Last Thursday, we headed up to Cleveland Heights to see Mer’s friend Jill. Mer and Jill went to high school together, and had reconnected via Facebook, and Jill, who makes artisan candles and other scented products, had a home sales party at our house a few months ago. Jill had invited us up to her area, so we finally found a time that worked for all of us.

The area in which Jill lives is very cute. It has a lot of shops and restaurants, an outdoor music venue called Cain Park is nearby, and it feels much like some of the smaller Chicago neighborhoods. Jill lives in a funky and fun apartment above a small restaurant, which we found with no trouble. Jill showed us in, and we sat in her living room and chatted while we all adored Jill’s Maine Coon cat, who is gorgeous and very friendly.

Jill is a trip. She is gregarious and talks in an almost stream-of-consciousness sort of way. It may sound off-putting, but it is quite the opposite – she is fun and funny, and I was smiling the entire time she was talking. We visited for about an hour before driving the several blocks to the nearby local chain restaurant, Melt. Melt, which oddly attracts a heavily tattooed and pierced clientele, specializes in grilled cheese and variants of grilled cheese (by adding meats and other things). It was very good, and a fun place to people-watch.

After supper, we went back to Jill’s place, where she suggested we watch her VHS copy of her and Mer’s 1990 high school graduation. We readily agreed, so I got to see a younger Jill and Mer in the graduation finery, and I got to hear Mer’s valedictorian speech (as well as Julie Claypool’s speech – we have been friends with Julie for ten years or so, so that was great to see). After the video, Mer and I had to leave, so Jill walked us to the car and urged us to come back soon. That seems most likely, and hopefully it won’t be months in the making this time.