Bocelli

I am happy to introduce a new member to my family~ his name is Bocelli. I picked him out from 10 beautiful canaries this morning. They were each auditioning, but he took the prize. He came with a 30 day guarantee, but so far, I think he is wonderful. While I was phoning Heidi to tell her about him, he started singing and singing. I hope you got to hear him Heidi. His song is delightful.

One of My Favorite Hobbies Is Cross Stitch

Thankfully I have many interests ~ therefore, I do not get bored. Among them is cross stitching. When I lived in Austin, I actually took some classes from an expert stitcher. It was really good for me to be exposed to unusual stitching and ideas. Consequently the trunk in my cottage is nearly full to the top with threads, fabric, patterns, finished and unfinished projects. I used to tell my kids to toss all of these things into my casket when I die so I will have something to do after I get to heaven. [This is a joke! ;-)]

About three weeks ago I finished a bird project which was really fun to stitch. I picked it up from the framer yesterday and am quite pleased. The angels in the smaller frames on the table are Josiah and Annika, my darling grandchildren!

Thank You

I have been amazed at the outpouring of support I have received from family and friends in the death of my dear pet, Tweety. Thanks to everyone who called, sent emails, and gave hugs. It really helped me.

I have decided to get another canary just as soon as I can.

Tweety Is Now Flying with the Angels

Yesterday Tweety, my dear canary, died. I loved his singing and the cheery attitude he had. He was such a nice companion for me. Often when I played the music of Andrea Bocelli, Tweety tried to out-sing him. I loved his warbling and trills. A high C was no problem for him!

He used to sing in the mornings even before I removed his cover, but over the past 10 months or so, he was beginning to show signs of old age, and he only chirped occasionally.

Tweety and I had many great conversations. He knew when I was happy and when things weren't going so well. He joined in song when I would play the piano. He chirped when I would read my Bible or morning devotions aloud.

This morning my Aunt Ginny comforted me with these words, "Pets are such good friends. . . they just don't live long enough."

I shall miss him terribly. But it pleases me to know he is singing and soaring with the angels.

Family Get-together

Saturday evening things were hopping at Aunt Liz's! Seated around the table were 16 family members, which is a good percentage of our small family. All three families (my mom, Aunt Liz, and Aunt Ginny) were represented. It was kind of neat how all of that came about: Diane flew here from Philadelphia for the weekend to help Jill and Jake with their wedding preparations (they are getting married in Minnesota on June 29, and Linda had made plans to drive from Chicago to Minnesota just to hang out with the Minnesota cousins. So, rather than going out to eat where it would be noisy, etc., Aunt Liz offered to let us gather in her home. One more thing — it was also Janet's birthday! So we got to help her celebrate.

I was so happy that Peder and Sarah wanted to be included. Peder hadn't been to Aunt Liz's for many years and Sarah had never been there. It was a good time for them to get acquainted with cousins on my side of the family. And, Sarah helped Aunt Liz set up a blog! It's called "Read Reed." I think between Aunt Liz and Aunt Ginny, they could fill us in on a lot of our family history. [This is just an idea, Aunt Liz.]

Plus, an opportunity came for Peder to tell everyone about the "All-family" cruise to Alaska he is putting together for August 2008. There will be more to follow about this, but not until April or May of this year.

I treasure these family times. We sure have a good time when we get together!!!

Boss' s Birthday Bash

My boss Paul had a birthday recently. This is how we celebrated.

At the table are Paul, Princess Bella, Snowball, and Cow. These huge, stuffed animals, hang out in our office and at times appear in someone's office, sitting at their computer, lounging in a side chair, hanging over the top of a cubicle, and once Princess Bella was up in the ceiling tiles!

Should you be getting the impression that I work in a kindergarten, I can assure you I do not. Rather, I work in an office where creativity is encouraged. Most of the time I really enjoy it.

Farewell

Yesterday a dear family friend, Sharon (Tiny) Smith died after battling lymphoma and leukemia for about five years. I have known Tiny nearly all of my life. She came into our family by being a next-door neighbor to my Aunt Liz and Uncle Vic. She and her daughters, Rhonda and Robin, were often included in our family outings - to places far away, such as Holland, Michigan; Chicago; Lowell, Indiana; Seattle, Washington; and even in 1982 when we flew to Ireland, Scotland, England, Belgium, The Netherlands, and Wales. She was so close to us that I think my kids must have thought she was an aunt, rather than a family friend.

Life became very difficult for her after her husband, Dean, died unexpectedly in November 2005, a couple of weeks after we had spent a fun-packed week in Seattle with Heidi and Chad.

I will miss Tiny very much, but am so happy that she will no longer be suffering. Rest in peace, Tiny. May God be with you.

2nd Snowstorm in 6 Days!

Wow! Mother Nature really packed a wallop this time. Adding to our 12 inches of snow from last weekend, we now have about 36 inches of snow on the ground. They are saying (WCCO radio, the good neighbor of the Northwest) this is the most snow we have had in one week's span since 1982. Yesterday my neighbor and I were recalling this as reminiscent of when we were kids. Oh, how much fun we had sliding down the huge mounds from the shoveling and plowing!

Here are some of the photos I have taken both yesterday and this morning. I think it is really beautiful. They are basically of my front and back yard. You'll notice, I can no longer walk on my sidewalk to my front door, but have to walk out in the street past the huge hill. If you compare these photos to the ones on my last post, you will see quite a difference.

I need to give some credit here to the Minnesota Department of Travel - - they have done an incredible job of keeping our streets plowed and sanded where necessary!