Christmas Message 2003

Our biggest news is becoming the “fur-parents” of Babalu, who was born January 28, 2003. He has brought us supreme joy and we spoil him shamelessly and endeavor to take him with us wherever we can. Much different from a cat which you can lock up with some food, water and litter; this small Cuban breed, the Havanese, is high maintenance and very much a lap dog. They’re known for the “sunny” dispositions and their remarkable camaraderie with kids and cats. It’s easy to imagine down the road acquiring a second one, once Babalu is a year or two old and a little more settled.

We have several large and small projects around the house, but the major news is that we are finally moving ahead with the backyard renovation and have located a great landscape designer who is going for a real modern structured look with copper and aluminum pots and fiber optic lighting and a zigzag water feature. We’ll see. We’re in the very early stages, but the project should be finished by next summer.

Other news, my brother, Dennis, was married to a lovely woman named Cammy in Telluride, Colorado on a mountain top accessible only by gondola. It was a lovely day for a ceremony and we enjoyed the laid back feel to the celebration. Telluride is that mix of very rich and very granola, yet they seem to live in harmony. A bit of paradise, really, aside from the dust and the mosquitoes.

Martin has been pursuing his interest in photography this past year and is really very good. He took a class with a friend of his, Paolo, and I hope they can take more together. Take a peak at some of his work at his personal website: www.theothermartintaylor.com.

As for me, it’s been one doozy of a year what with recovering from a back injury only to trip and suffer a foot injury. I’ve survived the surgery and it’s my fifth week in a cast. The doc says things are progressing on schedule and it should only be a month or so more. Sigh! Then comes the physio appointments, etc. I look forward to just putting one foot down in front of the other. Speaking of, Martin’s decided he wants to throw me a “Patti Puts Her Foot Down” shindig early in the year and we hope to see some of you there. Because of this major life setback, I’ve been a bit uninspired in terms of my writing, but have tried to stay on top of submitting and keeping track of my many rejections; still my list of publishing credits is seen to be growing steadily at www.mybluemuse.com. My plans for 2004 are to begin assembling a chapbook-sized collection and sending it out to various contests.

We had a lovely and quiet Thanksgiving spent with our good friends Susan and Victor and our godson, Diego. There was food-a-plenty and we didn’t realize until after we had eaten that we had forgotten to make the stuffing. I can tell you, it’s a good way to shave off a few calories from the meal as we didn’t miss it. This Christmas is also going to be quiet. Martin and I have decided to pamper ourselves at a posh downtown hotel overlooking Union Square. I’m hoping he can wheel me around to see holiday tree and all the pretty storefronts. As for New Years, it will be our 4th wedding anniversary; the year of the appliance in modern lore. So maybe a new washing machine or a hot tub is in our future. *Wink*

Anyway, here is to you, our beloved friends and family; may you have a happy, healthy, peaceful, prosperous and safe New Year!