And Now We Are Only 6...& Our Hearts Hurt

One of the biggest reason I started my blog was to connect with other artists and share this strange life we live. That drive, the overwhelming need to interpret our lives through our art. And so with that in mind I really haven't very often had the desire to share the other parts of my life. Especially when it involves other family members.  But with LWs permission I'd like to share a bit of our life leading up to yesterday.

As most know LW & I are the two human critters that lived here with 5 "firkids". Each one their own personalities. Five of us girls and 2 of them boy type critters. Tali and LW came first. They adopted each other at animal rescue when she was 2 months old, nearly 13 years ago.

 From day 2 they did everything together. Backpacked in the wilderness areas of Idaho in the summer. Snowshoeing the back country in the winter. As soon as she caught sight of the hiking boots much less the backpacks she was ready to go. In fact she would haul her backpack out and take it to the dog food bag to be filled. Oh yeah everyone carries their own personal items and vittles!! :)

A little over 5 years ago Nicki and I joined the family and then we were 4. Nicki is a sweet 8 year old black lab who adopted me to be her human roomy.

 It was us four that gave up "everything", loaded up what worldly possessions fit in an 8'/5' trailer pointed the Xterra south towards retirement in Mexico, to live a dream of a lifetime!

We were only here about a year when friends who had rescued a tiny 4 week old street pup ask us to take her in. That's when Nena joined the famdamily.

 Boy and howdy we have all had a huge learning curve on raising and living with a purebred "street dog" And no they are most definitely a breed of their own, who can tax even a saint's patience!! But through it all Tali remained the matriarch, and most certainly remind you if you forgot.

Then came Charli. 2&1/2 years ago. in the days before Christmas we were experiencing one of the coldest recorded winters in Mexico's history. There in a pet shop/vet's office sat this tiny tiny 4 (they said 6) week old boy chihuahua. He was in a small metal wire cage with no bedding, large dog size dry food and a little dish of water shaking so hard he couldn't stand up!! LW took one look at this situation walk up to the vet and asked him how much for the puppy. this is the same LW who just days before said we already have 3 dogs and don't want or need any more. Besides he really didn't see much use for a tiny lap dog. Needless to say Chari our only "full price" rescued pup went home with us, all the while LW is muttering "there's no way I could have left him there all night he would have died before morning!!"

Six months later our dear friends gifted me a baby girl from their new litter of chihuahuas. Well there is no way that you can refuse a gift from a determined Mexican woman (the matriarch no less). Especially when she has been planning this surprise gift for months. SOO baby chihuahua #2, girl pup #4, the one and only Rubi Roo joined the family. 

And then we were 7. A menagerie of two humans and 5 dogs.  Through it all Tali remained the matriarch. But we could see that the years were taking their tole. There weren't anymore backpacking trips. The trip up the street to the grass patch twice a day had become a labor. LW and I talked a number of times about not causing or prolonging Tali's suffering because we couldn't let go.

Yesterday morning it became very clear that Tali had reached a point in her life that she was ready to let go.

So yesterday afternoon the vet came to the house and with papa holding her in his protective Papa arms Tali's irreplaceable spirit slipped free to forever chase snowflakes.

And now we are only 6...

I wish you my bloglandian family an audacious day filled with art no matter where in the world you are  p;)