The best never leave

I was blessed with a few great bosses. Among them, Patty Sullivan, who can cost a garment of any caliber at sight while booking a flight from the phone under her neck and double checking a fabric yield on a calculator with another hand, all the while teaching her way through her career. All the finest are like her: Educators, cheerleaders, task masters. Once you prove yourself, they are with always with you in some way.



Patty is Boston born and bred, and living in the Back Bay after years away in New York. I sense she knows what it is to be gone from a place, whether it is your hometown or not.

And when you are gone, especially way out here, nothing elicits excitement on the gravel paths like the arrival of the UPS truck when no one is expecting it. Also the historical register lady with the list of questions for the ghosts, but that is another post altogether.



Aside from rural excitement, there are struggles (with booze, namely): The state of Virginia runs all the liquor stores and it is not unlike a communist enterprise in many ways: There are five bottles of Absolute Boston left in Northern Virginia, four are spoken for, the fifth is one hour away. But on the upside, someone knows where every single one of them is, although I am still unclear what use that intelligence serves.

Consequently, there was precious little hope a bottle of Limited Edition Boston was just going to fall into my hands.

Then this package arrived and I am, as always, grateful for Patty. She has been quietly reading along from Boston; the knowledge that she is present here was the best part of the box I received, even considering how very delicious Boston is...

In related notes: Jamie, of La vie J'amie, long time friend of this blog, recommended Absolut Boston ice cold with ginger ale and I can tell you, it is remarkable. Heady, floral, sweet, exotic, and in Boston spirit, very green on the palate.

Many thanks to Patty for a million kindnesses, and my cocktail.