This is December! First Frost

November's unusual warm and sun was bound not to last. This morning (fitting for December 1st) we had our first frost. I went outside and snapped several photos of nature's icy artwork.

This is November?

My birthday is in just a couple of days. It is typically a dreary gray day. Sometimes there is sunshine, sometimes mild temperatures, but usually it is gray and cold. My backyard this year is telling a different story.

Here are some of the neat surprises from my backyard stroll this afternoon. I noticed a begonia and an azalea wildly blooming at my mother's just yesterday, so perhaps I shouldn't have been so surprised.

Compare the above to what we more typically see in November here:

I realize that 'Global Warming' is a misnomer, but these things are unusual for November in our neck of the woods (Southern Indiana.) I do worry about the phenomenon of global warming, whether it is misnamed or not...but for today I am enjoying the nicer, pretty side effects.

Topsy Turvy Tomato on the Menu

Topsy Turvy Tomato languishes on the kitchen window sill no longer. Hubs asked me to put it on his ham sandwich the other day. He said it was delicious. He may have eaten the most expensive tomato in culinary history.

Wedding Calligraphy Etiquette

Weddings and etiquette seem to go hand in hand. Many people never think of etiquette until they are faced with planning their wedding day. One often overlooked bit of wedding etiquette is that wedding invitation envelope addresses should be lettered by hand. Handwriting - neat, of course - is all that is required by etiquette. Calligraphy, however, can set an elegant tone for your wedding. It can signal to your guests that this event will be very special. The lettering used on your envelopes can tell your guests whether your wedding will be traditional and formal, or informal. Calligraphy styles vary and your calligrapher will be happy to advise you on which will work best for you.

How do you find a good calligrapher? If you've received a hand written envelope that you've admired, ask the bride who she used. Ask your stationer for recommendations. look online for a good calligrapher near your city (although today you can find and use a calligrapher in any area of the country if you allow the time for mailing or shipping.)

Find a calligrapher who is informed about the rules of etiquette, ask to see samples, check their pricing to make sure it will work with your budget. Curlicues may look 'fancy', but unless they are gracefully constructed and flow naturally from the letters, they may be disguising poor letters. Look for grace in letter forms.

Find a calligrapher who is receptive to your needs and he or she will be an invaluable partner who can with beautiful hand written calligraphy help set the tone for your very special day.

Some Decisions are Bigger than Others

Putting my own indecision into focus, tonight a friend in South America asked me for my advice on a major life decision. He's been offered a position in Eastern Europe that will pay much more than he is earning now and that will have great benefits. There will be the huge responsibility of representing his company across Europe. He is settled in his home, loves his extended family very much and worries about leaving them, missing them. If he takes the offer, he surely will. It's a quality of life issue that may be insurmountable. Though there are tempting facets of the offer, I feel that he might consider turning it down - under normal circumstances.

What's abnormal (besides that this doesn't happen to just anybody just anytime) is twofold. First, he has to make this decision within days and he is wracked with the body-aching, high-fever flu. Second, his current workplace may be shutting down. That changes everything.

Because he is a dear friend, I feel torn for him. Because he is brilliant and wonderful I know he will be successful no matter what he does or where he goes.

I am too frequently paralyzed with indecision, preferring to go with the flow, accepting the status quo for far longer than I should. It's easier to glide through life without making waves. It's easier and more peaceful to accept that everything will happen as it should. I have stayed in situations longer than was healthy job-wise and personally too. But, that's really not earth-shaking. I've always tried to do what I feel is best for those around me, if not always for myself.

Now I am watching my friend make a big, big decision and I know that he will be fine no matter what he does. He isn't sure, but I see him as he can't see himself. He will be fine. And now I see what my friends have seen and know why they have advised me as they have. It is easier to see the greatness in others. It is so easy for me to see that mi amigo will be successful and happy - because that is his way in all things.

I have great confidence in him...and many times should have worked on my own.