Let the wild Gemini celebrations begin! My friend Julie and I share a June 11 birthday; we headed to Cafe a la C’Arte for lunch on Thursday since I’ll be away on our actual birthday. And here’s something worthwhile: Tucked into our yummy salads with grilled salmon were crisp, delicious pieces of lavash. Don’t know what that is? Neither did I, but Judy, the cafe’s friendly owner told us how to make it.

Get a package of lavash (Middle Eastern flatbread) at Trader Joe’s. Spread the lavash on cookie sheet. Sprinkle your favorite herbs on top, followed by your favorite cheese(s).  Place the cookie sheet in the oven for around 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until the lavash is crisp. Cool the lavash and “break it into funky pieces,” says Judy. Voila, or he’nay (“here” in Hebrew, not sure about the spelling but the word just came to me after about 55 years).

After lunch we drank more caffeinated mango iced tea, which probably helped us rein in each of our renegade projects. Yes, we will both make more progress next year!

About two hours of revving each other up — Geminis are good at that — then it was time for art. Penny, our July 3/Cancer birthday friend was invited to join us. I’d never walked around downtown Tucson checking out galleries before. The Obsidian Gallery was our first stop and it blew me away. High quality jewelry, fine craftsmanship, imaginative ceramic pieces like the woman with a raven on her back in a boat. (Please don’t go by their website image of a woman in a bathtub whose left breast looks like a continuation of her arm.)

Next was the Drawing Studio with a show of fun Hoopleville cartoons by David Kish, then the Atlas Gallery, which had on exhibit of very precise grids made from rusty somethings. Not appealing to me. But Penny loved it. Got me thinking about how different we are but still wonderful friends.

The Etherton Gallery was the only one I had previously visited. I wanted to see the “This Land, This Sea” exhibit that was about to end. It wasn’t enough to bring to life my home by the ocean in Maine, where I’ll spend the month of July. I’ll have to wait for that.

It’s taken me a week to get around to last Sunday’s NYT Week in Review. Arizona’s finger-pointing, mean-spirited governor Jan Brewer has a lead part in “The Campaign Against Women” editorial. That nasty Brewer recently signed a bill eliminating funding for Planned Parenthood. Forget about abortion; cancer screening and family planning will be no more (that is, if you’re poor and have nowhere else to go).

Great women friends, art, beauty…I’m lucky enough to have all that in my life. And much more. I wish all women the same for their birthdays.