Dear Jenny,

Thank you for your lovely note! At first, I was surprised that you and Nicolas didn’t get the place close to town. Still, I’m happy to hear that you two found the ranch of your dreams. I must confess, when you and Nicolas moved to Saskatchewan, I thought you were both crazy. After all, the weather is so very different from the coast. Still, after seeing the pictures you attached, I can see I was wrong. The log cabin looks gorgeous, and the land is beautiful. Forty acres is a lot of space, and I’m sure you'll make great use of it. I can't wait to come visit you for the holidays.

I've also moved recently. I had to move as my landlord was putting the house on the market. It was actually a relief because I wasn’t too happy in that basement suite as there simply wasn’t enough light. The new apartment I'm in is great. It's small, but it's on the top floor and has a skylight and large windows. It's also very close to the transit line, which was a major deciding factor since I don't own a car. The rent is a bit more than I paid before, but not by much.

Things also changed in my work situation. As you know the art market has really taken a dive, and sales were not going as expected. I finally had enough when 10 other artists and I were invited to auction our paintings to raise money for high school art programs. We were to get 60% of each sale. At first I was happy because I ended up selling all five of my paintings. The buyers took my paintings home, and the fundraiser committee wrote down which paintings I had sold, or so I thought! After not getting my cheque in the mail for 2 weeks, I called the organizing committee. It turns out that they had lost their record book and didn't have any verification of my sales! The lady on the phone said they couldn't pay me since they couldn't confirm how much I had made. Luckily, I was able to speak to the buyers and they contacted the committee stating how much they had paid for my paintings, and in the end, they paid me, but only after many phone conversations with the head manager. I decided it was time for a more conventional job, so I got a position at the Vancouver Art Gallery, taking visitors through the exhibitions. I miss painting but I’m enjoying the stability and being surrounded by so many different artistic styles and personalities.

Other than that, life is good. I've just adopted a kitten and am enjoying my work and my new location.

All the best,

Sarah