Atelier Mandaline

  Every so often the calendar gives us a date with a reputation. Today is  Friday the 13th , which many people consider unlucky. Some won’t travel. Some avoid making big decisions. A few won’t even leave the house if they can help it. The superstition has been around for centuries, and one of the stories behind it traces back to  1307 , when King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest of the Knights Templar. On  Friday, October 13th , most members of the order were rounded up and executed. It was a brutal moment in history, and over time the memory of it settled into the public imagination. The date became associated with bad luck… and somehow it stayed there. Even now, hundreds of years later, the reputation still lingers. But today hasn’t felt unlucky at all over here. My daughter is home from college for a visit, which automatically makes any day better. The house feels fuller when she’s here — more laughter, more conversation drifting through the rooms. Between c...