Into a new life

Today I had the chance to visit a good friend and her daughter in their new condo. Their lives have changed dramatically in the past half year since they left behind a less-than-ideal situation and set up their own household, first in a rented apartment and now a comfortable condo they bought last month. We sat outside on the shady patio while their two beautiful young cats explored the ledges around this water feature. (The red ball belongs to the cats.) I traded a batch of lemon bars for a vegetarian Thali meal - rice and papadum eaten with five or six different sauces and dishes in turn. While my mom's lemon bar recipe is pretty terrific, I got the better end of that deal. And the leftovers are in my fridge.