Good morning. Not quite 6:30. Can't say what the day will be like yet as it is still dark outside. Roosters are busy trying to get the sun to wake up but Sol hasn't listened yet. Tuesdays and Fridays are my early mornings when I get up with Steve so I can take him in to work before I spend the day at Montessori. And to think I could sleep another hour and 1/2 if I didn't have to make the trip in and back to Charlotte Amalie. Not a good thing to think about when you are not a morning person. And Steve is typically one of those chipper ones you just want to whack with a frying pan as he tries to joke and tease my morning grumpies away.

Well, I should have known better about the cute raccoon in Napoli's Bound. It bit off two of Wei Ping's toes so Stepmother killed it - let's just say there wasn't much left for the stew pot when she got done. She was a bit mad (both in the angry and insane definition) and chopped off Wei Ping's toes on her other foot so they would match. She figured Wei Ping would be married before her duped husband realized there was less under those binding strips than there should be. Shing Shing took the beautiful carp back to the pool and set it free but if you know the Chinese Cinderella story you know that the magical fish is far from safe when it comes to Stepmother. Shing Shing does prevail in the end and marries the prince - not quite the handsome devil from the Walt Disney version as corpulence is a good thing in a man. A delightful read and what a beautiful cover.

The sun is up but you would hardly know it - misty and dreary day beginning.