 |
 |
In January we had Lizi, our Sokoke girl (above left), spayed since she was nearly 4 and had never conceived. The surgery verified we would never have gotten babies from her due to some uterian irregularities. She's now put on weight and is our spoiled and happy pet. In January, we also received our new Bengal stud, Dadaelis Special Edition of Illuzion, "Eddy" (above, right).
February, March, and April proposals were going back and forth in an effort to purchase the house in Woodland and sell our 4-plex here in CdA. In the long run, when ours did not sell and our friends needed more than we'd originally thought for the purchase of their new house, we all decided friendship was worth more than the house deal and the sale was forgotten. It was probably a good thing because we are still trying to sell the 4-plex although as this year comes to a close, it is looking very promising that it will indeed sell soon. Also, in March I discovered that I had a new grandson, Donovan, born to Mike and Amber. What a surprise. We hadn't heard from him since Joey's wedding (2002) and so this was great news.
 |
The winter of '03-'04 here was extremely cold. There was one period when the high temperatures were in the single digits for over a week; and, during that same time, we hit night-time lows of 27 below zero! Yes, folks it is definitely time to move back to western Washington! This winter, so far, has been very mild, more like Seattle. Our snow has melted within 24 hours of falling and we've had more rain than snow. Of course, the winter is only half over.
 |
In April we showed Illuzions Peg o'My Heart (above) who is the culmination of our breeding program since we started; we were surprised by a 3rd Best of the Best Kitten in Show. We also showed our new male, Eddy, who not only made his Championship, but made more than 1/2 the points toward his Silver Grand Champion. That show was a bright spot in an overall low, with the loss of Ken's Taxi job in March and giving up on the house I really wanted.
With our move put on hold until the 4 plex sells, we were again looking for work. I was having no luck at all and was getting very down and disappointed. But, Ken surprised us both by getting hired at the Boy Scout's Camp as Assistant Commissioner. It was a temporary job for only the summer but it was doing something he loved. The down side was that he was gone for 6 days (and nights) a week. But, as the summer progressed, I got lucky, too; and was hired at Lowe's as a cashier in late June. I'm still working there and hope it will continue until we are ready to move back to Washington.
 |
Mason (above at 2 1/2 months) arrived to Brian and Olivia in July. They are in Montana and not that far away; but getting a weekend off to go and visit has not happened yet. Working for a living is truly the pits. I did finally finish his blanket in time to send it with the Christmas boxes. That was supposed to be a 2 month project, but obviously I'm not crocheting as fast as I used to. Well, he'll need it more now than in summer.
In August we had a wonderful one day visit with Ken's cousin, Robert, and his family. They were traveling around the country and camping. They live in New Jersey and this is the second time they've come close enough for us to get together on their travels during their vacation.
 |
In September, we made it to our Annual Awards for the '03-'04 show season. Our "Fancy", Shabengal's Fancy Kotton of Illuzions (above), was 16th Best Kitten in the Nation for the year! We were amazed and proud. At the show, held in conjunction with the awards, we showed two kittens from our Spring litter. Illuzions Rock n'Roll (marble, below left) and his brother, Illuzions Candyman (spotted, below right) both did well (both took some Best Kitten's) and at the end of the show, Rocky was 2nd Best of the Best Kitten in Show! I'm really curious as to what these boys will pass on to their babies. Rocky's contrast and Candy's whited tummy are prized qualities and they both have excellent heads.
 |
 |
In October we went out on a limb and bought a vacation plan. It is not a "time share" but similar and much better. In November, we got a surprise phone call from Joe and April. They were staying across Lake Coeur d'Alene at a resort on the same plan we had just purchased. Neither of us knew the other even knew about the company. We had such a nice visit while they were here. Those kind of visits will be more frequent when we are closer to everyone. Also, in October, I finally reached my goal weight of 130 lbs, after starting in May at 156 lbs. [I plan on trying to loose 5 more pounds after the New Year.]
 |
Except for Joe's visit and the news of Matthew's arrival (my new great grandson, above with my granddaughter, Chantal), November was a terrible month. We were expecting 3 litters of kittens. We still owe a female for part of the purchase of our male (Eddy) and were excited that his owner would have several litters to choose from. We were also excited to possibly get a sister to Candy and Rocky, as their mom was one who was expecting. She delivered first and abandoned all the babies, refusing to nurse them. Suddenly, I was working and feeding kittens every 2 hours around the clock. (Ken took over while I worked.) The hope was to keep them going long enough to be able to foster them with their big sister, Peggy, when her babies arrived in about a week. One by one I lost them, until only one was left. He made it long enough to be slipped in with the new babies in the other litter, only to die when he didn't have the experience to compete with the other kittens. A week and a half later, Libby, our F3, delivered. Out of seven, two didn't make it right after delivery and she laid on two during the first night. Then, something upset her the next morning and she killed the remaining three. I was in shock and dismay. 17 kittens were born that month, we still have Peggy's 3, and of course, they are darling; but that was a month I hope to never repeat.
 |
As of Christmas, we have still not sold the apartment building, but property values here have gone through the roof and we do have an interested buyer and several others who are looking at it. Back in October, we listed it with an agent (we'd been trying to sell it ourselves). Actually, we are still selling it ourselves but this agency is called "Help-U-Sell" and that is what they do. We are encouraged that soon it will sell and we will be actively looking for a new nome again in Washington. When we do move we will keep Ken's cell number (208)755-3830) for awhile and our email at Yahoo <patsu4@yahoo.com> will stay the same. We are hoping that the web site url <http://www.icehouse.net/illuzion/index.html> will stay the same. It will all depend on the service available where we eventually move to. So, to stay in touch, keep these numbers and watch the web site "Family Pages" for updates.
So, for now;
Merry Christmas
and a
Joyous and Healthy New Year!
and a
Joyous and Healthy New Year!