Winter in Wellington.....it's rainy today, and warm. There are blooming things, and the garden remains green. I planted rainbow chard a few days ago and it's doing well.

I have coffee and malt-o-meal, thanks to a care package from Michigan. I have new clothes thanks to a fabulous resale shop, and a bed thanks to TradeMe.

With all this abundance, it's easy to feel optimistic.

That's the view from paradise.

My new job starts next week, and added to the one I already have, I hope to be able to pay the bills and feed myself.

Mostly now, the thing that is circling my thoughts is Seffie. I think of her in the backseat as I drive. I remember her silly poses and her talking to me. I can hardly bear the thought of hugging her neck while being so far away from the possibility. I want her here with me as clearly as anything can be clear. I don't feel trapped with dread and sorrow any longer when I think of her....I have sorted things enough to be able to see clearly in her direction. It's all about the seeing. And then there is the doing.

I've worked out traveling with my dogs all over the country, moving them to college with me, and to apartments in the city. I have been homeless with them and dealt with litters of pups in strangers' houses.

The inescapable truth for all my years so far, is that I need them around. So, this is the next project.

Big kisses darlings