sore thumb

Our heat did indeed come on on Saturday but it just got really crankin ' yesterday (Tues).  I'm not sure what the temp is inside but it's nice and toasty.  We opened the window in our bedroom last night and turned down the radiator.  I love a cold bedroom for sleeping.  Outside it's in the low 40s in the morning and just around 50 during the day.  We've had nice sunny weather for the last few days and it really looks and feels so wintery .  I love it.   Madeleine has really gotten into leaves.   Phil has taught her how to recognize the tree by it's leaves.  It's so cute as she walks down the sidewalk and says, "Look, a Ginkgo leaf!"  Yesterday he gave her a piece of evergreen.  She smelled it and said, "Smells like Christmas."  Neither of us intentionally taught her that but she's so right. Phil and I are meeting for an Indian lunch later today.   Yippeeeeeee !  It's been so long and I just can't wait.  Xi'an doesn't

Having time to read, pry and drink coffee before the girls wake. Coffee with whipping cream. Looking out my kitchen window.   Watching Lilian's face as she watches Madeleine. Hearing Phil's voice when he talks to Lilian. Knowing Madeleine has sweet, funny friends. Starbucks on a cold day. Getting enough sleep. Crock pots . A couple days ago Phil was making a cup of tea.  Madeleine really likes tea and especially enjoys Peppermint Tea.  Madeleine, "Papa, is that Peppermint Tea?"  Phil, "No, it's Iron Buddha." Maddie, "Why it iron booty?" Yesterday was a really nice day for me.  Wednesday are my day off from school.  It's a great day to be off because Yali is here to help with the girls and it's mid-week.  I had already decided that I would use the morning to hang out by myself at Starbucks.  We have one very close to us.  I took my textbook and some other books that I just wanted to read.  I drank a latte, munched on a chocolate pastry

Still have beautiful fall leaves on our trees despite the valiant effort of some cleaning ladies.  3 of them stood around one of our trees the other afternoon beating it with a long bamboo pole and shaking it violently to get all the changing leaves off.  It made me furious.  I thought, "That is one of my trees that I look at from my window.  Now stop hurting it and my lovely autumn view." Thankfully, they left it alone and we have still have lovely autumn covered sidewalks to stroll along these days. I woke to clear, blue skies which made me want to get outdoors as soon as possible.  It didn't take long for Maddie and I to get it all together for a vigorous walk.  I pushed her and she commented on the trees, the cars and the smells.  "I smell something. (sniff, sniff)  Smells like bad."  Car exhaust was our fresh-morning smell.  I must be acculturating , since it only bothered me a bit. We walked towards the mountains that sit at the southern side of our city.

My clearest Halloween memory is from when I was about 4 years old.  I dressed as a cheerleader and went around with my sister and cousin, Van, door-to-door in Morehead, Kentucky.  Now, I know that I trick-or-treated for years and years but something about that particular time was special to me. I've wondered before what Maddie's first memory will be.  It may be that monkey jumping on her stroller in Malaysia.  She often talks about it.  Or riding an elephant in Thailand. This was M's first year to celebrate Halloween.  She dressed as a princess in pink tennis shoes. She made her own treat bag from a Starbuck's paperbag covered in brown paper and she put fancy tape all over it.  We went to the Tompkins for supper and then an adult (we had 6 that night) stood behind a closed door in their house and Natasha took the kids from door to door.   They knocked on the door, said "Trick-or-Treat!" and then we all had candy to give them.  You should have seen the huge smi