I’m Going To Hell

Not my image.

It seems that whenever I am at church they tell us that if our neighbor has something and we wish we had one too, we are going to hell for being covetous. I follow the blog of a very nice lady who is fixing up a small farm to be a beautiful, productive, wonderful home. I am jealous of all the hard work she gets to do there. This past week, my neighbor adopted a little Maltese puppy. He is so cute!! I wish I had a little Maltese puppy too.

It looks like I’ll be heading to hell. Maybe I’ll see you there?

Should I be worried that there’s another cute boy in town?

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These, and other items for young men, can be found in my shop at L Bowman Studios.

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Death of a Frenemy

Going Out Of Business. You guys are so lucky.

This is beyond humiliating.

(Part of my image was borrowed from the internet.)

I was really surprised when my neighbor told me that our local JoAnn’s store had closed down. I had been there just a few weeks before to buy supplies for gifts for my niece’s coming twins. When I was there, I noticed updates to the store from the last time I had been there. Even though I couldn’t afford to shop there often, I presumed others were able to.

I got curious and checked online and found out that the entire JoAnn corporation had gone out of business. Ours wasn’t just an isolated closure of a store that wasn’t doing well. What mixed feelings this brought up! While I disagreed with the direction the chain had been taking, I didn’t wish for their failure. I wished they would get better.

Just as this area is a Pet Black Hole, it is also a Retail Back Hole. There used to be several fabric stores in the county, but now there are none. You can buy a few calicoes or a bit of fleece at Michael’s (there is no Hobby Lobby in this area), but you’re up a creek if you want to do any upholstery work or make outerwear. There are some online sources for fabrics, but I hate to buy without being able to touch and see the fabric in person. What is “heavy” to you may not be to me.

On top of this, recent news has featured shipping companies’ use of non-English speaking illegal workers to drive trucks in the country. More were hired during the shutdown because there was a sudden increase in the demand for goods shipped to homes. While these drivers are to be commended for finding work, it turns out their lack of familiarity with the country’s language(s) has led to an inordinate number of accidents. Now authorities are cracking down on drivers without proper qualifications. This means shipping companies will no longer be able to abuse their workers by making them live in their trucks or monkeying with the logs so that they work more hours than they are allowed. To us, it means that shipping costs are going to go up. Hooray, first our B&Ms are pushed out, and now we will have trouble affording shipping costs.

This news comes at a time of my own personal identity crisis. Last year my PT recommended that I go to OT. He said, “Wouldn’t it be nice to do some exercises and be able to go back to doing the things you love?” Yes, that did sound nice. My OT, however, said that I need to avoid activities that put stress on my joints. It turns out that most of the things I do/did put undo stress on my joints. In other words, I have to stop doing them.

Since OT, I’ve been trying to figure out who am I? What do I do? Working with my hands was my way of dealing with legs that don’t function properly. Now no hands? As I go through my One Thing Each Day challenge, I’m trying to figure out how much fabric I should keep. Is sewing even a part of my future? If it isn’t, what is?

Even though I may no longer need JoAnn’s services, I am saddened that the business is gone. Maybe with the country’s focus on making goods in America, we’ll find ourselves in a position to open fabric supply stores that have goods people will actually want to work with (natural fibers!!!) and be able to afford.

The gifts I made from my recent (last) trip to JoAnn’s.

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Cross stitched afghan with roses and bows on it.

For beautiful, made in America, tariff-free gifts, come visit my shop at L Bowman Studios!

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Compression

What's wrong? I talked to my doctor recently, and he said that so many of my problems can be traced back to one issue.

The thing is, if you look up this condition , it says that tight clothes can trigger events. Can you imagine compression hose on top of psoriasis? Unfortunately....

I'm trying to picture how awful it would be having to wear hose up to my waist and then a squeezy bra starting where the hose leave off.

then I have compression sleeves plus wrist and thumb braces. On top of all that I have to splint my fingers. With all this on, I don't see ho I would be able to breathe.

Maybe you should just wear a gimp suit. You know, the kind with the zipper over the mouth....so we don't have to listen to you complain.

Sad, Vetruvian Gimp

I’m too tired to even pose properly.

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I knew mommy walked funny, but I didn’t realize there was a suit for that.

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Come see what my boys have been up to in Dream Our World.

Inside Dream Our World, Bitey and Toby visit the museum of their dreams, view the world or art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun.

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

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Not Feeling Well / Stolen Valor

Aw, what's wrong with you? Are you sick? Do you have a fever? No.

Then why did mom draw you with an ice bag and a thermometer?

Actually, I caught a stomach bug. Last night I had pudding poops and some got stuck to my fur.

My official title was “Geordie Stinkypoopyfur I”.

Who is this usurper to take my title?!?

Leave me alone. I don’t feel well. ☹️

I am presuming this is a stomach virus Murphy caught, but I don’t know for sure. The vet said if he isn’t feeling at least a little better by tomorrow I should bring him in. In the meantime, I am supposed to fast him. This is possibly harder for me than it is for him. I worry that he is going to think I am starving him like the hoarders did. (If mommy had tears, she would be crying right now.)

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This handmade Butterfly Quilt could brighten your guest bedroom with a patchwork look reminiscent of the quilts Grandma used to make. The soft, cozy quilt would welcome your guests and help them to feel at home.

Handmade Butterfly Quilt, and other fine gifts, are available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.

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Little Girl Lost

Several months ago my neighbor had to help her little dog cross the Bridge. Since then the woman has been very down without her constant companion. After many prayers and a thorough search of online rescues, she found a pup who looked like a perfect match.

This lady was counting the days – the minutes – until the little dog arrived! She bought sweaters and dishes and cases of food and booties and pet-friendly salt and seatbelts and toys and beds and leashes and harnesses in preparation for the pup’s arrival. This little dog would have wanted for nothing.

On adoption day, though, the new pup slipped her harness and ran away. Within minutes the neighborhood mobilized to help find her. Fliers were put up. Facebook notices were posted. People brought drones with FLIR to help with the search. There were even bloodhounds.

Although there have been several sightings, no one has caught the runaway pup. By today it has been a week, and her chances of being found are not so good. I helped with the search as much as I could. I was out for days checking the creek, looking under sheds and cars, literally beating the bushes to see if I could roust her from a hiding spot, but I found nothing.

I’ve been feeling particularly down this week, and I think it is because of this missing little girl. I was looking forward to getting to know her – to helping discover that all humans aren’t bad. (She was saved from a puppy mill where she produced litter after litter for most of her seven years. At this point she didn’t like or trust humans very much.). I would have been her dog walker, and I was mentally planning the routes we would have covered…the friends we might have made. While she wasn’t my girl, I looked forward to her as if she were.

I told my friend about how I’ve been feeling, and she said that maybe I need to let go. This isn’t a problem I can solve (even though I feel as if it is my fault, that my not-aggressive-enough hunting skills left the dog out in the cold).

I find myself wondering if maybe the little girl dog prayed when she was in captivity. Perhaps her prayers weren’t for a soft bed or a warm house. Maybe she prayed for freedom. Making her own decisions, being her own woman – even if only for short while – may have been more important to her than creature comforts. I like to think that she is (or was) happy breathing fresh air, finding her own food, feeling the rain on her fur. Maybe these things brought her greater joy than our leashed walks ever could.

I just wish it didn’t have to hurt so much.

I thought of her as “Girl Murphy” since they looked similar and shared a Gotcha Day.

Mom’s been hugging me a lot lately. What’s going on?

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Favorite Foods

Oh dear. What do you think we should do? Should we tell him?

So New Guy, what kinds of foods do you like? Ooh...my name is Murphy by the way....I LOVE chicken. And Tofu. tofu is the best.

There is another food I remember from Before. I've smelled it when we're around other humans, but mom hasn't let me have any. I really loved it. What was it called? Pizza, I think.

Do you think if I am a really good boy that she would let me have it again? ??

Um, yeah. Sure. Yup, just keep being a good boy, and maybe mom will let you have pizza. Maybe we'll all get pizza.

Poor little Murphy – as if life hadn’t handed him enough challenges – suffered such extreme malnutrition when he was trapped in the hoarders’ house that he now has heart damage. When I took him for his first vet visit and handed over the paperwork from the rescue, the vet asked where the rest of it was. What? This is what they gave me. The vet said that Murphy’s heart damage was pretty severe and that the rescue had to have known. She was upset that they withheld the information and let me adopt a sick dog without realizing it. I would have still adopted him, but at least I would have known more about what sort of future he might have and what his medical costs might be.

On top of heart disease, Murphy also has high blood pressure. (“How do they know he has high blood pressure?” you may ask. Turns out the answer is “itty bitty blood pressure cuff”.) He’s not on blood pressure medication, but I do have to make sure he doesn’t eat foods with salt. Sadly that means no pizza for Murphy. I can tell he’s had it in the past and really, really, really wants more, but I can’t let him have it. Instead he gets dried beets with his dinner which is supposed to help with blood pressure. I wish I could do even more for my little guy. It brings me so much joy to watch him smile and get the zoomies……but then he coughs.

The same company that makes Life Gold that I gave Geordie for his cancer also makes a supplement to help pets with heart issues. I started Murphy on that, but I can’t tell if it has made a difference. We don’t have a follow-up visit with the vet until late summer, so it will be a while before we get feedback

Please? Please may I have some pizza? I’ve been such a good boy.

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For more information on having a portrait of your beloved pet done, please visit the Pet Portrait page at my site, L Bowman Studios. There you will find suggestions on choosing source photos and guidelines for pricing.

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Murphy’s Tale Goes On

So, would you like eto go for a walk or something? If it's all the same to you, I'd prefer to stay indoors.

Oh that's right. You spent your whole life in a cage. You probably don't feel comfortable outside. Actually, I didn't live my whole life in that cage. The rescue thought I did, and that's what they told mom.

You didn't? Then where did you live? At first, I lived in a really nice house like you have.

My mpmmy was an older lady, and I'm pretty sure I remember a kitty cat at our house. I used to have a bed of my own, but at night I woiuld sleep in the big bed and snuggle under the covers with our mom.

Sh used to hold my treats between her index finger and thumb as she handed them to me.

Since mommy was older, I didn't get out much. Still, life was happy until that one fateful day....

Oh no! What happened? I don't know for sure because nobody tells the pets, but one day mommy wasn't there anymore. People put us furs in cages and took us away. I ended up at the hoarder's house. I don't know where the others went.

Is that where your tail got hurt? Did they break your tail? Nah, I'm OK. It's just that my tail is pretty long. When I was confined, I sat on it too much and made it bend kind of funny.

Dang, this guy makes me feel like the most spoiled dog in the world. I hate to say it, but even i am starting to like him.

At first, I just thought this was a cute picture, but when I looked at it closer, I could see that Murphy was lost in thought. I know he remembers his first family. I feel so bad that he misses them. All I can do is surround him with love and make sure that he builds tons of happy memories from now on.

I remember….

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Murphy’s Tale

Hey New Guy, why are you so skinny? Are you sick or something? He's not really that skinny, it's just that next to you everyone seems small.

I actually look much better now. The last family I lived with nearly starved me to death.

What do you mean "last family"? How can you have more than one family? Not all dogs are lucky enough to live their whole lives in one home.

What happened? Well, there were over a hundred of us in this house.....

How is that even possible? Where did you sleep? Did you all pile on the Big Bed?

No, most of us were put in kennels and forgotten. Some were chained outside in the bitter cold to freeze. Inside, our kennels were stacked from the floor to the ceiling. They couldn't reach most of us, so we had to sit in our own waste day after day as we starved.

I was so homesick. I missed my mom and cried and cried until I ran out of tears.

Just when most of us had given up hope, strangers with trucks and vans and cars came. They took our captors away, then started hauling the kennels out. They didn'tknow our names, so they called us by whatever number we were as they pulled us out.

How could someone not like this guy? He's so sweet? I don't like this guy. He's too sweet.

Am I too sweet?

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Cute, funny, stubborn....always the smartest one in the room.  If you have a Scottie dog, you can't help but love them.  Their shaggy black coats and bright sparkling eyes always bring a smile to your face.

This white cotton hankie has a handsome black Scottie dog painstakingly hand painted in one corner. Around the puppy's neck is a red ribbon tied in a festive bow.  He - or she - is ready to accompany you on all your adventures, tucked neatly away in a pocket or purse.

Perfect for cold season, allergy season, or for the Scottie dog lover in your life, these hand painted hankies send wishes for good health to whoever use them.

This Hand Painted Scottie Dog Handkerchief, and other fine gifts, are available from my shop at L Bowman Studios.

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How Can I Be Conflicted?

How can I be conflicted about getting a new dog? What does it say about me as a person – as a dog mom – that I haven’t already brought home a little beast?

Without the schedule restrictions of a fur family, I have been able to work more, and I really enjoy it. (But what do I do with all the money I earn? I put it in a fund toward adopting a pup.). When I cook, I cry because there is no one at my feet hoovering up my crumbs. On the other hand, it has been really wonderful sleeping through the night without being awakened by insane barking.

So many of my friends tell of stopping to adopt a pup on the way home from having to let one go. So what’s wrong with me?

What’s wrong with you? Where shall I start?

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Ringing In The New Year

Oh what fun it is to still/again have Bell’s Palsy!

I talked to two doctors. The first thought that I may not have cleared the Lyme’s disease that originally caused the Bell’s Palsy and that I needed more antibiotics. The second thought that I already cleared Lyme’s but am having lingering neurological effects from it (and I could be this way forever.) My original doctor only gave me a two week supply of antibiotics whereas the usual treatment for neurological Lyme’s is three weeks. To make sure I don’t have bacteria lingering inside me they gave me another three week course of antibiotics. Yay. Now I get to have an upset stomach and a fuzzy head for the rest of January.

No I’m not mocking you. Why?

In Dream Our World, go with Bitey and Toby on a journey to the Museum of the Imagination where they 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 from my shop at L Bowman Studios.

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