Remembrances of Things Past

Loki & Ameya

This image is copyright Bettina Kurkowski from the OEL manga My Cat Loki, published by Tokyopop ... Check out her artwork on DeviantArt; she's currently drawing the Seekers manga based on the booked by Erin Hunter. I enjoyed the relationship between the foundling Loki and Ameya who brings in the kitten who reminds him of the cat he had when he was a boy ... Alas, the series was never finished.

2011 has brought many changes -- This winter brought more snow days than I've ever seen in over 30 years of teaching ... SHS will lose some teachers, and the building is being remodeled. I like the old-fashioned doors in the old building, but they're lousy for security, so out they go. Maybe someone can pick up some antique school doors and do something creative with them ... Stained glass panels would be lovely, but I have no talent in that direction. My ballet teacher's older son is getting married this weekend before he deploys overseas ... My niece graduates then moves to Alabama for college ... Then we will have the big move later this year from south to north and from Dallas to Tarrant County. That's what I'm doing in place of summer school -- SHS will close for the summer because (a) they're remodeling the cafeteria & replacing doors and (b) they're removing asbestos. (I wonder where it's been hiding all these years.) Even the administration has to move out until August. Oh, and Elizabeth Sladen, who played Sarah Jane Smith on Doctor Who and Sarah Jane Adventures, passed away ... she always had such a sense of wonder that sucked the viewer into whatever adventure she experienced.

On Sunday evening, Four Winds Faire ends its 2011 run ... and we bid farewell to friends until we meet again (hopefully) in 2012. We can't take the reunion for granted: some folks will move on to other faires or won't be able to commit to an 8-week stay; some folks are simply not with us any longer ... This year, we've had more than our share of scares with injuries and illnesses, and none of us have discovered Ponce de Leon's fountain.

We bid farewell to the 4 "middles" who were fostered then adopted out by Catmatchers ... and to 3 of the 4 "littles" who were birthed on Feb. 4 (the last snow day). We still need to determine what we can do for 3 of the 4 "big uns" when we move ... and my mom will take Lola, the rat terrier, into her home ...

I hear a David Bowie song in the back of my head ...