To Everything There is a Season

A time to live, a time to die...

Ok, so I acknowledge that none of us are gonna get out of this world alive, but golly, we have had two friends pass away in the past month. 

The first, RB, as his daughter put it in his obituary, was "the innocent victim of  a high speed police chase" - he simply was in the wrong place at the wrong time.


RB loved music and when he bought a small cafe in downtown Bellingham around 20 years ago, he decided to give it a Coffee House atmosphere on Friday nights and have live music.  The Shepherd & I spent many Friday evenings there - listening to music, or, in my case, performing it - for a while, my friend Nancy & I had a duet going - we called ourselves "The Rusty Sisters" - She played stand up bass and I played my 12 string guitar and sang the songs we played.  We didn't practice much, hence the name, - we were just a little bit "rusty" - but we had a great time, got tips and all the cookies & coffee that we could eat.

And met a lot of nice people - and got to know RB.  But people's lives change, and RB sold the cafe.  So we didn't see him much any more.  Imagine our delight when he showed up at our church one Sunday morning.  He had gotten to know one of our members and began coming to church with her - then, sadly, he took a job in another state and we hadn't seen or heard from him in several years.  Until last month when we got the news of the accident and his death. 

In many ways,  - since RB was no longer "in our radar" so to speak, our life will go on without him.  But the world has lost a good guy.  Rest in peace RB.



Then last Friday morning, one of my co-workers came up to my desk - "Did you hear that LS died? - He fell out of his truck & hit his head" 

"Well, where did you hear that?" I asked.  "It was on Facebook", he said. 

All right - I have to do a little rant here...

Facebook - a friend of my sister calls it "Nosybook" and I have refused to cave.  I do not have a Facebook page, and don't intend on getting one - but I will admit, it is kind of hard to come up with the kind of news that floats around on FB, and not all of it is true, so I finally decided to call his ex, and yes, he had passed away, but he'd had a heart attack. - And these "Facebook Friends" had announced his passing to the world even before some of his family members knew about it.  Kind of rude, I thought.  Oh, well, I guess that's the unsocial part of social media. 

When I thought about it, I realized that I've known LS for almost 35 years - We weren't "friends with benefits" (although I wouldn't have turned him down) we were good friends - he was always there with a ready smile and the best big hugs you have ever gotten.

When he was married, his wife had cancer, twice - I was one of the "food ladies" who kept the family fed so they could concentrate on her recovery, and when I had my cancer surgery eight (can it really be 8 ?!) years ago, they were two of my biggest supporters.  She survived, I survived, unfortunately, their marriage didn't. 

But he stayed in touch - he'd stop by my office once in a while - always with that ready smile and that wonderful big hug.  And, darn it,  in less than a month, the world has lost another great guy. 

Rest in peace LS. 


So, as the saying goes, "to everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven"

And if there is music there, those two boys will be in the front row -


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There are cats and then there was Skeezix...

 

One of the blogs that I try to keep up with is called The Cat Blogosphere.  It is a great blog that keeps all the cat bloggers in touch with each other.  They celebrate birthdays, Gotcha Days, Meow Like a Pirate day, and all sorts of fun events, but they also support the humans when someone (kitteh or human)  has sickness, or goes to The Rainbow Bridge.  It is not uncommon for the group to hold an on-line auction to help someone pay veterinary bills or arrange transport from a shelter to a new forever home for kittehs.  

Several weeks ago I read on the CB website that Skeezix the Cat had surgery and they discovered that he had cancer.  Every pet parent's worst nightmare - for you know your little friend's time on this earth is soon to come to an end.  

Skeezix was one of  the first cat blogs that I read and soon found that he was one of  those "live life to the fullest" kind of cats - his "flat version" got to travel all around the world - I believe he even went to a royal wedding.  He had an uncanny sense of fashion too - what a trail blazer.  His Mum & Dad (Mr. Tasty Face and the Food Lady) were always willing to help those of us who were not quite techie enough to fix our blogger problems.

So my eyes were leaking tonight when I read that Skeezix has gone to The Rainbow Bridge and my heart aches for his "family".  When another one of our furry friends goes to The Bridge, it reminds all of us of who we have and who we have lost.   I hope there was a huge party to welcome him home.  Shine bright, new star in the heavens.      

Help Rebuild Judith's Studio

My first experience with Judith MacKenzie was in November 2008 when she paid a visit to our spinner guild.  She was good friends of the woman who owned our Local Yarn Store, and "came for a visit" - being a newbie spinner, I didn't know that when you said "Judith" - choirs of angels sang in the background. 

After that, I took two different classes from Judith - and always learned lots, but something more important - to be encouraging of new spinners.  Even if what they were spinning looked "less than desirable" Judith would have something good to say - and a way they could do it better. 







She is also unfailingly generous with fiber - you always get good things to spin when you take her classes. 


One of my spinner guild pals once said "I'd take a class from Judith even if she was teaching how to spin belly button lint"  After I had taken one of Judith's classes, I knew what my pal meant. 











Judith is also an exceptional fleece judge - here she is in 2010 at Black Sheep Gathering.  Listening to her judge fleece is like taking a class on how to pick out the very best fleece to spin.

A couple of years ago, Judith moved to Forks, WA - which seemed like the end of the world to me, was a haven for her.  As artist in residence at the Rainforest Arts Center, she had built up a wonderful studio to share her talents with the world.

Yesterday I received an email from the same friend who I quoted above about spinning "belly button lint"  She told me about "the fire" - on October 29, a catastrophic fire destroyed the arts center building and everything in Judith's studio.  I had heard about the fire - they only said that it burned the store where they sold all the vampire stuff. (Forks, WA is where the Twilight series was based out of)

They didn't say anything about destroying the Arts Center.  When I read her email, I cried. 

A web site has been set up -  Rebuild Judith's Studio   Do what you can to help.

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A moment of Silence -

 A valiant kitty friend has gone to the Rainbow Bridge.  Perfectly Parker is a blog about a family in O-Hi-O that I have read for several years.  Parker was a sweet loving kitty who always had fun things to say.  She lost her sight due to cancer, but never lost her "vision" -

When one of our kitty friends make the trip to the bridge it brings back the memories of those who have come before, and makes my heart ache and my eyes leak. 

 

May you Rest in Peace, Parker

In Memory-

Our dear friend Miss Peach went to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday.
My heart is breaking for her Mama and The Lapdaddy.
She was a quirky old girl and had so many escapades that always made me smile.
Rest in Peace, Peachy.

It's Time -

Sinda
April 21, 1990 - February 5, 2011

Sadly, Sinda's health and spirit have plummeted in the past week. I made one of the hardest decisions in my life yesterday as I called my friend who has a mobile veterinary service to arrange for her to come out this afternoon and help Sinda cross over the Bridge.

I was thinking of the words to Jim Croce's song "Time in a Bottle" this morning

"If I could save time in a bottle, The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day Till Eternity passes away Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever, If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then Again, I would spend them with you"

Sinda has been my companion for almost 21 years - I can't imagine life without her - I will be catless for the first time in 35 years.

You can read about her birthday last year by clicking here
or click on "Sinda" under labels to see more.

Hold your loved ones close today and Thank you for your kind thoughts. T.

Sharing Their Sadness -

Our friends Kathy & Ralph from Sheep Thrills Farm in Arizona have lost their friend Ziggy. He was a grand old man of about 16 years old, having come to their home as a stray (they are one of the people who have that invisible "Stray Cats are Welcome Here" sign in their driveway).

He had been loosing weight for about a year and pretty sick for a couple of weeks now - Kathy & Ralph had done everything that they could think of to help him regain his health, but it was not to be.

I am so very sad for them, as, like many of you out there, we have lost a kitty who was such a character that he left a permanent imprint on our hearts. When I look through my photos for "Looking Back Sunday" the older ones are so full of Neelix pictures. Sometimes I can look through them, sometimes I just can't and feel like we really should have tried to do more - to push the vet to do more tests - but, it's a "could-a, should-a, would-a situation at best. Nothing I can say or do will bring him back.

Because they have "connections" I asked our friends Karla & Miss Peach to alert the members of the Cat Blogosphere that Ziggy had crossed The Rainbow Bridge. This group, like no other, can offer sympathy that is so heart felt and meaningful. I hope their words of condolence will help K&R get through this hard time.

Our friends Karla & Miss Peach also wrote a beautiful poem for us the weekend when Neelix went to the Bridge. It still "makes my eyes leak" but I'll reprint it here in honor of Ziggy.

For Neelix (and his "mom & dad") -

Close your eyes now, my longtime friend,
and let this time of suffering
come to a peaceful end.
We'll walk together soon, I'm sure,
as winter turns to spring,
when snow gives way to budding leaves
and birds begin to sing.
The gentle breeze shall call your name
along the water's edge.
For what we shared and what you meant
shall never be forgot.
Your friendship spans the years behind,
your memory ahead.
You'll always be there next to me,
companion and good friend.

Keep an eye out for Neelix, Zig - I'm sure he'll show you all around -

Loss of a bright and shining star...

In Memory

Denise Guren
8.14.52 - 5.31.09

This is a would'a, could'a, should'a story, I suppose.

I've known who Denise was for years before I knew her personally - one could easily be in awe of her talent - she was a very gifted violin/fiddle player in both folk and Klezmer music - but I didn't get acquainted with her until I joined Spindrifters a couple of years ago - she was the consummate fiber person - a wonderful spinner (she and her husband designed a new little spinning wheel that is quite popular) and I think she could knit most anything.

Denise had cancer. She faced it with more courage and grace than anyone I've ever seen. She continued to come to our Saturday guild meetings and was also active in the Knit night at NW Handspun Yarns. She and Doug were at Gretchen's Fiber Frolic in April - picking up the first Shetland fleeces from their wethers, that Gretchen had processed for them. She mentioned something about overdying the grey and fawn to see what kind of heathery colors she could come up with.

I sat beside Denise at the last local guild meeting in March. When she mentioned that she had decided to accept Hospice. I didn't know what to say - I didn't know her very well. She quickly said it would make her life easier - that it would allow her to do things in the time she had left that she wouldn't be able to if she didn't have the help. In fact, a friend told me today that she had seen her at Folk Life in Seattle over Memorial Day and at the Farmer's Market last weekend. Denise lived her life to the fullest.

As I said, I didn't know her very well, but I would have liked to have known her better. Afraid of loosing something I had just found, I didn't "find" it at all. I had been thinking about her a lot the last two days, thinking I "should" send her a card to see what she had done with the fleeces that she picked up at Gretchen's - and then, too late, found out this afternoon that she had passed away on Sunday.

Do you suppose there are Klezmer bands in heaven?

It was one of Those days...

WARNING: This is a sad post - as always, life and death happen on a farm - sometimes simultaneously - sometimes, just the death part...


Yesterday was a sad day on the farm at Marietta Shetlands - The Shepherd normally gets up and feeds the sheep then comes in and has his breakfast. As the company he works for has cut back to four days a week, for right now, he has Friday's off, so he went back out after his morning oatmeal to check on the girls, especially Moni, our dark brown ewe, as she wasn't taking the cold very well, grinding her teeth and shivering - (he even put up the heat lamp).

What he found was Moni, with a dead ram lamb, and one more coming. It seemed to be coming normally, feet first and head in the right place, but it must have been in the birth canal too long, as, even though he assisted, it was also dead.

Moni seems OK - she passed the afterbirth yesterday afternoon and has been eating and moving around. He decided not to milk her colostrum (although we've never needed it, it would be good to have some in the freezer) so her milk wouldn't come in so much. He's still "on watch" with her, but today she is out in the pasture munching on grass - life goes on.


In Memory of Buddy -

Buddy was the wether that we had in with H.B. as his "buddy" - What we hadn't really noticed until about a month ago, was, that H.B. was not letting him eat and, in typical ram fashion, being kind of mean to his pasture mate.

But Buddy was a lover, not a fighter and often as not, he would just lay down so H.B. couldn't chase him - but sometimes he was still getting "pummeled".

The Shepherd had separated him out from H.B. but he didn't seem to be gaining any weight, and after shearing and the ultra cold weather that we've had the last few days, it seemed that there were other problems. As he was talking to the vet about Moni, they chatted about Buddy and decided that he would bring him in and they would put him down.

I suppose, in other times, on other farms, Buddy would have met his end on the farm and been cooked up for soup - Since neither one of us care for lamb, we have no small white packages in the freezer, and he rests in peace here.

After shearing, we also are wondering if Jewell is "with lambs" - hopefully there's one hiding in there - if not, it will be the end of a blood line because the ram she was in with, Danny and his newly shorn pasture mate, Taylor will be going to the auction soon - probably not this weekend as the weatherman keeps saying it is going to snow - looks like it might, but it's 41 degrees out right now.

So that's how our week ended. When you have a small flock, each animal is so valued. When you are a farmer, the value is in your harvest. When you are a shepherd, your harvest is in the spring when the lambs come. Essentially, we lost a quarter of our harvest.

We still have high hopes for Pearl and Luna who were bred to H.B. - they are looking pleasingly plump, and like their moms before them, getting pretty bitchy. They are several weeks off though - I'll keep you posted.

URGENT - Puppy mill ring busted in Western Washington

After I finished my previous post about my Christmas Caps, I decided to check out more info about this puppy mill thing that has been going on for the past week south of here. I know that many of my readers are animal lovers and felt that I needed to let you know about this.

The situation has snowballed and gotten progressively worse with each day. It is a very sad story - no arrests have been made, but I sure hope that some will be. Because one man was brave enought to turn in his friend, many many animals will be saved from a horrific life. Please read on.... (but, don't forget to take time to check out the pretty hats I made for my family for Christmas)....

As of Saturday, January 24, over 600 puppies and pregnant dogs have been seized from a puppy mill ring here in Western Washington.

These dogs were living in unimaginable filth and are now being taken care of at the Everett Humane Society, with most being cared for at the Skagit County Fairgrounds by the volunteers for an organization called "S.P.O.T." - (Saving Pets One at a Time). Many of the dogs are ill with parasites and other problems from the crowding and deplorable conditions they were living in. Many puppies had never been out of their crates.

They estimate that 80% of these dogs are pregnant and that the number of puppies expected to be born over the next few weeks could reach 1500! They are hoping that as the puppies are born, the females can be spayed, and that students from the veternary schools in the state can step in and assist with the surgeries.

Please check out these web sites for more information on how you can help the folks that are taking care of these (mostly) itty bitty dogs:

PuppyJustice.com and
Saving Pets One at a Time (S.P.O.T.)