Golden Leaves ...

... behind our back fence late this afternoon.  It poured with rain most of the day, but I managed to get out for a walk during a dry period.  Our area had moderate temperatures while much of the rest of the country suffered through wind, snow and frigid conditions.  At one point, we heard that over 6000 airline departures had been cancelled and many more were delayed.  We feel fortunate not to be traveling this weekend.  Tonight the temperatures have gone down considerably - to 20 F - and we expect a very cold and windy weekend.

On PBS (public television) we heard a brief interview with the cellist Yo Yo Ma, accompanied by his superb playing. That was followed by a performance by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, essentially a comic opera with an excellent narrator.  It was delightful--a wonderful celebration of the holiday,