Stormy Weather

The blue grey clouds moving across the sky this morning make the fluorescent yellow of the forsythia and the purple of the pansies even more luminous.  This is classic April weather -- the rare time of year that I welcome grey skies and rain.  It won't be long before the cherry trees that line our street blossom and turn to pink snow swirling around the neighborhood.

treats on my desk

We had a lovely Easter weekend.  Old friends joined us, and brought all sorts of treats, the most exceptional of which was a cassata, a traditional Sicilian spring cake covered in emerald green marzipan, then a glaze of confectioner's sugar, and piped flowers.  Our goddaughter Natalie brought it from an Italian bakery in Providence.  Pretty spectacular way to end our Easter meal of lamb, farro strata, and roasted asparagus.

We also hosted a young woman from Slovenia for a week.  She is a relative of one of Pete's relatives, here to learn English and see the sights before heading to university in September.  Pete took her into Manhattan for a day to see the Empire State Building and the Museum of Natural History, and on a tour of the Hamptons and the beautiful beaches of the South Fork.  Pizza is her favorite food, so we had a pizza party with the neighbors on Palm Sunday, and some friends hosted a festive lobster dinner for her one evening.  It was a long ten days of house guests -- lots of cooking and cleaning and grocery shopping and laundry -- and, while fun, I am glad to be back to my normal routine.

I'm packing up for the Connecticut Sheep and Wool Festival.  I will head up on Friday. All you rug hookers in the Metro area should stop in and see us.  Since the demise of the Newtown and Fairfield rug shows, it is difficult to find rug supplies in southern New England.  I have some new patterns drawn up and ready to go.  Hope to see you there.