Seeing those quilts in Amish Country yesterday brought back memories of my 10 years working at Good Housekeeping Magazine, on the fifth floor of the venerable Hearst Building.
My friend Marilynn worked one floor up, and we became fast friends, along with a couple of other peers. Marilynn was number 2 in the Needlework & Crafts Department (yes, we had one of those).
She worked for refined Cecilia and the two produced pages for GH that featured sewing projects and patterns, too. I wrote at least one of their quilt stories, and Marilynn told me about the pretty wedding ring quilt pattern. The pair even went on a GH cruise, and I guess did events a-sea involving their skills. I bet the passengers loved it. The Food Department guru, Mildred, was also on board. :)
So many firsts with Marilynn....she and Margaret V. (tall, Geena Davis lookalike, with dimples) from the Beauty Department took me under their wings to have high tea at the Plaza one day after work!!! So elegant and not as pricey as it is now. Strawberries and cream, Devonshire cream for the buttery scones.
Marilynn donated platelets at the blood donor center, and inspired me to do that eventually, too.
She was the first person I knew who had Hermès scarves, which she wore to the office over a dress or top and skirt. I don't think she would mind me saying that they were passed down to her from her cousin, Cindy (sp), who had a successful career and, I guess, many of the iconic scarves from Paris.
In at least one personal emergency, probably after first calling Moey in New Jersey on speed dial, I punched my friend's four digits on my desk phone and she came down from the sixth floor to meet me in the stairwell for a private consult.
She liked to bake and talk about baking like I did/do. She gave me a recipe for an impossibly good, classic pecan pie, which she brought warm to our apartment. I still remember the delicious crust and rich filling. I shared a recipe she liked for a coconut sheet cake. You poke holes in the top when it's baked and pour in cream of coconut, then frost and cover with shredded coconut.
As you can tell, youth was a time of growth, often carefree and fun. Then there is my dear friend Kim from our first jobs at Woman's Day, but that's a story for another time. It was Kim who inspired me to blog in the first place, 14 years ago, because she was blogging. Tonight, I still haven't eaten my dinner.
Good night.
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