We’ve got a winner!

Bernina 430 Sewing Machine
Bernina 430 Sewing Machine

Isnt this a beatiful sewing machine? I think so, and thatnks to the talent of my beautiful wife we will soon have one. She won one in a sewing competition recently. As if that isn’t impressive enough she hadn’t sewn anything until this fall when we bought a used Husqvarna Viking machine.

She competed with a tote bag and a skirt, both of them absolutely fantastic (OK, I’m biased). She even got the opportunity to model the items herself at a show in Puyallup. I didn’t do anything to achieve this, but I still feel really proud.

Way to go Denice!

Welcome Lilly!

We have a new family member. Her name is Lilly, adn we got her from Pensinsula Friends Of Animals in Sequim, WA.

It all started when my parents were here in September 2008. We went to Sequim and got adopted by a kitty named Luka. We didn’t know his name at the time, but we found out that he had once come the PFOA. Unfortunately we couldn’t keep him.

Lilly lying on the bed
Lilly lying on the bed
Anyway, Angus from PFOA emailed us one day at the end of last year and said “I have another cat for you that looks almost like Luka, but it’s a younger female, so it should hopefully work out better this time.” After pondering this for a little while Denice and I went to Sequim to see this miracle for ourselves. And there she was. Same Russian Blue coat, same white star on the chest, but with a much bigger nose. She took to us and we to her, so we brought her home with us. She is now learning to co-exist with Pawka and Kula. So far there have been a few skirmishes, but I think that given time it will all be fine.

No more Kiwi

It’s a sad day when you have to put an animal down. Yesterday was one of those sad days here in our household. Kiwi, our old blue heeler, started being a bit subdued and preferred to lay outside and look at the grass growing. That was a big departure even from Sunday, when she was jumping up at me as usual when I got home. By Monday evening she was not eating, and only drinking limited amounts of water.

Tuesday morning when I woke up early there was foamy dog puke in at least six or seven places indoors, and I could tell she’d been outside as well. She was definitively subdued, but she managed to get in and out through the doggie door herself. By nine-ish she was just lying outside panting. We got a time with the vet at 11, but at 10 she started whining a bit, so we just got in the car, Denice driving and me in the back holding and looking after Kiwi. Traffic was bad and Denice was a bit stressed, and when we got close to the vet Kiwi started making noises of serious pain. Denice stepped on the accelerator and exited I-5, only to take the wrong exit.

At the vets’ Kiwi was almost completely unresponsive, and I carried her in, which gave her immediate access to the treatment room. They x-rayed here and Dr. McGill came and gave us the bad news that it looked like Kiwi had several growths on her liver, and that it had probably packed up altogether. Denice, as Kiwi’s mommy for about fifteen years, had to make the difficult decision to put Kiwi to sleep, but it was the right thing to do. Even if we had had surgery she would most likely never recover, and that would just prolong her suffering, assuming she even survived the surgery. Instead she was given some morphine to remove the pain, and then she was put down. It was sad to stand there and see her go, but at least she got to live a long happy life, and didn’t have to suffer for a long time.

After that the staff put her in the car, and I drove to Bill’s house with Denice in the back still holding Kiwi. As we arrived Bill was already digging a hole next to where Kiwi’s old friends Rocky, Kitty Boy and Aurora are already resting. We buried her draped in her favorite blanket, and after that Denice and I went downtown for our improvised wake, Indian buffet and a beer.

We’ll miss her.

Denice

I was born in Seattle and have lived in Seattle or one of its suburbs all my life. So far. But I’m open for that to change one day. Henrik and I live in the Beach Drive neighborhood of West Seattle which is about 10 minutes southwest of Downtown Seattle. We’re fortunate to enjoy a beautiful view of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains where we watch boat traffic, smell saltwater, and hear the surf. We have roommates: 2 dogs and 1 cat. Some squirrels have adopted us for our peanuts and we’ve attracted a variety of birds with our feeders.

Right now I work as a Realtor and Freelance Legal Secretary. I also sell Cookie Lee Jewelry and Mary Kay Cosmetics because it does something for my girlie-girl side. Hopefully I’ll finish my Bachelor of Science Degree in Business/E-Business this year. My dream: To sell enough photographs this year to be able to quit freelancing.

I’m a Leo and was born in the Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese calendar. My interests are too many to list but I have a weakness for traveling, writing, music, dancing, facilitating connections, art, photography, animals, waterskiing, and boating. Friends have described me as an enigma however I prefer to think of myself as unconstrained. The picture below is of me and my brothers making up gang signs at our aunt’s funeral.

Mike, Denice and Aaron at Flo’s funeral

Jim & Mary

Jim and Mary are best described as god-parents to Aaron, best friends to Pat, and all around generous caretakers for Denice’s family – especially now that Pat has some medical challenges. Aaron is like a brother to all three of Jim and Mary’s sons. Jim taught Aaron to hunt with bow and rifle, fish, and shoot, and was Aaron’s role model for how to be a good person and devoted family man. Mary kept Aaron on the straight and narrow, encouraged him during tough times, and fed him well through the years. Jim and Mary are risque and hilarious and you just gotta love ’em.

Mary and Jim

Pat

Denice’s mom is from New Jersey and currently lives in Bellevue, about five minutes from where Henrik works at Microsoft. She’s experiencing some health challenges right now (HINT: DON’T SMOKE!!!) but she has a nicely twisted sense of humor and will talk your ear off once you get her going.

Denice’s mother Pat