Somewhere beyond the Blue

Our dear Blue, the orange cat died some time in the night. I had just realized a week ago that she was pregnant, and when I woke up yesterday morning she was sitting in the bath tub in a tiny pool of blood, the beginning of a miscarriage. Well, it was progressing well, two kitten sacs came out but then I moved her to the laundry room thinking she would be fine there. When I went back to check on her later on, there was one more kitten sac on the floor but no Blue! She had jumped out the window and was nowhere to be found. Thinking she was somewhere nearby and would soon return,I waited a few more hours and then by early evening she still wasn't anywhere around so I set off to search the open fields all around the house. She could have been anywhere. It was getting dark and hard to see and this is where I am feeling really bad because if I had not procrastinated and had gone out earlier I would have seen her down by the stream.

I went out again this morning to look for her and finally found her in the grass near the stream about 50 meters from the house. I suspect that she had not been able to push out one more kitten and she died from that, not to mention that it was very cold last night. I had NO idea a cat would die from this!! She is survived by her 5 kittens from a previous litter who are all orange, 4 of whom have found good homes so we shall keep the last one in memory of their noble mom, Blue. Till we meet again someday beyond the Blue...rip sweet kitty and good friend. Life is precious.

A Hug from the Words of Jesus

photos, top to bottom:

1. Thea looking great!

2. Confirmations are a bit of a big deal here in Niceland as you can tell by the photos. Most kids do it at around age 14 and it is very sweet and sincere. Since Thea had already committed herself to the Lord at age 12, I knew she was doing this with her whole heart and that is why we went for it.

3. The butterfly cake and matching cupcakes made by Mom....about 40 people attended the party after the church ceremony including most of Eman's family, and all our new Icelandic friends.

4. We do everything possible to bring in a bit more colour and warmth as Spring approaches.

5. The little 19th century town church where the confirmation was held...very cute. The church only held about 50 to 60 friends and relations of the 6 young people getting confirmed, all friends from school. I would have never done something like this in the States, but the Icelandic Lutheran church has a sweet, sincere, simplicity about it and is still an important part of life in Iceland somehow.

The Blue Lagoon

 

The Blue Lagoon is truly an amazing experience....at least I loved it as did Emma and Brandt. I have heard a few comments from young people saying that is was over rated, so I went not quite knowing what to expect. Fortunately I was pleasantly surprised and would definitely recommend it to everyone who has gotten out of their teens and into real life......teens with a tiny view of life? The white silica mud was wonderful and squishy between the toes acting as a fine abrasive and makes you look something like an Aborigine with war paint. We were there on a clear day with blue skies and a slight dusting of snow on the surrounding lava dunes which made it very surreal with the steam rising from the hot pools. Hmmmmm.......take me back!

We are really getting VERY Icelandic now....

I knew that once we got an Icelandic sheep dog it would be clear to all that we are now a permanent fixture on the Icelandic landscape, which is not a bad thing in itself considering the absolutely stunning views we have here! But no we are not settling down just because we have a dog now, I mean us settle down? No way! ..... Jose or whatever your name is. So this is Snorri who is a great all around guy and fits in so well with the scenery! (click on photo to enlarge)

So the newest news is that we are online now at home! Finally! At our newest place of residence, in the posh area of town where a few of the insanely rich of Iceland chose to put their homes and or summer houses. Some of these have recently become the *baddies* of Iceland and being our neighbors we hope we can influence them in a positive way now that their Icelandic moneyship is sinking. One of them is the Minister of Justice who needs oodles of help just now. Eman has had a few casual conversations with him so far...... go Eman!

We are of course affected by the present state of affairs: namely the price of food is going up daily. OK, well not as fast as it does in Zimbabwe, but lets just say we hope Iceland doesnt become the first Nordic Third World Country!