how to get the numbers up

Ha - now I know that if I want a lot of comments, I have to give something away. Plain old bribery! I'll give the left coast a chance to post and then tomorrow, after I get back from the doctors' appointments with Marty, I'll pick a number out of a basket and let you know who has won the scarf. I loved reading all of your comments ; they warmed my heart and made me laugh. Glad I make you laugh once in a while (you're the only ones - my family doesn't think I'm funny and compared to them, I'm not). I find that laughter is all too rare in my life these days; I mean the kind of laughter that makes you fall over in hysterical giggles. A few special friends, my kids, and a couple of cousins make me feel like that -- and then there is my brother Jon. Ever since we were kids (he's 9 years younger than I) all we had to do was look at each other and we'd get hysterical (usually at the dinner table, to my mother's consternation). To this day, it hasn't changed. He lives about 7 hours away, so we rarely see each other -- but when we do, we laugh. It is a happy sound. This afternoon I was in the studio moving tables and hanging artwork and generally trying to clean up. The effort will continue for the rest of the week after the morning appointments Mon-Tues and after a Wed. annual b.d. lunch with an old friend. I do not expect to get a job offer as a food stylist, based on these pictures, which were taken mid-meal. Dinner was delicious (although not as good as lunch the other day). But pretty damn good! Sambar with vada, which are lentil donuts. Usha taught me that you put them in the sambar to eat them, but you can put idly or rice in also, if you prefer. I like either the vada or the idly with it. Coconut chutney, tamarind chutney, raita, papadams, and vegetable samosas, which came out of the oven after I took the picture. I ate too much and Marty loved the sambar, which I didn't expect. That's the breaking news and with that, I shall say ta ta till tomorrow.