Charms of the Country and Kelli’s readings

Yesterday, after a day of bracing storm and swirl, we had a day of brilliantly watery sunshine and the temp pushed up to 64 with a clear cold wind, which still feels like 50. We did all the things that we moved to our neighborhood to do: we drove past a Christmas tree farm and a farm with Shetland ponies, then hiked a river trail up to another horse farm, then visited truffle-sniffing potbellied pigs at this place. (It’s where I tell everyone to stay if they visit us. I want to move in there myself if I ever make Hemingway money. ) The trees showed their brilliant colors and I wore a scarf for the first time in over two years. We came home and cooked apples with caramel sauce and had baked potatoes. It was a perfect fall day.

And today promises to be another gorgeous day, only this time Kelli is visiting to take me to her Grange Cafe reading, and we’ll eat creme brulee and drink coffee. It will all be very poet-y. By the way, you should check out Martha Silano’s interview with Kellli here. And I hope to see you all at the Frye Museum on Sunday at 2 PM, where local poets Kelli, Allen Braden, Oliver de la Paz and Susan Rich will be reading at the museum. I love poetry readings at art museums and hopefully catch up with my friends! Plus I get to wear black again. I didn’t wear black much in California either.

I was actually excited watching the news yesterday. I must be getting old, because I get more excited about politics than I used to. I’m still cynical, but it’s kind of a wonderful process, this getting to participate in one’s government, even if sometimes if feels like our votes barely get heard among the throng. It’s kind of like poetry: you send out your messages into the universe, having faith that somehow they will make a difference.