Satin

I RECENTLY WENT to a Christmas craft show in an old Victorian house. It is a place that I enjoy going to every year. It draws people from throughout the area and it's not unusual to find long lines of people (mostly women) waiting to go in and see the lovely handmade items for sale.This year I went on a weekday to avoid the crowds. I was feeling very blue the day I went. Usually, just entering the house instantly gets me into the Christmas spirit, but not this time. I even considered leaving and coming back at another time but something compelled me to stay and see if my mood would improve.

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey.... Did you ever ask yourself why Miss M. used a tuffet instead of a chair? Convenience, that's why.What piece of furniture has ever proved as moveable and adaptable as the lowly footstool, also known as a tuffet? It's close to the ground, so kids love it. It's nice to put your feet up on while you read the paper. It's great in front of the TV; you can sit on it rather than squat as you look at all those miniscule numbers while you program the VCR. It's also a magnet for napping cats, supper settings and magazines.

As Van Evers squeezed beside the freshly unearthed casket for the six-hour ride, one thought consumed him: He was going to see his father.He never believed he'd have this chance. Three years old when his father, Medgar Evers, was killed, Van had only faint memories of a man leaving bubble gum cigars on his bunk bed. After the murder, he would pick up the phone and ask, "Have you seen my daddy?"Now, nearly 30 years later, the body was being brought to Albany, N.Y., from Arlington National Cemetery for an autopsy to bolster a case against the accused killer.

Valentino presented one. So did Bill Blass, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Donna Karan and Calvin Klein.They all showed versions of a slip dress in their recent ready-to-wear collections. So many New York and European designers included lace dresses, sheer skirts and diaphanous wraps in their shows it looked as though there was a universal directive mandating lacy lingerie looks for spring.Of course, there isn't such a thing as a seasonal design directive. The impetus came from consumers.

I work as a party planner in a firm that employs only women. For events, our boss requires that we wear covered-up, staid dresses. They are not only uncomfortable but completely impractical for the work we do.This means rearranging tables and chairs, bringing in extra bowls of flowers and checking coats and packages that the guests bring to the table.We have argued for years that pants would be more practical and modern. She has at last said she'll consider them and asked for ideas. What would you suggest?

There's nothing quite like impeccable sushi, and we found it at Fuji in Ellicott City. Long cuts of deep-red tuna belly and coral-pink salmon were draped over nuggets of seasoned sushi rice like dancers in a deep bow. The fish was so fresh it tasted like satin on the tongue. Sushi is just part of the authentic Japanese experience at Fuji, opened in 1992 by Asatoshi Takamine, sushi chef and owner. Step inside this tiny suburban storefront through a curtain of decorative banners and you'll find a traditional raised seating area, where you can eat cross-legged on the floor.

There are more olive trees in Puglia than anywhere else in Italy. In fact, with an estimated 50 million trees growing in the Italian boot's "heel," there's nearly one for every man, woman and child living in the entire nation. Driving south along the Adriatic Sea, as I did late last fall, I saw acre after glorious acre of Pugliese olive trees, which have gnarled and windblown trunks, making sculptural shapes that are both colossal and somehow ethereal.

Finally it's spring. That means baseball, hay fever and the start of painting season. "May through September are the biggest months for paint sales," says Mark Sposito, vice president of marketing for Sherwin-Williams' Eastern Division. As temperatures rise, so do the number of home painting projects, he notes. The Sherwin-Williams paint factory on Hollins Ferry Road is operating 24 hours a day, five days a week. Soon the plant will be working around the clock on weekends as well, says plant manager Mike Levitsky.

The moment Rose DeWitt Bukater lifts her heavily beaded evening gown and steps her embroidered satin slipper on the railing of a doomed ocean liner, she starts a movie's action and brings to Technicolor life an emerging fashion trend."

Be tall. Be thin. Be young.Alas, that's what one fashion director recommended when asked for tips on how best to coordinate hose with fall's new outfits.Well, if you're all of those things, you've got it made. If not, applaud her honesty. . . . and remember, she also said that there now are so many options for legwear that you're sure to find something flattering.And she's right: Driven by a combination of innovation, technology and pure marketing, women's hosiery is available now in a truly bewildering array of shades, weights and styles.