Wherein Brunhilda and Borris Meet and Greet Miss Keetha's History

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Brunhilda and Borris Bearsaltandpepper here, but you may call us Brunhilda and Borris Bearsaltandpepper.

We are taking over Miss Keetha's blog today, and we don't EVEN care if she minds.

We noticed that some of Miss Keetha's bloggy friends have even given their "little people" blogs of their OWN!! Miss Keetha, we think that's a great idea - - - we might just go on STRIKE and stop DOING these guest posts until you give US a blog of OUR own.

We're just sayin'

(Miss Keetha, this is Borris - - - I just want you to know that ALL of that stuff up there was from Brunhilda - - - sometimes I just can't CONTROL that she-bear.)


Brunhilda again - - - This is the way Borris thinks he should write his blog posts. SLOW, SLOW, SLOW!!!! Can you imagine how long it would take him at THAT rate to do an entire blog of his own?

Well, I don't have TIME for that, so I just pushed him out of the way and - - -


Hopped right on Miss Keetha's lappy keyboard. Man, THIS is the life!!! I wonder why bear dens don't come equipped with these?

OK, back to the real business of this post.

This summer, while we were traveling the wilds of Wisconsin with Miss Keetha, she let us meet her "history."

Now, I gotta tell ya - - - meeting her history turned out to be meeting PEOPLE. Miss Keetha said that the people who are the threads that weave together to make the tapestry of your life are far and away more important than any places or things you encounter along the way.

Wow - - - she waxed a little philosophical on that one, don't'cha know!?! But maybe she has a point. Maybe this life is all about relationships. I know Borris and I surely did enjoy going back to our "roots" and seeing all the bears of our past.

So then, on to show you Miss Keetha's root history.


This is her friend, Pastor Mark. She already did a post about him, so all I want to say BESIDES that is: he was totally unable to see us as living, breathing bears. Can't you just see by the look in his face that he feels silly even HOLDING us up for the camera??

And you know, when a human can't "see" us as living, we are, in his hands, the inanimate objects he expects.


This is Miss Keetha's friend, Pastor Ron. Can you see that he ALSO didn't believe in us? He wasn't quite as big a skeptic as Pastor Mark, but we weren't real to him either.

Pastor Ron is one of Miss Keetha's friends from Burr Camp.

She says "back in the day" when she would take her wee cubs and go to camp to teach the other cubs, Pastor Ron was there to play the organ in the evening services. (Note from Miss Keetha: and you should hear him play!!! AMAZING!)

Pastor Ron did NOT grow up going to camp. He did NOT grow up experiencing the joys of "back to nature" roughing it. Therefore, he found the week of camp nearly un"bear"able.

Well, Miss Keetha couldn't have THAT - - - not at her BELOVED Burr Camp, where so many wonderful experiences had woven into her spiritual and personal life. No, she couldn't have THAT at all. If Pastor Ron were to be her friend, she MUST help him cultivate, not just tolerate, a LOVE for camp.

With that end in mind, she and he embarked on many evenings of chatting, laughing, and sharing ministry ideas at a picnic table in front of the snack shop following the evening worship service. Miss Keetha would always BEGIN these times with the same query: "Are we having FUN yet?"

Borris here: I'm so happy to tell you, I PERSONALLY heard Pastor Ron tell Miss Keetha, that now that Burr Camp is gone, he "gets" it and she was always right. But let's not let Miss Keetha DWELL on that, she might get the big head, and none of us could "bear" that!


This is Pastor Dan. He and his wife, Reenie whom you will meet later, have been Miss Keetha's friends even from beyond Wisconsin. "Back in the Day" they worked Wesleyan Youth Conventions together. Later when Pastor Dan moved to Wisconsin, he invited Miss Keetha to come speak for a VBS in his church. Several times she was a guest in Pastor Dan and Reenie's home, and they took her in just like she lived in their Den.

Pastor Dan came close to believing in us and we were ALMOST real for him - - - ALMOST.



This is Jeremy. Jeremy is a children and junior high pastor.

He and Miss Keetha worked together for several years at a "cub's camp" in the northwoods of Wisconsin. Jeremy was the head counselor there, and Miss Keetha was the head counselor for a teen camp back in Indiana. They shared a lot of "shop talk."

Jeremy is a blogger AND the daddy of two little girls. He understood that we were real, but felt a little silly letting OTHER ADULTS know he "got" it.

Male humans - - - how to figure????


This is Pastor Don. He and Miss Keetha's Daddy both pastored in Wisconsin while they were raising their families. Miss Keetha grew up with his children - - - even spending time with his son, Steve, in that hallowed social center known as the pump house. (click the Burr Camp link above for clarification)

One camp, Miss Keetha and Steve spent many UNNECESSARY hours scrubbing pots and pans in the kitchen - - - unnecessary because they COULD have been finished sooner if they hadn't been having so many water fights.

Unfortunately for Miss Keetha, the water fights stopped all too soon when Steve got a really good look at Sister Pam. But don't worry, neither Sister Pam NOR Miss Keetha regret those idyllic summer days.

Oh the tortuous paths of young cub love - - -

Borris: Brunhilda, do you really think you need to tell ALL THAT????? Good grief, it's ancient history!

Borris, that is what this post is ABOUT - - - ancient history, and there ain't many ancienter than Miss Keetha!


Pastor Al and his wife Irene.

Irene and her family were part of the church Miss Keetha's father pastored until she was about five years old. Irene lived on a big old farm and she and her siblings spent hours entertaining Miss Keetha and Sister Pam with ponies and OTHER country fun.

The first "store boughten" (that's Wisconsin for mamma didn't MAKE it) dress Miss Keetha ever remembers having was a gift from Miss Irene and her family.

Pastor Al was also a boy in Wisconsin at that same time, though Miss Keetha doesn't remember him from then. After he and Miss Irene were married he came into Miss Keetha's world, and now is even a self-proclaimed Butcher, which is Miss Keetha's mother's side of the family.


Miss Faith.

THIS is more like it. Miss Faith "got" us right away. For her there was no awkwardness about us JUST being salt and pepper shakers.

That's probably 'cause Miss Faith, Sister Pam, and Miss Keetha grew up, all the way from birth, together. You wouldn't BELIEVE all the things those little girls did together. Made "secret" places under stairways at camp - - - played "war" in the woods - - - gave each other special nick names - - - and as they grew into their teen years, went fishing, rowed around the lake, and wore huge pink plastic curlers in their hair.

Borris: Besides which, Miss Faith is a LOOKER, ain't she?


Miss Karen, Pastor Ron's wife and Reenie, Pastor Dan's wife.

These two didn't need ANY 'splaining about Bearsaltandpeppers.

Borris: I think your readers, if you have any, can SEE that on their faces, Hildy!

As soon as Miss Karen saw us, she said, "Oh, like Flat Stanley!!" and we knew right then and there she was a friend to Bearsaltandpeppers.

She-bears are like that, they have a greater capacity to "see" ALL the world around them.

Miss Karen and Miss Keetha haven't really had much time to weave any threads together since she came into Pastor Ron's life after those camp days mentioned above.

Miss Reenie, as you've already heard, has welcomed Miss Keetha into her den. Miss Keetha remembers lots of long talks, pop corn and movie nights, fabulous meals, and great books. It was Miss Reenie who introduced Miss Keetha to her FAVORITE author when she loaned her "Kathryn Wentworth" to read.

Well, that's it for this edition of Miss Keetha and her History.

This is Brunhilda saying "over and out" until the NEXT time I usurp Miss Keetha's lappy or until she condescends to give us our OWN blog - - - whichever may come first.

Borris: Hildy, I personally think THIS will come first:



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Story Tellers #2 - Spunky to the End

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Today I'm joining the Story Tellers over at "A Southern Belle With Northern Roots." A big shout-out and thank you to Shannon for hosting this story hour.

Since I don't have a brand new story to tell, at least not today, I'm reposting one which I first told on my blog back in August of 2008. It's about the last days my mom spent on this Earth. She went home to heaven just seventeen days later, on August 22.

Spunky to the End
(first posted on 8/5/08)

My mother, Beulah, has been known all her life for her sharp wit and spunkiness. These have both served her well since she has, for over fifty years now, also suffered with the painful, debilitating disease known as rheumatoid arthritis. Over all these years dad, has been at her side, her constant faithful caregiver and companion. (We all think of him as Saint John.)


Now mom is in her last days. She is at home and dad is still giving her amazing care. I had planned to save this post to do as a sort of tribute after she goes home to heaven, but due to the events of the past forty-eight hours, I want to post it now.

Sunday morning dad called and mom had not awakened. This is how we expect the end to come, so we thought we were at the beginning of the end. As I stood in the shower trying to decide how to reorder my day, the phone rang again and mom had awakened and was wanting to get up for breakfast.

I headed to church and my responsibilities there while hubby went to sit with my parents. At some point in the morning, having not heard from any of them, I phoned Greg and he told me that she was up and asking for a T-bone steak!!!!! Now, this is a woman who has dwindled down to less than 70 pounds and has only been taking tiny bites of food for weeks on end. She wanted a T-bone steak, so my brother-in-law ran out and got one and they prepared it for her. She mulled one bite of it around in her mouth.

When I arrived after church, she was sleeping a lot and unaware of most of what was going on around her, but she was obviously not headed to heaven that day.

Monday morning at 10:15 my phone rang again. This time dad said she was still in bed, hadn't had anything to drink nor had she been to the bathroom since 9 PM on Sunday. I got over to their house by 12:30 and my sister, who lives an hour away, arrived by about 3:30.

All day we waited with dad. We talked, made plans, and took turns checking on mom. Dad "turned the corner" in his mind and began putting away the cushions he has so faithfully used to keep her comfortable when she is up. All day she lay, mostly unmoving, on her back, her paper-thin skin drawn over her skeleton, her breathing erratic: shallow fluttering breaths followed by a gasp followed by long moments of no breathing at all.

Her pastors came, prayed over her, blessed her, said good-bye.

My sister had planned to stay the night, so after 7 PM I headed home, fully expecting to hear this morning that the battle was over.

At 8:15 this morning I talked with my sister, Pam, on the phone. She said,

"You're not going to believe this."

Incredulous I said, "Mom didn't die."

She said, "Not only didn't she die, but listen to this, you aren't going to believe it. At some point in the night, between 1 and 2 AM she SAT UP IN BED (mom hasn't been able to sit up on her own for over 20 years) and asked for a drink. Dad fixed her some orange juice. She drank it and revived enough to begin a conversation with him. I heard her laughing. At some point she looked at dad and said, 'I'm pretty alive for a dead woman, aren't I?'"

At some later time she pointed out to dad that he could get in trouble for pronouncing her dead without a doctor - - - so evidently she was much more aware yesterday than any of us knew.

This morning she got up, ate some breakfast, and at last word was back sitting in her recliner waiting for the hospice nurse to come.

Do not ask me HOW she has done this. I am beyond being able to explain the resilience of my mother. Like the title of this post says, she is spunky to the end!!!

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When Worlds Collide

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Meet JoEllen, on the left, and Marcia.

I have known JoEllen since she was a little first grader and I was her children's church leader at camp. She grew up, and for a time became a blogger. We reconnected through our blogs. That was pretty cool - - - but here's something even cooler!

Marcia I only know from her blog, 65 Roses for Marcia. I believe perhaps Marcia found me through JoEllen's blog, and that possibly it was JoEllen who encouraged her to begin blogging. I'm not sure. Anyway, now Marcia is one of my bloggyland friends.

Well, Marcia and JoEllen are "neighbors" so to speak, and friends in the REAL WORLD. So the other day, Marcia posted this picture and all our "worlds" collided - - - real and cyber.

How fun is that?

Thank you, Marcia!

JoEllen, I MISS you in blogland.

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Sunday Reruns - Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy!

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It's Sunday again, and you know what THAT means!?! It's time for Sunday Favorites!!!

Sunday Favorites are RERUNS - - - if you want to participate, just repost something you previously posted "back in the day."

(NOTICE: This is NOT a current event ;-)

Thanks so much to Chari over at Happy to Design for hosting this meme, "Sunday Favorites."

I first posted this on 6/12/2008

Do You Think Jonah - - -

Saw the "big fish" as God's answer to his prayers?


I mean, when the waves were crashing over his head and all looked lost, do you really think he saw a huge fish about to swallow him and thought, "Thank you Lord for sending deliverance!?!"

I think not. I think he thought all was lost. This was it - the big one.

And yet, God in his sovereign wisdom, sent a huge fish to swallow Jonah in order to save him.

How many times does God send a "big fish" our way and we fail to recognize it?

Hang on, friend, God will send a "big fish."

These ideas are not original to me, I heard my friend share them at a meeting. Thanks, Steve!!

(image source: bestpicever.com)



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Anybody Know What Time It Is?????????

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL TIME!!!!

And some of us are just a leeetle bit excited.

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So Many Firsts, So Little Time - - -

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Mackinley, face-maker extraordinaire, is experiencing some of life's most exciting firsts.


First two-wheel bike. I predict the training wheels won't last long.


Yesterday it was off to the first day of preschool - - -


Sportin', of course, the quintessential backpack.


Posed for the ever popular "out the door" first day of school photo.


And what about this "cheesy grin" girl??? What would SHE do while her big brother was away at school???


She would be left behind at home, with only Papoo and Kamma for company.

Life is really rough sometimes.


Finally big brother returned - - - and both were soon engrossed, REALLY engrossed in a movie.

The End

AKA

Bottoms UP!

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Socks of Pure Joy!!!!!

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I do NOT knit. Not even one stitch.

So, I have drooled longingly over the homemade socks that my bloggy knitting friends have displayed in their various posts. I have been shocked and amazed at how MANY of you possess this very envied skill - - - knitting socks, and regularly knit them for yourselves, your children, and others.

I didn't even know people still DID that!!

I will even confess that I have WISHED someone would make me a pair. (And you may add to that line: and hinted so SHAMELESSLY and BROADLY that someone has finally taken pity on me if ONLY to shut me up!!!)


So imagine my SHOCK, SURPRISE, and JOY when THIS package arrived for me in the mail today.

I was giddy as a school girl - - - dancing around the kitchen, purring, and showing off my new prize to Fisherhubby.

He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "You're easily made happy, it would take a $350.00 rod and reel to make ME that happy!"

(And therein the REASON we women are more content than our counterparts - - - we know how to find PURE JOY in our SOCKS - - - and in other small comforts too!)

Anyway - - - back to my tale:


Seems that my friend Annie, shown here with me when we met live and in person in Wisconsin this summer, took great pity on me, the homemade sockless soul that I am, made and sent me this lovely warm pair of COLTS blue socks!!!


Though it has cooled down here to a LOVELY 74 degrees, it really isn't COLD enough yet for heavy knit socks. I didn't care - - - I put them RIGHT on my little size six and a halves anyway.

They felt AWESOME.


And this winter when we live on the arctic tundra of Wisconsin, I shall put them on my feet - - -


Put my feet in these little boots, and not caring whether the boots are the LATEST in tundra fashion or not, I shall WEAR them out and about in the snowy world with JOY, PRIDE, and WARMTH!!!!

Thank you SOOOOOOO MUCH Miss U.P. Annie!!!!

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Wherein Fuzzie and Gomer Pack Their Automatic Food and Water Dispensers

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Fuzzie and Gomer

Fisherhubby has found a new home for these two felines.

They will be moving out, liter box and all, late Sunday night. I'm sure I will miss SOMETHING about them, but it will NOT be the hair they leave behind.

This will make showing our house SO much easier than in "A Tale of Two Cats," and we will be able to find a new place even if it does specify "no pets allowed."

Please read that "no pets allowed" like you would hear it on a Snoopy Cartoon.

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Not Packing Yet - - -

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No offers on our house, YET.

Folks have been asking if we're packing for our move.

Not yet - - - we're doing something even better - - -


We're sorting out and hauling away junk. The other day we sorted Kyle's bedroom and the computer room closets.


Today we worked on our bedroom closet. Every single bit of junk removed is that much LESS to pack.

No - - - we don't do yard sales. We just haul our junk to the mission or throw it away.


We need energy for all this sortin', haulin', and throwin' - - - so today I have a pot roast in the crock pot.

YUM.

I don't do this often, but when I do, I'm a pot-roast-extraordinaire-kinda-gal!

This used to be our kids' FAVORITE dinner.
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