It is a very cold day today.

I'm wearing my faux Russian fur hat, the new black velveteen car coat that I bought on sale from Fabulous Furs for forty bucks, pinkish-plum leather gloves, and a fluffy seafoam/black/pink/purple scarf that an on-line friend knitted for me.

I'm in the middle of decorating my house for Thanksgiving, and it looks like a stuffed turkey preserve blew up in my den. Ah, the holidays.

I'm hosting a pokeno party tomorrow night, and I want the house to look festive. I'm serving soup and crusty bread, since it shows every intention of being cold this weekend, too. I'm making tomato florentine soup for the ones who don't like spicy food, and sausage and lentil soup for the ones who like a little bite with their broth.

I am a vision in red.

More or less. I'm going to Memphis to speechify this afternoon, and the black ladies in Memphis love me in red or purple (I wore purple yesterday), so I'm wearing red just for them. Red/pink tweed suit, red three-inch ankle-straps, fused red glass pendant (made for me by a friend), pinkish-red pillbox wrapped in dark red georgette, red wool swing coat, red leather tote bag, red leather gloves with pleated cuffs.

Something about my style must appeal to black women of my generation or a little older, because 9 times out of 10, if a stranger compliments my clothes on the street, it will be a black woman around my same age. I was shopping in Kroger last Thursday for the reception I catered at church Friday night, and I had on a high-waisted black/white polka dot dress with a decollete` wrapped bodice and a gathered skirt, a shiny black handbag hanging in the crook of my elbow (I dislike shoulderbags, as a rule), and a pair of high heeled black peep-toe pumps with big white buttons on the toe. A black woman came down the aisle toward me, and, as she passed, she practically gushed, "You look so beautiful!"

Now, it's a cute dress, it has the added advantage of making me look like I have really nice breasts, and the shoes matched perfectly, but I wasn't even wearing a hat! @):-)

Free Books!

Simon and Schuster UK is giving away free books on LJ! So, if you have a LiveJournal account, get over there and claim one:

http://simon-saysuk.livejournal.com/5247.html?view=32383#t32383

To all the veterans out there, I appreciate your service.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Congratulations to President-Elect Obama...

...and to the Congressional Democrats. w00t!

Now for the buzzkill. For the first time since Reconstruction--140 years, people--both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly are controlled by Republicans. We are so screwed.

Obama's grandmother has died.

My condolences to the family.

And if you haven't early voted, get out there tomorrow and cast your vote! It's what patriots do.