Cold and More Snow!!



A few days ago it was very cold. I've never seen these leaves curled up so tight.




Tulip keeps her nose warm at night.




Early this morning we woke up to more snow,




and the old snow shovels waiting once again for
the now quite weary snow shovelers.




A difficult task as the snow banks keep getting higher and higher.

California--here we come!!

Storytelling



at Carol's farmhouse in snowy Vermont.
Four days of creativity and fun.

Jay O'Callahan leads us in telling our own stories--ones that we've thought of and worked on, and also in what he calls "sparks"--tiny vignettes, 1 minute or so, often working with another person.



This spark was "table and love". Hmmm-a hard combination, until Lyn and I thought of increasing our scant bosoms and playing paddle tennis on them--"add in, add out, love all"!




Jay had asked us to come with a Broadway song.
His was from "Evita!" (was that actually on Broadway or just a movie?).




Katie sang "I'm Just a Girl Who Can't Say No" from "Oklahoma."




Furry cats (Lyn and Carol) from "Cats!"




Toby, the formidable King of Siam,





as we begin a polka and sing "Shall We Dance?" from "The King and I."




We left on Sunday, full of stories and songs and dancing.
Goodbye everyone, goodbye cows.

Good Friends

As Toby and I get ready to head out to California in a week or so, we host a couple of dinner parties for our good Rhode Island friends:



The Eritreans came over for dinner on Saturday night--Wunesh, Kifle, Senai, Hiab and two cousins--one recently arrived from Africa and the other from Washington, DC.




On Monday, we cooked and reread "Let the Whole World Spin," the choice this month for our
24-year-old-and-going bookgroup




which met this time at our house.




Getting started over wine and cheese.

Hitting the Second Hand Stores

Margot and I went to a fabulous 2nd-hand store in Warren, RI on Saturday. Even Margot, who's not a thrift store enthusiast, was impressed.

My buys:



A Chinese jacket, orange-y and sleek. Need this for an up-coming costume affair.




Vintage Peruvian Connection sweater-perfect fit, warm, stylish.




And this ritzy gold shawl.

Okay...

I'm a little bummed because, yesterday, I was reading about cars in a Consumer Reports-type magazine, and they said that in a recent DuPont car-color survey, choosing a popular car color is a good strategy, especially if you plan to resell. Are there any colors they you should skip? Yes--"...red is a real stinker"!!! Bottom of the list--ours was probably the oldest Prius on the lot because it's red. What are the most popular car colors in the US? White, black and silver...of all things!

So, once again I'm at odds with most of the people in America.



So how does America feel about red-spotted red socks?

RED!

What is it about red that I like so much?




It's comfy--in the living room: the couch, the table cloth, Tulip's blanket.




It's cozy--in the bedroom: the rug, the pillow, dust ruffle, another Tulip blanket.




It's homey: red plates in the kitchen.




It's warm: red jacket and scarf.




It's hot! Red car.




It's welcoming: red door and doorstep.

Red's so warm it's totally cool!