Happy Independence Day

Not my photo but one from the Howard County Times and Columbia Flier via the Explore Howard Web site. I could see this year's fireworks from my apartment. They were quite astonishing, but aparently not even half the length and intensity of the fireworks in nearby Baltimore and Washington, D.C. It's such a beautiful display but hard to think of all the money being spent tonight for fireworks all around the country.

And now, back to artsy things!

I haven't done much art-making this summer. I've either been too hot, too tired or in some cases, too sick to do much of anything. I was laid-up for the last three days with a neck so stiff I was naseous. And the heat! Well, don't get me started. Let me just say that after the freak blizzards in Maryland this past winter, you would think it wouldn't have to be 95 degrees for weeks on end. But, so it goes.

A link to this delightful altered tin with the dolly head was first spied on my friend Sandy's blog. And I should add, the digitally-talented Sandy is the one who created my new blog banner and my new Blythe blog banner. So I followed Sandy to her 'real-life' art friend Maija and her blog and then to her Etsy shop.

I can only claim Maija as a virtual friend although we've traded some things before, Blythe charms and fat book pages, to name a couple. She has a gorgeous blog, a ton of talented friends, and great stuff in her Etsy shop, so check her out!

Sandy, Maija and others just got together for an art weekend with another virtual friend of mine, Viv, who is so talented also, and has a darling blog. I've been on the lucky receiving end of her work, also!

So, my dollhead collection is now "plus-one" in a very nice way!

Almost lost Larry, too. An update

You may remember I posted about the tragic, sudden and shocking death of our beloved, five-year-old Lester (pink nose). In the past two weeks, shortly after getting Lester's autopsy report from Purdue University, we almost lost Larry. He is coming home from the hospital today.

Before I discuss that, the results of Lester's autopsy did support anaphylaxis- asphyxiation due to a sudden allergic reaction. Unfortunately, that's all we know. So we'll never know if it was to the rabies or the distemper shot or whether the shot was the correct dose or a wrong dose.

Since no explanation is forthcoming from our former veterinarian, we'll never know why no one was around right after Lester got vaccinated, why there was no crash cart, why no one was there to administer a shot of Benadryl or Epinephrine to stop the reaction. We'll just never know. We will always miss him. May he rest in peace. Hopefully he is hanging with his Great-Aunt Mookie in kitty heaven and listening to her stories about Myrtle, Murphy and Maynard.

Meanwhile, in an effort to give Larry lots of attention, besides tons of hugs and kisses and snuggling, it was discovered Larry liked chasing loose shoelaces. Since this was reminiscent of the famous time when as a four-month-old (or so) kitten he flew through the air like a squirrel to get a string that had accidentally flipped up on the blade of a fan on the cathedral ceiling, we were encouraged.

So, many nights of "playing shoestring" ensured. In the last week-and-a-half Larry started acting mopey again, then sluggish. Then he started throwing up. Then he wasn't eating or drinking, so off to the vet he went.

Not only was he severely dehydrated, necessitating an IV, but he still refused to eat, drink or poop (sorry) at the vet's office during an overnight stay. So they kept him; x-raying his stomach they saw nothing really, except a lot of constipation. Dehydration continued, along with vomiting, no eating, no drinking and nothing passing through. A barium enema x-ray still showed very little, and all that came back out was the barium.

So, unfortunately, but thankfully, Larry had to have exploratory stomach surgery Thursday where 19, yes, NINETEEN inches of shoestring were removed from his stomach in a wad. Turns out x-rays only show metal objects, they said. (?) The doctor measured the shoestring; that's how we know, and Larry's "Dad" got to see it.

We feel terrible, not dreaming he would try to eat a thick, 51" shoestring. We were trying to keep him playful. The veterinarian explained that a cat can slurp in a long piece of string just like we would slurp in a long piece of spaghetti or a giant snake would slurp in a person (okay, I made that part up, but that's what I envisioned). And I can joke a tiny bit, because Larry is now fine and headed home today, feeling so much better! His toy box, however, will be getting an overhaul.

By the way, this is the same Larry who spent a stay at the vet after a piece of black mesh fabric was removed under anesthesia from his butt (sorry again), where it had become lodged. We suspect a tiny fabric bow, that untied itself and got much larger after he "slurped" it. In a later adventure, Larry also had to be rushed to an out-of-town pet emergency room after quickly "slurping" a pill that was dropped on the floor before we could grab it. Oh, Larry!

So, pet lovers, use this as a heads-up to be aware of your pets' shot reactions and also to think carefully about the kinds of toys, chew-things and amusements you give them. Also, on a side and possibly related note, a mouse in the house was captured on one of the few nights the house was completely cat-less. Hmmm.

The finished product

I realized I never posted a picture of the finished charm bracelet I made for Bryanna of The Canary's Cupcake. This was one of the things I sent her. I "warned" her it was going to be a kitchsy/crackerjack/childhood/colorful charm bracelet. I especially liked the tree, from Hi-Ho Cherry-O (I think), the Monopoly hotel, the glass-blown rubber duck, the dancer from a little girl's jewelry box (I had one), the panic button and the Sally Jean soldered house charm. I hope Bryanna did, too. Check out the gorgeous Mermaid totes she's been making, on her blog!

Bry's Beautiful Blooms

I swiped this picture fresh off the blog of blog friend Bryanna the minute I saw it because I knew you'd want to see these gorgeous fabric blossoms which she makes layer by layer and then carefully burns the edges for a more vintage look. Bryanna and I just got done with a fabulous swap, which you can read and see more about below and on her blog, and I was lucky enough to receive two of these awesome flowers as pins.

She posts a nice and simple tutorial on her blog at The Canary's Cupcake, so flit on over and see for yourself how easy these can be to make, and I think you'll agree they look as yummy as the prettiest cupcake!

Cock-a-Doodle-Do and a swap, too

I would never have known this 5" wooden rooster that my mother got in the early 1960s was anything particular if I hadn't asked a friend to explain one of her on-line names. Turns out wooden animals, especially horses, painted in this style are well-known and loved in Sweden and are called Dalahäst or Dala for short. So, I have a 50-year-old Dala rooster. The American term for these is 'Dalecarlian,' and they are said to have been, among other things, carved as toys in the Dalarna region of Sweden.

My mother kept all sorts of trinkets on display, especially blue ones, in our lake cottage, and now that I think more about it, Swedish items and the familiar blue and white Delft tins, patterns, windmills, and even a ceramic wall clock informed a lot of her decorating.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of sneak peeks of a charm bracelet I made for a swap with the fun and lovely Bryanna of The Canary's Cupcake. She's received everything now, so hopefully she will post some pictures next week, since I didn't get too many good ones taken. I think we had a great swap! In fact, she even made something exquisite for my Blythe dolls as mentioned below, and I will post a pic over at my Blythe blog, Blythe-O-Mania Untamed.

Love in a Priority Box

I received all these beautiful, yummy confections today, courtesy of Bryanna Lenan, a friend and like-minded artist and fellow blogger, after we decided to create our own 1:1 swap. I wanted one of her gorgeously-made statement necklaces that I had seen on her blog, and she went more than just the extra mile.

Can you see the tiny miniature statement necklace? That's for my Blythe dolls! More about that later, when we model! Then she made me one of her fabulous and famous button bracelets and a bubblegum/cotton candy colored, girly-theme charm bracelet with the most fun collection of charms, as you can see

Everything was packaged in pastel, sheer bags, and there was also gorgeous shabby rose pins she had made, cabochons to share, a pretty, but calorie-free sucker, and her sweet Moo cards.

Bryanna's been an ear on phone and email, too. I truly am blessed by my blog friends! Thank you, Bryanna, a million times over.

An update on our beloved Lester

Here are some scenes from the too-short life of our Lester, brother to Larry, and family member to us all. As I blogged about earlier, Lester died suddenly at the vet after routine vaccines and under unusual circumstances. This was a vet we had used many times before but not always. He has been in business at least 20 years and is in a large, clean facility. Warsaw, Indiana is not a town with a "bad side."

Unfortunately, the vet acted aloof, uncaring and even defensive when we attempted to question him more about this. We felt something was amiss when we were told Lester was done with his shots and to come pick him up. He was not in the room, nor handed to us in the carrier at the desk like normal. The vet and staff acted odd, but then acted "surprised" when they "discovered" Lester had died.

After several hours to think, we visited three other vets in town to ask about shot reactions, and we called Purdue University, home to a renowned veterinary school, and also the most likely location in the state to due any kind of autopsy or research.

Although Lester had already been frozen, we were lucky enough to get his body back from the vet before the animal cremation service arrived. My first cat, Mookie, who lived to be 18, is buried in our back yard, but Paul did not prefer this for Lester, and I respected that.

After suspecting something was out of the ordinary, we were pretty sure Lester's body would be gone, but by calling Friday morning (before things got ugly), we were able to get him back. I am out of state, so I applaud my daughter for bravely picking Lester up and taking him to our other, more regular vet, who was busy the day all this happened. Paul was still beside himself and blaming himself, and I didn't want to ask him to get the body.

Adrienne, who can be squeamish, stepped up. Our regular vet could have done an autopsy if Lester hadn't already been frozen. But they did call Purdue for us and make arrangements, and they shipped him. When they called the other vet for the rest of Lester's records, he initially refused. I have no idea what kind of "records" or notes on the chart we got for last Thursday.

We later talked to Purdue twice, and one of the two people said she had never seen a vaccine reaction in all her years there. The other said it can happen; it happens to people, too. But it is extremely rare.

The other vets in town made several excellent points: a vet's normal policy is to monitor ALL animals after a vaccine is given; vaccines should not be given to sick animals (even one with a minor eye infection). We didn't even think of that, and as I was lamenting, I was reminded we shouldn't have had to. The veterinarian is supposed to think of that.

Another said a simple Benadryl injection could have stopped the reaction then and there. We didn't think of that either. Where was the veterinarian's crash cart for emergencies like this--since reactions can happen in surgery, too.

We asked the vet to pay for the autopsy at Purdue ($96) on principle. He got very testy and refused. Why wouldn't he want to know what happened, too? Why wouldn't he want to notify the pharmaceutical manufacturer of the vaccine and get them involved?

So, without any answers we have been forced to imagine all sorts of unpleasant and unthinkable things--from the simplest negligence, like injecting Lester and then everyone leaving for coffee to grabbing a dog- or horse-size dose, to accidentally snapping Lester's neck when grabbing the scruff. I am sorry to write these things. None of us can get them out of our minds because we don't know.

We have talked to the local animal shelter, and to a local attorney- not for money, but for answers. We are waiting until the results of the autopsy. So, although he never expected it, Lester, the sometimes basketball fan, is going to Purdue, home of the Boilermakers, sometimes a Hoosier Hysteria contender. We're pretty sure Lester was not a Purdue fan, and definitely is not now. However, if his senseless death can prevent this from happening again--whether it be a tainted vaccine, a mis-dosed shot, a negligent vet or worse--and if his death can help teach veterinary students, then we will be glad. Perhaps the results will help generate some answers since none are forthcoming locally.

Rest in peace, sweet Lester. 09/04 - 05/10

This beautiful little guy, Lester--the one I blog about a lot, and photograph a lot, along with his twin brother Larry-- Lester the pink nose/Larry the brown nose-- Lester the good cat/Larry the naughty cat.....

A very unfair and inexplicable thing happened Thursday morning...Lester, just age 5, went to the vet for routine Distemper and Rabies shots and a slight eye infection-with some runniness that we were wiping....Lester apparently had an unusual and rare reaction to one of the vaccines and died suddenly at the veterinarian's office.

Lester did not deserve this. He was the sweetest, gentlest cat we ever had. He never hissed, he never did anything naughty. He loved routine. He loved the doorbell and guests. He didn't mind wearing hats. He was very fastidious and clean and always smelled like fresh linen. He liked my mother's old afghan best for napping. He liked to catch bugs. He didn't like to snuggle too tight or he would get wiggly. He liked the faucet, and he liked his family. Us.

I cannot imagine what Larry is thinking right now, and how confused he will be, how much he will miss his brother.

I am devastated. I fear he suffered. I know he was alone when it happened, because the vet said no one noticed until it was too late. How could that happen? I feel terrible for my kids and for Paul, my DH. They are suffering.

The kids have their grown-ups lives now, and my daughter even "shares" her own cat, named Naughty, with her boyfriend. Paul, on the other hand, had Lester. And I had Larry. Lester slept with Paul every night, followed him everywhere, and watched television with him every night. Lester preferred ESPN. He even preferred basketball to other sports, followed by football and golf over baseball. No idea why.

The other unfortunate scenario, making this even worse, is that it was handled very strangely by the veterinarian and his assistant. Lester was dropped off mid-morning, and we were called around 11-11:30 to pick him up, that he was done, just fine and good to go with his shots, shot record and eye salve.

Paul went to pick him up at lunch, and encountered what now seems like a staged event. Lester was not in the room when the doctor presented his discharge papers and medicine, where he might normally have Lester on the table while demonstrating how to apply the medicine. The vet acted "off." The nurse suddenly rushed in and asked him to come out. This was done oddly also.

Then Paul was told Lester was dead and asked if he would like to see him! Can you imagine? The shock of going from one extreme to another in seconds had to be unreal. We were told he died while no one was looking. How did that happen if shots were given earlier in the morning? Wouldn't staff be watching vaccinated pets for reaction? Or did they just inject him while Paul was there, and if so, why would they call and say he was already ready? Why would they offer to let Paul see him if he had just died on the spot, and yet they said he had an anaphylactic reaction and that his lungs filled with blood and he essentially suffocated or his lungs burst? It pains me to write this, as I can hardly bear to think of his pain, his fear, his panic, his struggle, his wonder why no one was helping him. He hated to go to the vet anyway, although he was gentle and clawless also.

But wouldn't he have been in a rather shocking and unpresentable condition in that instant, with blood, mucous, sweat, loss of urinary or bowel control? We know, we went through a couple of dead pets before. We made the (possible) mistake once of wanting see our sweet Myrtle after she died.

It is sad to have to wonder, and to possibly distrust a veterinarian and the caregiver of one's pets and the last person to be with them before death. But we feel maybe Lester died earlier in the morning, and they staged the announcement to avoid any hint of liability.

We don't want anything. We are not litigious people. We would only want Lester back, or the truth. We only want to be able to trust, and to know what really happened, and whether he suffered. We suspect the wrong dose or the wrong vaccine was given or that simply he was left alone or ignored. We may never know, and we are grieving.

When my DH can handle it, he plans to inquire about the process with another vet. He already did talk to one other vet today in his grief. A vaccine reaction can happen, but is truly one in a million. It typically is not a delayed reaction, and it is one, that while it may be abrupt or irreversible, it is quite noticeable. So perhaps they simply were not watching. We'd rather know that, than a lie or the unknown.

So, please go love your pets. If you don't have any, then just be kind to animals. They can't help themselves. They are innocents. But they are our responsibilities, also. Paul and I used to joke that we loved animals so much because we didn't really like people very much. The people we do like and love (like you, my blog friends) know what we mean.

R.I.P., Lester...........

Happy Mothers' Day, Art Friends!

A May Day basket for you

What Is Art?

I haven't made anything lately that I would normally classify as art or even altered art, so I haven't had much to post about. But then, like Carrie in SATC, I wondered: what is art?

Is it spray painting?

I certainly felt artistic and got covered with enough paint and turpentine to qualify while DIY-ing some home improvement to all this dollhouse furniture as evidenced by the before and after pictures. You can see and read much more on my Blythe blog.

Is it food? Salad? Veggies?

I have been trying to eat better lately, not that I don't love salad anyway. But I've been talking to a nutritionist about headaches, sluggishness, sinus pain and puffy eyes, and now in my pantry I have hemp powder, stevia, sunflower seed "peanut" butter, almond milk, goat yogurt, spelt bread and more. So far, so good.

Is it flowers? Is it a pink, vintage pillow? Is it toy robots and little collections? Is it folding a tiny piece of paper into a realistic little box and being happy with the results? All these things seem beautiful to me. They were created by someone. Does that make them art? They give someone else pleasure. Is that art?

What about shoes? Are they art? Are beautiful shoes a work of art? Carrie would say yes.

What about these Manolos? What makes people (and characters) go crazy for them? Why did these shoes start out in a store at $585 when others are $85 or $58 or even $19.99? What makes them sell on ebay for $360? What makes me covet them, even gently used, at an elegant re-sale shop called Chic to Chic where, after sleeping on it, I dash back in search of them still, for $149? Is it because they are art? Is it because they are couture? And what makes a shoe couture? Is it because they are cool? I have to say these must be some kind of work of art because they fit like gloves (gloves for feet?), they aren't painful, and as high as they are, they still feel good. Can that be the art of the shoe?

What is art to you?