Another new sculpt in what I hope will be a fun waterbird series. This one is drying. I’m thinking of doing more pelicans because they are just so prehistoric and they make me happy. I’ll probably end up doing the “ugly” birds: cormorants, boobies, frigates, etc.
Loki’s latest foray into the world of veterinary medicine has resulted in her wearing “the cone of shame.” She’s just too good at removing IVs. Vet said it took her less than 30 seconds. I only wish we owned a video camera so that we could record the hysteria that results in Loki trying to traverse her world with this thing on. You see, she doesn’t walk, she trots and runs with exuberance and just doesn’t get that this stupid collar is bigger than her head. She also runs with nose to ground, sniffing out who’s been in her yard, and well, she practically flips herself over when the collar hits the ground before the nose does.
Fun as watching this is, I’ll be more than relieved when she’s home later today, sans IV and the cone of shame.
That’s a safe subject, isn’t it? Well, maybe not in these times of “climate change,” but I’m sure it’s safer than politics. Athough…I suppose even the weather comes under the umbrella of politics nowadays. Oh well, I want to tell you about the weather anyway.
It’s positively wild out there today. It started yesterday with gray clouds and little drizzles, but with an ominous feel to it. I went out early to de-xmasize the deck out back. Unraveled the little white lights from the white pine garland that both wove their loopy way along the railing and then down underneath, where they lit up the grotto (our euphemism for the bricked in area under the porch). By the time I’d begun to take down the garland, trying to unwrap the wire from it so that I could safely take it down to the gully to add to the debris pile that the chipmunks live in, the rain started coming down in earnest. So there lay the garland, still mostly looped around the railing.
As the day went on, the rain just sorta spit and spat in starts and spurts, never really amounting to much but making outdoor activity unappealing. We went to the movies around 2 in the afternoon to see Sherlock Holmes before it left to be transformed into DVD format. If you haven’t seen it, go…go now…the sets, costumes, grit and grime of late 19th century England needs to be seen on the big screen.
Later, as we sat down to a dinner of homemade vegetable soup and organic tater tots, our dog, Loki, with impeccable timing, vomited right in the middle of the room. She continued in this endeavor throughout the rest of the night. The weather had taken a nastier turn as well, with the winds picking up and the rain coming down in slants and intermittent sheets. The rest of the evening was taken up with rushing the poor dog outside every 20 minutes or so to relieve herself of the contents of her guts. It was iffy whether this would end up being another emergency vet visit, but as her misery eased and the winds intensified, we made the decision to wait it out till daybreak.
She’s still miserable, but I think she just needs rest at this point. She’s not dehydrated or feverish and her gums are nice and pink. I’m going out later today to brave the high winds and predicted thunderstorms (in January?) and 60 degree temperatures (in January?) to buy organic chicken breasts to boil with rice for the sick dog, a new dog bowl which will make it difficult for her to wolf down her food whole (which I believe is part of her problem), and more paper towels.
I try not to complain too much about the weather since it’s one of those futile things to complain about, but really, it’s so much easier tending to sick animals when the sun is shining.
this was the first day of the new sculpture session after the holiday break. it was nice to be back in the studio among artists and friends. we have two new students this session…one is an accomplished sculptor and the other is brand new to clay and working in three dimensions.
i brought the heron in to finesse the details and then set on slats to dry before firing. everyone seemed to like this latest effort. jennifer said that i’m pushing the limits of what clay can do with that long snaky neck. we’ll see if it makes it through firing. i think this year i’ll be looking at water birds, herons, pelicans, cormorants and the like. i started a pelican today which i’m fairly pleased with at this point. i think i’ll be needing extra studio time this session. i have a lot of birds in my brain, so i need to release them and once a week is just not enough.
this was also the first day i left brni alone since his surgery almost two weeks ago. i was a bit nervous about it. it’s hard to take care of someone 24/7 and then leave them, even for a mere three hours. of course, he was fine when i got home and i’m sure it was probably a relief to him not to have me hovering over him.
our friend, jack came by for a visit bearing a box of baked confections…cannoli, a lovely little fruit tart and a very chocolatey thing that found it’s way on brni’s dessert dish. thank you, dear jack.
started this one yesterday and finished it this afternoon. this one went very quickly…i guess it was time for it. here’s some pictures of it as it dries. it’s 12″ high.
you can see closer views of it on flickr, as usual.
We received a letter and packing slip in the mail, informing us that I have won my freedom from the Iceman. The cords will be forever cut and the demanding cooler will be shipped back to it’s place of origin on Monday. From that day forward, Brni’s shoulder will wear bags of frozen peas and I will allow whatever ice is left to melt in the sun. An offering tinged with a smirk and a freeing shrug.
So, it’s been ten days since Brni’s shoulder surgery and he’s doing phenomenally well. He had his second PT session yesterday and his therapist was practically giddy with his progress. At the same time, Brni’s mood has lifted a great deal, almost as if a switch has been flipped. He’s looking and acting more like himself. Definitely coming out of the anesthesia/drug induced doldrums. I find it almost magical how a body can go through so much and heal so quickly.
It’s an amazing process, but one I hope very few of us need go through. But, if you do, I hope you are surrounded by love and kindness, for that is the true healing salve.
And, as Brni heals, my head turns to look at the lump of clay waiting for me on my work table. This one might be a bird, maybe a heron stretching her neck to the heavens.
Croneswood Art 