Lost in Space and Time and Snow

First of all, I want to thank you all for your sugges-
tions. They were thought provoking - just what I wanted. I wake up each morning with my mind in full gear - most irritating. This morning I awoke knowing that her name was Miss Millie. I think the Miss is result of my discussion last night with Lindsey, a nod to Mr. Gilmore. When I picked up my loom in Stockton, Judy Allen of Gilmore Looms told me that not even she knew his first name. So, a little formality is the nod. I have no idea where Millie came from.

I was stunned when I came back to Compose to see that I hadn't uploaded a picture of socks, but of firewood. I have decided to leave it since it's what we're all about these days, around the clock. I had intended to show you the unmatched pair of Noro socks from while I was spinning this morning. Only spinners take off their shoes in public, but you already know that so you get firewood instead.
On another sock front, DIL Missy's socks are this far and they are coming down from Oregon this weekend. Knit or weave? Knit or weave? Or sleep? She vill take zem home mit her dis weekend.
A fiber aside, I want to share Jan, our mail lady with you. This morning Ian found this now half empty dish of cookies in our mailbox. When we need packages mailed, we leave them for her in our box with an envelope and money. (We are in a locked clusterbox.) She ships them and then leaves the change in another envelope. Ian loves honey. When he runs out, he leaves the clean quart jar in the box with $12 and Jan delivers a full quart of honey from another person on her route. She delivers through snow, sleet, etc. For all of this, Ian always leaves her tip at Christmas. Today she brought us cookies in thanks. Ironically, there are two kinds: chocolate chip - Ian's favorite and Mexican wedding cookies - mine.

Earlier this week I discovered a problem with getting updated blog notifications. Bloglines just won't update some of my subscriptions, but those same blogs seem to show up in my Blogger Follows. The ones Blogger won't display, Bloglines does. I don't get it. It's like quarreling prom queens. I have missed so many posts, I don't know where to begin. I've been playing catch-up for days. I wondered where you guys were and some of you had anything to say.

I have been asked if I still play the accordian, and alas, I no longer own one. Maybe that's - thanks God she no longer owns one- I don't know. It does seem to be having a come back. For a long I refused to tell anyone that I had taken years of lessons. I could play Myron Florin polkas, oh yeah baby.

Just Read:
Plainsong by Kent Haruf, a National Book Award finalist. I loved that such a complex story could be told through a handful of characters. Wonderful characterizations; prose spare, yet rich. I went to read the sequel tonight and realized immediately that I was disapointed. I decided to let it be a stand alone book for me. Plainsong is one of my favorites this year. I know it's only January, but I still think it'll hold. I almost said the prose was lyrical but after reading the book below, I realize just how over-used that term is when applied to fiction.

I also just finished How I Became a Famous Novelist by Steve Hely. While I consider this to be a Nick Hornby-ish book, i.e., dark comedy, at the same time, Hely parodies big name authors and the book industry as a whole. The writing is insanely brilliant. It is a one-man show where he has to all the characters, all the voices. I laughed, and while I'm not sure it's funny, I can tell you I will be thinking about it for a very long time.