Welcome Message

December 2020

 

It was a hellacious year, wasn’t it? I hated the vast majority of it.

 

BUT.  I also discovered a lot of good from it, and that was a life lesson for me that I want to share. I believe that for every storm cloud there is lifegiving rain—and sunshine just around the corner. I believe that for every bump in the road, there are things to see that we’d miss if we traveled too fast. I believe that when we have to change everything we’re doing, especially for a good reason, that we learn patience, appreciate what we have and those around us, and when disaster does strike, that we learn to both reach out and to accept help when we need it. When I had quiet time, I wrote. As much as I could write. Sometimes it was just in my journal, but sometimes I was working on the sequel to my Unchained Dragon book. The journal was soul lifting.

 We had two new grand-babies born, a boy and a girl, and a new great-niece. So fun! We won’t get to meet them in person in the near future because of travel restrictions and mom-and-dad-fears about Covid, but we love Face-Timing and love all the pictures the parents of our multitude of grandchildren post on Facebook. 

 I focused on losing weight, a proposition that has been undermined a million times by travel, eating out, holidays and special events, etc. I’ve lost 45 lbs and feel so much better!

 We also took the time to take care of ourselves in other ways. We got cataract surgeries done. We gardened—oh, the flowers were gorgeous this year!

Voodoo Fuchsias. So beautiful!

I still haven't figured out what it is, but I love it.

My Immortality Irises finally bloomed.

And I spent time crocheting blankets, hats, and booties for the new granddaughter and the great-niece. I took other gifts to the new grandson when I visited, so he didn’t get a blanket—it was July. He didn’t need a blanket. 

Same outfit, different lighting. This is one of the two sets I made. Proud of my work.

 The puppy didn’t work out. Or maybe, fairly, we didn’t work out for him; but God gave us a wonderful family who took him to a big home on an acre of property, a heap of grandchildren to play with and wear him out, and so much love that he’ll never want for anything. 

Love you, Toby, but you're too much dog for us. LOL.

We got another dog. Her name is Charlotte, and not only has she been a completely different sort of dog, my father is in love with her. He constantly pets her and hugs her and kisses her (and sneaks food to her under the table), telling her over and over that she’s a beautiful baby, a beautiful girl. She loves all of us, but actually attached more to me. Funny. We’ve had a number of dogs in our marriage and most were supposed to be mine and they attached to Richard. This pooch was to replace the dog Richard has always wanted--and she took to me! She's a character and loves to play catch. She'll wear out your arm before you ever wear her out. See, a silver lining in every cloud.

Our new Charlotte. Just about my size.

We had family for Thanksgiving, and we didn’t care what restrictions were out there. The family members were tested and we didn’t have hardly any Covid in our community, so we weren’t worried. And we had a great time. 

We love touring our forests, and thankfully some of the hiking trails were open. We enjoyed them all over again, which is real common for us every time we get the chance to go, but taking our daughter and family with us made it that much more wonderful. Add to that beach time and Thanksgiving dinner, and we had so much fun. 

Most of us at the table

Beautiful shot of the redwood forest

Grandsons are adorable, aren't they?