Last photo for The Compass - Writers Group photo - finally used manual popcorn machine

Scott, I said, Come over early - he leaves for the train at 8 pm - I'll drive you, I said - and We'll figger out how to work my new popcorn machine.

First, we 'seasoned' it. Then I used 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels, turned the heat to medium, and FINALLY, we heard em popping.

A mighty thrill!

The popcorn is good, but not great. Am munching it now as I type.

Just bit into a huge chunk of butter in the serving bowl which didn't melt.

Woke up today and said, This is a day of rest.

Then I remembered... had to advertise our ND meeting tomro nite plus our Meditation Program on Saturday.

Whole lot of melting went on plus salt trucks n ploughs came up n down the street, thank you Upper Moreland Township!

What I particularly like are THE SHINY MOUNDS OF SNOW. Never saw anything like it.

Damn good movie, made in 1995, based on a play by the recently deceased August Wilson. It's part of a series of plays about blacks living in Pittsburgh during the Depression.

At 1:30 pm, five women from our Writers' Group met in the coffee shop for our group photo.

Cast of characters: Martha, Carly, Donna, Ruthie and Linda.

Adryn took the pic. Our assignment was to write poems about the baristas. I'd wrin one about Kiana, but she wasn't there. It was in the form of a cinquin, but I said to myself: This is silly. That form means nothing to her. Let me expand it. So I did.

YOU will be the first to read it.

 Scott asked me if I was wearing a new sweater. No, I said, I have so many sweaters they hide from me, and I just found it. It's very warm!

Martha's nail polish cost 99 cents from K Mart. Donna and Marf do their own nails. Not me. I don't have the patience.

It's a beautiful night out there.

Wish I could capture the quality of the shiny mounds of snow.