A Fresh Start!

Here's wishing you all hope, energy and a song in your heart to start off a fresh new year.

Savoring

We used this PhotoBooth shot for our cards this year. I love it. I think it looks like we are in front of a roaring campfire, when we are actually all in our P.J.'s snuggled up in front of my monitor. Mostly I think the photo hints at how happy we are to be together. One of the main reasons I love this holiday is for the few days that time stops and we just stay together. Last night we started the holiday Scrabble marathon, all of the ingredients are collected for our Christmas day feast, and the garage is hiding all sorts of presents for tomorrow morning to surprise Annie! She's so excited! Another thing I look forward to is a walk on the beach or in the redwoods before dinner, in any weather, to enjoy the beauty of this time of year.
I'm savoring the warmth and the sweet joy of connection that I enjoy from you and everyone in my life. Thank you!

Dog Party

We threw a spontaneous hot chocolate party this afternoon. We tidied the house, made a pot of yummy vegetable soup and laid out some reindeer cookies and a small cake before our guests arrived. Annie and I put on festive dresses and decided to go across the street and invite some of our elderly neighbors to share some holiday cheer with us. When we got home Jasper (our large shaggy dog) had eaten all the reindeer cookies and the whole cake! Ak!

Oh well! At least he had some holiday cheer.

The party was fine, there was plenty to enjoy. The photo above shows the small ornaments I made for our guests. Each one depicts one of our canaries.

Warm Wishes

Visiting the San Francisco Japanese Tea Gardens in December is wonderful! No one is there! Except squirrels. We bundled up really well, enjoyed every square inch of the place, then filled ourselves with plenty of hot Jasmine Tea and a sampling of Japanese cookies. I find it poetic, contemplative and imagining you are in a long-ago private garden somewhere in Japan is very easy.
We both made wishes in the pond and both of us wished for the same type of thing. Connection and love. Mmmmmmmm!

Oh We'll Bake an Apple Pie When She Comes!

"We'll be peeling some apples when she comes!
When she comes!"

We'll be rolling out some pastry when she comes!
When she comes!

We'll be adding some spices when she comes!
When she comes!

Hmm. There's no good lyrics for when she goes.
That's just a sad song!

(O.K. Annie just made up the verse below...)
We don't want LaLa Pat to leave.
Oh, we don't want LaLa Pat to leave.
Oh we don't want LaLa Pat,
Oh we don't want LaLa Pat,
Oh we don't want LaLa Pat to leave!

Come back soon.We miss you already!

Everything is Illuminated

Something about the quality of light during these short days fills me with wonder and pleasure! I also feel my mother and grandmother's love and excitement for this time of year, and I feel really connected to many layers of love!
The combination of senses and memory leaves me close to tears, tears of joy and gratitude, and I want to spend all my time with Annie and Bill. I want to hold hands, listen, be really close, sing, go for walks, and make everything special. Celebratory!

Ahhhhh!

Annie, Bill and I loved our Thanksgiving in L.A. and we missed cooking our first turkey in our new home, so we had Thanksgiving II last weekend. We did all of our favorite dishes, set the table and had a mini-feast. While Papa was in the last hour of roasting, Annie and I went to the beach to do a little crabbing before the sunset, and I snapped a few shots. I think they capture some of the qualities I'm loving right now.

Fun & Busy

We're attempting to balance out the busyness of this season with the fun, fun, fun. We are headed to the Japanese Tea Garden today, and yesterday we had a wonderful play date that left us feeling happy and cared about. I've still got a few project to work on, and I want to ship out the few packages I've got no later than next week.

I'm vowing to remain calm.

A Portrait of Self-Care

In March of 2002 my mother died of colon cancer.

She was 61 years old.

I was, and still am living with a broken heart.

A routine colonoscopy at 50 would have saved her life.

She didn't get one until it was too late.


Life in it's beauty and mystery has moved forward.

And though I miss my living mother sorely, her beauty is ingrained in me and she is never far from my heart and mind.

I really love the life I live!

And I want to keep living and loving for as long as I can.

So, I had a colonoscopy when I turned 39.

It was yucky.


And I did it!

Now, five years later, at my doctors recommendation, I scheduled another colonoscopy.

It was today.

That last picture didn't really capture how triggering, uncomfortable, disgusting, scary and messy the proceedure is for me, so I'll try and capture it again.


There. That's more like it.

Ak! Now I'm worried that this post will keep you from taking care of your self!

Can I say that these photos don't convey a timetable? The above experience is very short lived. What lasts much longer is the feeling of joy and confidence in living!

Please encourage those you love to get a colonocopy if they are over 50, or earlier if they have any family history.

If you need any further encouragement, go to someone you love and hold them. Imagine holding them and loving them for many, many years to come!




Thank you Bill and Annie for holding my hands, rubbing my feet and going with me today. I love our life together!