A Wonderful Day

Guys, thank you for the sweet messages.  They warmed my heart and set the tone for a terrific day.  And it's not over yet!

I like long walks on the beach so when my friend Nicole (whose birthday is also today) asked me to join her and her dog Luna, I leapt at the chance.  Robin joined us and took this picture.  It's lovely weather for this time of year, clear and slightly-crisp.

 Nicole loves her doggie and, despite Luna's aging and mounting health problems, Nicole walks her every day and loves her like crazy.  As a fellow animal-lover, I relate to that.

In terms of gifts, I got several great ones!

Here is a chocolate motorcycle from Robin, photographed on a cool plate I bought a few years ago from Fishes Eddie, a place in NYC that sells china from restaurants that have gone out of business.

 Robin also bought me a beautiful large wooden bowl which I plan to use to display my collection of baseballs.  I bring home a ball from every stadium I visit around the country and have a good number already.

This is a very nice, beautifully-made chef's knife from Japan that I asked for specifically.  (It's from Williams-Sonoma.)  I love to cook and, with this knife, I'll either make fabulous meals or become known as 9-Finger Louie.

I also received two other nice gifts: a very pretty necklace from Poppy and a green velvet scarf from the old friend Kara.  I took a dozen pictures of the necklace but it kept reflecting back the flash and none of the pictures came out.  I'll try again tomorrow.  Thanks, Poppy!

Now, off to dinner with friends.  So far, a great day!  Thank you for being part of it.