The Fairhope Writer’s Group met to celebrate our darling friend Jule Moon on the occasion of her 99th birthday. Jule (pronounced Julie, but far too cool to spell it the expected way), is the anchor of our group of writers and has a lifetime of stories to tell. Born in Atlanta and raised in Mobile, Jule was educated at Murphy High School and The University of Texas, then embarked on a spirited career that spanned the fields of medicine, counseling, geology, real estate, antiques and writing.
When we gather at Jule’s house for our meetings, she serves us tiny glasses of red wine and . . . pork rinds.
Sticking to a strict diet of healthy foods (she’s 99, remember?) Jule has a reason for eating or not eating everything. Since pork rinds are acceptable, and chips are not, they have become our signature dish and to salute this tradition, I put a small serving of pork rinds in little crystal champagne glasses at each place setting. It was the perfect “Jule” touch!
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When I read my work at the meetings, I greatly value Jule’s opinion. Her feedback is always kind and constructive, and she’s always right!
Jule is posed in front of her TWO birthday cakes. One chocolate, one a decadent carrot cake. I’m not sure if she had a slice of either since she doesn’t eat much sugar, but I think she splurged for the night and may have had a slice of both.
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When our group dines out once a month, Jule orders carefully. I always want to say, “I’ll have what she’s having.”
It was difficult to decide what to cook when the birthday girl has such a strict, limited diet. I went with Black rice, which is loaded with vitamins and I thought would be okay, but it turns out that carbs are carbs are carbs, so, I think Jule just ate the vegetables. She’s so gracious and would never make a big deal about not eating something. The rice was topped with roasted vegetables and I also served salmon cooked with pineapple and ginger, and others brought sides of delicious field peas, rolls and corn. It all turned out to be just right and Jule said it fit her diet.
The gorgeous carrot cake was made by Ron’s wife Ellen and topped with Bee Balm. Absolutely charming and delicious.
Jule told us story after story and we ate up every word. Her ultimate message to us about living a long healthy life was this . . . “Find something you love doing, and . . . DO IT!” and “It is never too late to develop a hobby or passion in life.”
Ken brought pink champagne for a toast, which exactly matched Jule’s pink dress for the night. Emily Post will have to forgive me because I couldn’t find the page in her book that instructed me what to do if my champagne glasses were already filled with pork rinds. — only in Alabama, folks.
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Exploring, dancing, learning, researching, designing building and now writing. Jule has done so much and she’s done it all with passion, style and great love. She’s healthy, strong and funny as all-get-out. She’s creative beyond belief and we all adore Jule’s strong spirit of adventure, determination and positive outlook on life! We are already planning her birthday party for next year.