January often feels like the looooongest month in the year to me, and this year is no exception.   I think not seeing the sun for 25 days and counting is a big contributing factor in my winter restlessness.  When I was in junior high I read a short sci-fi story (maybe by Ray Bradbury?) about a very wet planet where the sun only came out for one hour every 7 years.  Sounds familiar.  But, February is just around the corner and with it the first hints of spring – cala lilies and flowering quince buds in my backyard!  Let’s hope Mr.

I came back from my East Coast trip on Sunday evening, grateful to be back home by the Bay, and grateful for the energy and ideas I absorbed during my week away.  I also returned with a fair amount of nostalgia in my baggage, as often happens after revisiting old haunts.  New York is full of ghosts for me, mostly good and friendly ones.  I have literally lost several friends and mentors from New York in recent years, and I feel their loss almost daily, but it becomes more poignant when I’m back where I first knew and loved them.  The city is also full of the ghosts

New Year Pruning

We rang in the New Year at our “new” old house in Lake County with what will likely become a January 1st tradition – pruning the grape vines that ring our property.  This was a first for me, and the work, while quite personally fulfilling and rich in metaphor, is hard.  It certainly deepened the great respect I have for farmers and farm workers around the world, and especially in California vineyards.

Many years ago my husband worked for an antiques importer and home furnishings company called Keeping Traditions.  At one time the company brought in a lot of antique household stuff from flea markets in Europe, especially France.  Although not sold at flea market prices here(!) these objects were usually things from ordinary life a century or two ago.  The gorgeous armoires and cupboards we cherish as decorator items today actually had a practical function 200 years ago – they were used to keep mice and other unwanted critters out of food stores needed for survival.&nb

Yesterday was St. Nicholas Day, and in many European countries, Saturday night (when the Alumnae Chorus performed in San Francisco) was the night for a visit from the sometimes not-so-jolly old St. Nick, with presents (or rebukes) for children who’ve been nice (or not so nice). As observed today, it’s not a major holiday, but a fun kids’ celebration, with a few small presents to be shared, and some special treats. I think it’s an interesting reflection of the European approach to life in general, that St.

SFGC starts its holiday concert season next Saturday, December 5, with a performance by the Alumnae Chorus at St.

SFGC starts its holiday concert season next Saturday, December 5, with a performance by the Alumnae Chorus at St.

San Francisco, November 13, 2009 – The 27th annual, 300-voice holiday musical extravaganza featuring the full complement of the San Francisco Girls Chorus and Chorus School Tuesday, December 22, at 7:30 p.m. at Davies Hall in San Francisco, highlights three seasonal concerts by the three-time Grammy Award-winning ensemble in December.