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The Weekly Newsletter for May 19, 2014
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Henry Comes to Laurey's!!
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Laurey's candidate for her favorite representative of the youth world, Henry Thome, escorted his pre-kindergarten class from Carolina Day School to Laurey's this week.
A burble of high voices, a torrent - how many kids? Noel and I peek around the corner, charmed to distract ourselves from her tutorial on record-keeping at Laurey's. Maybe twelve small folks? Sounded like fifty.
The students danced about the tables, fluttering their swag from Laurey's - (Yay! A bumper sticker! Don't Postpone Joy!).
Emily, veteran of the kid wars: "Okay, first thing you need to know - can I have everybody's attention? Yeah, the first thing - can I have some attention? Okay, here we go. The most important thing is: we do NOT stick these on anything without asking our parents first. Better yet, let's GIVE these to our parents."
...Yeah, lets.
Adam set up a pasta bar, with labelled selections of proteins, peas, broccoli, multi-colored rotini, parmesan, alfredo sauce, and led a romp of of chat about food and fun. 
Herded by Miss Lisabeth and Miss Cathy, the littles sagely loaded their own plates for their second round:
"Would you like some pesto?" "Oh, yes, more pesto."
"How 'bout peas?" "Yeah, more peas."
...and this great song hit, taped live at the event (turn up your volume, sorry): "The Food Pyramid Song". (CDS Parents, please note: we did not post your children's photos - their voices are great!)
...and for dessert, strawberries and cream.
"Say thank you to Henry's mom and dad and thank you to Laurey's, everybody." - - "THANK YOUUUUU"...{exeunt, stage left}..
- from Heather Masterton
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The marvelous Barbara Blake from the Asheville Citizen-Times appeared at Laurey's side once again, reporting yesterday for the Second Annual JOY!Ride. 
Here is Barbara's article, featuring the great Lauren Tamayo, Olympic Medalist and Kid Ride promoter.
We especially appreciate her interview with Laurey's fellow survivor and dear friend Rebekah Lowe.
With HUGE thanks to:
- Rachel Dudasik, LiveSTRONG Program Coordinator at the YMCA,
- Marilynne Herbert, photographer to the stars and PR voice extraordinaire,
- and Jes Williams of the YMCA staff - - not only is she is a fund-raising marvel, she got out there for the 25 yesterday!
and terrific job by all the food trucks and face painters and special blessings to Greg Garrison and The Hop Ice Cream for their marvelous Bee Joyfull honey-lavender ice cream flavor - mmm mmm mmm!
And thank you to almost 100 riders and kids and parents and folks and volunteers who made this all so FUN! Come again next year!
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Dinners to go for the week
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Here are dinners to go for this week. This, if you do not know, is a fabulous way to have dinner. It's easy - just call us by noon and your dinner will be ready for you to pick up by 3 that very day.
You can stop by to pick yours up until we close at 8.
Add salad (3.25) or bread (1.25) if you like.
Monday, May 19
Chicken Cacciatore with Tuscan Kale 8.95
 Tuesday, May 20Grilled Caprese Stuffed Portabella with Balsamic Glaze 7.95
Wednesday, May 21
Sourwood Honey Pork Chops with Fried Green Tomatoes 9.95 *GF*
Thursday, May 22
Pecan Chicken with Braised Bavarian Cabbage $8.95
Friday, May 23
Parmesan Crusted Fried Trout with Roasted Asparagus 11.75
....and here is the entire May menu!
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Casserole and Lasagnas to go !
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Casserole of the Week
May 21: Shrimp and Shaved Parmesan with Artichoke Risotto Whole $35/Half $17.50
Lasagna of the Week
May 23: Southwest Corn, Black Bean, Roasted Pepper Whole $39/Half $19.50
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Laurey's notes (from a lifetime of writing)
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[So much has been written about Laurey and her life projects, but of course the best spokesman is Laurey herself. In this column we present archival reprints of her messages. This is an early newsletter from her online records.]
June 26, 2004
I lost a dear friend this week. And, in this week when I found out about the Don't Postpone Joy trademark, it seems a good time to share some words about him with you.
Dooley is one of those people who really lived this motto. His house is full of these words. When we first made the terra cotta Don't Postpone Joy tiles, he bought a full set and put them all over the place. In these past weeks, as he spent more and more time on his porch looking over his gardens, these tiles were never out of his sight.
He lived a great life, traveling a lot, developing deep and strong friendships, enjoying his home, his plants, how full things were for him. He found out that he was ill a few months ago and, shocked, began to put things in order. We had long conversations about how things were for him and how they were going to be for the people he would be leaving. I have rarely had the chance to share this kind of intimacy with anyone and I left each visit feeling deeply grateful.
Dools came with us on two trips to Europe: our first "Delicious Expedition" to Italy and our first to France. He presided over his seat in the van, falling asleep as soon as I started driving, and waking up as we pulled up to the day's destination. He took a number of trips on his own too, poring over train schedules and maps and opera seasons, planning himself a series of perfect trips, all via the internet. And, coming home each time, he crowed about how well he had planned. "I didn't miss ONE connection!" he'd chirp. (I know he enjoyed the events and the travels but he was especially pleased with his organizational abilities.)
A year or so ago, he started joining me on Sundays at the early morning service of Jubilee (a quirky, offbeat church-like place.) He was a retired minister and the casual style and gentle messages surprised him, but he chuckled and danced around with everyone, smilingly pleased with it all. And he started joining me for breakfast at The Early Girl Eatery too, quickly becoming a regular there. "An omelet. Dry. No potatoes. An extra biscuit. Sugar substitute", he'd order, until everyone there knew what to do without his requesting.
I took an Early Girl breakfast to him last Sunday and sat on his porch with him. We talked about what an enormous difference we had made in each others' lives. We cried, knowing that he was leaving soon. We didn't spare words. It was a remarkable time.
This weekend I'll be away in New York, shopping for new gourmet products for our shop here. And next weekend my sister will be visiting. I have a few weeks of busy Sundays lined up so it won't be quite so obvious that my Sunday morning companion is no longer with me.
But one lasting thought from him is a reminder of my own favorite motto. He left with no regrets. He left, knowing he'd done everything he had wanted to do, had been as open as he could, and had patched up all the disputes that might have been hanging around.
"Don't Postpone Joy," he would tell me. "You have no idea what these words have meant to me. No idea." Actually, I think I do. Goodbye, dear Dooley. I will miss you.
[source: Laurey's Cafe and Catering newsletter, June 26 2004]
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Just because I thought you needed a chocolate cupcake today..
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Laurey's friends and employees and loved ones have been sheltering her cherished possessions, getting hugs from a favorite shirt or bright pair of jeans.
There were a few sticks up at Laurey's house, clearly marked as orchids but pretty much looking just like sticks. Even Laurey was surprised when they produced lovely creamy blossoms, more or less every year. One was originally a Valentine's present, if I recall. Anyway, they went home with Emma Lee.
 Emma Lee texted us excitedly: "There's a blossom! Actually, a bunch!! "
Just in time for Laurey's 60th birthday, which was May 14. (Our dear Carol tells us Laurey was excited to note that this was a year of 14's!)
Here you go, friends, the miracle of the sticks.
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Fred and I are humming along, in search of yoga-ness - well, perhaps better said striving and schvitzing along, downstairs at the wonderful GoYoga studio.
Time seems to be speeding up, and I resist, I resist, the trend that makes this Laurey-less world a normal state of things. Our friend Debbie tells us she tries to feel the presence of her late father, rather than his absence. So I attend to an awareness of Laurey with less loss, more reassurance; I pursue a vision of her helping and guiding as she appears in our lives.
Most of our yoga sessions begin and end with a call, or dedication (that's the OM part). I hold the thought of a broad green valley, echoing long into the distance. I call and call and call down the open hillside, dedicating my practice to Laurey.
 Cassie and JP teach us to look for a drishti, or focus, especially for the balancing poses. The other day I had the image of Laurey reaching out to steady me, a sweet strong smile on her face. The constant presence of her in my life, in many ways more intense than when I could pick up the phone and call her...
And it occurred to me that she has now achieved a sort of status of "ancestor". She is where she is, and all is complete. She doesn't worry about mistakes, she doesn't have any sense of striving or attempting - she simply is.
I have a flickering sense of her knowing everything she needs to know now, of knowing all the why of the world. And of dismissing the aching to be better, or more exactly, the aching to know that she did the right thing.
She can be to us a gracious ancestor, constantly giving, delightedly showing us new ways to know her and let her steady us in this new world.
At long last, I am posting the links to the videos of Laurey's astonishing Celebration of Life from March 22, video by David Wilcox, processed by the marvelous staff at First Baptist Church of Asheville.
They are in five video "chapters" - evenly spread throughout the service. If you didn't get to join us that day, you may like to take a few moments to share in our fierce joy in celebrating her. Each of the highlighted links takes you to that specific spot in each clip.
Chapter 1: Prelude Music from the Daniel Barber and the Jubilee World Beat Band
Chapter 2: A terrific song from the Jubilee Singers, led beautifully by Lynn Rosser, then Howard Hanger's introduction.
Chapter 3: Songs : Our favorite song from Jenna Lindbo, words from Bryan Meyers of Livestrong, and song from Kat Williams. In the very last minutes my words of remembrance began, continued in...
Chapter 4: Heather's words of remembrance, reading Laurey's story about the Great Blue Heron from Elsie's Biscuits
Chapter 5: Postlude music
Each section is about 20 minutes long, but the chapters make it possible to hop about with some alacrity. Please join us.
- from Heather Masterton
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Thank you PRINTVILLE (Grove Arcade Copy)
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Local vendors, local vendors, what would we do without them?!
Last year, the generous folks at Printville, the successors to the Grove Arcade Print Shop that served Laurey's for decades, joined us as a sponsor at the first annual JOY!Ride.
Their HUGE blow-up of the iconic "ARRGH" photo of Laurey has been photographed over and over, appeared on TV and in countless souvenir photos of the JOY!Ride.
This year the great big photo again served as the Memory Wall at the JOY!Ride.
We thank Printville for their terrific work, two years' worth of thanks.
..and especially, finally, and always we thank Laurey's sweet "personal designer"
Alicia Keshishian for her ongoing impact on our world!!!
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