Wonderful Wednesday

Yes, indeed, today was a wonderful day, albeit much colder than I like. Now, of course, I've got my cozy boots, so as long as I wear enough layers I am get to go!
May I safely assume that you are nearly as happy as I am that I'm up and moving?

At least the sun is shining and the sky is a blue, so beautiful, it's enough to make your heart ache. About this time next year I'll be going back to my February posts, wondering what was going on, and hopefully I'll be amazed at how cold it was in 2010. I wonder if it will do any good to hope history does not repeat itself next year? Typically, the low humidity in the winter makes for an awesome time to take photographs; none of the haze of summer to mar a perfectly beautiful scene. What with all the rain, dead foliage, and below normal temperatures, I'm mostly practicing inside.

However, today was a little different story. Sunday, I'm delighted to announce, some folks who have a second home here ordered a large canvas. I've not mentioned it until now because I wanted to deliver it first and have the money in the bank, or PayPal in this case. So, now you know! Underestimating the time it would take to drive downtown for the pick up, they were a bit late, but not to worry. I spent the time reading a magazine on a bench situated in full sun, adjacent to a wall to block the wind. Nirvana, folks. They seemed pleased.

Driving home I thought about Miss Lois's bulb garden. Making the right hand turn on her street off Summerlin, here's what I discovered:Notoriously hard to grow in Florida, Lois is the only one I know who's successful at getting poppies to bloom. She's mighty good with tulips too.The wind was blowing like mad, the time of day bad, but that's ok, seeing these beautiful flowers greatly enhanced my day.

Nothing like celebrating your birthday multiple weeks late. Angela invited me to join her at a wine tasting at OLV, the poorly named, yet very chic, little wine bar at SODO. I'd no idea she was treating me, not to mention, buying me a bottle of the best wine we sampled. Very fun. While there, I ran into a woman named Debbie, a friend of a friend. As it turns out, she and her husband have spent the last three years living in Sante Fe, NM, returning to the area only a short while ago. Let me tell you, she is one enthusiastic woman; you've just gotta love Debbie. Did I tell you already that Bruce has agreed to a vacation to wherever I choose, as long as I set some sort of itinerary. For weeks now, something has been nagging me to go to Sante Fe. Well, once I mentioned that, she was off to the races with ideas, friends, art, you name it! Because she was with friends, we chatted only briefly, well that's not exactly how it happened...she talked, I listened. For those of you who know my reputation as a chatterbox, you'll undoubtedly find that surprising, but that's how it happened. I'm looking forward to more of that when she calls with details!

Ah yes, on one of my report cards, well make that two or gosh, probably too many times to count, the teachers comments were: Gail is too chatty. Haven't changed much have I?

The other night we watched a very fascinating documentary, this time it was Note by Note. Who knew that it takes a year to craft a Steinway Grand piano? If you click on that link you'll see that Netflix already thinks they know me.

Continuing that theme of knowing someone, who can believe the husband of that deranged professor in Alabama didn't know that his wife was capable of killing her colleagues in cold blood during a meeting? I'm not suggesting he was complicit, just that if you don't know the person you've been married to for years and years, who can you really know? Imagine that scene for a moment...she sits there all quiet for most of the time, then whips out a gun and starts shooting. Not to sound all sexist or anything, but I would think that most men would be riled up, maybe shouting things before firing. I always told friends who felt sad for me having four sons that I was just fine with that. Boys can be a handful, but more often than not, it's out in the open. Girls, on the other hand, can be pretty deceitful. Before you get mad at me for generalizing, keep in mind this is my blog and I can say what I want. Sounding off every now and again is good for a blog.

Naturally I feel horrible for both the victims and their families, but how about that woman's children? Will they have to stay home forever now for fear of being brutally teased? What, in God's name, was that woman thinking? Or not.

Heading off to the kitchen now to make a corn chowder with poblano peppers among other things. Bruce arrives home from the cold country in a few hours and doesn't a nice bowl of homemade chowder sound like just the thing to welcome him home?