2011 ....What A Year!

Every year at this time, I spend time thinking 

about the new year but,  before I move on, 

I always revisit the old year to view all the 

events that occurred that year.  Reviewing the old year 

gave me the confidence to face this new year.  

Some years are good, some are not so good but 

most years are a combination of the two.

I sold my old country home after living there for 20 years.  

What memories I left behind.

It was the home where I raised my son and 

built my studio for Priscilla Mae et al.  

I renovated this home to fit that particular

time in my life but it was now time to move on.

Packing and downsizing my life after 20 years 

was very difficult.  The new home I bought was 

half the size of this old home, so I had to get rid of 

so much of my previous life.  


All of you who have made moves in your life know 
that packing is a nightmare.  I had two months 
to clear out most of my previous life and then 

pack up for my new adventure.

I moved into a old Victorian home in Toronto 

very close to downtown which was a must for me.  

If I was going to live in a city, 

than I wanted to live downtown.  

Renovations were going to be done on this new house 

but as all of you know who have lived through renos, 

nothing goes according to a schedule.    The company 

building my new kitchen went bankrupt. All stopped 
until I was able to find another kitchen manufacturer.
Raccoons were in the attic and because of these 
urban critters, part of my roof had to be rebuilt.  
Walls came down to open up the small spaces and
the plaster dust made it imperative that everything
stayed packed in boxes which were everywhere.  
I had exactly one room (a bedroom) to live in for 

6 weeks and I thought I was going to go mad.

But one day, I got my house back.  All the construction 

guys were gone and I could finally unpack all the 

boxes and make my new house a home. 

When I look back on that horrible three months, 

I accomplished a lot and completely changed 

my life from a country gal to city woman and

all with a torn knee ligament.

When late spring finally arrived in Toronto, 

I painted my fence and set up my

terrace where I could sit and enjoy the beautiful music coming from my neighborhood church.  

I spent the rest of the year reacquainting myself with 

Toronto and all the great things this wonderful city 

has to offer.  I reconnected with old friends

and met new ones.  My knee finally healed 

and I was able to walk anywhere

with my camera and enjoy my new life.

And most important, I now only live about 6 blocks 
away from my son and I'm able to see him more often.

And at end the year, I reconnected with an 

old love and together in

October, we traveled to Paris, Nice, Rome, 

Florence and Tuscany.

There were lots of major changes in my life this year and

although the transition was difficult and emotional at times,

the year turned out to be a very happy one indeed.

Now, I am ready to consider how I want 2012 to look.

I don't always have control over what 
my life will look like 

but

I can dream and I plan to start writing down

some of those dreams this week.  

I'm ready for 2012.