As anticipated, NYC was frigid.

This was not a day to stroll and window shop. It was a day to spend inside. I spent quite awhile in Dean & DeLuca in SoHo. This is a section of their cheese display.

There are beautiful cakes.

But all I bought was a small Spicy Pecan Chocolate Bar for Steve. It cost $6.00.

I stopped in at Scholastic. I had lunch with my agent. I went to this display at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Here is my last view of the city before I got on the train to go home. I’m sorry that’s it’s not a better photo, but it was taken quickly with my iphone. I had to take my gloves off to make the button work, so it was a quick snap!

But, even a bad photo of the Empire State Building is beautiful.

I’m taking the train down to NYC on Friday to have lunch with my agent. I love going to Manhattan. I grew up in a New Jersey suburb near the city and we went in often, so it feels familiar to me. Still, that was many years ago in my childhood. Now I live in a town with no traffic lights and the only elevator is the handicap access to go up one flight at the town hall.

My agent (who is, by the way, delightful, witty and very good at her job) treats me to lunch at the sort of hip restaurants that are unique to New York. I’ll meet her in SoHo, and afterwards I’ll window shop and walk and walk. My feet start moving in New York, and I can’t stop.

I don’t have to dress up, but I do like to have clothes that look stylish enough that I don’t feel out of place. That’s not too hard – there’s a few things in my closet that will do. It’s supposed to be seriously cold on Friday, and when it’s cold, Manhattan’s streets, lined by skyscrapers, turn into frigid wind tunnels. My red wool coat won’t do. I’ll need my down parka. I bought it last year. It’s not faded, or torn. Actually, it’s rather good-looking. However, I have worn it in the barn. It is a tad… goaty.

Into the washing machine it goes tonight! You might see me shivering in my sweatshirt in the barn tomorrow. That coat is staying clean and odor-free until I get back from the big city!

Eggers and I spent the morning at a preschool.

Eggers was warm. She was away from those annoying hens, Siouxsie and Tina. The children fed her lots of cracked corn, and it was ALL HERS. No sharing. She was held and pet gently by little hands. This made her very happy.

The children were happy, too. They tried to capture Egger’s beauty in their drawings. Of course, it’s impossible to paint a chicken who is so perfect in real life, but they came close.

If you would like one of the “actresses who play Tillie” and me to come to your school email me (terry@terrygolson.com). Eggers, Betsy and Coco are all eager for more road trips.

It’s raining. The chickens have heads of cabbage to keep them busy and full. The goats hate to get wet. They’re stuck inside and bored. I have one of their favorite foods in my fridge’s vegetable bin – Italian flat leaf parsley. I thought I’d be nice to them and feed it to them instead of cooking with it. I carefully made my way out to the barn. I have to stomp through the snow because the shoveled path is too slippery. The boys look delighted to see me. I offer the parsley. They sniff, but, they don’t even nibble. It’s wilted! They look quizzically at me. Why would I be showing them this worthless stuff? Don’t I know that if it’s hangs limp, that it’s inedible? They think, “that goat maid is well-meaning but none too bright.” I get them some hay.

They might be fussy, but they are polite. Caper thanks me.

I feed the parsley to the rabbit. Candy says that it’s delicious. There’s no mushy spots and the color is a nice, deep green. What do those silly goats, know, anyway?

Torrential downpours starting tonight (Sunday) and going through the day tomorrow. The rain will be pounding down on frozen ground, ice and snow. It’s going to be a mess, and treacherous walking to the barn on the slippery path. I’ve cleaned out the coops, added extra bedding and bought cabbages. I’m ready. But not happy.