Winter Solstice 2012 ~ A new cycle of the wheel...

Sarah kitty checking out our Winter Solstice table

Happy Winter Solstice from my sweet Sarah kitty and our whole family!

A fresh new cycle of the life wheel begins. Enjoy the ride everyone!



© Copyright 2012 Mountain Harvest Basket

Celebrating Sarah

Tiny Kitten Sarah ~ July 2011~ first day home

Remember that tiny little stripey kitten that I first wrote about last July? My kitten Sarah, the little princess that  came into my life to lighten my heart, and  reminds me so much of my sweet Jessie, has been doing very well. She is healthy, playful and growing.

She is a delight and she comforted me and also Frieda during Frieda's last few months here on earth. Sarah kept watch over Frieda and would follow her room to room around the house. Sarah kept my heart full of love and allowed me to take care of Frieda when she needed me most. She also reminded me that both Jessie and Frieda would return to live with us in our home again. I believe with all my heart that she is right about that.

Sarah & Frieda ~ March 2012

Anyway, the reason for this blog post is that today is my sweet Sarah's first birthday! She was born 1 year ago today! May 9th. Yay Sarah! Way to be! She's a feisty little Taurus. We sang happy birthday to her over breakfast. Salmon & trout flavored breakfast this morning. For her, not me.

Happy Birthday Sarah! 

Love, Mama Jen

I have more pictures than words for this post. So here are a few photos of Sarah since she came to live with us here in our mountain home.

July 2011~ trying to blend in...

July 2011~ she destroyed that pink mousie

What? You told me to relax. So I'm relaxin' (she loves paper)

Princess Sarah on top of her tower ~ April 2012

I love her dearly, especially when she kisses my nose and bites my fingers & toes. She keeps me smiling.

I love you, Mom! Is it dinner time yet?

 More photos and stories of Sarah and our lives together to come in the future. I promise. May we live many, many happy years together.

© Copyright 2012 Mountain Harvest Basket

No Gardening Today

Front Steps

Well, with a foot of snow on the ground, I won't be gardening outside today....

Raised Bed Garden covered in snow!

I also won't be driving anywhere or watching TV either...

Satellite TV Dish and all vehicles piled high with snow

I guess I'll just have to build a warm fire, relax and curl up with my sweet kitten Sarah until the sun comes out to melt all of this snowfall.

Sarah in her window

We finally have Winter here when the calendar says it's almost Spring! Stay warm and dry everyone.



© Copyright 2012 Mountain Harvest Basket

Long Time, No Write

Sarah & Frieda enjoying the sunny morning window.

Oh my, it has been a very long time since I have posted anything on this here my favorite blog space! I've been so busy with everything else, that I just haven't had time to sit down and write anything wonderful for you to read.

I guess I will need to get to that right away.

Soon.
Very soon.

Tomorrow.
Maybe.




© Copyright 2012 Mountain Harvest Basket

I lost some weight today!

Little braids keepsakes...

Maybe 1/2 pound total?

Here's what I looked like a couple of days ago:

Looking like I have looked for the past 10 years or so.

I found it kind of difficult to take a good picture of myself. My arms aren't quite long enough to hold the camera out and get everything in focus. Still, this photo of me with my long straight hair isn't too bad in my own opinion. I liked my long hair. It was soft and flowing. Very natural and for the most part, easy to take care of. I really didn't have to do anything with it except to wash it and comb the many tangles out. I liked how it looked flowing over my shoulders.

It did get in my way frequently, however. Causing me to push it back into a low, unflattering single ponytail. It was hot in the summertime and took forever to dry naturally in the cold wintertime we have here. I was always getting it caught underneath me, or in the car door.

It was time to make a change.

So a few months ago I started thinking about getting it cut shorter. Like when I lived in the big city and got curly perms every few months, only this time I knew I didn't want the perms. I have become a more "natural" girl, not wanting chemicals on my hair or skin or even in my home.

So a bit scared and nervous. Not sure whether I'd like it or not. I made an appt with my local hairstylist to get my hair cut and shaped. She told me to look on the internet to find a picture of a haircut that I liked.

I really liked the way Amy Adams' hair looked when she was playing the role of Julie Powell in the movie Julie & Julia. So I printed some photos and brought them to my stylist.


Now I realize that I am never going to look as cute and young as Amy Adams, but I was hoping that her hairstyle would fit me well and make me look good. I also realized that Ms Adams had a team of hairstylists and makeup artists on hand to make sure she was beautiful, but I figured I'd just have to wing it on my own. Oh well.

So here is a photo of me right after getting my hair cut short today:

Not exactly Amy Adams, but the hair is still cute and perky. It will take some getting used to for me to be comfortable with my new lack of hair. I still feel like I have the long heavy hair flowing down my back. I keep flicking my head to one side to move the hair out of my eyes, but it is not there to move. A weird feeling. Like a limb being missing, sort of.

After I wash it the next time, it will likely feel more comfortable to me.

In this photo below, I can see my Mom looking back at me. I have her eyes and her mouth. Kind of weird seeing Mom in the mirror. Her hair was kind of cut like this late in her life.




This photo is my favorite so far, because it has my sweet kitty Sarah's cute furry face next to mine:

I look kind of odd in this photo, but she is always a cutie.

So that's my personal adventure for today. Till next time...

© Copyright 2011 Mountain Harvest Basket

Furry Purry Princess

Going home with Mama Jen

This past Tuesday while buying cat food at our local feed store, I met a cute grey tabby kitten that they had there for adoption. She was all alone in her cage. Her brother had just left to go live with his adopted family literally moments before.

I held this little kitten in my arms as she immediately started to purr very loudly. I talked with her and walked with her for about 20 minutes while Jack found and purchased our case of cat food and loaded it into the car.

Her energy was very sweet. She reminded me of my sweet Jessie in many ways. I just didn't think I was ready to get a new kitten yet. It has been 7 months since Jessie passed away, and I still miss her dearly every single day. My belief is that she will return to me in a new, healthy, young kitten body, sometime soon, but not quite yet. I checked that sense with my inner Guidance and realized that this new kitten was not, in fact, my Jessie reincarnated, but nevertheless, she was definitely meant to come home to live with us.

I left her at the feed store overnight and came home to think, meditate, pray and worry as I tried to decide if adopting a new kitten right now was in my best interest and the best interest of my household.

I don't have a bunch of money, and I already have two cats. Frieda is 18 now and needs special health care on a daily basis. So adding a kitten and all of the expense that goes with it, plus the time a new baby takes was a big decision for me. It's a long term commitment too, as my kitties are definitely my family members, not just my pets. Once they are adopted, they stay with me and they receive the very best of care.

Long story short, my meditation, anguish, worry and prayer produced the decision for me to go back to get her and bring her home to live with me.

She told me that she wanted to be called "Sarah". So that is her name.


Everyone, this is Sarah!

The name Sarah means "lady" or "princess" which seems to suit her personality, at least so far as I can tell. She is a gentle spirit.

She is calm and sweet, but also active and curious. She follows me everywhere and always wants to be under my feet or cuddled up on my chest.



Hi Mom!

My house is NOT kitten proofed! It's been 19 years since I have had a young kitten live in my home. Jessie was the only kitten I have ever had live with me. Frieda and Charity were young adult cats when they found me. So now I must go room to room and make my house safe for the new baby kitty and also for me.

She is about 9-10 weeks old and not quite 2.5 lbs. Counting backward week by week, that means she must have been born in early May. Which makes her a Taurus. My Frieda is also a Taurus. I have yet to see how the two of them will get along together, as the vet recommended I keep them separated for a couple of weeks in case Sarah, being a young kitten, has any kind of virus or infection that might harm Frieda in her more delicate health condition.




Bye Mom!


So I am sharing my bedroom and master bathroom with Sarah and all of her stuff. Litter box, food and water dishes, toy balls, toy mice, bed basket etc. That's not so unusual around here. I have frequently shared my bathroom and bedroom with my kitties. Usually Jessie or Charity when they needed to be doctored and separated from the others. Never one so tiny and constantly underfoot as this one is though. I really have to watch my step around her.


Cat nap time

Sometimes Sarah looks so much like Jessie, as in the photo above where she is curled up sleeping, that I must remind myself that this is a new kitty, a whole new life, my sweet Sarah.


She is a welcome addition to our family. Now you will know who Sarah is when I speak of her in future posts.

She is a gift of love that has brought healing joy to my heart.




© Copyright 2011 Mountain Harvest Basket