March 31, 2011 — Newsletter finished

It always seems that we are in need of getting a Pacific Textile Arts newsletter written, printed and mailed in less time than we have to do the task. I know what you're thinking. Just plan a little further ahead. Don't procrastinate. Delegate. Ask for more help with the mailing. Yeh, yeh, yeh. But there are always such legitimate excuses. Prioritizing is a must. Well, OK, along comes not one emergency need that must be dealt with but three. I am a total devotee to prioritizing on the hour, but alas, it often does me in. Well, enough dwelling on these things because, as always, I am rejoicing now over the fact that it is done and the last ones were mailed out yesterday afternoon. Maybe it's like the old brick wall thing: It feels so good when it stops. Of course, it is barely just in time because our "Feather in the Cap" dinner is scheduled for this Saturday, April 2. And before I really finish with this subject, I must thank Jill and Elaine for coming to my rescue. And I must commend them both for whizzing right through the phase that usually gets the most balking and complaining: Licking the envelopes. As Jill puts it, you've got to do what you've got to do.

This is the second day I've seen sun in my yard. It's beautiful. I just went outside and photographed the blossoming pink Magnolia that stands between the pond and the south end of the house. I should have done it several days ago when it was at 100%, but it's still a sight to behold. I'm posting it for you to share with me todayl

A pile of things left over from our last rummage sale needs to be taken away — in my pickup it seems. So here goes the prioritizing again. I'll be back after my swim this evening. And thanks to those of you who've been checking in with emails. Chao.

I'm back, but it's the next morning. I had a horrendous night and early morning. When I returned home from my swim I went straight to my studio to work on the TWW website. After a while I began hearing some very strange sounds near the pickup and the garage. It sounded like large person movements and I became uncharacteristically spooked. We know that there are occasional wildcats prowling all over our area and suddenly the distance between my studio and the front door of the house began to seem like a scary thing. I just couldn't get a grasp on what the sounds could mean other than someone rummaging around with the things in the back of the pickup. If that were so, I didn't want to go out and strowl past this mystery being. This is very unusual for me but my instincts told me to call a nearby male friend to come with a flashlight ( which I also didn't have on that side of the open spaces). The friend put his day clothes back on with lightning speed and appeared in the suspect area with large flashlight. We looked around and saw nothing and he escorted me to my front door and left. When I looked around the inside of the house I couldn't find Latte and my heart and emotions took a nose dive. I found a flashlight and looked all around the outside of the house including the fenceline and the pond. Nothing. After about twenty more trips around the yard with Bobby (our Mexican wonder dog) I finally had no choice but to think that she had wondered off and been discovered by a predator. She is 15, almost blind and can't hear. But ordinarily she gets along fine and with the help of a little aspirin and glucosamine, she is quite amazing. I turned on the light in the wood shed breezeway as well as all the house porch lights. Making sure that there was light in the living room and that all the doors were left ajar, i reluctantly went to bed. Bill called to see if all was well and I had to tell him the answer was no.

Through the night I got up and checked all her nesting places and went back to bed more and more in the dumps. Woke up thinking about how many people in Fort Bragg are in mourning over the loss of their friends from Otsuchi, Japan. Fort Bragg and Otsuchi are sister cities and their children and city leaders have had many heartwarming exchanges and visits. My heart goes out to those in Fort Bragg and Otsuchi who are feeling this painful, unfathomable loss.

Between Otsuchi and no Latte, life was looking very dark this morning. Then! I speculated one more time what the answer might be. The one place I hadn't looked was the interior of the garage. I began thinking that those strange, unrecognizable noises could have been made by a dog trying to find a way out of that space. Carlos and I had each gone into the garage earlier so there was just a wee possibility. I ran out to the garage door (carefully, because that had been the scene of my first bad fall after Skip died), and tried to open it. Something was obstructing it and I had to force the door open. OUT POPPED LATTE! I have never experienced

such a positive mood change. We embraced each other an then she went leaping around outside with Bobby in hot pursuit. What Joy!

There is much on my plate and with that tragedy unfolding I was wondering how I was going to go on and do the things that must be done this weekend for PTA and the Feather in the Cap dinner and auction on Saturday. Thank all the gods for the positive mood change. And then there is going to be the need to engage a contractor to rebuild the south walls of each of the new rooms at Alger Street. That will have to be the subject for another day.

Love hearing from you all. Have a great weekend. If you're up here, come to the open house, potluck and auction. I always dread getting ready for it and I feel shy doing the auctioneering. But then I do it and have a ball. It's one of the most comical evenings of the year. Bye again.