In Memory of…

Our Beloved……

BRONKO BILLY

7/8/2008 – 12/7/2020

7/8/2008 – 12/7/2020

12/14/2020     Bronk – we can’t believe you’re gone.  You have brought so much joy and light to every part of our world.  Just three weeks ago you were tearing around the house, voicing your opinion on everything and snuggling tight with Duma.  You got sick so quickly and we couldn’t let you suffer.  The way we stared at each other right before, I know you understand.  You looked at me like you are looking in the picture right above.  Your stare always went right through me.  About a year ago you learned how to communicate.  Food was a big part of your life – you loved to eat.  You would come and bounce around in front of me until I thought to ask if you were hungry.  You would then go running to the kitchen.  Then one day you looked up at me and made a different kind of meow sound than you had before.  I asked if you were hungry and staring right at me you meowed again.  My trip to the kitchen had you rubbing around legs in circles as I walked.  You were never much into touching your people and i was thrilled.  We learned to *talk* to each other.

Being very close to your wild ancestors, you had many wild characteristics.  You were always on alert, checking for the predators hiding behind the chair and the things that only cats can see.  You were taking care of us.

You did one thing I never had a cat (or other animal) do.  I called it your Room service.  I started noticing your favorite ball in an empty food dish.  If there was more than one empty dish it was in the flavor you liked best.  I started hiding the ball to see if it was coincidence or you were putting it there on purpose.  Sure enough, you started using the ball to let me know to fill it up just about all the time.  The next place I found the ball, was near the litter box.  The routine became you would do your thing, place the ball near the box and then let out a jungle cry that could be heard throughout the house.  The only thing I could come up with was you wanted me to clean it.  When I went back to *obey* you sat watching me and turned as soon as i was done and went about your day.  A couple of years ago your ball was replaced with toys, feathers, any of your properties.  This was because you ate one of your balls.  This required a trip to the vet hospital and surgery which neither of us liked.  We hated to remove all the balls, but we had no choice.  You used to put them in your food dish and eat around them.  That is how one accidentally ended up as lunch.

Duma really misses you too.  You’ve been together for 12 years and it’s hard for him to know what to do with himself.  I wish I could see you both like this again:

Bronk – this is one of the hardest things we’ve had to go through.  I will probably return to talk to you again….Suz

 

12/18/2020  In some ways I feel I just saw you…in others it seems the world is going so slowly.  I know time will help the hurt and I want to get past this point!  I miss you so much.  I wake at night and listen for your howl as you patrol your territory.  Or I hear a slight noise and turn to look.

I think Duma is finally really feeling you aren’t going to return.  He’s been sleeping way more than usual, eating too much or too little, following us and chirping at us constantly when he’s awake.  I feel so bad for him.  I will reach out today to find ways to help him through this.  There must be something I can do.

Losing you as we did made me realize the vagaries of life will never settle down.  We have to learn to shift with them…this is where true strength is.  I am going to concentrate for 2021 on how i can best give back to the life I’ve had and how to reach out to others to offer help.  And Bronk, you will always be in my mind and heart.

 

12/19/2020  I came across this picture and I had to share.  Typical Bronk!

 

I’ve been working on an embroidery design of you, Bronk.  Here it is to date:

12/31/2020  It is finally the last day of the year, Bronk.  So much of this past year has been so difficult, but not seeing you any more is the worst for me.  I love looking at the picture above that I’m using to create a design.  It is so much your personality- always looking up for the next best thing you can find.  The picture above has you standing on the ironing board looking up and out the sky light.

I love you….

1/7/2021  It’s a new year Bronk – I so wish you were here to explore and play and enjoy life.  I received a very special gift from a special friend today.  He sent it to me because of you and it means so much.

We’re trying hard to take special care of your buddy who misses you very much.  It’s so hard when we can’t explain why you aren’t here to snuggle with him.   Both of you boys are so beautiful and so special.  I’ve been gathering all the photos we have of you and Duma on our computers and there are hundreds!  I’ll post really special ones here.

Our sweet innocent kitties:

Good bye for now, my furry little person.

12/17/2021  Many  people have expressed how much you will be missed.  One lady has saved all the pictures posted of you and Duma and loves to look  at them.  I still look through your photos every day.

Bronk – I still can’t believe that you aren’t here anymore.  I thought by now I would at least have accepted that.  But I haven’t.  Duma is missing you so much too.  I can’t make up for the brotherhood and attention you gave him.  Everything happened so quickly we had no time to prepare ourselves.  I thought of you as still very young the way you tore through the house, leaped to the top of the huge cat trees, and learned new things every day.  I can’t believe my two beautiful boys are only one beautiful cat now.

I will always love you.

02/07/2021  Two long/short months since we saw you.  You are with me every day.  I went to look at the pictures from the first day you arrived on the plane.  You ended up behind the TV that day and we had to move everything to get you out.  But….we learned after that when you looked at something with such intent!  We also heard your real wild jungle cat roar when you got stuck somewhere.  LOL

Duma was not quite a year old and he couldn’t keep up with that day!

I still can see you exploring everywhere – you never lost that lust to see what is on the other side or on top of something.

Customer Projects from 2004

I’m just going to show the photos in a list with the link to the site and the name of the person who stitched it.  That is if i have the name!  If you spot one of your projects and I don’t have your name posted, please let me know!

Joan Warr

BFC0185 Lace Bowl & Doily – Wild Rose

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Lia’s Wild Rose Bowl

BFC0185 Lace Bowl & Doily – Wild Rose

Nancy’s Scarf

BFC0205 Oh! Those Fifties Ladies

 

 

 

SAVE YOUR DESIGNS!!!!!!

A customer wrote to me today with a heartbreaking story. I will let her tell you:

Dear Suz, I just finished re-downloading ALL my orders since #521. I had a severe power surge here in August that caused me to lose my stove, refrig., furnace, air, PC, water softener and elec. fireplace. I thought I had everything backed up on CDs and memory sticks, BUT Murphys Law was in total control and I had NOTHING. I am SO GLAD that I could salvage my favorite designs and can only say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU that I could. I remain FOREVER a loyal customer,

Suz, feel free to  use  my tale of woe. I thought I  had taken the proper precautions but I  never checked to make sure. I just  assumed that I  had copied everything.  NEVER ASSUME anything.  That’s  my  new motto. I should have known better.  Since the love of my life (husband of 55 years) died of cancer in 2014 it seems like Murphy’s Law has been hanging over me big time. Thank God my 4 daughters have been here to keep me going.  Thanks again for your kindness.

_________________________

Designs represent not only a big monetary investment, but many of us are very attached to our purchased designs  – we plan for them, think about them, and we expect them to be there when we want them.  But unless we take some precautions we can’t be sure this will be the case.  PLEASE make sure all your design are backed up and that the sites you deal with maintain your purchases so you can re-download them.  If you have a lot of designs from many places you might want to consider a cloud service that will back up the files you want them to every night.  I have been doing this for years and I have had to use the backup files often enough to feel the service has been a bargain.

Agnes’ Stitches for her Church

From Agnes:  They brought tears to Monsignor Mitas’s eyes and I never expected that reaction.  When I gave him the Easter one in Holy Thursday, the reverence with which he held the parament was something to be witnessed.  That is how powerful these designs are.

 

BFC1144 Window-Christ Resurrected

BFC0495 Window-The Nativity

Larry’s Tiffany 4 Seasons

Larry has finished the first two designs in this series in Jumbo size.  That is a lot of stitches, but the came out beautiful Larry!

BFC1710 Tiffany’s Stained Glass Four Seasons – Spring

BFC1751 Tiffany’s Stained Glass Four Seasons – Winter

Larry has finished SUMMER:

BFC1715 Tiffany’s Stained Glass Four Seasons – Summer

Laura’s Elephants

Laura had a lot of trouble in the beginning getting this design lined up.  But I was shocked when she sent me the photo and it came out so beautiful!  I think she was doing a lot better than she thought. 🙂  Thank you Laura for making my design look so great!

From Laura,

Well, here is the finished product from my almost nervous breakdown!  Thank you again for all your help with BFC 445, Touch of India II.  It’s a “Happy” wall hanging, full of beautiful colors.  I added lots of crystals and unique outline quilting.  The fabric I found at our local quilt shop, Creative Sew Threads, here in Elkhart, Indiana.  I think the fabric complemented the design perfectly.

BFC0445 Touch of India II

I did some closeups so you can see the details.

I like the quilting – you can see some of it better her.

Janet’s Wreath

Loved this BFC design!  Janet

It is really pretty Janet!  Love the colors and the bow.  Great job.   Suz

BFC1505 FSL Autumn Wreath

This set comes with 18 designs each in 3 sizes so you have a lot of options on how you want your wreath to look.  If you used all bright greens, you would have a spring or summer wreath.  Added brightly colored flowers too!