I am back home…and back at work….in between trying to get to the laundry, dog beds, bath dogs….you know trying to catch up!
Always nice to get away for a few days….this was especially nice for I have not seen my Parents in a while (Mom and Dad in the image above). They spent the day with us and then I again visited with them at their home (dogless). The house we rented was nice….only one tiny complaint. The house was lovely, comfortable and of course they allowed the dogs. The one thing they did not have was a clean area for the dogs to eliminate (we of course ALWAYS pick up after our dogs….hopefully you do as well). They did mention there was an empty lot next door and yes indeed, there was however…getting onto the lot meant a good bit of time spent removing all of the burrs out of Rocky’s leg feathering, underbelly and hind feathering (with the occasional one landing in between the paw pad….Ouch). Poor Niki had them in her ears. Gemma….not a burr found any where on her. All it would have taken was a weed whacker gone over a small area So…really the only complaint, otherwise it was perfect!!!!
There are several rental agencies in St. Augustine that will rent to those with dogs….well behaved, house trained pups. The beach is dog friendly (they must be kept on leash)…we pulled the car right into the beach, opened the back of the car…set out our beach chairs and blanket for the dog in the shade of the van Played fetch (on long line) and just wandered around and of course relaxed taking in all the sights and sounds and of course smells The many birds and pelicans were of great interest to the dogs. Pretty quiet there this time of year so we had our own little section f the beach all to ourselves. We had such a nice time, we hope to go back in the winter when it is sooo much cooler and spend about two weeks.
For those that may be interested: http://www.staugvacations.com/
The other day Mike and myself were just sitting around when we decided to pack up and head down to St. Augustine for a few days. First BIG trip for Rocky, and the first since Niki’s accident. All did well….Niki better then expected. There are stairs in the house we rented….she mastered with very little help from us (just supervision). Rocky on the other hand needed a few days to become accustomed to them….now he is a pro going up and down them. Gemma, what can I say…..never any problems with Gem.
The trip was really to see my parents and of course getting the pups used to going places. As so often things happen when away from home….my camera has decided to go berserk. The lenses are not focusing….now with my vision problems I have thought it was me….nope, not me. Also…not matter what the setting….metering system….white balance in extreme lighting situations (like the dogs at the beach) the images are terrible. So….today is the drive home (if I ever get packed). Here is one of the images from the beach….more on that adventure a little later.
Gustav….seems to be huge. There were on and off storms yesterday (in Fl, east coast) that they said were bands from this huge storm….stay safe my friends!
The Wild Hibiscus that grows in between my house and the neighbors house has been in full bloom the last few weeks. I have longingly viewed from a distance…almost missed the chance to get a few photographs when Michael went and cut one for me the other day. Not the way I enjoy photographing them….but since the old joints, tendons and ligaments have been so sore as of late, not to mention my ability to focus due to the inflammation in my eyes has also been a bit of a bother I have opted to just look from a distance. So…dusted the camera off and got a couple of shots. You must have the ability to bend to get good shots….you just can’t stand there
So…there is light at the end of the tunnel as slowly…with each passing day I feel a little better. Oh so very tired but that too in time will improve. Just a little flare up. I have to admit I have missed my painting….and I must also be so very Thankful to several clients that have been so very patient waiting for their portraits to be complete as a few have been on the back burner for a little while. Please hang in there just a little longer.
During my down time I purchased a new vacuum cleaner…don’t you just love the Internet. Ordered online and within three days or so it was at my front door. I had a Dyson canister…the first type that was placed on the market….they were short lived for soon after they were no longer available (although there is a new improved version is back on the market)….and I know why. Unlike the uprights the canister clogged (the newer model the canister is much larger)….the handle was too thick (well for those with arthritis anyway). Still, when I purchased it I had a six pack (four goldens a pit bull and a Bogie). I got used to having to stop unclog for it did such a wonderful job in the clean up. Not so as of late, time for a new one so this is my first upright. So far I am pretty pleased with it….the dogs however… find it to be an evil machine, no doubt due to all of the cursing and fighting with the old canister. Posed them next to it to get the above image….look closely at Rocky (Golden) and you will notice him leaning away from the vacuum…Gemma went into the bedroom where she remained until our little photo shoot was over. Hmmmmm….wonder how long it would take to train them to clean up after themselves
As I have not been feeling well as of late it was a very nice surprise to look out my front door and see that UPS left me a pretty nice sized box that had GODIVA stamped all over it….what a big smile I had on my face. A nice tin of Godiva Biscuits, box of candy and a tin of Hot Chocolate. I immediately made a nice cup of green tea, grabbed the biscuits and retreated in my office where I sipped my tea and nibbled on a few biscuits….life is good A Birthday gift from my sister, her husband and thier beloved cat Scruffy. I had also received a lovely gift from my Mother In Law….and it is not even my Birthday….yet (a few more weeks).
I have never been into Sports all that much. As a young girl….well let me just say I was usually the one sitting on the sides. I do enjoy every once in a while watching the youngsters play, that is if the parents are not so very driven. It should be about fun and sometimes, well some people (the adults) tend to get a tad bit carried away
I am still here, although a little busy as of late. The Tee Shirt Give Away is coming along fine and I will be posting info on it very soon!!!
New class starting today at Paw Prints Studio. I opened the forum to the students yesterday and several have been busy making themselves comfortable, learning their way around. While class really did not start until today, I posted a little something about having everyone create a very quick self portrait (sketch) so that they could use it for this weeks avatars. While this course is about painting animals…this is a fun exercise to help everyone have a good time, laugh a little and just experiment and feel comfortable with the software, brushes and moving the pen around the tablet!
I posted a quick one of me….under 10 minutes…named a couple of the brushes used to create this very quick sketch and several took the challenge and ran with it. This was about having fun…no worries about it being good, bad….just play, experiment and fun with color and brushes. Thanks Cindy and Jeff, wonderful work! Looking forward to what the other students create
If your a student and would like to see your work on my blog all you have to do is e-mail me your permission to do so! Our next online Digitally Painting Animals course will be in Sept. Check back for the official date and time.
Whenever I post any reference to Niki’ spinal surgery I get several questions….please feel free to post any comments and questions in the comments section of each post, lots easier for me to answer in a timely fashion that way. Niki is a ckr mix, her spinal surgery was about a year and a half ago …although it seems like such a lonnnng time for me. The emergency clinic that originally treated her made a huge mistake in her care….while the treatment choice was correct they dropped the ball and did not check on her throughout the night as they should have for her serious type injury. They did not and to this day, do not, have the proper amount of staff, or experienced staff for them to be called an emergency clinic. there is no access to surgeons….most importantly they do not refer you to clinics that can properly care for your dog. That was very costly to Niki’s future and ability to walk. I no doubt, although she is a happy dog now….this will be a problem for the rest of her life.
There are several rehab facilities in the Atlanta area….all of which are a bit costly…you must try all to know what will work best for your dog. The facility that did the surgery was on the North side of Atlanta….that is all they did and we had o support from them after the surgery. We were told there was no hope of her regaining the ability to walk. From the moment she was home and healing I did research and started rehab with her myself. We also ordered her a doggie cart and once she was on the mend I allowed her time throughout the day for cart runs. I taught her to balance on her own….soon she had some feeling in her spine, her legs could move although little to no control of them. I took her to water treadmill therapy….which is about an hour away from my home with out hitting any traffic. They wanted me to drop her off for several hours and then pick her up when they were finished. I was told to not use the cart for she had to learn to do this on her own. Well….I disagreed. Niki had plenty of time cart free however when she was tired she would lie down….the cart gave her the ability to run with the pack and play, smell….she remained part of the pack which in my opinion did more for her then anything else. Once I saw little improvement with the treadmill therapy I stopped bringing her….the warmer weather had come and I decided to have her walk in a kiddie pool, and swim in a larger sized pool. For Niki this is what has been so very beneficial and the stretches and exercises. It was not very long after the cart was just being dusted and we packed it away for safe keeping.
Including with this post a video that already appears somewhere on this blog (too lazy to look for it) …8 weeks after her surgery, not a happy pup and we had not yet properly fitted her into the cart….with the company’s help that made the cart, images forwarded to them they told us where to make the adjustments. So, lots of help from us in the form of exercises, stretches…the ability to remain part of the pack….lot of love and devotion from all pack members and slowly she healed. She is not a 100 % but as you can see in comparing her today vs this video clip….She’s come a long way Baby ;–)
That is what I did this afternoon…and also took the day off tomorrow.
Niki is slowly coming back from her set back of a few weeks ago. I am unsure of just what she does, twists wrong….but it sure slows her down and I always wonder if she will make it back to where we were. Once again, time will tell. Sun was shining… play and agility was a must. I must admit, my dogs are more then a little spoiled. Now…while they have a good amount of toys, that is not at all what I am talking about. They get my time…one on one and as a pack. Daily exercise, training and play….pretty darn spoiled if you ask me!
Online Dog Obedience will be starting up again… very soon.
So…really the only complaint, otherwise it was perfect!!!!
