Happy Memorial Day

Flag quilt - more here

This is the first Memorial Day since my Dad passed in February. He was a member of the U.S. Army and served in WWII. He didn't talk much about the war and his time over there but I know it had a dramatic impact on his life. He married my mother shortly before he deployed overseas and I have a picture of him looking at her picture while in Europe. By God's grace, the one time my Dad volunteered for an unknown duty it was the best job he could have been given. My Dad drove Jeeps during the war and was one of the safer options given that he was often on the front lines in Germany and France. Dad kept up with his Army family over the years and even went to some reunions later in his life.

On today, I remember my Father and the service he performed, not as a duty to his country but as a honor to serve to keep us all free.


Till later ~~ Dene

6 months

Is how long I've been gone from blogging. Various reasons - too many to detail but suffice it to say, it has been a strange year :)

But, I want to re-invent this blog so some changes are coming. First off, I'd like to move off Blogger. But to do so, I need to have my web server move me from a very archaic server onto a new server so that I can use Typepad. I tried to do this last summer but ran out of steam mid-effort and just let it die. If they won't do what I want, then it will be time to move to another web server.

Second, I'd like to ditch my www.denebir.com site and move my blog there. I've not updated that site in years (maybe 3-4 years?) and all of the content is dated. Most of the links on the cattery page are broken also. So, organization is coming .. I hope!

It is funny that I still get people asking for kittens. There must be a site out there that still lists me as a breeder. I know I plainly state on my page that I am no longer a breeder but I think I just need to take the whole cat thing offline.. LOL.

News on this end. I'm still knitting, though not as much. I have about 6 pairs of socks started along with a sweater and a couple of shawls. I have a yarn stash that will last me for years and the good thing is that I've not bought any yarn this year other than what I receive from one sock club I belong to. My goal? Keep knitting!

I've also revived my quilting bug. I found a new shop in our local town I'll talk about in another post soon and it was good to be back in a quilt shop. I bought a few yards of a white TOT and some fat quarters of repro fabric for a niece who is expecting a baby. A friend and I have tenative plans on meeting on Thursday nights when they have their sit and stitch at the shop.

I've moved my office and sewing/knitting studio upstairs. My son *finally* bought a home and he and his girlfriend moved at the end of February. He was living in our upstairs "apartment" - long room (14' x 47') with a half bath and a separate entrance from the garage along with an entrance from the loft. So, this space became mine once he vacated it. I've repainted it a soft medium minty green with white accents and am working still on the lighting and wiring. I bought new office furniture and have moved everything up from my old space (spare bedroom 14' x 14'). One half of the room is my office for work and the other half is a sewing/quilting/knitting area. They are separated with 2 reclining chairs and a TV. I love the space but I've still got a lot to do before it is truly finished.

Other news, I've been traveling. Both coasts and 2 spots in between. I was in Dallas most of February when my Dad passed and I was up there again for mother's day. In the last month I've been also to California, Boston, and New Orleans. All of these were for work although I did have some relax time in New Orleans and got to see a lot of the tourist spots. I leave again June 3rd for a week's cruise to the Western Caribbean. Should be fun!

My husband has been gone for 7 weeks with his job and will return this Thursday. This is a special day since it is also our 32nd wedding anniversary. Although I can talk to him almost every day (he has a direct line into Russia), it will be wonderful to have him home to snuggle with. It has been way too long. We are waiting to see what the job market shakes out as to if he stays home a while after the cruise or not.

Well, enough rambling. I promise pictures and more detail on events and knitting/quilting content soon.

Good to be back in blog-land.

~~ Till later Dene