A Second Chance

Happy New Year my friends. I have taken a looooonng hiatus from my computer, only checking my e-mail for shop activity. It felt very good and relaxing to untie myself from the screen, but I missed everyone, too. I'm happy to be back, and to be catching up with what everyone has been up to.

What's new for us? Just before the Christmas break, my husband brought home a kitten, approximately 8 weeks old, who had gotten trapped in a shipping container. Who knows how long he had been in there, but he was quite dehydrated and starving, and was probably not long for this life when he was found. For two weeks after Brian brought him home, he did nothing but sleep and eat, and I carried him around in a sling as much as I could to get him used to human touch. Now he's a total whipper-snapper, and is fitting in very nicely with our family. Bronwyn is much entertained by his funny antics, and our other cat, Fiona, although long suffering, is warming up to him nicely. We named him "Second Chance Pickle." The "Pickle" part of his name came from my daughter's good friend Ella Wren, who kindly kitten-sat him while we were on holiday in Montana. She noticed that he had a tendancy to get himself into a pickle! We just call him "Chance." He's such a sweet boy.

Our trip to Montana was lovely and inspiring. We had lots of snow, and otherwise mild weather; just right for walking in. On Christmas day we went out to Kelly Canyon, and I took a little walk at sunset where I was one with the cold air, the snow and the ravens. I fell in love with the climate then, as I never had before. Coming home, it was nice to find our routine again, and I found myself enjoying time with my husband and daughter.

This past weekend, Bronwyn and I went out to the Nisqually River Delta and Wildlife Refuge. We walked around for a couple of hours and saw lots of Bald Eagles, Canada Geese (of course), Blue herons, and a Sea Lion, fishing in the river. The day was damp, but not rainy and it felt good to stretch our legs. I have a never-ending fascination for moss and lichens, and this trip did not dissapoint in that department: It was lush with the tiny greens!

Creatively, I am going to try something I've never done before: make a quilt. My Niece, Abby, just turned 16, and for her birthday, she decided to make 16 quilts for Project Linus, an organization that donates quilts to chilren in hospitals. I thought it would be great to donate one in honor of her 16th birthday, so I pledged to do it. I'm only slightly terrified! Right now, I'm working out the size and fabrics, but I'll be sure to keep you posted on my progress. Oh, and I've had a birthday! I'm now 41 years old. WOW. I'm so glad to have you all in my life; thank-you, and I hope that 2010 brings each of you happiness.