Flower Friday : : Streletzia

We had a little break in the rain this morning when Meg and I went to class, and we were a group of eight at Trail House when Rick and John joined us at there. We had a spirited conversation about fire insurance which prompted the man sitting down at the other end of the table to join in. He's almost always there and this is the first morning he has ever even taken eyes off his computer and joined into our conversation. The state has mandated that insurance companies cannot refuse to renew the policies of Californians who live in fire areas. The man at the other end of the table pointed that it was only for a year which means that people who are in the process of rebuilding now will be ready to move into their new house just as the year is up and the law is rescinded and their insurance is canceled. 

I have been struggling to work up some Christmas spirit without much luck. After coffee, Meg and I went off tho the local shopping center and trolled around for quite some time before someone finally pulled out of a parking space. They were teaching a cookie making/decorating class at the kitchen store and many  of the stores were beautifully decorated, so I began to feel the Christmas spirit slowly awakening. 

I  took Meg to a clothing store and Lorraine who I have gotten to know was working there. She and Meg started talking and discovered that Lorraine's Mother lives in the same town as Meg and Rick and Meg knows her. Further, the reason Meg knows Lorraine's mother is because she used to live in the same town where Meg grew up and that Meg and Lorraine went to the same school. there.

I love small world stories....

Rick and Meg cooked dinner last night, Roasted Chicken with caramelized onions and bitter greens, and it was delicious.* Rick is a good cook and seems to enjoy it. John will cook but asked so many questions ranging from ' Where's the butter?' to ' how do you dice carrots?' that it's just easier to do it myself. Rick just gets on with it....he's cooking again tonight and having quite the conversation with Ozzie who is watching his every move*. Perhaps because he has already figured out that Rick tends to drop things that might be food.....

The flowers I posted today are still blooming outside the front door, and drooping nicely in the rain which has started again. I took pictures of them through the front door.

*extras