Trying to Feel Spring

 

Outside there is not a speck of green to be seen and still

mounds of snow melting from the snow plows.

Easter is less than a month away so before 

we sneak away to Florida I dug out some Easter decorations.

 

 

I discovered the little bunny with the blue pants my Mom

gave me last year looks like he was made to

complete the other two bunny figures I bought years ago.

Surprise mom and pop bunny had a baby bunny!

 

 

I love this bunny that I found in an antique shop

that my husband and I stumpled upon

on a country drive. 

 

Hope you are getting some spring fever!

Just a quick pic of Petey's healing!

We have now hit the 30's here in Michigan.  You know it's been a hard winter when the 30's feels warm and you are taking off your jacket like I did at the barn today.  I do have to say this winter and the huge quantity of snow did wear on me.

 

So my latest happenings were taking advantage of the dental special my horse vet had going on. Hottie has to get her teeth floated every year.  The vet files off any uneven or sharp ridges caused by her munching hay, uneven sharp teeth could cut up the sides of her mouth.

 

 

 

 

She's such a good patient...and it helps that she's sedated.

 

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Then Murphy was a very bad girl and bit Petey.

 

 

 

My dear husband rushed Petey to the vet for me.  I was freaking out.  It looked worse in this picture after she came home from the vet.  The vet had to make sure the nasal cavity wasn't severed. On a good note my little 22 yr. old Petey is recovering great.   I felt horrible, because I'm the one who sat Petey down by Murphy. They've been out together many times in the past 10+ years. Lesson learned at poor Petey's expense....you just never know what can happen.    So she has been getting antibiotics, pain and inflammatory meds for the past 2 weeks and I'm so happy she's recovering.  Yes Petey is a she.  I never had her DNA sexed,  which is the  only way to tell if a parrot is male or female as a chick.  Pete surprised me by laying eggs one year which is how I discovered, he was a she.  I got her as a baby 22 yrs. ago after my brother's death.  Little Pete helped me to get up every morning in my early stages of my grief.  She holds the record of the pet I've had for the longest time in my lifetime.  I'll post a pic of how much better she looks now but she's covered and sleeping and being a good mama - I want to let her be at the moment.

 

I've been playing with my clay lately.  Making sculptures

& having fun with it

 

I've made 2 bunny tiles jumping towards each other. They are made to go between my kitchen counter and window sill above my sink.

Will show progress as they are off getting fired now.

 

wet clay before being cleaned up

 

Next is a large plaque I'll put on an easel at Christmas time.

 

 

 

Waiting for Santa to dry out and he'll be off to get fired.

 

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Since Spring is taking forever to get here, I will be heading south in a week to catch up with some warmer temps and sunshine and beat my winter bla's.

I've had enough!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm on a roll with the fairy dolls.

  I made a garden fairy for a good

friends birthday.  Like me

 Connie loves gardening and we both

have hobby greenhouses so

I thought she'd this would be a good surprise for her.

 

 

Connie was surprised and very happy with her!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think next will be some Santa's for gifts next Christmas.

 

New Year New Goals

Time flies and I'm surprised at how old I'm getting and feel like

I've got so many more things I want to do with my life

before my time runs out. 

Not to be pessimistic, but we never know

when our time is up so that is my motivation.

Living my life to the fullest! 

I've been busy working on new goals for this year.

  So far in January I've started working out again. 

 Trying to keep the momentum going to get back into shape.

  Also Hottie got the OK for me to start

light riding her at a walk/trot.

   Were working on stretching the scar tissue

 she has from the torn muscle.

Her gait is a bit different.  You don't notice it so much at a

trot but I can feel and hear by the way her hoof hits the ground.

  She's not in pain though.  We are stretching, massaging

and light work to get her going.

I am also working trying to get back in my studio more.

 Still  working on my horse painting,

 

 

here and there when I have a free moment.

 

Also my niece Ella will be turning 6 on 4 Feb 14.

  My how time flies.

She recently spent the night with me

 and had fun doing art stuff.

 

 

She really loved this fairy I made many years ago

 and remarked (hint, hint) how much she'd

like one so I was on it.

  Can't say NO to my one and only nice

 

 

Body parts were made out of polymer clay.

 

 

Then I ordered some Mohair wool- a curly

sheep's wool on Etsy.  Some of it's a bit

 fuzzy or frizzy and I knew I wanted ring curls.

 I dipped it in a water with a bit of glue.

Then wound it around knitting needles

and brush handles

and let it air dry.

 

 

Her face is painted and then

 all parts are assembled.

 Arm's legs sewn on

(notice the holes in the arms,legs and head)

Head wired into place. 

Her dress a composit of

netting & ribbons and

when all put together...ta-da!

 

 

Ella loves pink, purple and sparkles

so that's why the pink explosion.  Ha ha!

 

 

Her hair is 3 colors.  Red, pink and an orange color.

 

 

The back of her.

Hope she's likes her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

I was so busy with Hottie's leg that I wanted to quickly post some of my

homes Christmas decorations

 

 

Sideboard in the dining area

 

 

Santa doll I made

 

 

Mantle in living room

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

All the best wishes to all of you!

 

More Animal Stress for me

On 2 Dec at around 1PM I got a call at work that Hottie had done something to her leg and couldn’t walk. She’s always been a very sound horse with no problems so this was very unusual. I called the vet and they said they could be out there by 3PM and I left work thinking, OK it wouldn’t be too big of a deal but still nervous. When I got there I burst into tears when I saw the size the upper inner thigh had swollen too and that she couldn’t put any weight on it. Plus she was in serious pain. Ugh! It just broke my heart she kept turning her head to look at her leg as if to tell me, it hurts there. The vet ultra sounded it and thought it was cellulitis – which is an infection under the skin that spreads rapidly from the tiniest poke or scrape. So she got, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory high dose pain meds, and steroids and then a diuretic to get some of the fluid out. I went out every night to give meds, ice her leg, taking her temperature to make sure she didn’t show a fever and slowly walk her around once she could put weight on it.

When the swelling wasn’t improving after a week I called the vet again and they came out. It was then determine she had a hematoma probably from a blunt force trauma. Hottie was sedated and several needles were inserted into the swollen inner thigh/buttock and a large bloody pocket of fluid was drained out. Poor baby was such a good patient. It was determined that she somehow tore a muscle. It could be she was kicked by another horse. Another possibility the vet thought for where the injury is, is that she could have got her foot caught in the fence and went to pull it and somehow did the splits with her hind legs.

So now she is recovering slowly. The vet said it would be a few months and we would keep her comfortable as it's very painful. She has moved down to a lower pain med of bute (Horse Aspirin). She is walking better now and not dragging her leg. It will just take time

In between all this Hottie drama, I notice Finnegan was breathing harder, panting when playing lightly – which uh oh had red flags go up for me for heart problems. He woke me up several times breathing hard on the pillow above my head and then the other night sneezing so I thought OK – Maybe he’s just got a respiratory infection. We discovered he does have a heart murmur. Sadly, it is very common in Maine Coons to have heart disease. Right now were at the wait and see stage. He’s taking antibiotics like a big baby for a possible respiratory infection and slight temperature. If he still has breathing problems after his medication I probably will have to have his heart ultra-sounded and that will determine if he definitely has it. He is such a big sweetie too. He’s my shadow and I love him to pieces!

What a way to approach the end of the year? It can only get better, right?

Wishing all a

 

I'm so glad I was born an adorable bunny

and not a turkey....especially today!

After Mouth Surgery

 

Feeling much better and relaxing on the back of the couch.

 

When I first brought him home I was really scared the

first few days.  He looked so horrible,

I thought he might not make it.

He wasn't drinking or eating the baby food,

 I bought for him to lick.

 

Even with pain meds 2x per day he

 would lay and just moan in pain.  Broke my heart!

But now, I can tell he feels better.

 

 

He is becoming more outgoing again.  More vocal and expressive!

 

 

He has always preferred dry cat food.  I thought with being

toothless he'd have to get used to eating more soft cat food.

He shocked me after 4 days he actually went back

on his own to eating dry cat food.  It's very small morsels,

so he doesn't have to chew it and can swallow it one morsel at a time.

 

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I'm so happy with his progress! 

And to think, I had several people say they wouldn't have paid

for his pricey surgery and would have put him down.

I will gladly go with less stuff, cut costs, take my lunch, dye my own hair

and smile at my rescue kitty that ended up with me and makes

me smile BIG!

 

 

 

 

whats going on...

My poor Taz has been battling  severe gingivitis

To understand it take a look at this article.

http://www.virginiaveterinarydentistry.com/647115.html

 

He was approximately 4- when he came

 to live with us after my husband

found him on-line for me at a rescue.

 Pretty boy is so timid and was so traumatized

he lived under our bed for the first week

 with a litter box, and food and water

  

 

Now 8, We've tried all the treatments prescribed in the article.

Teeth Cleanings, steroids, antibiotics,

laser treatments and they help for a

short time.  The last treatments did nothing.

  He's had several teeth removed and the gums are

 nice and light pink where the teeth have been removed.

 They are severely inflamed & red where the teeth are.  It's a

extremely painful condition and the vet told me

 at his last removal when Finn was neutered

his gums were so bad they bleed at being touched.

 So on 12 Nov....

 Taz will be having surgery to remove

all his remaining teeth. 

The vet said the  canines are a large undertaking.

I have been told by many people who's cats have all teeth

 removed you would never know they are

toothless with the exception of drooling.

 Vet personnel tell me that he will do much better

 and be in less pain when they are all out. 

  So I will be on vacation that week, I scheduled his

surgery purposely so that I could keep an eye on him. 

He'll be on pain meds so I'm

praying all will go well for him.    

 

 I'm also hoping this little guy, does not pester him

as much.  They may need to be separated while Taz heals.

 

 

He looks all sweet and innocent but he lives up

to the  holy terror nick name. 

He jumps on everyone (critters) and tackles them!

Gwenie bun was not having any of that and let him know it

and sent him running and mowing!

___________________________

I have also started doing physical therapy for a past

neck injury from a car accident

 

I don't want to celebrate too early but I am seeing some

improvement.  Finger's crossed I'll have less pain & migraines!

 

I haven't spent anytime this summer in my art room sadly.

My goal is to get busy at least a few times per week after work

in the evenings.  So hard to fit it all in. 

My priority has always been that

my animals get their daily attention,

so my art is taken a back seat.

I just gotta find time to do more art!

 

 

 

 

 

Anniversary Getaway

 

On 25 September my husband Matt and I celebrated that 7 yrs ago we went on our first date and then 4 yrs. on the same date got married.
We got away to  to Myrtle Beach.
  The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed

a sunset beach ride.

 

 

I've wanted to do this for so long...

 

He's pulling, and didn't want to turn.  I thought it was
a good pic though.

 

 

 

 

 

Another wonderful memory...

Love you Matt!

 

 

I look forward to riding off into

many more sunsets with you!