drawing

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!

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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
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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.

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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.

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Toby Goes to Walmart

Faith, Family Farts

It wasn’t me. The pumpkin tooted.

Totally unrelated to Toby’s tooting, I recently saw an ad for Windows 11 and thought I would read a little about it. Turns out that “older computers might not be compatible with the upgrade”. Oops, I guess you’ll just have to get a new computer. Hmmm, what genius came up with this idea? Electronics are about as rare as unicorns these days. Will new computers just float across the Pacific and land in our stores? With the cost of food and fuel skyrocketing, who has hundreds or thousands to shell out for a new computer?

In my neighborhood, you can’t find canned pumpkin. The only vegetable in the store freezers is broccoli. A neighbor is trying to get his lawn mower fixed, but he can’t due to a parts shortage. The last thing Americans need is to worry about a new computer. I’m more concerned about food…and toothpaste. (And kibble! – Toby)

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Want to get your Christmas shopping done before there is nothing left to buy? Then come visit my store at L Bowman Studios. There are gifts for the whole family – in stock – ready to buy!

Handmade cross stitched patchwork hearts acrylic coaster set.
Cross stitched afghan with roses and bows on it.
Teddy bear next to green and white layette set.
Handknit man's cardigan.
Madison House wall hanging sized quilt.
Butterfly Quilt
Peacock colored Star of Bethlehem quilt.
Handmade ASL/American Sign Language Quilt with stuffed monkey posing on top.
Bear Paw Quilt

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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….

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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Ghosts & Zombies

What do you think the role of ghosts will be during a zombie apocalypse?
What do you mean? Right now, there are a lot of shows on TV about people being bothered by ghosts. Do you think they will still notice them when zombies are all around?
There will be a lot of sudden deaths when the zombies come, so will there be a lot more ghosts? Do you think they would haunt their old homes, or would they haunt their bodies which are still walking around?
I think you need an earlier bedtime.

I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghosts.

(But I think I’ll sleep sitting up with the lights on anyway.)

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ASL Alien Hand Pillow with Galaxies

If you enjoy the idea of having a starry sky in your house, consider adding this fun accent pillow! Across the background of the cosmos a friendly alien hand signs “I love you” in American Sign Language. (Hollywood has taught us that most aliens look humanoid and speak English, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise.)

Alien Hand ASL “I Love You” Pillow is available from my shop L Bowman Studios.

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