Saying Good-Bye to 2010

The year 2010 is slowly coming to an end and ahead lies a hopefully better 2011 ! Looking back. this year was the year of home improvements. We finally tackled the water problem in garage and basement and it also brought us new tiles for the basement. It was a lot of dirt and inconvenience, but we are very happy with the results. Yours truly had to pick the most expensive tile straight from Italy, but it was well worth the expense. We love the way it looks and the company putting it in for us did a great job.
Also, our old man Walter joined us this year in the late spring and despite a severe heart murmur, dementia and mild neurological problems, he's still with us. It is not easy caring for him, but we all fell in love with the little guy - even Bicalina, who initially hated his guts and bit a hole in his flank as a remembrance. I did finally get her over her hatred by using the method of counter conditioning. This method has turned Walter into a walking liver treat as far as Bica is concerned.
And here they are today:
We also have news from Germany. My niece Sassa gave birth to a healthy boy by the name of Aaron on August 6th:
We haven't met the young man yet and hope he won't grow too fast. No such luck though because according to his mom he has a good appetite. :-)
Alisa, his big sister, started school this year and brothers Lewin (4) and Eldin (11) discovered Beyblade battles which got their great aunt up in arms and out shopping, because that game is nowhere to be found in all of Germany. (That's where they live.)
We didn't travel to Europe this year. Instead we concentrated on the beautification of our house and spending some time together. As you all can see, looking at this blog, we do enjoy walking the dogs in different places and I love taking pictures of them. My cam isn't the greatest, but I am usually walking with three dogs in one hand and the cam in the other and considering the circumstances, I'm not too unhappy about the results. Other people have fancier cameras and fanciers pictures, but I can't see myself rushing through the woods with three dogs and a tripod. :-)
The Budelheimers are on ice at the moment. Since I do all the cartoon drawing with the computer mouse, this puts a lot of strain on my tendons. I just had a cortisone injection into my shoulder and also need to work on issues regarding my spine. Not to worry - they will be back in the new year.

I hope you all had a good year 2010 and may the New Year bring joy and fulfill all your wishes !