She Doesn't Deserve It

As many of you know, I don't have children, but I do have dogs. Many don't know the love of an animal, and the love you have for them along with the bond you create between the two of you. I spend many hours in training for various AKC titles, and when you spend this amount of time with the dog/animal, you form an extremely close bond with the dog/animal you are working with. You learn to notice little differences in body language when working with them, and learn to read their body language. My relationship with Hannah is no exception.

Hannah is a German Shepherd Dog. She just turned 6 years old on this new years eve. She is brave, protective, a guardian of my small goat herd, a friend, companion to all other dogs here, and a loyal friend to me. She is always good natured, happy and delightful to be around. She is very loved.

Last year she began to limp on one of her back legs and I took her in for X-rays. Her hips seemed fine, so I chalked it up to pulling something due to the fact she loves to run so hard. I kept her inside with R&R for 2 weeks. A couple of weeks later, it happened again. I just thought she had once again pulled or sprained something. When it happened again a few months later, I took her in and requested more X-rays. We redid her hips along with her back and neck. Low and behold, she had compression going on in her neck and spine. Not only did she have compression, but little spurs growing out of several of her vertebra. She was in severe pain. She had been for some time. We put her on pain killers and steroids to relieve the inflammation. She was also put on 'bed rest'.

A couple of nights ago, she ran a bit and then began limping. After a vet's visit, she was diagnosed with 'Ruptured Cranial Cruciate'. She has torn a ligament in her knee. She will now be going to have surgery on Monday to try and repair it. While recuperating, she might be using her other leg/knee so much that she will damage it and have to have surgery on the other knee.

She is such a sweet and good natured dog. She always tries to please you and do whatever you ask. Throughout all her pain, she has never been the least bit snippy. She doesn't deserve this. This whole time all she does is wag her tail and give you kisses.

The photo I have posted is when she finished her AKC C.D. title.

A Delightful Gift

For Christmas, I received this lovely Chinese brush, ink stone and ink stick set. My stepdaughter purchased in China and thought that I might be able to use it. How wonderful is that?

In the upper picture you can see the ink sticks on either side of the case. They are beautiful and ornate. They are so lovely that you almost hate to grind them down to use. The lower picture is of the ink stone with the lid removed. It too has a wonderful ornateness to it. It is heavy as well.

Chinese brush painting is supposed to be therapeutic and relaxing. When slowly grinding the ink stick on the ink stone, you are to meditate and contemplate about what you are going to paint. The grinding process also relaxes and loosens your hand and wrist muscles. A friend of mine, Stewart, who lives in the UK does this type of work and says "you can smell the charcoal of the pine forest from which it (the ink stick)was made." Wow, smelling the forest/tree from which it came! That would certainly make one slow down, reflect and enjoy the wonder of the ink.

For a little history in Chinese brush painting, go here.

This is a neat website that has some lessons in Chinese painting.

If you google Chinese ink painting or Chinese brush painting, you can learn more about it. I can't wait to get some nice paper now to give it a go.

Altered Domino Ornaments

Finally finished up some Christmas ornaments. They are altered dominoes for Lucia and Isaac and all have to do with their wedding that was in August. Most have danglies at the bottom and all can be hung by the fibers that are attached to the top.

When Lucia and Isaac announced the date, they sent out a delightful postcard with a picture of them together when they were younger and then made a photo to look similar of them now. The two pictures were put one on top of the other on the front of the postcard. I thought it was really special and surely had to use the picture on one of the dominoes. They made their own invitations, so of course the invitation is on one. On the flip side of the invitation, they drew themselves biking, so that is another domino. There is one with a photo of the church and one with a wedding photo that I have surrounded by music that was sung at the wedding. There is also one of the invitation to the rehearsal dinner and one of the front of the wedding program.

I think all will have a special meaning for them, as it is their first Christmas together as husband and wife. They are not done in Christmas colors, so can be hung anywhere and anytime.

Just wish I had time to make more...

A Piece Of Me

A friend is hosting a swap where she sent out a puzzle of 9 pieces to 8 people and we are to alter each piece of the puzzle to represent us as an artist. She will be the 9th person in the swap and will alter her pieces as well. We will return all 9 pieces to her and she will mix them up so that each of us has a puzzle piece of the other that makes one puzzle when they are connected together. The outside pieces can have chunky pieces on the outside of them.

I have altered my pieces with a picture of an Avatar that I sometimes use. It is a 'Zetti Me'. On the outside of this outside piece, I have added fibers and if you look closely, there is a little sewing machine and a pair of scissors. The colors in the photo aren't accurate, they do match the Avatar much better in person.

I can't wait to see the returns and the finished 9 puzzles. I am sure they will be amazing!

Trying Hard

I'm not very good at collage, but am trying very hard to do a decent job. I have a long way to go, but am willing to work at it. I've collected numerous pictures over a period of time and have enlisted a fellow artist to make collage sheets to use. Here is my first start using a sheet that she made. Don't laugh, my printer stinks and puts strips across the images. I'm just trying to get started with what I have.

Don't Worry Bee Happy

This morning I took the opportunity to bottle the bit of honey (only a little over 8 - 1/2 lbs) I collected from my hive. It has been strained from the comb and carefully poured into the jars. I wish I had more of the little jars because it is fun to give little gifts here and there. I still have to design my label, but that will come with some thought and time.

In the meantime, the hubster has put in his order for the number of jars he wants to give his colleagues for Christmas.

Guess I'd better get started early in the season next year to get these girls in gear so they can do what they do best...make honey and bee happy!

Good Girls

As some of you may know, I have bees. I really haven't worked them to harvest honey for one reason or another. This year I put a pinch of effort into it and am rewarded with the nectar of the gods! Not really much, but it is an offering. In January 09, I need to get myself in gear and start working with the girls to help them produce the best they can.

In the photo, I am using a crush and strain method of collecting the honey. It is a cheap way to process your honey that anyone can do. Right now, my kitchen is smelling of honey and I can't wait to bottle my golden pure sweetness.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

You know, I have lived in this old house now for 6 years with the hubster. Gotta love the man, but P-L-E-A-S-E, doing something over and over again is too much. For him, doing something over and over (usually 3 times) is what works. Doesn't seem to bother him, and I guess it is because he is doing it. Sometimes it really puts my will to love life to the test.

This old house was built in the mid 1800's and was/is in desperate need of work. We remodeled the bathroom when we first moved in.It was our first project.

It was a Thanksgiving weekend when the hubster decided to begin the work. Didn't seem to be a problem, at least not at the time (now I wish I had known blogging and had been blogging each day). It was going to be a small project, just fixing a few things to make it more livable.

To spare you a long story...3 layers of flooring was removed to reveal a subfloor that needed replacing...so, all was removed, new joists were put in, new pluming was done, new electrical wiring, walls were ripped out, tub/shower stall removed replaced by a 4' clawfoot tub that we restored, outside wall was ripped out, repaired...so on and so forth. During that time we had to bathe in the kitchen (uninsulated) and to potty? Well, let's just say it wasn't fun walking across the floor joists with the potty to put it where it needed to go to use it.

Oh, and did I mention that this house has only one bathroom?

Ok, I lived through all of the above and more. Everything was finished and was quite lovely. We HAD a nice bathroom!

The hubster began working on the outside wall recently. He has decided that the outside wall doesn't match the rest of the back of the house and that it would be better to tear out the wall and replace it along with the window. Ok, I knew the window would be replaced, but the ENTIRE OUTSIDE WALL???? Yep, you read right! Now the outside wall is gone and my dear sweet hubster has torn out the ceiling as well. Seems as though he isn't happy with that either. It is October now and was 45 degrees at 10:30am. Do you know how it feels to take a bath in that temperature?

When will this times remodeling be done? Who knows. One thing leads to another here and nothing is for sure. We'll see and I'll just pray for warmer weather.

I keep trying to remember that what doesn't kill us will make us stronger. I just hope that I can find that strength sooner rather than later!

Oh, and the pics? They are looking at the inside view and outside view of my bathroom this morning.

New ACT's

Well, I got myself in gear and finished up two new ACT's for a swap at MAW. It is called 'The Painted Page.' These cards are made of distressed book pages, watercolors, acrylics and thread painting. They were quite fun to do!

Tracking

Well, for a bit now I have been working two of my dogs for tracking. Tracking is when a dog follows a particular scent. Any dog can track. The challenge is to get the dog to follow one scent that they are told to follow. Tracking is not something that is taught to the dog, they already know how to do that. If you have ever had a dog that follows a cat's trail, a squirrel's trail or something else, you know that the dog has the ability to track. All do. When you train for tracking, you train the dog to follow the scent that the handler points out to the dog. I train my dogs to follow a particular human scent and to indicate something that the person has dropped along the way. At the moment mine are trained to indicate something leather or cloth.

This past week, both my Shorthair and Shepherd did a very good job. I am proud of the both of them. Hannah (Shepherd) didn't miss a beat and stayed on each turn exactly where it was. Darla (Shorthair) did a delightful job and was fun to watch checking out what she thought was "dropped" by the tracklayer. She'd go over to what she thought was an article/drop, realized it wasn't and kept going until she found what she should.

On Monday, I'm going to be a track layer for an AKC test. My job will be to walk with the judges and draw out the "track" that will be laid on Tuesday for the test. We will put out flags to indicate turns and drops on Monday. Tuesday morning I will re-walk the track, picking up the flags. For the exhibitors who are entered in the test, they don't know where the track goes. Only where the start is. I know they will be nervous, as will I. It is a pass or fail test. Not many do pass. This is one AKC event where everyone pulls for the person and dog doing the work. I so hope/pray that the dog that get's the track that I laid passes.

I am also hoping to get my Hannah (Shepherd) ready for her test in December. She is so soft tempered and doesn't have the confidence that she should. We are working hard at the moment. She is very sweet and deserving, but she must do her best job and prove that she can do what she has been taught to do...track and follow the human scent that I tell her to, and to indicate anything that the person has touched and left behind.

The pictures here are of Hannah and Darla. Such great companions!

Oh, Hannah has her C.D and R.N. Darla has her R.N. and is a registered therapy dog with Therapy Dogs International. Darla is currently working on her C.D. and doing some of her C.D.X. work.