Its All We Talk About . . .

Snow.  More snow.  It is snowing here right now.  It is all anyone is talking about. We shovel it and make snowmen and post pictures of it on Instagram.  My next door neighbor texted me a photograph of our house in the gloaming the other day, saying how beautiful it looked.  It does look beautiful.  Warm and cozy.

Our trip to St. John went a long way toward making the winter bearable for me.  Also, there have been days of absolutely brilliant blue skies and sunshine.  I notice the sun rising earlier and setting later, and there are lots more birds singing lots more songs.  Still, I am really weary of winter.  The weathermen are predicting temperatures close to 50 by Friday.  We shall see.  I have a feeling this isn't over yet.

George Kahnle 1931-2014

Back in 2004, my sister Barb and I took a class called "Dye and Design" at the famed Hooked in the Mountains rug school in Vermont.  It was taught by partners in life and in rug hooking, Dick LaBarge and George Kahnle.  Dick taught the dyeing and George taught the designing. Barb and I  laughed so much that weekend that we dubbed the class "Fun with Dick and George."  George's approach to rug designing was whimsical and fun -- the perfect foil for Dick's gorgeously dyed wool.  We were able to visit with them again in 2008, when we traveled to their hometown of Victory Mills, NY to attend a show featuring their students' rugs.  Once again, we laughed the day away. 

There's a lot less laughter and whimsy in the world this morning -- George Kahnle passed away yesterday. I send my heartfelt condolences to Dick, and I am thankful that George's spirit will live on in the rugs people have hooked from his delightful patterns.   

What Was Ralph Lauren Thinking?

This will win any ugly sweater contest anywhere.

On Holiday

Pete and I spent the last week on the beautiful island of St. John, soaking up the sun and swimming and snorkeling to our hearts content.  I found ridiculously cheap plane tickets on sale back in July and snapped them up.  What a fortuitous thing!  I needed to get out of the house and out of the cold.  

We left in a snowstorm and returned right after a second.  Thankfully, our wonderful neighbors shoveled our walk and driveway so we could pull right in, unload the car, unpack our bags, and go to bed!  Yesterday, I picked up the dog, sorted the mail, and washed five loads of laundry!  Today, I rearranged the living room furniture and cleaned out cupboards.  Now it's time for the opening ceremony of the Olympics.  I hope I can stay awake!