Saturday farmers' market, jaunty and surrounded by children

- The Peachtree Road farmers' market inside St. Phillips Cathedral on Saturday.  I got a jar of Strawberry and Lavender jam from the woman beyond those huge mushrooms there.  Should the jam go in someone's Christmas stocking or should I keep it?  I vote for keeping it.  :)

- This purveyor of yogurt was wearing a jaunty straw hat with a sprig of holly in it.  Friend Laura thought he had a vaguely Johnny Depp appearance.  I'll let you decide.  Sorry for the fuzzy iPhone photo - click to enlarge.

- The sanctuary of my church on Sunday morning.  When the service started, I realized the two children in front of me and the one at my side were going to fidget during the whole service.  And then realized how happy I was to be surrounded by fidgeting children.

Food talk, let's make it Italian and some cake + bonus

- On a rainy, too busy day at work, a coworker and I discuss how the weather puts us in mind of Italian food.  Discussion ensues.  I mention how I like Bambinelli's - a family owned business run by Italian Americans, originally from the Bronx, New York.  (Love their story - see link.)  My coworker says he and his grandson have regular outings and they usually choose Italian, too.  It's their thing.

- Friend Leisa and talk during our respective commutes home and commiserate about our day.  She suggests dinner and I tell her how I had the Italian food discussion at work.  Pizza, she'd like pizza.  Oddly enough, it takes me a couple of minutes to think of Bambinelli's.  :)  She got her pizza; I got lasagna.  Yum.

- And she brought me a piece of pound cake that she made.  See wrapped pound cake peeking out of my purse in the photo above.  I'll have it today at work.  Full circle.

A lovely thing:  a seasoned couple at the table across from us were celebrating his birthday.  The owner, Bonnie, brought them Cannoli, complete with a burning candle, to share.  And she took their photo as they beamed at the camera.  Lovely.

Diamonds, activity and just because

- The lake behind a client's office, glittering like diamonds. So different from another view of it taken in August, but still beautiful.

- Another client demonstrates how well she walks after hip replacement surgery. She seems young for this to me, but says she will just be happy to get back to horseback riding, belly dancing classes and rock climbing.

- Ending the day with a glass of red wine from a bottle that makes me smile, Middle Sister "Rebel Red" - along with a bite of dark chocolate. Just because.

Inspiration, source and thought for the day

- Being invited to a luncheon at the Center for the Visually Impaired and leaving particularly inspired by Annie Maxwell, Director of Volunteers and blind since birth, who teaches knitting to sighted seniors at a local community center.

- Calling the toll-free number on the Kalahari red tea box to find where it is sold since Publix is failing me. And finding that it is distributed right here in Atlanta. The woman was very nice and invited me to come by the office saying she will fix me up.

- Standing in Steven and Ronnie's kitchen and noticing a boiled egg on the counter with a note written on the shell with a Sharpie pen, "Don't sweat the small stuff, it's all small stuff." Steven says Ronnie makes his egg every morning and always leaves a different message on it.

Pampered, comfort and sleeping in

- Sophie on her special perch. She adopted this box that contained a stoneware bar pan a long time ago after I tossed it on the floor, intending to put it in the garbage.

- Having my usual "when not feeling well" hot and sour soup at work. We ordered Chinese in for lunch because of the rain.

- Sleeping seven hours in a row and then falling back to sleep again.

Morning solace, good yarn and must be tasty

- Running out of Kalahari Red Tea at work and reverting to my old friend Earl Grey. Still delicious.

- Finishing my book on CD, "Deep South" by Nevada Barr and finding that I would like to listen to more of her Anna Pigeon series. Since I have a bit of a commute, listening to a story makes it so much better. I have to really look through the audio books already on the shelves at the library and was not sure if this author would suit me, but her story turned out to be a good yarn.

- From Mr. C's sign:
Get in here
and get
U
some
meatloaf
$6.95