Saturday Snow....

Yes....every now and then (translation: once every few years; thank you, global warming) we actually get a little snow here in Knoxville. Oh, sure, there’s tons of snow up in the Smokies but I’m talking about in the "big city." So it was nice last weekend to see some of the white stuff, even though it was responsible (yep, even such a small amount) for canceling my Saturday morning class in the art of bookmaking. But that made way for me to have a wonderful lunch with Liyin, Yeheng, and her husband, Hua. I’ve been back from China just long enough to really be missing the food. It was delicious (as you can see from some of the remnants)! After eating we sat at the table and enjoyed over an hour of wonderful, lively conversation. You see, here in the States, my Chinese friends and I can discuss such topics as the Falun Gong, the one-child policy, and other subjects that might be a little touchy discussing in China. We also talked of differences in Chinese and American culture and I explained to Yeheng (who is fond of using her extended middle finger to point to things) the meaning of that pleasant physical symbol. It was a wonderful (and delicious) way to laze away three hours in the middle of a snowy, Knoxville day.