Oh thank Heavens

Gracious but it is good to have some heat again. Our furnace had problems starting last Thursday and the gas company turned it off. On Friday the serviceman arrived to tell us that we had to order the part and it wouldn't be here until Monday. Fortunately we do have this gas fireplace and so the living room was comfy, but the rest of the house - NO! It turned out that the furnace service company couldn't get the part to Seattle until late last night, so they have only just left (1:30pm, on Tuesday). I might be a bit more forgiving if they had even a modicum of sympathy for our situation - no "gee, I'm sorry" or anything approaching that. You can be sure they are crossed off my list for any future service calls. And if you live around here, I'll tell you the name of the company so they can come off your list, too.

Meanwhile, there are some bright parts of our life, too.



I realize they are "forced" but they add such cheer to the house.



Here are a couple of photos from the CTA Christmas party I forgot to put up. Isn't this shoe just the cutest thing. They bought baby shoes at the thrift store and stuffed them to make pin cushions. What a clever idea.

Also, for your 'drooling' pleasure, the chocolate fountain was a big hit at the party as well.









Today the Somali ladies and I had a potluck (new concept for them) lunch to celebrate the last class until the first of the year. They made marvelous food - lots of food.

Meat pies and rice. We also enjoyed some raw vegetables, a quiche made by the other teacher and I made a cake. One member of the office staff is Cambodian and she brought shrimp spring rolls with peanut sauce. We feasted well!

Well, a pretty foodie post today. Stay well, stay warm.