Happy Valentines Day

Love can be shown to all things great and small...

I found these pics on pinterest and thought I would share them!

 

So you all may know that Murphy was diagnosed with liver disease by her vet.  I was told in order to keep her alive I had to keep her on this med 2 x per day for the rest of her life.  So I said OK, and tried it.   I would say for  8 – 12 months I had her on meds.  She was declining in health.  She stopped talking, playing, singing. She didn’t want to come out of her cage.  She wanted nothing to do with anyone and sat in her cage.  This from a bird that was the center of the house hold.  So I resigned myself that meds weren’t working and she didn’t have much longer.  There is no cure for liver disease just maintaining and trying to get it to work the best you can. In a last ditch effort,  I spoke to a local radio DJ, who my girl friend told me also had a parrot with liver problems- Pepper.  Depicted in the painting that I painted below. 

 

He referred me to his vet that he said consulted the Detroit zoo.  So Murphy went and saw her.  She said she didn’t see liver cirrhosis, according to the blood work, she said to stop the meds and perhaps it was something else and referred me to another vet in Ohio.  Then I took Murphy to another  3rd vet that I heard good things about.  She also agreed  her blood work looked good and to stop the meds.   So I decided to stop the meds and see what happened.  I thought that Murphy was really depressed by having to take the meds 2x per day and it wasn’t worth it.    The end result was that I could take Murphy to Ohio to be ultra sounded to see if it was liver disease or cancer or something else serious.  My thought was she seemed so ill.  How would she take the 3 hr car ride and if it was that serious what was the point? I really didn’t want to keep stuffing meds down her. 

 

So fast forward to now after not being on the meds and She is back to her old personality. Talking, playing, wants to be out with “Mama”. She is happy and no longer depressed or wanting to be in her cage.



Murphy full of it and excited



In fact if I’m trying to do something, and put her in her cage while I am home.  I hear shouts of “MAMA, MAMA, MAMA!!!” until I come get her out.  ARGH!!! I groan, but then I think back to before Thanksgiving when I resigned myself that she probably wouldn’t be here in 2013.

 

 

 I do think there is something wrong with her.  She gets tired, and last week wasn’t feeling as great. Not as spunky.  My thoughts are Quality of life- rather than quantity.  Parrots can live 75+ years when healthy.  I don’t want her miserable or in pain.  She’s happy and not in pain and I love her dearly.



Cuddling with her Mama

 

 

Awesome weekend..

It didn't start that way when

 I was replacing the parts in the toilet tank

and the tank slipped out of my hands

 and broke.   Home Depot and Lowes sell

individual tanks but not in almond

to match my toilet. So had to get a

whole new toilet.   ARGH!!!

TA DA!!!  My new installed toilet

that I put in all by myself....and no leaks. 

Out of my breaking the old

 tank I now know how to

install a toilet!  Who would have thunk it!

 

 

Today I finally got back in my studio

 which I haven't worked in

since before Christmas.  Miss

Murphy sits with me on her perch,

She's a little cling-on and will

 call "mama" at the top

of her lungs non-stop until I

bring her along.  It makes me smile,  I am

so grateful she is back to her old self.

 

 

Very beginning phase of a new painting I started today.

 

 

My horse Hottie and Whisper

Not sure where to start but I guess I will just start chronologically.

My step son’s cat died on the 23 Nov 12.  His name was Kitty.  He died from a respiratory infection. The antibiotics from the vet didn’t seem to catch it in time and he died at home on Cameron’s bed his favorite spot.  My husband was rushing home from work because I told him Kitty was suffering and wouldn’t make it through the night so Matt was going to take him to the vet to be put down.  Kitty died right as Matt arrived home. Cameron was at his mother’s thankfully so he didn’t see Kitty’s last moments.  He was a very sweet cat.  Taz and Kitty got along so well.  I know Taz misses him.  They would play and race through the house.

A cell pic of him lounging on my paint brushes while I try to paint!

 

Then on the 28 Nov my mother in law died.  She had fallen and broke her hip and was due to go home the day after she died.  She was in rehabilitation in a nursing home for several months.  She was a very sweet,good person that wasn’t well in the few years I knew her.  She was on oxygen 24 hrs. a day and had difficulty walking or doing basic tasks.  I’m sure she is doing all the things she missed doing and I imagine her happy and vivacious now. 

She left behind her dog Jake.   My plan was not to get any new animals;  no other family members  offered to take him.  I felt bad for him and he really is a very good, well behaved dog.  He hasn’t done anything wrong since he arrived.

 

It would really be nice if we had more space in the house, and Taz- my cat is scared to death of the dog.  Taz spends his days under my bed for the last 2 weeks now. The dog cannot go in that area of the house…..thanks to baby gates. It’s a barrage of rotating animals, making sure gates are shut.  Argh! I have to put Taz’s food under my bed, he will not come out until at night when the Jake goes to sleep up in Cameron’s room.   I’ve tried holding Taz so he can see Jake with Jake in a crate, or my husband holding Jake. It’s so stressful to me.  I feel horrible for my cat and have nightmares about my cat being jumped on by Jake which I’m sure Jake wouldn’t do.  Apparently my subconscious has its own opinion as I had another one last night.   My rabbits also currently cannot come downstairs as I haven’t tried them being loose with Jake.  Did I mention Jake is a big dog, part Sheppard part lab and a rescue from the animal shelter.  I tried 1x taking him to the barn where I board my horse so he could see barn cats without traumatizing my Taz.  He tried chasing a cat that ran and pulled me across the grass.  Murphy is totally unaffected and fearless and will stroll right by Jake on the floor to get where she wants to go.   She has improved leaps and bounds and is back to her old self since I stopped meds.- Another story for another day.

I know my stress is so trivial in the large scheme of the tragedies going on in the world today. My prayers go out to all those effected with the horrible shooting in Connecticut.  In time I am sure things will improve and my nightmares & stress will fade.   All I want for Christmas is animal peace in my household & Taz to not just live under my bed.  

I've been working on different gifts for Christmas.

I know we can run out and buy stuff and those

 are great too, but to me it seems there

 is nothing more special than a gift

someone took their time to make.

 Lets face it, we can all agree we

 never have enough time.

So when someone gives me

something they sat down and

created it's super thoughtful.

 

 

This weekend I made this carmel chocolate apple

 as a treat for my friends birthday to go

with her card and gift card.

 

 

I've wanted to make Christmas cards and FINALLY

I did.  bunny cards and horse cards.

 

 

Inside

 

 

My sister lost her bulldog so I made this necklace for her as

a little trinket gift.  I had to make myself one with Giddy.

 

 

I made some glycerin soaps this weekend.  I plan on giving them

to the horse barn peeps with a card.

 

 

And I've been crocheting dish cloths.  If you've never used them they are all I use.  They are 100% cotton.  I love them.  Doesn't look like much but one cloth takes me 2 nights to make.

 

I'm getting ready for German Nichalaus Tag.  I will explain in a future post as I'm waiting to pick those gifts up as they are being fired.  Fingers crossed they came out!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow can't believe it been so long since I posted...

don't know where time went but hectic day to day stuff

 sometimes just consumes you.

I had always been meaning to make planter boxes

for bunny greens at the bottom of my green house. 

I don't have any luck planting them in my fenced

 in garden the babies are so tiny they squeeze

 in the fence and eat it all before it even grows.

So I had a thought.   One person trashed these drawers.

 

 

I lined them with Styrofoam insulation to keep the soil warm.

My thought was to keep soil from freezing in Michigan winters

 and keep moist soil from rotting the wood on the drawers.

 

 

I sealed the seems with caulk and drilled holes in bottom for drainage.

 

 

Then painted with green paint I just happened to find

 in the mark down bin.  Notice how it matches

 the green in my green house trim.

How perfect was that find??

 

 

And voila... Planter boxes!

 

 

They fit under my growing benches, doubling my

growing spaces and barely cost me anything which

I  always love a good deal!

 

 

 

 

More Miss Murphy...

So vet #2 said she has no idea

 what else to do with

Murphy and said there is not

 certified avian vet in Michigan, 

and referred me to one in Ohio. 

He is a 4 hour drive away one way.  

I'm not putting her through an 

8 hr drive in one day.  She was stressed

after the 3 hr drive to Ann Arbor and back.

Plus I think she couldn't take it physically.  

She tires easily.

So the vet in Ohio was kind enough to say he'd look at all her records and tests.  I rushed and mailed them out Friday , and that will be vet #3's opinion and then I may see another vet that was recommended locally.   Why do I keep running to vets you may ask?? Well by looking at these photos you can see how well she looks physically.   These were taken this weekend. Nice feathers, weight and coloring....but she acts sick and very unlike herself.  I had a Blue fronted amazon before her that died from liver problems.  Gidgy looked nothing like Murphy.  She couldn't even produce feathers and looked horrible. I have hope that Murphy can pull through if just given the correct meds that work for her.

If not I will know I truly did the best I could...

Murphy update...

New vet said Murphy's blood work numbers came back wonderful, but by her behavior there is something not right. So another top avian vet is going to an avian conference and is going to seek consultation on Murphy at the conference(can't get any better than that eh?) so she said keep giving the antibiotic and then she will advise plan of action once she gets some consultation.

So after their consultation.  The concensous was that her numbers could be how they were and she still have liver disease.  We are giving her an antibiotic and as of today and antifungal med.  We are trying to see what will work.  Very frustrating and discouraging. 
Although I want to make her better, maybe what will be, will be.   We all have a limited amount of time here.  It bums me out that I can't seem to help her with all my efforts.

A year ago today

I lost my beloved Giddy suddenly...

Tears roll down my cheeks as I post this.

  He was one of a kind,

and to me there will never be another bun like him.

He was my buddy and I miss him terribly.

My Murphy to a new vet

Murphy hasn't been feeling well.
  I can tell as she's not active at all and if given

a choice she will stay in her cage all day.
Which is really unlike her.

I was given a referral to the following vet clinic.

Animal Kingdom Veterinary Hospital

I'm told that the vet I'm seeing is one of the leading vets in the country and consults the Detroit Zoo.  I called to see if I could afford to take Murphy there for a second opinion and was surprised to hear their price for an office call, and x-rays ran the same as the vet I was using.  I want to see if this vet  would prescribe the same treatment.

So we will be going to this vet on 11 Aug.  It's about 1 1/2 hrs. away.

I want to know that I did all I can and gave her a fighting chance with her liver problems.

Like I said earlier, Murphy doesn't like to leave her cage.  She loves to look out the window, so today I rolled her cage in front of the door.  She truly enjoyed it and came out

to sit on top of her cage.

She actually made little happy noises.  She hasn't talked at all since she hasn't been feeling well. I try really hard to do anything that she likes and make her happy.  It's really heart breaking to me to see her go from a loud busy vivacious bird , to one that sits quietly and doesn't want to be with me.  Very sad, but at least to day she had some enjoyment.

What's up in my Garden...

Last weekend I enlisted my husband Matt to help in extending

my flower bed since I have filled up my flower beds.

After

I was so thrilled to find this red Echineaca plant at

a flea market.  I have been looking at every green house I went to for the past 2 yrs with no luck.  This color was just developed.  Yay!! 

 A special flower that is planted right above where little Basil was buried.

Some  More garden pics of what I've been up to...

front flower bed

Another view.  The terracotta Rabbit plaque I hand carved and 

 really like how it looks hanging on a sheppard hook. 

I'm not liking the brown spot in my bush.  Will trim out when it cools off.

It was 99 today, too hot for bush trimming.

Some stepping stones I've made that I will sink into the grass or should I say ask my husband Matt to dig for me.  Ha Ha!  I do the fun stuff and he does the hard labor for me.

More garden pics to come!

I was commissioned by Mary in North Carolina
 to paint this painting of her sister
and brother-in-law.

It will be a  20th wedding anniversary gift.

Thank You Shell for referring me! 

Below is the photo she wanted me to reference.

I'm grateful for the opportunity and I hope the painting is a happy surprise on their Anniversary!

Farewell Basil...

My little Basil has gone to be with Giddy

Basil passed away this morning.

We was a good little Guinea Pig.

He would squeal when her heard

 the crackle of a shopping bag cause he knew

 that the usually contained salad yummies.

 He was sweet and would allow me

 to give him a bath, hair cut

and nail trim.  His hair was curly and would grow up to 4"- 5" long.

  I opted to keep it short and neat and clean.

He was a snuggler too!

_________________________________________________

I think Giddy being the sweety he is, was there to greet Basil

and the two of them are keeping each other

company as they did here.