You know you're upper middle class when. . .

1. You have to call your massage therapist because you lost your appointment card and you forgot to put the appointment in your calendar.
2. You have a closet for just your winter clothes.
3. Leftovers consist of seared tuna and arugela salad.
4. It bothers you to carry a black purse while wearing tan sandals.
5. Bush's grammar faux pas make your skin crawl.
6. You use phrases like "faux pas."
7. Your hairdresser calls your cell phone when you are late for a cut.
8. You worry that the newly installed copper gutters aren't turning verdi gris fast enough.
9. You know exactly what color "verdi gris" is.

Stormy Kromer

Every once in a while a really perfect thing comes along and its very existence is satisfying. We were visiting the U.P (Upper Peninsula of Michigan) this last winter and went into a small shop that sat almost on Lake Huron. It was 10 degrees and sunny--the town was almost empty save a few pickup trucks and a snowmobile or two. That's where I got my "Stormy Kromer." It's the greatest winter hat $25 can buy. And it has a history--written inside the cap--on the label. I won't spoil it for you. It's made in Michigan--all the better. Sadly, it's probably too warm to wear in the spring--but anything that can make me look forward to next winter is a really blessing. Thanks, Stormy.

Spring in the City

My great grandmother's peonies are sprouting--a sure sign that most of the worst of winter is probably over. I've been sorting through old cards, letters, pictures, etc. and I found the picture that best depicts Detroit to me. When it was taken, I was driving along John R on my way home from work one day a few years ago, and I stopped to photograph this magnificent rose bush. You can see that it is growing up against and through the fence that surrounds an abandoned building. It hasn't been pruned or fed or sprayed, I'm sure. And yet, it is wildly abundant in blooms and has the most magnificent color. What a cliche'--but I love it anyway.

George W Comes Out

There are still people clinging to the illusion that just because one gets elected, one is smart enough to run the country. I think the only way those last few folks would ever turn against GWB is if he came out.