Jack Frost nipping at your nose

One of my very favorite things in life is the warmth of the sun. Sunshine and gloriously warm days fill my heart with gladness and I think really contribute to my overall positive outlook on life.

When winter approaches, my heart fills with dread. I don't like the cold and I don't like dealing with snow. I don't like being all bundled up and shivering. And I think winter is at LEAST twice as long as is necessary.

However, that being said, when winter comes to Second Life New England, I have to admit it is a beautiful sight. At least I don't have to worry about shoveling this snow and although looking at it actually makes the real life me feel colder, its all in my imagination...isn't it?

I am participating in the estate wide winter scene in SLNE. I have removed my pretty flower garden (relunctantly!!) and changed the trees to bare branches. There is snow on the ground and the pond has frozen over. It will make a nice little ice skating rink for those who are so inclined. My roof has snow on it and a snowman has been made.

My sim is open to anyone to come explore and enjoy. There is a nice beach for relaxing and watching the sunrise. There are paths to explore and romantic dancing in the gazebo or on the frozen pond.

I'm hoping for an early Spring...so come enjoy my little winter wonderland while its still around. I'm already dreaming of the warm sun to return.  :)



The pond has iced over. brrrr

A snowman resides in front of the garden. I can't wait for the return of flowers in the Spring!



The roof of the house is snow laden.



Water flows from the waterfall onto the frozen pond.

Herding SL Cats Out of the Bag

In Second Life, just as in real life, there is a special world of pets. A virtual pet can entertain and be a companion, just as a real pet can in real life. When you go looking for a pet in SL, you will discover that there is a wide variety to choose from.

I am a cat person. I have always owned a cat since I was a young girl. So it seems logical to me that I would want a cat companion in Second Life too. I have discovered that some are beautiful to look at, but move stiffly. Some have funny antics, just like real life cats. Some sound so real…you start to look around the computer to see if there is a cat ready to pounce on you. Some have annoying meows that you can’t wait to turn off. Then there are mysterious cats too, just as there are in real life.

It has been said that cats aren’t owned, rather, they have staff! I would like to introduce you to some of the felines that I have served in Second Life.

 

Muffin and Red are the dynamic duo! They are currently staying with my friend, Laird, and they keep him constantly entertained. Those two cats are always together. They follow each other all around. They are playful and powerful. They can easily push any avatar around to other locations…so beware!

Spot had a short life. He didn’t seem to take well to living on a homestead sim and he easily became disjointed. He was a beautiful cat, but lives mostly in my memory now.

While exploring a Japanese sim, I kept seeing a mysterious black cat everywhere. I finally was able to coax her to come home with me. Mystery cat can be found in many places. She is often seen guarding my store Lavender Cottage. She also loves to spend time bird watching. The unusual thing about Mystery cat is that no matter what angle you look at her…she is looking back. Her eyes follow your every move. Some might find this un-nerving, but I find it endearing. I know she is always looking out for me.

Karson gave me a cat that I just can’t get out of the garbage can. His name is Felix. You would think I never feed Felix, he is ALWAYS digging in the garbage looking for left-overs. He really loves fish. I often see him peering out from under the trash can lid, as though he is ashamed to admit that he loves to spend time there.

Karson gave me another cat too. Her name is Holly and she has stolen my heart. She is very sweet. She has a lot of energy and if she isn’t sleeping on the kitchen floor (which she does often), she is zooming all around the house. She is very obedient, though, and does come when I call her. She even enjoys taking a bubble bath…the first cat I have ever known to enjoy that.

And so, even in a virtual world, a cat's a cat and that's that.

Becoming a Landlady

I was looking through my landmarks the other day and clicked on one of my all time favorites. When I landed at what used to be Blues by the Lake, I was saddened to see that it was no longer there...gone...kaput! The land had been abandoned and was completely devoid of anything. I stood there for the longest time, so tempted to purchase the land, since it overlooks a lake, which has been recently redeveloped into a beautiful fishing spot. But I caught myself just in time and didn't push the 'buy' button. Instead, I decided to go look around and see what other types of parcels are available on the Linden Mainland.

No more Blues by the Lake!  :(

Before I continue, I should explain that one of my favorite things to do in Second Life is to take properties and fix them up. I love to place houses and I love to landscape and place other decorative elements around. Some people have told me that I am good at doing this. All I know is that I enjoy it so much and I can easily lose track of time when I am happily fixing up a property.

I have never owned land on the Mainland before. I have only owned property in private estates where the tier is paid to the estate owner, rather than the Lindens. I had always considered that Mainland property was not as desirable, since you cannot control what kind of neighbors you might have and how they might develop or landscape their land.

I flew around, looking at parcels for sale (of which there are an abudance!!). Eventually, I came across a nice little area with sailable Linden water and some parcels for sale. One particular parcel seemed so perfect and located right on the shoreline. I checked the price...it seemed reasonable. I clicked on the menu to purchase the property and just held it there for a REALLY long time before I finally took the plunge and pressed the 'buy' button and immediately thought, oh no, what have I done!

I am now the owner of a parcel on the Linden Mainland!

Now, WHY do I need a parcel on the Mainland when I have beautiful property in the New England estate? That's an excellent question. And I've been asking myself the same question, actually. I thought...well, this can be a little place for me to escape. Then I realized that SL is ALREADY an escape. Do I need an escape from my escape?

Since the deed was done, I went ahead and placed a really cute little beach cottage on the property and began landscaping. I soon discovered that you cannot terraform Linden land extensively...they have built-in constraints so you cannot vary the land too much from how the Lindens created it. But you can do some tweaking...and tweaking I did. I placed trees and flowers around, some rocks with water spray and other decorative things. I stood back and admired what I had created and thought, ok...now what?

Then I had a brilliant idea! I would rent it out and become a landlady! So...I pulled out a rental box that I had created last year and never used. I already even had a group created...Schimmer Properties. I had a logo. I was set! I placed a classified ad for my Sea Haven Cottage and waited for people to beat down the door wanting to rent my little cottaage. I set a people counter out...and went back the next day to see how many had come looking. I was surprised...the count was...ZERO!  I signed and figured, oh well. I should have known better.

But less than 24 hours after I set it for rent, I did receive notice that it had, indeed, been rented. I met my new tenant and made sure she was all set up. I acted like I was experienced in the land rental business. I'm not sure I had her fooled though.

She has decorated the cottage in such a cute way! I think she will be the perfect tenant...especially for a new landlady like me. I sure hope she decides to stay for while.

Sea Haven Cottage...my first rental!

To my tenant...if you are reading this...please stay!