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It's been a year since I came back from Bali. I stayed up late last night looking at the pictures on my blog and reliving the trip. It really was the trip of a lifetime and I am  changed by it - in a good way - a subtle little shift in my being, the ability to feel gratitude a little more deeply, a new appreciation for the beauty within us all. I love that I can transport myself there every time I hold one of my batiks, smelling the incense, feeling the humid warmth, all the colors brighter for an instant. Ok, just a little self indulgent moment there.

Now, moving on . . .
Yesterday, somebody wrapped their car around a light pole up on the road and I lost power for hours. The quiet was so intense in my little cottage, all I could do was sit and listen for a while. The girls lay in their beds doing the same, ears on the alert.

Then, it started getting cold so I built up the fire in the fireplace and we had a nice roaring fire until it was almost too warm inside. I cut out some bags in the light from the windows while I waited; then went up to Moody's Diner for coffee and pie and when I got home, power on! More gratitude from yours truly!

 And, I know I know, I post pix of my view ad nauseam but I just can't help myself. Seriously, will you look at this? This is what it looked like from my window last night as the rain moved out and the cold air came in.

Just one more:  My newest bag, and I am loving this mexican oilcloth - fabulous!