RERUN 1/23/09

Seven of us kicked off our first Gal Pal Gathering at my home on Friday, January 23. The salad bar held almost every salad ingredient known to women. We stuffed ourselves before the movie while getting to know each other and nibbled on Cheryl’s homemade cookies while watching AWAY FROM HER. We can thank Barbara for supplying the DVD and her home-canned pickled beets. Howayda treated us to her delicious homemade humus and Louise introduced rice crackers to some who had never tasted them. We almost had to send out a search party for Karla, but after an extensive tour of Rolesville and beyond, she got here just in time for the flick. Sandy C. and Louise, both NY transplants, found they knew places in common from "back home." Another small-world proof is that Sandy's parents live just down the road from me.

Since the subject of the award winning film, AWAY FROM HER, is Alzheimer's disease, as you can expect, it was not a barrel of laughs. This heavy topic was seen through the relationship of a couple married almost fifty-years and how they coped. At age 65, Julie Christie's beauty and acting abilities haven't faded.

Louise, who works with Alzheimer's patients, informed us of changes in the approach to patient care since this movie was made in 2006. Due to Cheryl's keen observation we "got" some things we might have otherwise missed in the film. After preparing a salad "doggy bag," everyone headed out into the night to find their way home.
-Peggy Wolf