Monday, July 14, 2014
ladies who lunch birthday

To be quite honest, I never imagined I would live to be 83----but, here I am!
I wasn't able to take any pictures this year, but dear Dianne Travis took all the pictures you will see......
My now much more limited physical abilities even kept us from sitting at the round table in the dining room.....But.....we sat in the living room and our lunch was filled with yummy appetizers and a 'help yourself' Original Cobb Salad and the ever present Croissants and butter.....
Of course there were the always present two kinds of cake for our desert----The wonderfully rich and beautiful chocolate cake from Sweet Lady Jane  and The Hazelnut Lemon Meringue---to die for, served together for those who love both, which is usually everyone.....  
The wonderful Will and his dear dear helper, Mary, took care of all the food needs, I'm happy to say.....
And, of course we had Gift Bags......
But we did not open them until we finished our Salad and before we had our desert.
And now, who was there!
It was, as I always say...'The Usual Suspects', as in that line from "CASABLANCA" when Claude Rains says....'round up the usual suspects'......
The always delightful Annie Guilbert.
Both of us with our Rollaters---it's unbelievable in a way----But the good news is, dear Annie is still a working actress......She was in last season's Showtime's show called "Getting On", and it has been renewed and she will be in it again, this coming season.....One if her adorable Granddaughters brought her and later came to pick her up.....
There they are above, Annie and the divine Ivy.....Such a great smile......
And of course, the lovely and dear, Lee Meriwether---
Lee is always in and out of town a lot----also working! I love that no one I know ever retires.....Well, unless they have health problems. Actors and Actresses keep working as long as there are jobs available to them, which is really wonderful. 
Here above are Karen Culliver Parks and Katy Melody Parks---My dear Betty's daughters-in-law, or is it daughter-in-laws?.....Well, whichever, I love having them help celebrate my Birthday----keeping it in the family, so to speak....they are both terrific young women and Betty adored them. I do too! 
As you can see, there are some appetizers on the table---we'll see a bit more in a minute-----plus a Gorgeous arrangement of flowers by the wonderful Van.....  
And above, two more lovely dear friends, Bridget Hanley and Seemah Wilder.....Do you know that Seemah will be 90 years old on July 26th.....!
It doesn't seem possible! I think she looks so much younger and she has done nothing to her face......no cosmetic surgery or botox or whatever all that stuff is.....I think she looks fantastic!

Above, you can see the table with some delicious edible goodies....
There were some dates wrapped in Prosciutto and a bit of cheese and warmed to perfection.....some incredibly delicious Marinated Tofu.....I know---Tofu??  It is scrumptious!  I don't know what Will marinates them in but whatever it is, you could make a meal of that all by itself;  And we also had some Crudites, which everyone always seem to love......And that's the back of my head, then Annie, Katy and Karen and you can just see a bit of Lee, way over there to the right.....
I thought this was such a pretty picture of Karen and Bridget.....Both such beautiful ladies......
And here is a closer look at the Beautiful arrangement made by Van....... 

There were so very many Gorgeous flowers in this arrangement---my very favorite of all---The Vanda Orchids.....Lavender is my favorite color and there were four of these magnificent Orchids in this stunning group of flowers.....

Part two of my Birthday Celebration will be coming along shortly......Blogger is still giving me incredible problems.....Ugh!


More To Come......







29 Comments:
had this to say:

Just a huge HAPPY 83rd BIRTHDAY NAOMI coming to you from Arkansas. I love that shirt and you look wonderful and happy.
I so look forward to your "ladies who lunch" segments and of course this is a really special one.
Wonderful food, beautiful flowers with people you love and love you. Sounds perfect. Can't wait to see, "more to come" and find out what is in those gift bags.

Monday, July 14, 2014 at 5:23:00 PM PDT 

Blogger VV
had this to say:

Oh I'm so glad you got to have a celebration for your birthday. It looks like a wonderful time. Lovely flowers, yummy eats, good friends. Marvelous!

Monday, July 14, 2014 at 7:58:00 PM PDT 

Blogger Lee
had this to say:

Your birthday looks and sounds it was absolutely fabulous, Naomi. And not sitting formally at a table seems like a really good, relaxing way to celebrate with your wonderful group of true friends.

Those flowers are so beautiful. I'm glad you had a such a lovely birthday. :)

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 2:23:00 AM PDT 

had this to say:

A very happy birthday to you!!

It looks as if you had a wonderful time.

Lovely flowers too.

I'm also very intrigued by what is peering out of the goodie bags!

Best wishes!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 4:02:00 AM PDT 

had this to say:

Happy happy happy 83rd birthday!!

I'm so glad you were able to celebrate with friends, and you shared that celebration with all of us.

The flower arrangement is really beautiful. And my mouth is watering just thinking about those cakes.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 7:29:00 AM PDT 

had this to say:

That is such a great shirt! Happy 83rd!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 8:02:00 AM PDT 

had this to say:

Once again this didn't show up in my reader!! Happy Birthday Naomi!! You look great. and no I can't believe that your friend Seemah is almost 90 she looks great too!!

I love those wrapped dates! I'm on a diet and all your food is making me hungry it looks lovely. I'm sorry that you weren't able to take photos though because I know you love doing it, but I'm glad you were well enough to have your lunch. Your group seems to be getting bigger!!


Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 9:21:00 AM PDT 

had this to say:

A belated Happy Birthday!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 1:38:00 PM PDT 

had this to say:

Happy Birthday..you look wonderful :)

Wednesday, July 16, 2014 at 2:03:00 AM PDT 

had this to say:

Hi Naomi! Van certainly outdid himself with those flowers.... each celebration bouquet seems better than the last. So nice to see you enjoying the company of your lovely friends on your special day, and I really adore the shirt you are wearing! I love looking at pictures of your parties, so much wonderful art on your walls.... it's like a visit to an art gallery.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014 at 5:00:00 AM PDT 

Anonymous Anonymous
had this to say:

Happy birthday, Naomi!!! My Dad was 85 last May!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014 at 7:30:00 AM PDT 

had this to say:

Looks like another great party. I'm glad you had a great birthday. I instantly thought of you today when I read of the death of Elaine Stritch. I wonder if you ever saw her perform. I imagine you did.

Thursday, July 17, 2014 at 12:17:00 PM PDT 

had this to say:

Happy birthday, Naomi. It made me feel good to come here and see these lovely photos of your celebration. I know you don't feel well but you certainly make the most of what you have and know how to create beautiful moments. Lovely food and flowers. No matter who created each, you are the one they were for. Beautiful to have such wonderful relationships through so many years.

Thursday, July 17, 2014 at 4:49:00 PM PDT 

had this to say:

Happy birthday! Looks like so much fun! I want an invitation next year ;)

Thursday, July 17, 2014 at 9:46:00 PM PDT 

had this to say:

How wonderful to have your 83rd birthday in your home, with art loved ones and your garden.

Thursday, July 17, 2014 at 10:20:00 PM PDT 

had this to say:

Official belated birthday greetings (as you know, I'm late to the party!) and I will be answering your email soon.

Seeing your friends is like seeing MY old friends -- Annie (from my favorite forever Dick Van Dyke show and Lee from Barnaby.) You see, I grew up with them! It looks like a wonderful celebration and I'm so glad you were surrounded by people you love.

Friday, July 18, 2014 at 6:01:00 AM PDT 

had this to say:

My dear Naomi, again a Very Happy 83rd Birthday! You look wonderful and I love that shirt! So creative!
It's so nice to have so many dear friends celebrating your Birthday with you! "Ladies who Lunch" looks always so happy and fun!
The flowers are so beautiful and my mouth is watering thinking about those yummy appetizers and cakes!
I'm looking forward to see "more to come" and I'm also curious to see what are in the bags! I bet they are funny gifts!
Many thanks to your dear friend Dianne Travis for the great pictures!
Many hugs and much love to you!

Friday, July 18, 2014 at 8:32:00 AM PDT 

had this to say:

A very Happy Birthday to you, dear Naomi! Thank you to your beautiful and talented friends for putting together a Ladies Who Lunch with YOU as the star! They love you so much. Your home is so fascinating and I enjoy looking in the background...you have a white baby grand and a wood baby grand! My daughter and I had a piano teacher who was blind, and her life was filled with color and sound and texture. She had a doctorate in music theory, a huge DVD library (for their musical scores) and she knitted lovely scarves! Very independent, living alone, always busy...she just needed someone to drive for her.

Now I have a question for you: on the wall above the white baby grand is a short white gown on a hanger, yet it appears that it is gently hugging a feminine body. An art piece...would you explain more about it please?

Big birthday hugs,
Elizabeth

P.S. Looking forward to what's in the goodie bags!!

Friday, July 18, 2014 at 5:27:00 PM PDT 

had this to say:

I truly wish I could have been there to help you celebrate, Naomi!! It looks (as always) like a wonderful party, despite your being confined. We have a walker here too now, as mr. k has to use one. The flowers are so lovely; I adore the peonies and the vandas too. Everyone looks beautiful (especially Lee and you) and I hope we get to see many more party photos from the "ladies who lunch."

Friday, July 18, 2014 at 10:02:00 PM PDT 

had this to say:

What a beautiful group of ladies. I love this tradition. It warms my heart!

Saturday, July 19, 2014 at 2:12:00 PM PDT 

had this to say:

Happy Birthday Naomi ..
MANY more up in the Hills...xxxc and g

Sunday, July 20, 2014 at 6:55:00 AM PDT 

had this to say:

You look lovely and glowing Naomi :) A fabulous birthday lunch surrounded by wonderful and beautiful people :)

A warm hug from us here in Bergen :)

Sunday, July 20, 2014 at 3:39:00 PM PDT 

had this to say:

What a lovely gathering in honor of your birthday! It all looks so wonderful and the food sounds delicious.

It's always so interesting to hear about your friends - I'm so glad you shared with us. I've been away for a few days with no blog checking and when I saw this post this morning and ran to get the coffee started so I could have some while I enjoyed this post. :)

Monday, July 21, 2014 at 2:46:00 AM PDT 

had this to say:

oh Naomi I am so sorry I have taken so long to get to the blog! I had (still having) some more "issues" and just haven't been doing much on the computer.

The flower arrangement and food "stuff" all looks so wonderful! It lifted my sagging spirits to see your friends there with you!! You know I love Lee and all your friend.. I feel like I know them from the years of "luncheons"!!
I am glad to see you had a wonderful 83rd birthday!!! And love that Betty's family keeps you close as they know she would want them to do for her.

many MANY coputer hugs and birthday wishes !! <3 :) xoxoxoxoxxox

Monday, July 21, 2014 at 8:17:00 AM PDT 

had this to say:

What a wonderful birthday party! Happy birthday Naomi! To be among your friends, great food, lovely flowers on your special day – what a treat. You also look very good in your photo. What a great group of friends you have. Thank you also for including us in your party.

Tuesday, July 22, 2014 at 5:18:00 AM PDT 

had this to say:

I just heard Elaine Stritch singing Ladies Who Lunch (which I had never heard before) on the radio and thought of you. Sad she is gone.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014 at 8:20:00 AM PDT 

Blogger Pat
had this to say:

Looks like another splendid party.
What a god send Will and his assistant are - or is:)
I wonder how many people who use the phrase know the origin of 'The Usual Suspects'?
Have just been watching a Programme on Bette Davis followed by 'Now Voyager.' and thought of you. Claude Rains was a delight wasn't he?

Saturday, July 26, 2014 at 7:54:00 AM PDT 

had this to say:

Well you look fantastic, let me tell you! I love all the smiles and the celebration taking place and OMG, that bouquet is out of this world! The colors just pop out at you. You women need to tell me your secrets so I know how to shine when I hit my 80s. Happy, happy Birthday to you, my friend! Wishing you more happy times with your wonderful friends and two cakes at every bash! That Van is a gem, too! xo

Friday, August 1, 2014 at 1:25:00 PM PDT 

had this to say:

I am late to the party Naomi but better late than never, right Naomi. First, belated birthday wishes to you. 83? You look wonderful, you really do. I love your parties. And those flowers are amazing. Just so beautiful.

Monday, August 11, 2014 at 5:37:00 AM PDT 

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