cartoon

Happy Toby

Things are so much better with my little Toby that I had to draw some pictures of us. It’s like I have my sweet little puppy back again. We have been doing so many fun thing lately that it makes my heart hurt. I can see in his face that he feels he is finally breaking through with training me.

When we go for walks, he will stop at random places and ask for hugs. (Eeee!) He does tricks nearly as well as Geordie. (Toby is more food oriented, so a good training session to him is when he can steal at least one treat.) My folks have been teaching him to say “Ruh-ro” like Scooby Doo and swear that he has said it on at least two occasions. In the evenings, we sit on the floor while he chews on hooves. A few times he has draped his head over my leg and gone to sleep after he was done.

I am so happy to have my happy boy back with me.

Toby gets a tiny treat whenever he goes into his kennel. He insists that his toys also get a treat (which Toby kindly eats for them).

Smile, Toby. You are one loved little guy!

***********************

Still looking for that perfect holiday gift? Than look no more! Bitey Dog and Toby are here to share their latest adventure in Dream Our World. Inside, the boy visit the museum of their dreams and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun.

Dream Our World
17 CommentsLeave a comment

Ghost Rider

Great googly-moogly, what happened to you? Oh come on, it's just psoriasis. I've had it for a while. Mommy is Ghost Rider?
So h ow come you haven't drawn yourself like this so far? Are you kidding? I get enough grief over my weird eyes and my wonky knees. I can just imagine what folks would say about this. Mom! Mom! Here's a list of them who done me wrong so you can exact revenge on 'em!
Dogs offer commentary on their mom's condition.
Lemme guess. Does it involve me wearing a paper bag? Maybe...? Where's your motorcycle? Outside?

You would think that masks would have been my friends this past year, hiding my appearance from inquiring eyes. On the contrary. If you’ve ever wondered what that stuff feels like, it is like one of those horribly painful sunburns where even the softest silk feels like sandpaper against your skin – where simply moving is agony – where you absolutely positively do not want some smart aleck little brother to come along and slap you for the sheer enjoyment of your misery. Trying to wear a raspy mask over psoriasis is actually quite painful.

No, that is too good. Pull some fibers on this part so Americans' noses itch. Then they'll have to scratch and will give themselves the flu. Mwahaha!

Despite how much this looks exactly like one of my drawings, it is actually borrowed from the internet.

Americans are very polite about something like this. Nobody pointed at me and shouted, “Eww, that’s grody to the max!” In fact, they said nothing. If I brought up my appearance, though, they would jump in with tons of questions and healthy curiosity. Speaking as the resident weirdo, insults aren’t nice, but saying “Hey, what happened?” is perfectly fine. It’s OK to ask questions. The elephant in the room knows it’s there.

Getting to wear my unique gift from God on my face has made things harder when it comes to business. It is difficult to approach people with confidence and try to introduce them to my work. It is also more difficult to get a service sector job where you are the face of a business. While no one will admit that “fugly” is the reason for not hiring you, you will simply find that someone else always gets the job.

Have I tried medical care for dealing with this condition? Yes. The doctor charged me $300 for a 5 min consultation. Her advice? Hydrocortisone. Mmm hmm…Yup, I am definitely in the wrong line of work.

At least Real Life Toby doesn’t care about how I look.

Mom, mostly I look at you from this angle, and all I see is up your broken nose.

*************************

Royal Purple Velvet Pillows are now back in stock! These 10″ pillows would make a wonderful gift for the whimsical child in your life – or the whimsical child inside yourself! Each pillow is trimmed with gold braid and has a silky tassel at each corner. The center is secured by two matching fabric buttons which give the pillow a pleasingly plump look.

These pillows and other fine gifts are available from my shop at L Bowman Studios. All items are made in America and ready to ship.

43 CommentsLeave a comment

I Feel Weird

I feel weird. Yeah, me too.

Poor Bitey and Toby. It’s always the kids that suffer.

It is looking like what I thought was a simple case of osteoarthritis is either psoriatic or psoriatic + rheumatoid arthritis. Very suddenly I have lost nearly all the strength in my right hand. (Unfortunately I am a righty.)

For the time being, Bitey and Toby will have to be drawn with my left hand. As you can see, they don’t look quite how they usually do. I am also having the fun of learning to use a mouse with my left hand. Oh the joys that abound in Bitey Land!

Like Job, I am trying to be grateful for this most recent challenge. If you are a subscriber to bootstrapping philosophy in neuroanatomy (i.e. W.H. Calvin’s The Throwing Madonna) , potentially switching hands like this might help to unlock my crippling writers’ block. Of course, I still can’t draw, write or type anything I think up. Hmmm….

*******************

Dream Our World

To find out what trouble my boys have been up to, pick up a copy of Dream Our World. Inside they view the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun!

Dream Our World is available from my shop.

11 CommentsLeave a comment

Twelfth Night

I am Sir Toby Belch! Do you think there will be more biscuits and ale? You don't know what belch means, do you?

Now is the twilight of the garden. The last of the veggies have been gathered and the plants uprooted. Tiny Toby has appointed himself my assistant in bringing the harvest down to a more manageable size.

After eating far too many green beans for such a small body, Toby whined for me to take him out. Fearing the potential consistency of such a bean-fueled accident, I rushed my boy outside. Under the watchful light of the moon, I was serenaded by the hindquarters of my puppy with the eternal refrain, “Toot, toot, toot”.

Ahh, the joys of a late summer’s night with a gassy terrier.

Terrier looking up at basket of green beans.

I will get those green beans.

***************************

If you would like to spend even more time with my boys, pick up a copy of Dream Our World. Inside Bitey and Toby visit the museum of their dreams and view the world of art from a canine perspective.

Dream Our World

Dream Our World is available through inter-library loan or at my shop!

9 CommentsLeave a comment

The Vomitorium

Yuck. My tummy does't feel well. I think I need to visit the vomitorium. We have a vomitorium? Well, mommy calls it her bedroom.

When Toby doesn’t feel well, he likes to go under the furniture to get sick. Last time he had an upset tummy, he went under the bed where I tuck an extension cord power strip for when I need to charge things. Little stinky monster decided to puke into all of the little plug holes in my power strip. I didn’t notice it until it had dried. Honestly, I don’t know how this puppy hasn’t managed to kill himself the way he finds dangerous trouble to get into.

What? I’m not dead.

I don’t know what you are complaining about.

*****************************

Dream Our World

To find out what other trouble my boys have been into, pick up a copy of Dream Our World. Inside Bitey and Toby view the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun! Dream Our World is available from my shop.

15 CommentsLeave a comment

Ohhhh, you can’t say “no”….

Hey Gallagher, are you sure this is how it's done? Of course. They're p'smashios for a reason.

Did you know that pistachios, cashews and mangoes are in the same plant family as poison ivy? Guess why I know this.

Forget pistachios, I’ll just eat shoeberries.

************************************

Dream Our World

If you haven’t had a chance yet, check out Dream Our World. Literally. You can check it out through inter-library loan at your local library! If you would prefer to have your own copy of Dream Our World, you can order one through my shop, L Bowman Studios.

8 CommentsLeave a comment

Jurassic Cuke

Hey guys, look at this cuke. It's positively Jurassic!
After you eat that, it will be like that movie where the T Rex eats the guy with the Sat phone. Then later eeryone hears it ringing, and they have to dig through that huge mountain of....
Enough! Sheesh, why couldn't I have girls? It wouldn't matter. All dogs like poop stories!

Want me to tell you a poopcentric bedtime tale?

I’ve got a million of ’em!

Huge yellow cucumber
Very large garden cucumber

I drew this story after last year’s crop. That year we got exceptionally large cukes.

This year’s crop leaves a bit to be desired.

**************************

OK, so there aren’t any poop stories in Dream Our World, but there are plenty of other things to laugh at! Visit the Museum of the Imagination with Bitey and Toby and view the world of art from a canine perspective.

Dream Our World

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

11 CommentsLeave a comment