Our hearts are healing.

What happened? Where did December go? Must have been here...but a bit of a blur.
It is now January and 2009 and time for a new start.

Our Christmas was really good...had the whole family here on the Sunday before Christmas and it was a good day. The craziness, the food, the kids, it was great.

As the house cleared out that day, it was with deep concern we noticed our wonderful old golden retriever, Norm, had not been himself all day. We loaded him in the car and headed to the emergency vet. Within the hour we knew we would not have him much longer...he had a mass around his heart that would only extend his life by months if we chose to have it removed. At 10 1/2 years old, we decided Norm's life had come to an end and it was time to say good-bye. We picked him up the next day and took him to our vet and said our tearful farewell.
His ashes have now been spread in our back yard where he loved to be.







He is deeply missed.

The next day our sons came home for a week and we had a good time with them. They were a good diversion from the sadness we were struggling with. If you are not a pet person, it is hard to understand the loss you feel...the heartbreak.

On a brighter note, Phoebe, our other dog has now fallen into the "favored" dog position for the first time in her life and although you can tell she is still looking for Norm, she is enjoying the limelight with regular walks and regular brushings. She is not ready to eat out of his bowl...but that will come with time.






She is so our cat!

January is busy with travel and knitting and trying to figure out how in the world to get rid of a bunch of weight!!! Time to get busy with that.

I knitted slippers until the cows came home..for Christmas gifts!


I think the total was 7 pairs...I could do them in my sleep.
The kids loved them though - so it was fun.






Lastly, my Christmas gift was sitting in the driveway,

my new SmartCar! It is quite a hoot to drive and a lot of fun.
I am working an a vanity plate for it...and have a list of ideas that have been given to me....






Hope you all had a really good holiday season.
The best to everyone.