A Visit with Julie over Scones and African Dew Tea

I'd always heard the expression "to light up a room," but never understood it before meeting and befriending Julie.

In town briefly (it's her sabbatical year), she joined me for scones and tea this morning, bringing with her grace and joy and bags of artist's books, over which we marveled. Our conversation moved swiftly from news of New Hampshire and her husband and her passion for volunteer cooking; to Sarah Miles the actress and her mastiff who used to leap at Julie when she was a Buddhist nun, threatening to muddy her white dress; to Sara Miles, Christian convert, who has written about feeding the poor and teaching them to cook healthily for themselves; to the health of my fat cat; to local personalities; and to the raisin allspice scones ("Like eating them with apple butter, only better," Julie said) and the delicious African Dew tea from Alice's Teacup in New York.

Skittering conversation of the best kind: we simply picked up with pleasure where we had left off. I shall be glad on her return in August for more good conversation and art and laughter.