Happy New Year!

To All My Friends,

In the New Year,
I wish you the best year you’ve ever had,
and that each New Year
will be better than the last.
May you realize your fondest dreams
and take time to recognize and enjoy
each and every blessing.
May you care for every creature
that crosses your path
with compassion, love & respect.
Happy New Year,
And many more!

Merry Christmas!

From our house to your house... Wishing you and yours
a very content & peaceful Holiday Season!

MeMe

The kitten is getting bigger!

Barack Obama Elected 44th President!

President-elect Barack Obama walks on stage at his victory celebration in Chicago with his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha.

“If there is anyone out there who doubts that America is a place where anything is possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,” Obama declared.

“We have witnessed tonight in America a revolution of values, a revolution of ideals,” Rep. John Lewis, D-GA, said. “There’s been a transformation of America, and it will have unbelievable influence on the world.”

What an exciting, historic moment in our lives!

Last Days of Fall

Chessy and George

Sweet Chessy

Sweet Georgie

I thought I had met the sweetest dog in the world (my friend Kathy's dog, Zoey), but I have to add two more to the list--George and Chessy. They are both very gentle, sweet, lovable, soft, good-natured, obedient and friendly dogs. They share the same wonderful parents and have shared a long, loving & happy life together...

Women's Rights?*@!#*?

October in Vermont

October is the most colorful and prettiest month of the year in Vermont. Displays of flowers, pumpkins and beautiful trees adorn the landscape, and the air smells crisp. I don't do it as much as I use to because of gas prices, but I love to drive around and take in the beautiful sites.

Monday is the 1st Day of Autumn--Yikes!

Summers are short in Vermont. Before you know it, the lazy, hazy days of Summer give way to shorter, darker evenings and the preparation of the long, snowy Winter just ahead. To help transition into Winter, we have a beautiful Fall season to look forward to.

"MeMe" - the kitten

A lot of animals, as well, are preparing to hibernate or migrate, but many of them are busily searching for a comfortable place to help them survive the winter. I mention this because I have a kitten and mama cat who have chosen the top of my wood pile in an open bay garage to hunker down for the winter. My friend & I have put together a warm cat house with electric mat and lots of hay bales on top and all around the house. Knowing me, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if they didn't have a good place to stay on freezing nights. I've become so attached to them already!

The mother cat is very affectionate and lets me pick her up, but the kitten keeps a safe distance from me--so frustrating because I want to pick her up so badly.

"Mama Mia" - the mama cat

I have two cats and two dogs inside the house already, so it would be impossible to expect they'd all be able to get along under the same roof.

Unscramble the words below to find the names of some winter sleepers (hibernators):

  1.  K N A S E

  2.  E R B A

  3.  R S E Q R I U L

  4.  K U S K N

  5.  G O F R

  6.  L U T E R T

  7.  N C K U P H I M

Click here for answers: http://members.tripod.com/~llij/quiz1.html

Sailing Trip To Block Island

Aug. 1-3: We had 3 beautiful days sailing to Block Island with my buddies. We couldn't have asked for better weather. It's such a privilege having great friends like this to get together with for fun events...


These are photos of the huge, dark front that came over us for a few hours on Saturday. I've never seen anything like it before, but I enjoyed the show immensely. It was very exciting. We had torrential rain and thunder, but it passed by and turned into another beautiful evening.

The food we had was phenomenal. Sandy is a gourmet cook, so she spoiled us rotten at every meal. How good is that!

Of course the sunsets were gorgeous as well... There's nothing more beautiful than the sun

setting over the ocean. I seem partial to taking pictures at dusk, but maybe that's because I'm not a morning person...

We had a beautiful beach day on Saturday. The sun was out all day, and the water was surprisingly comfortable, so it was fun playing in the ocean. How relaxing and what a treat laying on the beach!

A cute little girl being pulled in her wagon...

I enjoyed watching all the lucky dogs having a good time on their boats. It's amazing how many dogs there were. This is "Gertie" who came along with the guy who pumped us out. Nice life Gertie has during the summer...

We had a nice sail on the way back to R.I. on Sunday. A nice wind and relaxing ride. Gerry is an awesome Captain!

What a great trip!!

Full Moon Tonight

Beautiful, clear evening with
FULL MOON!

Vermont Landscape

Historic covered bridge--one of the favorite hot spots for swimming on a hot, summer day.




Old piece of farm equipment with hanging plant poised against the backdrop of fields and mountains.






Old carriage filled with flowers.

Sunsets & More Flowers

Summer Flowers

This time of year is so much fun watching flowers grow, playing in the dirt and being outside until you surrender to the bugs.

I wish perennials lasted longer, but they are so beautiful.