Thursday 13: 13 emails I get every day

eing back at in a daily work schedule, I don't have much time for a leisurely morning coffee-and-email routine. Not even. And going through my backlog of emails over the weekend, I've been slowly paring down the ones I get daily, trying to pare down to the ones I really read, if not daily, then at least a couple of times a week.

I thought I would share the ones that will stay (for now), in the thought that some might interest you as well.

In no particular order (other than #1, which is very #1 in my book):

1. The Writer's Almanac
This daily poem and authorly information snippet comes every night at about 11 p.m. for the next day. I've been known to check my email that late, just to see what's up from Mr. Keillor.

Here's an example of the kind of information, aside from a poem, that lands in my inbox:
Beethoven's "Moonlight" Sonata was published on this date (March 3) in 1802. Its real name is the slightly less evocative "Piano Sonata No. 14 in C Sharp Minor, Opus 27, No. 2," and its Italian subtitle is translated as "almost a fantasy." In 1832, five years after Beethoven's death, a German critic compared the sonata to the effect of moonlight shining on Lake Lucerne, and the interpretation became so popular that, by the end of the century, the piece was universally known as the "Moonlight Sonata." Beethoven himself had attributed the emotion of the piece to sitting at the bedside of a friend who had suffered an untimely death.

I don't know about you, but I kinda dig that stuff.

2. Six Pixels of Separation
Digital marketing and media insights that 9 days out of 10 I find very interesting. Helps in thinking about the way the world operates now, business and otherwise. The post just Wednesday was thought-provoking about how to connect "for real" in this always-connected world, and the last sentence I especially enjoyed: You don't have to unplug to become more human, you just have to make a choice. (Also, there's a misuse of a word--technically not a typo per se--in the post. Let me know if you find it!)

3. Foodimentary
Where else would I learn that yesterday was National Cereal Day and today is National Peanut Cluster Day? Important stuff. Ha. Actually, in and around the national food holidays, this site has some fun trivia re: food. Kind of a Writer's Almanac for foodies.

4.  News.me
This email requires a Twitter account; it aggregates the news in your feed and send you a daily list of five or six headlines from Twitter. I rarely log onto Twitter anymore, so this is a great way to still get info from the sources I once thought interesting enough to follow. (And there's an iPhone app too.) Important to note: this app/email is only as captivating as the people you follow. So if your feed is full of Ashton Kutcher and Lady Gaga, that's what you'll see.

5. The High Calling
I enjoy the devotional emails I get from this site. And once a week, there's a summary of articles that haven't been emailed, so occasionally I find a good blog post in that list as well. Right now they're working through Ezekiel, not the first book I'd be diving into, so I'm glad for the chance to read along.

6. Nieman Journalism Lab
A selection of articles about journalism, with topics ranging from challenges the LA Times will have going to a "membership subscription" (read: paywall with a twist) to advice for journalists on Facebook.

7. Etsy Finds
You'll need an Etsy account to sign up for newsletters from them, but it's a great way to see areas of the site you might not ordinarily stumble onto. In some emails there's absolutely nothing I'm interested in (Mardi Gras, for example) and other days it can be completely up my alley (crochet, anyone?).

8. The Happiness Project, Moment of Happiness
I've read Gretchen Rubin's blog since prior to her first book release, and have enjoyed watching her continued success (second book about to be published, first book has been a full year on the NYTimes bestseller list). Her daily email quotes are usually quite good, thoughtful, and it appears she works at selecting quotes off the beaten path, which I appreciate. I also get her monthly newsletter, which helps if I haven't kept up on reading her blog.

9. Women's Health, Daily Dose
Information from diet to yoga to exercise... a little motivation in my inbox, definitely.

10. Now I Know, by Dan Lewis
Lewis takes a topic and does the research for you. Usually a bit obscure and arcane, but also interesting, and not so indepth as to lose his readers.

11. VSL: Very Short List
This email has purported to "bring you the best of the web" for a number of years now, and I've liked many of the items they've pointed me towards, whether a web site, a new album by an obscure band, a book that is outside my recommended Amazon reading, etc. They very recently revamped their whole approach and have a different topic each day by a different guest editor. So far so good, from what I've seen.

12. Song of the Day: NPR
This is one I'm loathe to give up, but I honestly delete it more often than I click through to listen. I'm sharing it because maybe YOU might enjoy it? I don't know. It ranges in musical tastes, for sure, and I am often intrigued or turned off by how the song/band is written about in the lone come-hither sentence that is meant to draw me in... when it works, it works, when it doesn't, click-delete.

13. Netted by the Webbys
This is a new-ish email to me, maybe a few months since I first signed up. It's all about pointing you toward online resources--apps, websites, etc.--to "assist" you with life. I have found some good ideas via Netted, but sometimes get a bit weary of the same kind of app crossing my path... do I need a "new" Pandora? A amped up Goodreads? A curated YouTube? Not so much. But in and among the redundancies, there are a few gems...

OK, so just reading that list makes me feel like information overload. As I try to keep my inbox clean and tidy so that things don't get missed (almost slipped past the deadline to schedule Seth's school conferences today, ahem), I may end up deleting a few more, but for now, these suit my info-hounding tendencies...

I ask this in fear I'll find more ways to be distracted online, but what are YOUR favorite daily emails? I would like to know.

For more Thursday 13s, go here. And have a great Thursday, while you're at it.

Midweek inspiration: Let's just get out of this mess

Pray to be humble
So that God does not
Have to appear stingy.

O pray to be honest, strong, kind, and pure,
So that the Beloved is never miscast
As a cruel great miser.

I know you have a hundred complex cases
Against God in court,
But never mind, wayfarer,
Let's just get out of this mess
And pray to be loving and humble
So that the Friend will be forced to reveal
Himself so near!
-Hafiz

Ten Word Tuesday

Go figure: Productive days sprout from dark hours of sleeplessness.

Common Miracles: Week #43

 “Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts. Each time we drop our complaints and allow everyday good fortune to inspire us, we enter the warrior’s world.” 

–Pema Chodron 

hat a horrible thing it would be if I had a complaint today, truly. Yesterday was SO beautiful, SO lovely and sunshine-y, SO warm, that I am planning on floating through the rest of the week on blue skies, no matter what the REAL skies look like (um, stormy, gray and oddly back-to-winter-ish today, of course). The fact that the sunshine came around on a weekend when we got to enjoy it to the fullest? Bonus.

My Common Miracles for today are memories from the weekend, bliss that it was:

I think that was actually Thursday night, driving home with Seth from his tennis practice... no matter how horrible the weather on any given day, there's a window right before sundown that can be amazing.

Delicious jam from a friend. Blood orange flavor to die for, really. Thanks, Ginger.

Coffee makes my world go 'round.

I might not have quite picked them from the yard, but they brighten our days anyway!

Is that the yellowest-looking breakfast plate ever? Joyous weekend omelette!

One day soon the flowers from outside will be blooming too!

These pictures (except for the first one) were shot using my Hipstamatic app. I keep saying I'm going to switch over to Instagram, really... I will. But just in case you were wondering about the cast to the photos... 

Happy week, everyone! Any miracles in your world today? 

(Hint: If you can read this, then yes, that's one miracle right there--eyesight, not necessarily the fact that you can read, but OK, if you want to count that then there are TWO miracles and you've barely even started. You are well on your way to a full-blown Common Miracles moment!)

Friday night grateful moment

ome, blessed home, so ready for the weekend... this is bliss to me: warm, tucked away, cozy.

I think I've stated my intention to at least a couple of friends that I don't plan on leaving the house all weekend, if I can help it. Lazy, not so much. Homebody, definitely.

I will indeed be grateful if I can pull that off. 

And I'm grateful for a few other things as well...

march

So it's March. Kind of hard to believe, that the first two months of the year having flown by. Whoosh, zoom. I'm grateful a new, more springy month is here--it makes spring break just that much closer! And it also should mean warmer weather is on the way? (Yes, the question mark is on purpose.)

 earthquake

See, even Eeyore has something to be grateful for! True, we haven't had a tornado, or hurricane, or an earthquake. But I am ready to see that gradual warmth of spring. Snow, you had your chance. So when I see you skulking around like you did the other morning, I want to banish you! Be gone. It's time for sunshine and green leaves and budding trees, crocuses and hyacinths...

Our hot tub went on the fritz in the middle of the cold spell. I am indeed grateful that nothing bad happened (frozen pipes, pump, etc.) in the freezing temperatures, and that a temporary fix is holding until the permanent fix arrives in a week or so.

I discovered a new street artist this week, Colin Huggins. I cannot for the life of me remember where I first found him, or who from. (If you're the one who alerted me, accept my apologies and claim the moment.) Busking is not without controversy, of course, so I had to read a bit about him and his performances in Washington Square Park, Times Square, etc., in NYC, and how the city is cracking down on street performances.

This video has a real "early days" OK Go feel, to me. There are plenty of other videos on YouTube of Colin playing in his various spots around the city, with dancers and other singers as well. I have no idea how he really makes enough of a living to make a go of NYC, but his Kickstarter campaign last summer netted him a new piano, so there you go!



I am grateful for creativity and guts and a little bit of nuts, too.

I'm grateful for Seth's good friends. High school has brought new people into his world, and some distance from mom being able to weigh in on new friends, especially. I met a young man this week that Seth has become buddies with this year, and was very grateful to see and hear that he's polite, bright, articulate and polite. I like polite, can you tell? (And not in the Eddie Haskell kind of way)

 impossible

When I get bone-chilled and nothing else will cure it, not a robe and hot chocolate, not fuzzy socks and the fire (well that might do it, but that's a bit of a process), I am grateful for a hot bath. Doesn't have to be fancy and bubble-bathy, just nice and hot, with maybe a book...

sails

I am not always a fan of the "she" quotes that are so popular these days. I think I liked them more when they weren't everywhere... that tends to kill whatever clever, original thought might have otherwise come out of certain sayings. (I'm sure some feminists would/could think I'm not comfortable with my woman power. Whatever. I see those quotes as actually minimizing women, not enhancing them. But now I'm off on a tangent, so I'll come back to the grateful.) Anyway, the quote above--whether you're an Elizabeth Edwards fan or not--was one that stayed with me. The idea of adjusting my sails to accommodate variances in the weather, I like that. And I am grateful to have adjusted my sails in the past and know that whatever life tosses at husband and I, we'll adjust.

changes

I am grateful for my home life, husband and boy, and the love that we share. It is a blessing that can't be measured, truly. Or it could, but the measuring cup had better be plenty big!

perishable

All the sayings I've tucked throughout my list this week speak to me. I am so grateful to live this life with the people around me that I have for love and support--dearest family, lovely friends--and that growth and learning opportunities, however challenging they may appear at the time, are abundant. And I'm grateful for the words that we hear along the way, powerful words of encouragement, gentle words of kindness and nudging words of help and guidance.

I read a news piece this week about the family of one of the boys who was killed in Ohio by another teenager. They spoke of teaching their son to live for each day, and that forgiveness is divine. I read that and wondered if I could ever forgive, much less the DAY AFTER my son was killed. I also wondered if they were in shock. But I was grateful to read their words, and hope that their perspective will help in the healing process.

Wishing you a weekend of peace and quiet (if that's what you want--noise aplenty, if that's on your list too!). May you find words to lift and encourage you and send you into the new week with energy and light.

Peace.

Thursday 13: When all else fails, daybook musings!

he week has just slipped away from me, in a plan-ahead-and-blog-thoughtfully kind of way... I had great plans of doing a Thursday 13 of smoothie recipes, initiated by my Aunt Bobbi asking about good combinations with yogurt... and sadly, I did a little initial research but did not get it together in the end.

So, you're stuck with musings. (The smoothies WILL happen, hopefully next week. I am in the mood for smoothies since I started looking around this week.)

FOR TODAY (pared down from the original Simple Woman's Daybook)

1. Outside my window... Gray skies with a rim of blue. Makes me think a little breeze might just blow the whole gray thing away. However, I did just see some snowflakes fall from the gray... we'll see who wins, blue or gray!

2. I am thankful... for my family. Near and far, I am loved and supported. Such a blessing.

3. In the kitchen... I made more breakfast cookies last night. This time I put in dried blueberries rather than dried cranberries, and I really like it. I am eating one as I type...

4. I am wearing... a skirt with leggings. I'm pretending that spring is coming, wearing flats and footless leggings... we'll see if my feet freeze off? I think not... heat on in the car, heat on at work! But I did get dressed before I saw the snowflakes...

5. I am creating... mental space? Maybe, but not even that, some days. Sadly, nothing much going on in the creative realm at the moment. I was thinking about getting a little crochet group going at work over the lunch hour one day a week, just to have that nudge toward working on something. We'll see.

6. I am going... slightly mad? OK, that's not even true, but in a stream-of-consciousness way, it was the first thing I thought of. Isn't that from a Queen song? On a slightly different tangent, I have been craving a little ELO lately, maybe with a side of Supertramp, and a condiment of Alan Parson's Project. ELO always brings me a great deal of nostalgic happiness.

Appropriate for my wishes of late...



7. I am reading... I am plugging away at the books I posted as aiming to read this quarter, and making a little headway. The thing I didn't factor in, but of course should have--given my short attention span--are the books that have since crossed my path and have bumped a few of the current books off the "must read now" list. So, we'll see what I have to report at the end of the first quarter. Will I have read all 13 of the original books? No. Will I have read 13 books, period. Um, no. Did I try? In a manner of speaking... But! There's March to go, so wish me luck.

8. I am learning... A lot. Every day. This project at work takes my brain to new places, and takes me back to places I've been before. It's all good, and I do usually feel completely mentally used up by the end of the day, which I really enjoy.

9. I am pondering... how to best approach an email I need to send. I will noodle on it for a bit, and see what I come up with. It's certainly not as difficult as I sometimes make it out to be in my head, and it's certainly become well-traveled road for me. I just need to get off my butt and do it.

10. A favorite quote for today... I'm sure it's from a larger poem, which I will find. But I ran across this yesterday and just loved it:

Never mind. The self is the least of it. Let our scars fall in love. 
-Galway Kinnell

11. One of my favorite things... has got to be my morning coffee. Really, my whole morning routine. Such a routine girl...

12. A few plans for the rest of the week... Work. Lunches out--two of them! Carpooling Seth to and from tennis practice. The usual...

13. A peek into my day... 

This amaryllis came via post from my oldest and dearest friend Corinne. I love it. I can't show you all four flowers at the head, but it is gorgeous, and the color! Wow. (Sorry about the white blowout there behind--that's where snowflakes are falling. But I decided this is better than turning around and you seeing my whole cluttered kitchen as a backdrop!)

I hope your Thursday is off to a great start. If you want to play along with Thursday 13, go here.

How has your week has been? I hope the fact that it's Friday tomorrow brings you great joy. It certainly does for me!

Common Miracles: Week #42

 “Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite. It actually takes guts. Each time we drop our complaints and allow everyday good fortune to inspire us, we enter the warrior’s world.”
–Pema Chodron

t's been a while since I've participated in the Common Miracles project, and if I wait for actual time on my hands to jump back in, it won't happen. Too much, on too many plates. And they're all spinning, madly. (But happily.)

This video may be overstating it (you think?), but boy did I laugh heartily when I was thinking of illustrating plates, spinning, juggling things:



Meanwhile, what's going on in my miraculous world? Here's what I noticed today:

* Smiles. You know how "they" always say smiles make a difference? True story, that. One of those things where legend and reality meet up.

* Boots and tights. Wonderful for cold mornings. Especially cold, sorta-snowy mornings!

 * Our dear dog. So after he learns how to text, I want to teach Chief how to make my morning coffee. Seems doable, don't you think? He watched me making my latte this morning with such rapt attention and intelligence, I have to believe he could get the hang of it. (Kind of like those Geico guinea pigs rowing, right?)

* Dreams. I have been having some whackadoodle dreams lately. Co-workers, dogs (duh), my dad circa 1978 (no beard though), therapy circles in the grass, and a child I once thought was really sweet, apparently not so much! Basically my subconscious, once removed. Hilarious and kinda makes my day/night. Knock on wood there isn't a crossing over into nightmare-land...

* Robins. Saw a robin with a bright red breast in the snow this morning. The contrast was stunning. Obviously the groundhog forgot to copy the robins in on the six-more-weeks-of-winter memo! I got it, I just didn't believe it.

* Spontaneous singing. Must say, I have the best kid. Bursting into Am I a Man, or Am I a Muppet? in the kitchen and having your son join in? Bonus.

* Cheese. I was talking with husband this weekend about food cravings--of which he has very few. How is that possible? Me, on the other hand? I have them quite frequently, and they almost always involve cheese, in some variety or form. Am I predictable or what?!

* Family read/prayer time in the morning. It's quick and we're often hurried, but it is one of my very favorite parts of my morning... my day, too. I am blessed, we are blessed, and stopping for just a minute and remembering that, saying thanks for this family I am so thankful for? Bonus.

* Husband's key in the lock, home after an evening meeting. Love that sound.

* Music that makes my heart happy. Case in point today:



There. A snapshot of my common miracles, on this day (just like any other day), in this week (just like any other week), in this month (just any other month).

Except it's not. It was today. And there will never be another one just like it. I'm glad I got to live it. And I'm glad you did too.

To learn more about the Common Miracles project, go here.

What miraculous happenings took place in your world today?

Friday night grateful moment

ild wind is howling, gusting around the house quite fiercely. This is *so* not how I wanted to head into the weekend, a weekend where I dream of peaceful sleep, rest, quiet--you know, the opposite of a windstorm.

But the wind is here, and I'm here, and I'm nothing if not resourceful. Earplugs at the ready, I will sleep No. Matter. What. And be grateful. Not for the wind per se, but for plenty of other things:

rununculus

A day spent with husband, just doing our thing. It was a lovely time together, especially given that it was a weekday, and hookey days are really rare for him. For me they have been much less rare, but when he'll take a day off, I jump at it, and I'm grateful for our chats and discussions throughout our time together, too.

sunflower

For morning energy, I am grateful... to get up and go, to meet each day with enthusiasm--no doubt helpfully fueled by coffee, but still, I'm moving, right? It's so amazing how our minds and bodies bounce back from fatigue. Given a bit of rest, we get up and go again. Thank goodness for that!

cherryblossoms

Spring is coming! I can feel it. The dahlia catalog has been perused, now to pare the order down. Seeds have been purchased. There's talk of rototilling on Sunday, but it will really depend on the weather between now and then. Regardless, it's warmer and warmer, and sprouts and such are appearing. Oh happy day!

daisy

The dear boy is off at a jazz festival in Idaho with his jazz band compatriots. We'll be so glad to see him tomorrow night when his bus rolls back into town. I am so grateful for his smiles and hugs and our talks. They may not always be the light-hearted chats of his tween years, but I am grateful to remember what being 15 was like (sometimes all too vividly), and also glad that I can empathize. I could not be persuaded to go back to the angst-filled teen years for ANYTHING. No thanks.

 forgetmenots

I am always so grateful when I see generosity in people. Not necessarily generosity of stuff, or money (though that's fine too!), but generosity of spirit. People who are big enough to give others props without thinking it somehow diminishes their own light. Those who regard others with an open heart, not worrying about what they will receive in return. I love those people. Those people make the world a better place.

Chief

I am SO grateful for Chief. I can't imagine what the house would be like without him right now. He is like a shadow for both husband and I, staying right beside us as we move through the house. That can be a little bit of an obstacle if you're looking to get somewhere quickly, but I can deal with it, knowing all he's been through this winter. He's seen his pack disappear, and when I took him to get his teeth cleaned this week, boy did he not want to go. Pretty unusual for our social beast, but he seemed pretty convinced that only bad things happen behind that door in the vet's office. Poor sweet thing, he did make it through OK and get the "great teeth" stamp of approval, too!

(This is where I confess how dorky I've gotten about Chief. When we were having lunch out today, I told husband I wished Chief could text, just so we could check in on him. Good grief, that's a level of doggy closeness I hadn't anticipated. I used to make fun of my friends who would leave messages on the answering machines for their dogs, but I think I'm about half a step removed from that nonsense. Seriously, wouldn't that be cool? "How's things?" "Fine, bring me back a treat." Kind of like a teenager, eh?)

bells

Color continues to make my world go round, in these early spring days when green still feels a bit sparse. Can't wait for all the colors of spring and summer in our garden; but until then, I've sprinkled some of my favorite colorful flowery finds (well, other than Chief!) throughout my grateful list, for you.

I hope your weekend brings you all the good things you need to face another week!

Peace.

Thursday 13: Thursday link love

he past couple of weekends have been busy with home things, actually getting things done! But of course I have taken *some* time out for my usual wanderings around the internet, checking out bits and pieces that intrigue me. And you know I have to share, I'm just the sharing type, right? So I'm not waiting for a "Weekend link love" opportunity, I'm taking advantage of NOW, and sharing 13 interesting places/stories around the web.

1. Why is this news not being blasted from the mountaintops? BPA is found in canned goods as well as plastic? Good to know, even if the researchers are unsure what health effect this has, long term. Good thing we don't eat from tin cans very much. Grrr.

2. I enjoyed this post from one courageous mother, blogging about her cancer journey. Well, she didn't mean for it to be about cancer when she started it as an artsy-jewelry kind of blog a few years ago. But circumstances unfold (cancer, ugh, yuck), and she responded...

3. Have you heard of Fab.com? If you haven't, you should check it out. You have to sign up, but that's a minor whatever. There are many fun, pretty items, on sale. I have yet to buy anything, but it sure is fun to look. Check out these pretty iPhone covers:

4. Remember when Facebook used to update you with information on the pages you followed? I think they were called updates, right? Then they changed the whole "pages" thing and went with more of a business-page idea, and if you like something, updates end up in your feed. But sometimes, you still get messages, apparently. Where are they? Just below your messages themselves, in that left-hand column. I had not looked there in more than a year, and when I read this article, I decide to go looking. There were mostly updates from people/companies/blogs I'd followed for a while, but there were also a couple of "hey, wanna be my friend" messages from people I DO NOT know, and have no desire to know. Maybe I'm the only one who hadn't kept up with the "other" messages, but I'm glad to now know. (Creepy people now blocked, thank you very much.)

5. This interesting story about a small weekly suburban publication in Boston caught my attention. Seems the publisher can't figure out a reason why he'd want to publish online. Given that he doesn't seem to have any competition (print or digital) in his area, I say let's start an online rag to compete! Give him a reason to get digital. OK, that might be mean, but he's pretty much advertising for someone to do it.

6. I have had good luck with interval training in the past, and this post reminded me why I should take it up again. I did a couple of days at the beginning of the week, and enjoyed it. Now to make it a regular thing!

7. So apparently cupcakes are only for the middle to upper classes now? I guess at $2.50-$4 a pop, that makes sense...

8. Take a look at these paper dolls that have been crafted especially for Downton Abbey fans. What a hoot! The scary thing would be to find adult women actually playing with them (I have my eye on you, Jen! And Megan! And all the rest of you!)

And of course, in keeping with the ongoing (and sadly, now waiting for season 3) Downton Abbey obsession, this explanation of the highs and lows  of British cuisine was quite interesting to me. Also in the Downton vein, an article on how Downton Abbey has made PBS "cool" again. (For some of us Masterpiece/Nature geeks, it always was...) Just yesterday I was sent a link to this hilarious recap of the Downton finale. (Language warning. Really. Don't say I didn't warn you.) Just about wet my pants laughing. Thanks, Robin!

9. I enjoyed this blog post about the various kinds of commenters out there in blogland. Glad I only have the kind and thoughtful ones, so far... What's your experience? Any trolls out there in your world?

 9. This "what I really do" meme has taken off like a rocket around the interwebs, and a wide variety of themes have arisen. Mashable has a compilation of career-related ones, but I think my favorites are the ones like the North Dakota one above, where all the pictures are the same. But then I see another one, and then that one is my favorite. I am a sucker for this meme, true story.

10. This piece about how our media diets mimic our actual diets (ie, cheap and easy) is an interesting way to look at both phenomenons. (Here's an interview with the author on NPR, if you'd prefer to listen.)

monasnookie

12. And to follow the point of the article just mentioned (re: media diets), the picture above pretty much sums it up. The fact that I know who that is really bothers me.

13. And back to more enlightening topics, this piece about sleep really woke me up! I never knew that there had been other kinds of sleep patterns, hundreds of years ago. Makes sense that we have tried to jam it all up into one 8-hour slot, so we can get more done! Maybe I shouldn't fight the 3 a.m. wake-toss-thing?

That's it from me this week. Hope there was a link or two that piqued your interest! What have you read lately that kept your interest? I would love to know.

For other Thursday 13 participants, go here. And have a great Thursday, while you're at it!

Midweek reminder: There is so much sky beyond our roof

source

There are so many dreams beyond our nights, and so much sunshine beyond our gray walls. But we can't see it when we stay at home. There is so much sky above our roof. Is the door so old that it won't open, or are we at home because we're afraid of catching a chill? -Francoise Hardy