Welcome November

November 1st, a Beautiful Sunday.

Peter treated me to a class at My Father's Beads, a little shop in Coopersburg. A small but MIGHTY little shop.

Meet Susan Newquist, a horsehair and porcupine quill artist, who taught me to do a 4 strand braid today.

Susan creates custom work, and is very willing to work with her clients.

(Her work, below) This is my rendition of her 4 strand braid, using Flint Hill's horsehair. Who knew there was such a variety of thicknesses and textures in horsehair? Those drafts have big, strong hair, too.

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My neighbor and good friend Pam accompanied me to the farm after my class, where her beloved cat Patches will be living now. It was a hard decision for her to make, but we know he'll be happy there, with no threat of nasty neighbors, brand new cat friends and acres of mice to hunt. Cat heaven. So many changes; life marches along.

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It occurs to me that one of the few things that remains constant is our love for each other (and our pets). We come and go, but the memory of those emotions is as real in memory as it was in the moment. Loved ones gone remain beloved.

Today and tomorrow, All Saints and All Souls days, the Days of the Dead...let's celebrate our love for those that are gone from us, in one way or another.

Love survives.