Happy New Year!

Goodbye, 2011 ~ Hello, 2012!

Coming Home

My sweet baboo is coming home tomorrow morning! He has gotten so much stronger and steadier, thanks to the daily therapy. And the once-upon-a-time, terrible pain in his right hip is gone. It’s history. Thank goodness for modern medicine! 

I joined him for his last lunch at the rehab facility earlier today. Tonight, I’ll keep him company during his last dinner there. I dropped off some duffle bags in his room so that he can pack up tonight. It is bittersweet for him to say goodbye to the kind staff that have taken such good care of him. He’s gotten quite a few hugs. They will miss him and his cheerful spirit. 

Ah, but their loss is my gain! It’s been incredibly quiet around the cottage for the past three and a half weeks, and I am ready for my man to come back home. We’re both anxious to resume our normal lives.

And as the calendar gets replaced on Sunday, we’re ready to start planning more traveling adventures in 2012!

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Porcupine

Let me introduce you to a little ball of quills called Snickers. He is a porcupine that was originally raised as a pet and now resides at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. A staff member was feeding him one of his favorite foods during our visit: peanuts. Oh, he was a happy critter! With that kind of rugged exterior, it is hard to photograph an expression on a porcupine. But I thought it was cute when he held out his paw in anticipation for his next unshelled peanut. An appropriate thought bubble would be “gimme”!

Snickers has gotten to be a rather famous YouTube star. Here he is, showing off his playful character. 

An interesting fact about porcupines is that they make a variety of sounds, including whistles, whines, mumbles, grunts, and snuffles. It is really amusing to hear them carry on! Here is Snickers, showing you some of his vocal skills. 

That sounds a lot like the hungry diner sitting across from you at the Golden Corral restaurant, doesn’t it?!

Christmas Gifts

Upon reflection of what this special time of year means and the countless moments that have shaped my world, I am filled with love and gratitude. 

May your Christmas celebrations touch your heart, and may you discover those same gifts.

Christmas is Almost Here!

Where has the time flown? This month has zipped past faster than any other this year. It’s to be expected since we’re still living in that alternate universe! Hubby is doing incredibly well at the rehab facility and getting stronger each day. He has been a big hit with the staff and several have already mentioned how much they are going to miss him when he leaves there. Right now, he still working on his balance and he is beginning to learn how to walk with a cane. We expect that he will come home in another week.  

Things haven’t been going quite as smoothly for me. After being immersed with so many people the past few weeks and all the “to and fro” activities, I have caught a nasty cold. Yep, somebody flung cold cooties on me! Grrrr… I woke up with the telltale onset of symptoms Monday morning. What lovely timing! {sarcasm} I am using an arsenal of over-the-counter medicines, resting when I can, and trucking along anyway when I can’t. At least my workweek is now over and I have a long weekend to rest up and visit with my sweet baboo.  

With sickness descended upon me, I freely admit that I am less than enthused than ever about taking photos now of this year’s decorations. But here are a few scenes I took in our cozy great room. Garland is strung on the stairway banisters and a few Santas are hanging out on the staircase in back of the loveseat. A Santa needlepoint pillow also gives a little pop of color. In case you are wondering, that is some of our Alaskan Native art collection peeking off to the right of the photo. And a cherished grandfather clock resides on the stairway landing (made by hubby’s uncle, now deceased).  

The commanding feature of our great room is the expanse of built-in bookcases along one wall. I put out a few cheery decorations on either side of the television. Though I have an extensive Santa collection, I decided to display a minimum amount this year. A snowman that I made in 1998 dominates this scene. (A tag on the bottom serves as a reminder!) With an apparent burst of energy, I made about a dozen snowmen that year and gave all but two away. The bookcases hold a small assortment of treasures, books, pictures, and small antiques that we have accumulated over the years. If you look closely, you can spot a corner of an antique cowbell in the background on the right-hand side of this photo.  

A large, wild-eyed Santa is the focal point in this scene. It looks like he is ready to deliver a couple of miniature pull toys to some lucky children. We got this folk art piece from Colonial Williamsburg last year. A hand-carved wooden Santa to the right is holding on to a very plump bear. Each piece has a story of its own. Many of them were acquired during our travels or at craft fairs. Some were gifts. And this particular photo gives you a little taste of the types of treasures that we have in the bookcases, including pottery, carvings, and baskets. 

I hope that the hustle and bustle of activities is winding down for all of my blogging friends so that you may enjoy the joys of the season!

Progress...

My hubby has been making considerable progress this past week at the rehabilitation facility. They are taking great care of him, and he has been fulfilling his part of by bargain by being exceptionally diligent with exercising. Within the past few days, he has been walking to and from the dining hall (about 100 yard from his room) and the therapy center. He is using a walker, of course, but it is a major stride from traversing the territory with a wheelchair conveyance. This week, he will get the staples removed and enjoy the company of visiting friends. 

I have been traveling over to the rehab facility to see Jim almost every day and joining him for either lunches or dinners. Yes, I am making progress as well by catching up on my sleep and making a dent in completing the backlog of household chores. I still have every intention of going around and taking photos of Christmas decorations scattered throughout the cottage. But a few selected photographs here and there may have to suffice this year. My plate is abundantly full. 

I hope that you enjoy this tenderhearted scene of an artisan’s vintage-style ornament, hanging from a weathered knob on our antique Jackson press. May the light be shining in your world too.

Wildlife Wonders of Alaska - Stellar Sea Lions

When we enjoyed our daylong cruise of the inlets and along the shorelines of Kenai Fjords National Park, we were lucky enough to see some colonies of stellar sea lions. 

There are seven different species of sea lions, and stellar is the largest. They are quite impressive, with the males averaging about nine feet long and 1250 pounds. The females are about a foot and a half smaller and top the scales at less than half of the males. Bulls command a harem of three to twenty females during breeding season and display an extremely aggressive and territorial personality. What rogues! 

They dive into the ocean for their food, going as deep as 600 feet and staying submerged for up to 40 minutes. Fish and cephalopods sustain them, including octopus and squid. Stellar sea lions are currently a threatened species. Thousands were once killed each year in the nets of Alaskan fishermen. Changes in fishing gear and techniques a couple of decades ago have resulted in a reduction of those being inadvertently killed. 

The stellar sea lion is considered a pinniped, which means it is equipped with a winged foot. And one of the things that they love to do is lay out on the rocks and bask in the afternoon sun! Don’t they look quite content?

Living in an Alternate Universe

We both feel like we have been living in an alternate universe for the past week. Hubby is settled in quite comfortably now at the rehab facility. He wants everyone to know in blogland how much he appreciates your thoughts and prayers! His therapy and healing are progressing quite well. We sure couldn’t ask for a better facility for him. The staff has been terrific. This link shows where he is temporarily residing. And it is located less than 10 miles from our home! I sorely regret not knowing about the place when I had my knee replacement in 2009. Ah, but that is water under the bridge. 

I have the night off from visiting. A reprieve, LOL! So I am able to do a quick post and let everyone know that all is well with both of us. I have been quite busy with the consulting work, maintaining the cottage, and running to and fro. You can continue to expect very few posts from me for at least the next month and possibly longer. There are just so many hours in the day. I have been able to pop in and visit very quickly with some of my blogging friends, but I don’t always leave a comment. 

I hope you are enjoying this lovely season and not getting stressed out by all of the extra tasks such as decorating and shopping. Count those blessings instead of the number of items on your “to do” list! I know, it’s easier said than done! 

And what is the story about the bear in the picture shown above? Here is a summary:

This artisan created bear is quite large and proudly sits in an antique Shaker child's chair in our dining room. During a business trip, hubby adopted him from a Kennebunkport shop and successfully brought him home on several Delta flights as "carry on". With his easy-going personality, he created quite a stir during his journey. I was called out to the garage at about midnight and was surprised to find him in the passenger seat of hubby's truck. I almost fell over when I picked him up, due to my laughter and his weight. His name is Kevin, and he is a limited edition #1 bear, created to fund a hospice in honor of a young Kennebunkport man (Kevin) who died of AIDS. 

Kevin has been a quiet companion for over 17 years, residing in the great room of our former cottage and now in the dining room of our current cottage. He has a view of the front door so that he can properly greet our visitors. In addition to the collar of large bells that he wears on his neck year round, Kevin loves to don a wizard-style Santa hat during the Christmas season. After all, he is magical.

Hubby's Hip

My sweet baboo’s hip replacement surgery on Wednesday went well. He has been experiencing typical pain and weakness. But he is bouncing back and starting his personal trek on recovery’s road. I am immensely proud of him toughing it out with the therapy sessions and relearning how to walk. Jim’s natural good humor and spirits will bode him well in the weeks ahead. 

The days have flown by and I feel like I have been living in an alternate universe this week. A hospital’s microcosm is so familiar to me. But it is rare occurrence to experience it as a visitor/helpmate rather than as a patient. I have found that worrying can be very tiring, LOL.  

Jim will be released from the hospital tomorrow afternoon. From there, I will be taking him over to the rehab facility. It will serve as his home away from home while he continues to recuperate and receive attentive therapy. The place is quite lovely, with gourmet meals, ample staff, and a bevy of activities for the temporary residents.  

Thank you for all of your prayers and good wishes. We both appreciate it so much!

December - A Look Ahead

We are not going to have a typical December or holiday this year. Our world is going to be a bit topsy-turvy for a while, and we’re anxious to get on with it. My husband is going to have hip replacement surgery next week! He’ll be in the hospital for 3-4 days and then recuperate for several weeks at a rehab facility. I sorely regret not going to a rehab facility after my knee replacement surgery in 2009, and we’re not going to make that mistake again. A local facility is quite wonderful and my sweet hubby will get much better care (and food, LOL) there than at home.

In addition to working this month, I will be looking after my sweet baboo while he is at the hospital, and then I’ll be visiting him daily at the rehab center. Of course, I will minding the cottage by myself during his recovery period. Yes, that means I will also be responsible for cooking! Now that ought to help me lose weight, don’t you think? In a nutshell, my time will be quite limited, so don’t look for many blog posts for a while.

How are the Christmas festivities going, you ask? I got the Christmas cards done and mailed them out this week. I’ll send out some e-cards a few weeks from now. Except for hanging glass ornaments on the big feather tree in the dining room, I’m done decorating. About 20% of the decorations made it out of the boxes this year. (And that is probably a generous estimate.) I arranged a couple of Santa displays. Three feather trees are substituting for two big trees. Candle lights are lit in the front windows of our cottage. The Christmas theme this year is “simple and manageable”. After all, I’m going to be the only one putting everything away a month from now. My shopping isn’t done. I’m going to worry about that later, LOL!

I have many more photos to share from the Alaskan adventure that we took this last summer. You can look forward to a few more of the “wildlife wonders” series. Then, I’ll begin to feature some exciting images of grizzly bears that live along Brooks River in Katmai National Park.

Prayers and good wishes are most welcomed for my sweet hubby. May the blessings, joys, and love of the Christmas season be with you this month!