Happy Lunar New Year

Hi everybody,The new lunar year has begun. The year of the pig; which, incidently, is my year!Here in Vancouver, it arrived with a spring like feeling......but don't be fooled, February is an unpredictable month here.I went to the local asian market to stock up on the kinds of things I needed to make the most of the festivities.While I was walking around, I spied a sweet little paper pig hanging from the ceiling. I tried to find the decoration, but it seemed that that was the last one in the store.So I picked up a bright and cheery lantern and asked a market person if I could buy the piggie hanging from the ceiling. He said yes, but would have to wait while he fetched the bar code for the checkout. So I agreed and waited.While I was waiting, an older Chinese lady was choosing candies and I asked her what I needed for my festive eve.She told me I needed lotus blossom candies...although chocolates were fine.Her friend beside her said I also needed dumplings...and door stickers...and orchids......and a money plant...and fish.I already have several jade plants and my orchids are blooming beautifully right now, so I picked up the lotus blossom candy, some chocolates, the dor stickers, some paper fish, and my little piggie, and headed home. The whole trip was so much fun, as was decorating the house with my red and gold treasures. I understand that they will now stay up until the 16th.I've been feeding the birds in the garden...much to Morgan's delight. But don't worry, she wouldn't know what to do with a bird if it flew into her mouth.But while feeding the birds I'm feeding the squirrels by default, and those squirrels and getting so fat that they took down one of the bird feeders!OK, maybe it wasn't the squirrel, maybe it was the frozen air that broke the rope, but the squirrels do have a habit of sitting in the feeder and noshing down on the bird seed.I don't mind, everyone has to make their way. It's an equal opportunity feeder.I hope some of you had fun celebrating the lunar new year, and I hope that the year of the pig brings you much prosperity, happiness and health.