Bibi's Twin

We're taking big gulps of life here at the hacienda; the time has finally arrived to grab everything as fast as you can, as much as you can. Time waits for no one.

Turns out the precocious Bibi has an identical twin who is a librarian!! I know, I was surprised too. As is the case with many twins, she is her own person, nothing like her flambouyant sister. We'll get back to the sister in a moment but first a couple of parties to attend.

On Saturday night a longtime friend turned 60 and 23 friends turned out to attend an amazing party that included a catered 6 course meal with as many courses of wine and port. Oh my.

This is the same friend who cooked the equivalent of Babette's Feast for us on his 50th Birthday. Cooked it on his wood burning stove in his earth berm home built into a hillside on a permaculture farm in Oregon. It's true, folks. There are visionaries among us and our friend is one who sees the future and is living it now. He had to milk the cow immediately before the party commenced; our wonderful friend who is both worldly and earthy and advanced. When I say you are advanced I have given you my highest compliment.

Chavo and Seiko and Tao came too. Here Tao has a giggling fit with his neighbor at the table while papa holds him. Of course I sat right next to him where I could take about a zillion pictures.

Fast forward to today when we visited with our adopted family to the south of us. Christmas festivities finally arrived after a snowy rescheduling; I learned how to make a wonderful shrimp soup from these darlings' mother tonight and we had a little tea party together with orange pop seasoned with salt. It was Celeste's idea. She's the one with the orange moustache above.

Here she reaches for the salt. I know just enough Spanish to tell her it tasted "horriblay". She laughed~!

My beautiful girls are growing up. The years roll by. Soon they will be teenagers and women. And I will still love them then, even more.

So who is this new lady; this twin of Bibi? She whispered her name to me just now - Colette. She is very French, very proper, hospital corners on her bedsheets and all that. Well somebody has to keep order in the Dewey Decimal System and Colette is our girl.

Don't even think of keeping that overdue book one day longer! Colette has her eye on you.

I think Bibi looks a little chastised having Colette here to look over things, don't you? Really, I have to snap out of it. Winter just makes me this way - it isn't my fault at all. Thanks for putting up with my silliness. ;-D