Kinship in Color and Wool

6 out of 7 kittens have been Spade, Neutered and Adopted.....One is still home....

6 out of 7 kittens have been Spade, Neutered and Adopted.....One is still home....
Originally uploaded by bbmarie.

We have been over-run with felines as of late! But now -- 6 of our kittens have been adopted! I had the 2 Mother cats (strays we took in, in the depths of freezing winter) and all but one of the kittens fixed last week (one kitten was just a bit under the weight requirement and will be fixed next week.) It was a bittersweet business to find homes for the kitties. We live on a fairly busy road, so we put out a sign: "Fixed Kittens - $20". It took 5 days, but all the fixed kitties have been taken. I really felt it was important to get the kitties spade and neutered before I found homes for them. I felt responsible for them because I feel like my neglience allowed the Moms to get pregnent in the first place. (If every cat alive now in the USA found a home- each household would have 48 cats!) We have a non-profit organization called C-snip in our area that will spay or neuter cats and dogs for a significantly lower rate than a vet. We shed some tears saying good bye to our favorite kitties, but really, 9 cats was too too much! (for me anyway) We still have Princess and the 2 Moms - Okra and Fluffy-Chai. It was a really fun experience to see kittens being born and watch them grow and play, but I am also glad to have it behind me!

Late spring garden

Late spring garden
Originally uploaded by bbmarie.

The Family Art Show went well. Thanks for all your support and well wishes. The month is flying by. The Garden is so promising and full of hope this time of year. I like hope.... it is so inspiring! I have been thinking about volunteer tomato plants. We have them popping up all over the garden, should they be left to grow? I have so many tomato plants I started from seed yet to plant. It is like a metaphor for life, you make plans and plant things you have carefully considered and then there us those unexpected "volunteers" some good some bad, but so hard to discern at first... Last year we let the volunteer squash plants grow and the results were disappointing ..... yet we did make some nice pumpkin pies out of our mini orange-sized pumpkins!

Spring Art Show!

Spring Art Show!
Originally uploaded by bbmarie.

Getting ready for the show. Lots of beautiful stuff. Rick and I, Rose, Pearl, Shep and Dove and Grace and Rain all have some creative creations. Nothing beats the blues like a little creativity....Come check it out if you can. This is how we live and how we pay the bills. Buy something unique and help feed the kids.....seriously! :)

CAT rug by Pearl Beerhorst will be for sale this weekend!

Okra's kittens - Life Goes on...

Okra's kittens
Originally uploaded by bbmarie.

Okra is a stray we took in this winter. She had 5 kittens the same day my sister Julie died. Life goes on....My dreams at night try to make sense of the events of the last few weeks and I wake up feeling like I was close to some conclusion but not quite there... Like if I had slept a little longer or just had a few more pieces to the puzzle. We also have the stomach flu around here. But it seems minor compared to the things I saw in the hospital. When Julie crosses my mind it feels like a bruise or a dull ache or a tightening in the throat. The visitation, funeral and cemetary each hold bright spots and sweetness mixed with tears. I had never witnessed pain, sufftering and death so personally before. Maybe it is appropriate in mid-life. A maturing, a smelling salt, something. I seem to be sifting through the sad and scary parts now. There were many loving and beautiful moments. But when I close my eyes or pause the unfairness and brutality of it all pushes forward.
At Julies Visitation at the funeral home she had a Rosary said. Forgive me, but I have always found Rosaries dull. But I knew if it was done, Julie had requested it. I participated. They had Julie's casket up front of the chapel, {she had Goodnight Moon propped up in her casket with her} in my minds eye - Julie, dressed casually walked from the front, down the middle isle, arms outstretched, smiling her goofy smile and hugging people and kissing them on the head. It was so real to me.....

I went upstairs to try to find a photo of Julie's "goofy grin" to add at the end here.....wouldn't you know-- I find one of us three sisters in 1993{Julie, Brenda, Sue}---- has she kissed my head or is she about to!?. Where love is there is forever.....

Julie Ann Elizabeth Moulds Rybicki - December 28, 1962 - April 8, 2008

Julie Ann Elizabeth Moulds Rybicki - December 28, 1962 - April 8, 2008
Originally uploaded by bbmarie.

My sister died today. I was with her for 4 days of her last 6. She has been fighting Non-hodgkins lymphoma for 16 years. But it was the Graft vs. Host disease that killed her. She was strong and brave and beautiful and so full of love. There is not a person who knew her that didn't love her. She was a poet that married a poet. They adopted a 12 year old boy from inner city Detroit 6 years ago. God Bless John and Martel as they grieve their wife and Mother. Julie you were more than a sister to me, you were a friend and someone whom baring my heart to was easy and safe.
i haven't been posting much because of all the turmoil in my heart. Julie has been in the hospital since February 15, 2008 and what she has gone through was horrendous. She did it because she wanted to live. She truly fit into the catagory of only the good die young.
Our last days together are filled with love and I will cherish every minute of them forever.

R Heart

R Heart
Originally uploaded by bbmarie.

It is so cold here in Michigan. I am struggling with it. I think my favorite temperature range would be say-- 65 - 82 degrees F. But alas, I am not in charge of the weather. Otherwise, besides Cabin Fever we are well. I have been taking herbal supplements for thyroid for about 2 weeks and I think they are having a positive effect! Hyothyroidism seems to be a middle-age issue I have inherited from my Mother's genetic pool. The Secrets of Peri-menopause and Menopause...I feel as if I am uncovering a sleeping giant of unknown information... Unknown to me anyway. I think aging women are seriously underated in our society. Maybe there is a secret world of the Older Woman that I am on the cusp of discovering...

The foyer is Brenda's rug-hooking Studio

The foyer is Brenda's rug-hooking Studio
Originally uploaded by bbmarie.

We have been sick around here, fevers and coughing and nose-blowing - yuck. Besides it being cold!! But I have put some rughooking in despite the gloom. Yes the Foyer is my "studio" it has great light. I have to keep my stuff neat though, which is a struggle. I am really messy when I create. But I love neatness. I have found that if I am suffering under artist block, the first thing to do is straighten up my work area. Chaos does depress me, and I will avoid an art project buried in clutter. My problem is i will work till i am just too tired to clean up my mess. I am learning to deal with this, not always perfectly. Sometimes I ask Rick to help me...he is very good at neatness!

Beerhorst Kids - September 2007

Beerhorst Kids - September 2007
Originally uploaded by bbmarie.

It is hard to believe we could ever go barefoot now that we are in January! Michigan has such a contrast of seasons....This photo was taken with my Mom's disposable camera on Grace's 5th Birthday in September. {Grace is wearing pink and blue and sitting on Rose's lap}. The backyard was in it's wild glory! Now it is covered in drifts of white snow...
Rose and Pearl have been cooking meals lately and doing very well! We should have assigned them this duty earlier...They have been given Wednesday as their day to cook, but they actually have been cooking meals for the last 3 days! Some of the edible delights we have been experiencing; Chocolate layer cake from scratch, Turkey stir fry, Blueberry Muffins {scratch}, Oven Fried potatoes, homemade applesause, Salad, eggs with brocolli and mushrooms, Thai noodles with peanut Sauce and walnut coffee cake!...This is not just one meal of course but I am really surprised how they have really just gotten into it! They have been slightly less enthused about cleaning up after themselves, but I have gotten them off the hook myself -- because I am so grateful! Some of you who read this know that Rick has been doing 90% of the cooking for about 4 years...{I burned out} And he had done a Suberb job without complaining, but I was feeling like I wanted to work my way back into it. I am cooking Thursday, Friday and Saturday now. That leaves Sunday, Monday and Tuesday for Rick and as I said, Wednesday for Rose and Pearl.
It is a lot of work to feed us all. It's 3 meals daily cause we are all at home. The kids are eating more too! Well a counterful of dishes awaits me.....later
Brenda

You're Invited! Beerhorst Family Art Show Dec. 2007

You're Invited! Beerhorst Family Art Show Dec. 2007
Originally uploaded by bbmarie.

The Family Art Show is coming up! Potholders, Sock Monsters, and many other wonderful things are being created! Mark Your Calendars! We hope all you locals can make it! Meanwhile...Happy Thanksgiving...we all have lots to be thankful for...love Brenda.

Lilly Lipke and Brenda 1986

Lilly Lipke and Brenda 1986
Originally uploaded by bbmarie.

In memory of my dear friend Lilly
September 26, 1961 - October 25, 2007