Happy New Year!

It is the first day of 2009 and all is well here. 2008 had its rough spots but overall was a pretty good year. I'm so happy that the family came to visit me during the summer and that I got to show off my home and town for them. I hope you all can come again during the 2009 summer.

I lost Grover, which is still very hard for me. Maybe it sounds weird, but it is a little comforting to know that he was probably eaten by a cougar. At least with that scenario I don't have to worry about him being hit by a car and being in pain. I'm fairly sure a cougar would have finished the job quickly. Be that as it may, I miss him terribly even though he was a grumpy little guy who loved me but seemed to despise everyone else. I mean, he was the one who slept on my head at night, so there is much to miss.

2008 brought Sammy into the house. I've mentioned him below so I won't go on and on about him. However, he is a real treat and I'm glad to have him. I met him through Feline Friends and I am very happy and honored to be a member of their board of directors. I'm going to be taking a larger role in their fundraiser activities which should keep me busy in this coming year.

I went on lots of hikes this past year. Some easy and some very challenging. Every one of them was fun and I hope to repeat them and go on new ones this year. I also got to see a bear for the first time last year. That was a blast, but I probably don't need to repeat that experience any time soon.

I'm learning to quilt and just finished piecing my first one. I'll write about that later. But, I'm glad that I'm learning how to do new things. This coming year I hope to do more quilts and learn something new - or at least keep trying to learn new things.

Finally, I want to send my love to my family and friends. We helped each other through another year. Let's all have a good 2009!