Dandelion Fluff

Hey look! A closed door. Let's open it. Absolutely! Do NOT open this door!
Don't look at me! What happened? You always look normal when we see you.
Last August my hair fell out again. I have been drawing myself with a wig ever since. Why didn't you just draw yourself with hair?
Hmm, why didn't I draw myself with hair?

Did you know that psoriasis can make your hair fall out? Well it can! After falling out (again) last August, mine has finally started growing back and is maybe four or five inches long. When I stand in the light, I resemble a dandelion gone to seed.

I have a friend who is facing chemo and is rightly disappointed at the thought of losing her hair. I wanted to let her know that she is not alone. When I lost mine, I spent a good bit of time looking at chemo hats, and I found a company that I liked. It’s called Headcovers Unlimited, and it has a lot of options other than traditional chemo scarves.

Of course all their models have a healthy glow to their cheeks and don’t have tired eyes, but it is nice to imagine that I might look this cute in one of their hats. Some of the hats and scarves have hair in the back to protect your neck from the sun. (The hair is attached to the hat in this picture. )

So, if you are dealing with alopecia, you don’t need to send your husband beat up comedians. Instead splurge on some soft hats to make yourself feel better. And chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate.

Not my image, but I wish it were!

Mommy gets lots of compliments on her pink sunhat

…but she gets even more compliments on me!

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Self conscious about the state of your hair? Then consider this dramatic hooded cape/cloak when you go out for the evening.

Made of light-drinking black pinwale corduroy and lined with soft as silk red acetate, this cloak is sure to make a bold statement wherever you go.

Ladies Cloak/Cape is available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.

Sweet (Potato) Dreams

A friend of mine said that my sweet potato looked like a dinosaur.

Oh wait, maybe she said it was as big as a dinosaur.

When digging up the garden, I had been giving Toby the tiny little potatoes that never fully developed which made him a pretty happy guy. Then he watched me pick up this behemoth, and you should have seen the expression on his face! I don’t think his eyes could have gotten any wider nor his tail wagged any faster. I couldn’t let him have it, though, lest I have to write another poem about yark.

Who are you to judge the yarkworthiness of my adventures?

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Thank you!

The local paper had an article about how allergies are being mistaken for covid symptoms. Whether you have ragweed issues or a virus, these earth-friendly, reusable cotton hankies are perfect for keeping your nose clean and dry.

Cotton hankies come with different pictures or phrases painted on them to make extra special gifts for those you love. Hankies are available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.

Playing Ball

Just like when we play Kick the Snow in the Winter, all sorts of neighbors look outside to watch Toby play Tennis Balls. (I can’t call it “Fetch” because he won’t bring them back.)

I may not bring them back, but I am one happy little camper!

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Dream Our World

Toby’s love for tennis balls even made its way into the book Dream Our World. Inside, Toby and his big brother Geordie visit the museum of their dreams and explore the world of art from a canine perspective. Dream Our World is a sweet book that appeals to all ages.

Dream Our World is available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.

The Yark and the Witching Hour

Electric mustard colored fungus growing in wood mulch

Luminescent pile of yark

gently glowing in the dark.

Yellow like a ‘nanner peel

Little doggie do you feel

better now the puke is gone

sitting outside on the lawn?

(Wouldn’t Mozart be proud?)

The other night, Toby managed to jump up to the counter and steal and eat a banana peel before I could stop him. At 3:00 am he kindly gave the peel back. The poem has a happier ending than real life because it happened outside unlike reality which required an early morning kennel scrubbing. Thanks Toby.

Anytime, mom!

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Dream Our World

If you would like to know more of what Toby and his brother have been up to, pick up a copy of Dream Our World. Inside Bitey (Geordie) and Toby visit the museum of their dreams and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun.

Dream Our World is available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.

B12 and Boys

Boy or Girl

The last doctor I saw thought that my cluster of symptoms might be due to a B12 deficiency. The easiest way to find out if you are deficient is to take some. If you are low, you should feel more energetic. If you’re not, you’ll just pee out the excess.

I picked up a bottle of B12 at the store and took some for several days. Each day brought with it unpleasant stomach cramps but no extra energy. I looked up B12 side effects. Reported incidents were relatively low. For women the most common complaint was shortness of breath. Stomach ailments, however, were almost exclusively listed by men.

This got me thinking about the game of Boy or Girl that Toby and I play where he adamantly insists that I am a boy. Before I was kidding about him knowing something I don’t, but now I’m less and less sure…

You should listen to me more. I know what I’m barking about.

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Dream Our World

Come on an adventure with Bitey and Toby to the Museum of the Imagination in Dream Our World! Inside the boys view the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun.

Dream Our World and other fine gifts are available at my shop at L Bowman Studios.

The Schirmer Test

On Tuesday I went to the ophthalmologist for a follow up to see how my eyes are responding to the medication. To test tear production, paper strips with little rulers on them are places between the eyeball and eyelid. Then you wait to see what volume of tears are created in a certain period of time.

Goofball me, I managed to skew the test within seconds. I closed my eyes and the first thought to pop into my mind was Geordie. Aww, how cute my little boy was! Then I started crying. Not much, but enough that it looked like I have a crazy high amount of tears. I told the doctor what happened, but she was still pleased with the results.

My Geordie hasn’t been on earth in almost three years, and he can still fix everything!

Happy Cairn terrier pup

I told you I was magic!

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Dream Our World

To find out what my magical puppies like to do on their day off, pick up a copy of Dream Our World. Inside, the boys view the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun.

Dream Our World is available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.

Cotton Balls

What happened to you? Did you lose a fight with a bag of cotton balls?
Actually, that would have been more fun.

Today I got to experience nerve conduction testing. While not as bad as I was expecting, it still wasn’t much fun. Basically they stick needles into your muscles (while insisting that you remain completely relaxed as they do!) then ask you to flex so that they can check how your nerves and muscles are working. Some times they shock you with electricity (probably mostly for amusement). Where they stabbed me in the back, I developed some colorful goose eggs. I take turmeric, which acts as a blood thinner, so I ended up with cotton ball band-aids all over.

The take away? I can add Lou Gehrig’s Disease to my list of things I don’t have.

Another “you” post? This is getting boring.

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Are you heading to a birthday party or shower? Consider using this festive, reusable Zodiac Gift Presentation Bag to present your treasured item! Colorful Zodiac themed bag is made of durable bottom weight cotton and lined with muslin and a stiff interfacing to give it its shape even after being washed. After the gift has been removed, the bag can be reused as a gift bag or repurposed as a tote.

This any many fine items are available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.

Another Encounter

Hey, what happened to you? I had a run in with a yellow jacket. How does it feel.
It stings!

Ba-dum-dum!

I saw a movie recently where Mila Kunis’ character knew she was royalty because bees never stung her. I must be the opposite of royalty.

Up in heaven, Geordie is saying, “It’s not so funny when it happens to you, is it?!?”

Sleepy Cairn terrier puppy.

This was Toby on the day he got his nose stung.

He didn’t know me well enough to trust me to take the stinger out.

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Dream Our World

What would two puppies do if left on their own in an art museum? Find out in Dream Our World! Inside the boys discover the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun.

Dream Our World is available form my shop.

Fresh Hell

Oh what fresh hell is this? I've read that people can get psoriasis on their nether regions, but I hoped it would never happen to me! I know something that might help with the itching.
This doesn't help at all! Yeah, tell me about it.
Hey, get out of there!
That's not psoriasis. Those are ant bites on your butt. Hmm, now that you mention it, I might have sat on an ant hill when I was working in the garden.
Sheesh. Humans. They'll complain about anything. Yeah, I agree. By the way, do your paws itch?

When I was diagnosed with psoriasis, I never thought of all the places it could show up. Finding out psoriasis can hide where no one can see seemed like a particularly awful fate. Thank heavens this was only a run in with some angry ants.

If you wanted someone to bite your butt, you should have let me know.

I already bite your underwear.

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Are you looking for a unique and personal gift for someone? Then consider a hand painted handkerchief! With summer allergies and sniffly viruses abounding, a reusable cotton hankie could save hundreds of paper tissues over its lifetime.

A variety of hand painted hankies are available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.

Asleep At His Post

Cairn terrier puppy lying in sun.

Yesterday was too hot for Toby, so I left him inside while I went out to work. When I was done, I found Toby asleep inside of the glass door. Usually dogs can hear you coming from far away, but Toby was lying on his side in such a deep slumber that he didn’t know I was there. I decided that I was going to watch him for a bit as his little paws twitched. Suddenly he rolled over onto his stomach and looked up at my face…then down at my feet…then up at my face…then down at my feet. This went on over and over and over. He didn’t stand, and his tail didn’t wag. He was still asleep! I was planning to move just to see how he would react with the glass between us, but before I could I saw his brain wake up and his eyes come alive. He smiled, and his tail started wagging. My boy was back.

I’m a little bit sorry I didn’t get a chance to see how he would react through the glass, but I’m glad I looked first before opening the door. 😆

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Now is a great time to introduce your kids to the world of art. With Dream Our World, you can do so through a canine perspective! Have all the fun of a museum experience without the expensive gas to get there.

Dream Our World

Inside, Bitey and Toby visit the museum of their dreams and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun.

Dream Our World is available from my shop.