I was planning to post a Happy Thanksgiving note last week, but thanks to a weather front creeping slowly towards the East Coast, we got in the car Wednesday night instead of Thursday morning and made the trek to PA snow free and I never got around to posting anything.  So happy belated Thanksgiving everyone.  🙂

I was also planning to have something to post for the Sunday Salon yesterday but my husband is leaving for Denver this morning and I spent the day with him trying to figure out how to fit suits and heavy sweaters into one suitcase and never put butt in chair.

So today it is and we’re going to go about this bullet style so I can cover several topics and not have to worry about coming up with pithy transitions.

• I honestly didn’t get much reading done, and a week later, I’m still reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  Between visiting relatives and a holiday, reading time was almost nonexistent the last week but I’m actually enjoying this slow meander through the wizarding world.  While I won’t say that the Order of the Phoenix is my favorite of the Harry Potter books, I will admit to it being a nice holding place.  A lot happens in this installment but it’s also where Harry tries on male crankiness and I tend to get sick of brooding easily so parts of this one don’t always appeal to me.  That said, I’m still enjoying it.
• Thanks to a staff retreat, I had the chance to visit the Frederick Douglass house in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, DC last week.  If you need a refresher on Douglass, the Wikipedia page can help you out.  I was planning to share a few photos but I was using my cell phone and don’t have time this morning to pull them off so if you’re interested in photos, the Park Service site has a few.  Going into the tour, I only knew what I remembered from school, which I hate to admit was not a lot, so I was looking forward to the guided tour from the Park Service.  The house, which is an amazing place, contains 70% of the original pieces of furniture and artwork which Douglass used during his time at the house.  It drips with history and makes you feel as though you’ve stepped back in time.  With a portrait of Abraham Lincoln hanging over one fireplace, you feel the immense burden that Douglass shouldered and the fight which he made personal for all those that would listen.  I think we may have a copy of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave on the shelves somewhere and I need to find it.  I almost bought it at the bookstore but decided to check the house first since I remember seeing it recently.
• Pictures.  I had several that I was planning to share but again, on the cell phone and don’t have time (really it probably has more to do with patience but whatever) so if I can get myself in gear at some point in time this week, I’ll share.

That’s it for me this morning.  I’m hoping to catch up with some blog reading this week too.  I took a look at my email and blog feeds and let’s just say it was overwhelming and I may just hit delete and start over but I plan to read as you all out there give me some great book selections and I feel I can’t miss even one.  Enjoy the week.