinach and ricotta filling and a plum tomato reduction sauce.

The presentation at this restaurant looks like the pages out of a fine dining magazine! My plate was triangular and the edges of the plates were decorated with zigzags of green pepper sauce. Darla had rabbit tortellini with fontina cheese and Paula, the beggar's purse pasta filled with pecorino. Darla’s dish was served in a white, three-chambered plate that looked like base for a bonsai tree! And Paula’s looked like a piece of modern furniture.

Main course for me was chicken picatta with capers on a bed of risotto and spinach. I know that's plebian but to be honest, the entree prices of the other items scared me! Paula had the wild boar tenderloin with baby vegetables and raspberry sauce. We had Irish coffees for desert and then the staff brought out 3 perfect strawberries dressed in dark chocolate and marzipan tuxedos, with tiny little bow ties and buttons! They even wrote ‘happy birthday’ in raspberry sauce!

The waiter, Timothy was their request as head of the team that took care of our table. He remembered them by name and gave them kisses on the cheek in greeting. I was treated to one from Timothy as I left. They tip very well. I earned my acknowledgement by association.

I felt like a queen! We were treated royally as well! I have to say that the last two weeks have been good to me gastronomically. I’ve dined well with all my Goddess girlfriends! We even gave a little salute to the Goddesses who have been very good to us over the past year to the intense interest of the Japanese businessmen sitting at the next table. You could tell they knew Quan Yin and set about busily discussing this happening with smiles.

Darla told me about the love of her life she just met while visiting friends in Sweden where he’s working on his masters in business. She visited an ancient Norse Goddess site with a rock shaped like a vulva and 28 posts around the opening of each side right before her friend; Emil took her to meet him in Lund. Gee. Twenty-eight posts, 28 lunar days in the calendar, 28 days of our woman’s cycle – do you think she was getting a hint of the impending event? She also told about seeing tiny spiders that came out from everywhere like they were saying ‘hello’. Although she’s a Catholic Madonna girl, her patron Goddess is Arachne. We share that, too. I always told her she was born in the wrong country with her tall, voluptuous body and blond hair with fair eyes!

Darla is busy putting together an upcoming convention and seminar for the Florida Paralegals association for which she is president. I love both of these women. They make their lives special because they squeeze the shit out of it the way I do mine.

Darla will send me a new work she’s been mothering over and said I can publish it here. Robin has started contributing, hopefully a regular feature. I want to see your works here to. What are you waiting for??