Well the snow was a non-event as I figured it would be. This morning at 9 AM when I walked the dogs there were a few snow-flecked hills (well, mounds--this IS Louisiana where there aren't any hills not made by bulldozers) and some cars with a little dusting.

I'm trying to pack up a few Christmas packages. I've got my Christmas list down now to a couple of friends, not even family, to whom I send money or best wishes. My closest friend who doesn't live here in Baton Rouge is the person I think about first when making my "list"--and I always have fun putting a package together for her. She entertains quite a bit so the wonderful finds I make at estate sales throughout the year are what I send to her. I doubt she'd ever read this but I am not going to disclose what she's getting except to say it's vintage silver, and I wrapped one piece of it in a beautiful Tiffany silver cloth holder which is one of many an old beau gave me (his daughters chose Tiffany silver when they married and for some unknown reason discarded all the silver cloth.)

I also have to finish packing up little presents I bought for my friends from the Toby Stephens forum on Moonfruit.com. My group is the "Doddlings"--we are all ga-ga over his performance as Maj. William Dodd in Sharpe's Challenge. Maj. Dodd is the villain (Toby always seems to play the villain, but he is a deliciously evil one!) but so sexy. We have fun discussing his beautiful and devilish machismo. If Toby Stephens does a live play in London this year (fingers crossed--he's done a play every year for the last three and says it's the work he likes best) we'll all convene there to see him and wait at the stage door for autographs. I'm sending them all a little item to help with the travel (they're from the US, Panama, Germany, and Greece), as well as a copy of my favorite Christmas poem, "King John's Christmas" by A. A. Milne. That's appropriate not just because of the season but also because Toby played Prince (later King) John in three episodes of the BBC's Robin Hood, which aired in the US this fall.