Being old has it's ups and downs. Many times I wake up and cannot get back to sleep--blogging is a great thing to do when the rest of the house is asleep and books and TV are not doing anything to help me sleep and we all know that I can do only so much sorting and cleaning at one time.

Our daughter is here with us and we ate at one of our favorite Italian restaurants in the area--Villa Romana--dinner was perfect as usual, I had a light-as-a-feather veal cutlet Milanese (pan fried). The food here is consistently wonderful. Last night's broccoli rabe was sauteed perfectly with just enough garlic and not too much oil. The roasted peppers were lightly seasoned and paired with bits of cheese for another great appetizer. The veal and chicken main dishes follow the old rule of Italian cooking--start with the best and use your cooking skills to bring out the natural flavors. So, even the sauces--they did not mask nature--they nurtured it by complementing the natural goodness of each ingredient. Jennie tried the veal vodka and Joe had their special chicken dish--invented by Rinaldo the talented chef, owner. Of course we enjoyed chatting with accordion player Michael delGardo whose fantastic playing and knowledge of songs is matched by his personality. We also enjoyed seeing his latest phone videos of his two adorable children! A wonderful evening--one problem--I forgot to take pictures!!! Drat! I am trying to put together an album of the holidays. Oh well.

I just finished reading on e of my guilty pleasure novels --the newest MC Beaton adventure featuring Agatha Raisin the retired PR lady, now a detective.
This one was a disappointment--plot way too convoluted and too many escapes from death for the daring Agatha. But if you are a fan of the series you will of course want to read it to catch up with the irrepressible Agatha.

My cousin Diane seconds my high praise for The Corner of Bitter and Sweet which takes on the Japanese internment issue from the point of view of a Chinese American young boy who is also dealing with first love. It is fabulous! I read a review of it when it first came out but never got around to reading it--glad I found it in the library a few weeks ago and read it--wonderful and a great holiday read because despite the heavy subject matter, the book is a very positive force.

Now I will begin to send out query letters for food articles to one of my favorite local editors, Trish O'Connor and then get things ready for my upcoming February performance at the Chapin museum--Chinese tales!