Home–for another day anyway

If it’s Sunday, this must be Atlanta. Today was catch up day. Time to unload my suitcase. Unload the dishwasher. Open the mail. Read e-mail. Do laundry. Watch the clip of myself on CNN.com from last week. Yikes! Remind me not to watch myself on television. Ever. Again. I look like a ginormous yellow school bus in my yellow jacket, which I thought was so cute and spring-like. But here’s the link, just in case you need to feel superior to certain schoolbus-like Atlanta-based authors. My sister-in-law Jeanne has moved back to Atlanta as of this weekend, so we had a wonderful leisurely brunch at a great restaurant in Decatur, Cafe Lily. Food is always yummy, prices great, service friendly. Then a walk around the neighborhood, as it was a glorious sunny day in Atlanta. The DEEP DISH signings have been wonderful. We had a great crowd at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, in fact, it was standing room only. Sitting in the front row were my Scribblers buddies, Sarah Shaber, Bryn Witchger, Margaret Maron, Diane Chamberlain, and of course, QRB owner Nancy Olson, who runs just the best independent bookstore around. We all had dinner beforehand, including another scribbler, Katy Munger, and her daughter Zusu. Also checking in at the QRB signing were the Pink Posse, a group of fun-loving gals who once tailgated a talk and signing I did at a library in Raleigh. They all sat in the front row sipping bottles of orange juice–which I later found out were spiked with likker! They brought me my very own kit for their “Carolina Delightful Cocktail”–which includes Cranberry Juice too. I had a chance to see lots of old friends even tho I was only in Raleigh for a day. I shopped at my friend Beth’s KnickKnack Paddywack. To celebrate the publication of DEEP DISH I bought myself a teensy little sterling silver trophy. I have 3 others like this one, two of which I picked up on our antiqueing trip to England a couple years ago. Also bought a really unusual piece of the blue and white transferware that I love–a sardine dish. It is rectangular, attached to a plate, and has a lid. It’ll never see a sardine at my house–I wouldn’t touch ’em with a ten-foot-pole. I had fun arranging my new pretties on my
Welsh cupboard. Beth and I are plotting a May trip to the Brimfield Antique Market. Also checked in with Roi, my hairdresser in Raleigh, who sat me down, re-colored and re-cut my hair (even tho my Atlanta hairdresser had just done it–Roi has certain standards) and did my make-up for the signing. Now that’s the kind of friend to have! I felt like a princess by the time I got to QRB. Friday I had a signing at The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, NC, and another nice turn-out. I flew home Friday night, got up and went to my signing at the Barnes & Noble in Buckhead–and went junking along the way. I only hit two sales, but I did find some cool new watering cans, which I’ll put in Maisy’s Daisy when I head down to Savannah at the end of the month. Tomorrow I’ll be signing at Scott’s Bookstore on the Newnan Square. Miss Earlene is a wonderful bookseller. And the Newnan Square has lots of fun shops and restaurants, including The Redneck Gourmet, which makes an awesome pimento cheese sammich. The only fly in my ointment these days is Amazon. Two people have decided to rain on my parade by posting negative reviews of DEEP DISH. I just wish these folks would have done like my grandma said–“if you don’t have something nice to say, keep your mouth shut.” Oh well.