Dear Readers:

Snow, snow, snow! Central Oregon got buried last week, only to have a few days of melting off and blue skies. Now, it’s clouding up again, with more precipitation on the way, I’m afraid. Huge sheets of snow will be draped from the eaves of our home once again! Oblivious to the coming weather, my canary, Saffron, is singing his heart out today. Meanwhile, Kibbles is with Kate in the kitchen because it’s dog food day, when Kate cooks meals for them in advance. Kibbles, my geriatric with terminal cancer, is hopeful for tidbit fallout, and is still doing well enough overall.

Buddy and Talili are enjoying runs twice daily during the week, one as soon as it’s fully daylight and another in the late afternoon before it gets dark. You will recall that they were both seriously injured several times when we first moved home to the ridge last summer, so for a very long while, I didn’t let them run loose on our property. Well, they are active dogs and need the exercise, so we finally decided to just let them go and take their knocks. Talili scratched his eye, running through brush, which cost us six hundred dollars in vet bills, but otherwise, he and Buddy have been returning home without mishap. Knock on wood. Hopefully, Talili has learned to shut his eyes when he’s dashing through the Manzanita and Buddy has learned not to get close enough to a deer to get kicked in the head.

Speaking of our resident deer, because of snowy weather, I resorted to simply opening the deer-food bin that sits under the back overhang, just outside my office bay window. Imagine my sheer enjoyment when the deer came up to eat the other morning, only a few feet away from me on the other side of the window glass. I got some great snapshots of my four-point buck, one of my babies from years gone by, and a darling one of a fawn, born last spring, forging through the snow to get his share of the goodies. I hope to post them on my website this month.

Last night, the bin of deer food ran empty, and in the wee hours, we heard a horrendous banging on the outside of our house. One of my big bucks was whacking his antlers against the siding in loud protest! Can you imagine awakening to such a ruckus? Such is life on Cinnamon Ridge.

I am happy to report that my editor gave me a two month extension on my deadline for Zach Harrigan’s book. I am unhappy to report that the virus I’ve had hangs on and simply won’t go away. I got to feeling better and really believed I was finally on the mend. But a few nights ago, I awakened with a horrible sore throat, bad cough, and burning sinuses, feeling as if I were coming down with it all over again! Total, I’ve been sick well over a month. Although I’m on antibiotics now, I probably waited a couple weeks too late to go to the doctor.

I’ve recently begun a couple new hobbies, which I enjoy only when I’m unable to write, for one reason or another. I am not one to be idle, so when I have flu bug and don’t feel like writing, I am bored to tears. For my birthday, my daughter-in-law Mary cued in on an interest of mine—how to make wine goblet markers. While she was here for Christmas, she bought me the starting supplies as my birthday present—memory wire in various colors, pretty beads, crimping beads, and darling charms. I’ll soon be having a wine-goblet-marker party, inviting ladies from my church and other friends. Husbands are welcome, of course, because while making wine goblet markers, the ladies will be enjoying wine, compliments of my wonderful literary agent, Steven Axelrod. Steve sent me a case of fine red wines when EARLY DAWN hit the New York Times bestseller list!

Kate, my house manager, got us interested in another hobby as well. One morning she arrived with darling candy cane ornaments she had made the previous night for my little kiwi grandsons, Liam and Jonas. Each candy cane sported a banner with their names on them and was decorated with tiny sprigs of holly that Kate made with clay. At the sight of her handiwork, Mary and I decided we just had to make some ornaments ourselves! Mary had only a few of her own, and she wants to start collecting ornaments that have special meaning or bring back good memories. So in the midst of our crazy Christmas shopping, we went to the craft store to select a rainbow of colors in clay to begin making some.

So while my kids were here and afterward when I got sick, I spent evenings making wine goblet markers and clay Christmas ornaments for Mary to take home to New Zealand. Then the creative side of me emerged! Why couldn’t I make my own wine goblet marker charms with clay? As you know, I’m into western things, and my son has horses. In the past I’ve tried to find western charms on the Internet, but all of them were made of silver or gold and were outrageously expensive. Thus, I came up with the idea to make some of my own. My first western charms were tiny cowboy hats, which turned out darling! Then I made little cowboy boots as well, which are also very cute. And I managed to make a couple of saddles, many horseshoes, and several lariats. Our son John’s birthday is coming soon, so I schemed to get Joshua for an overnight stay so he could make his dad a set of western-theme wine goblet markers as a gift. They turned out so nice! Boys automatically go for masculine looks, so no sparkly beads for Joshua. He used cowboy hats, lariats, and horseshoes, with big, chunky wooden beads. His father will love them, I’m sure, because they are especially made for him by his little boy. He’ll treasure them forever.

Hobbies evolve, I’ve discovered. Oregon is also way big into football, with our two main universities going head-to-head every year in what is called the Civil War Game. Since I’m a Beaver enthusiast, but John and my husband Sid are Duck enthusiasts, I had a thought. How fun would it be to make Civil War Game wine goblet markers? Well, I tried to make clay footballs, and they looked like everything but a football, so I decided to blend the western theme—big in Central Oregon ranching country with the colors of the two teams. To do that, I made little riding boots in the university colors. I haven’t made any Civil War markers yet because I started to feel a bit better and could actually write again. But my niece, Gerry, and her husband, David, who couldn’t be here on New Year’s Eve as planned because of a snowstorm, visited over the Super Bowl weekend. Gerry and I made Civil War markers while the guys watched the big game. We had a blast!

My great niece, Wendy, to whom EARLY DAWN is dedicated, is due to deliver a baby girl in a few weeks. We will call her Ella, with “Cupcake” as her nickname. I am presently searching for a “cupcake” dress for her. Too bad I have no time to sew, or I could make her one. Her nursery theme is cupcakes, in greens, browns, and pinks. Wish me luck in finding just the right little dress! Over the weekend, Gerry and I made Ella some cupcake ornaments in her colors to hang on the Christmas tree. They look almost good enough to eat.

Well, I really must get back to work on Zach Harrigan’s story, title yet to be determined. I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed my update this month. While I appreciate those who regularly join me at Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and my site, I never tire of hearing from more readers. When you have a spare moment, drop me a line. In the meantime, stay warm and dry this season of hearts. Whether you’re snuggling with someone you love, or just curling up with a blanket and a great book, romance is alive and well.

Best Wishes,

Catherine Anderson