The month of February is a bit of a blur as I look back at the month. I was
completely obsessed with the show and rehearsals. When it was over...I
carried my lovely bouquet of pink roses to my car along with my own playbill..it was
late..we were all leaving to attend the cast party with our friends...I
looked back towards the darkened Scottish Rite Theatre...gave a sigh and added it
to my memory bank into the recesses of my mind.

Dip and get away
From loops into slip-knots
Write your own ciphers and figure eights.
It is your wooded island here in Lincoln park.
Everybody knows this belongs to you.

Philip is here. I could end the passage here, you would smile, you know me
by now....you know how happy I am to have him here a thousand miles from where
he lives...He was here for the show...bringing me smiles of accolades.

We spent Sunday tobogganing at Pokagon State Park. It was the last day of
the season, and he had never gone tobogganing before. We made four
runs...trudging up the hill each time. It was a lovely day in Indiana...blue sky, bright
sun...the scent of spring was in the air..even though we still had hats and
gloves. It was fun sharing this event with him. When I was a teen ager, our
youth group used to go up on Sunday afternoons...later I took my own children
and now they take their sweet wives.

We also visited our local winery. Yes, even here in Northern Indiana we have
our own winery, Satek's Winery. It began as a hobby, but is now a thriving,
award winning business. Our winemaker guide for the afternoon was a classmate
of Abe's. He was charming and very knowledgeable about the business. Shane
had studied winemaking in California and is now working on a degree in Fort
Wayne on microbiology. As he kept filling our glasses with "samples" he filled
us with short stories of himself. He lives in a wonderful old house with his
dog...reads a lot..and lives without a television. I was impressed with his
independence...his knowledge....his charm...and his focus. And...we, of
course, bought wine.

Every man spins a web of light circles
And hangs this web in the sky
Or finds it hanging, already hung for him,
Written as a path for him to travel.

We spent other evenings walking...at the movies..watching the snow
fall...visiting with Rachael at the coffeeshop...having Marguerites with Jessie and
Bruce in Fort Wayne...sitting by the fire late yesterday afternoon. We also spent
two days in Chicago...riding the train...and staying in an old European
Hotel..watching the sunset at the top of the John Hancock building...riding the
subway to a wonderful old jazz club, The Green Mile...going in and out of
shops...watching people, pigeons, drummers on the street.

We rode the late afternoon train home...sharing our car with commuters,
shoppers...sharing articles from the Chicago Tribune and the Wall Street Journal.
Swirling snow encased our train by South Bend...twirling, bending, dancing out
of our windows..using storyteller's imagination, we could have been in any
place at any time...

Hog Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler:
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders

So, March is here..with teasing of spring...with daffodils blooming
somewhere...unstable weather surrounds our skies...welcome once again. Tonight we are hosting a pot luck dinner with lots of evening games for
neighbors and friends...tomorrow back to work...a few more days before Philip packs
his bags and travels away from me a thousand miles. But as I always try to
remember...Today is my Favorite Day.

There are wonderful new photos on my website...one of our baby Jonah, ten
days old!

And so wishing you a bouquet of daffodils...a kite ready to fly...and an
evening with friends...I send love to all. Lou Ann