Working Dog!

Power is putting in a half day's work in the office at Bluewater Lake!

Barbara Dewell's dog Katie http://dewelldesigns.blogspot.com/is also putting in some time at the office in Bluewater Lake State Park!

I think we should get thiem on the payroll!

Georgous surprise!

I went to the Gallup Walmart, and after picking a parking spot, I noticed the following bird wading in the water and grass in a drainage ditch.  I grabbed my camera and got these shots of this beautiful juvenile green heron!

When I first saw him, the fellow was thinking of hiding in the grass.

He really looked like he wanted to hide, but his instincts tell him that stillness and his coloring camouflages him better than the movement of running and hiding.

I had a great time looking in my bird reference books, to double check my memories.  The maps in my Sibley's Guide to Birds,  suggests that he is migrating through this area.

Notice that his legs are yellowish colored.  When he is fully adult the yellow will be more orange.

He will always have a very short tail, and an old boyfriend of mine used to call him the "no-ass-a-tol" bird!

Thanks for enjoying with me!

Beads and Needles, Part 5

Do I really have to look at the camera?

The collar and leash that I made is finally being unveiled.  Thanks for your patience in my long journey of designing and making this beaded collar!

This is better.  I don't like to look at the camera!

My neck isn't very sore today, but I don't want to wear this collar for very long today!

Beads and Needles, part 4

Due to Fleur's recent neck injury, I won't be using a collar on her for weeks, so I can relax and get this fancy collar project done.

I posted about this beading project a few weeks ago, and was waiting for the collar and leash that I had ordered to arrive.

The collar did arrive this week, and I was so impressed with it that I didn't want to use it to mount the beaded collar onto.  The purchased collar had lovely ribbon sewed onto the webbing, and then the inside of the collar was lined with soft fleece.  It seemed such high quality, that I decided I wasn't going to ruin it.

So, I decided I had to find another plan.  I went to the local Walmart, and found a pink webbing collar, and a matching leash.  I decided to buy them and work with them.  The collar is not a martingale style, but I thought I could alter the pink collar to be a martingale.  After I got it home, I realized that I needed more hardware to make this plan work.  I spoke to the beading guru, Anita, showed her the pink collar, and she gave me some suggestions.
I went to a hardware store and got 2 (1 inch) d rings, and so now I am trying to get all my brain cells working to get this collar modified.

Beaded portion of collar, after sewing it to the pink webbing.  The two D rings I purchased at the hardware store.

I added a piece of fleece to the inner side of the beaded collar for softness, and sewed the 1 inch ribbon to the leash.

Fleece on inner side of the beaded collar

I sewed a piece of fleece on the inside of the leash hand loop

This ribbon was used to make the smaller loop which turns the collar to a Martingale.

After all these modifications and redoing, I now have the collar and leash finished and I think I will put it on Power to model it for you while Fleur is still healing.

I will take pictures of the collar and leash on the dog and show them tomorrow!

Gardening again

I love plants, and when I saw these two at Walmart last week, I didn't even try to resist temptation.  The first plant is called a "desert rose" and has these very unusual trunks.  The flowers will be red or bright pink, and this plant is a slow growing plant which is suitable for bonsai.

Label says "bonsai"

Split Rock
This lovely plant is called a "split rock", and it is so amusing to watch these fat leaves divide, and then the blooms show so beautifully.

When I leave the state park, these beauties will travel on the dash of my motorhome, along with my cacti.

Fleur's scar

Today I had the unhappy realization of Fleur's scar opening and bleeding on the lower edge.  I figured it needed more time to heal since the skin is so thin and can be slow healing completely.  I figured she might have been scratching the scar since healing scars usually itch.  So the new bandage is to keep her toenails out of the scar.  I'm hoping it will be better very soon.

No more bandages!

Today,  two weeks after the neck injury, Fleur went to the vet and got her stitches removed.  I had them put a muzzle on her because she is a fear nipper.  Not a biter, just nipper.  However I didn't want the vet personnel to remember her with a sore spot on their hand.

Fleur wearing muzzle and getting stitches out.

I think she tried to be brave but her cowardly side showed up twice when the stitch was stuck to the skin and didn't pull loose easily.  She whimpered a bit, and flipped her head to the side to try to get the hand of the "painmaker".  The skin seems to have grown to itself well, and Now I am supposed to keep some triple antibiotic ointment on it so that it stayed moist and doesn't itch too bad!

I'm also getting itchy to get her neck well enough so that she can wear the fabulous collar I made her!

Fleur and I both than everyone for your sympathetic comments and kind words!

Beads and Needles, Part 3

I welcome Mac Masie and Curvygirl to our group of followers!


Kerchiefs for the dogs have been on my mind this last week.  I had about 6 bandannas, so started beading them so that they would be more striking!

Since I am new to beading, I found that many of my beads ended up sideways!  I guess I'll learn!

I tried to pick bead colors that would stand out on the kerchief and also look good on the dog!

This one is my least favorite, with the camouflage coloring and the pixels design, but maybe I can find a dog who will set it off!

Power is wearing this one today!

Fleur is wearing this one,( it is hot fix rhinestones, not beads) and I'm a bit surprised that it looks so good because of her spotty coloring.

The colors on this kerchief appeal to me, but the peace symbol isn't my favorite.  These are hot fix rhinestones, instead of beads.

I am finding that I like best the small projects that I can finish and use quickly.

Beading again

Several weeks ago I talked about Anita, the beader who is my neighbor.

Anita, my beading guru!

I had several requests from readers about seeing more of Anita's beading.  I agree with you that her work is lovely.  She has the patience of a saint!

I am including her website so you can see more examples!

https://sparemomentstitching.wordpress.com/

Anita gave me this pair of earrings!

Earrings

Fabulous bracelet

For all of you seeing this I want to warn you that beading is a very contemplative hobby, and the satisfaction is great.  Enjoy!

new followers and doggy recovery room

Welcome to Beverly, whose name I saw on the list of followers.  I hope the blog will be enjoyable to you.

I wanted to mention in passing that the page views number is over 17000!  I am amazed and thankful.

While Fleur was at the vet, Power was up to mischief!

Power took advantage of the neighbor's good will, and promptly drank their hot tea!

I thought I'd let everyone know that Fleur is healing  and has started feeling better.  During the night last night she begged me to sleep in the same room with her, and then later she ate a bit of dog food that Power had left for a midnight snack. I tried really hard to get a good clear photo of her scarfing down the peanut butter with her pills, but I found that it was impossible for me to hold the pills and peanut butter, hold the camera, and not move the camera!  So the peanut butter pictures are blurry.

The above picture is the same one I showed yesterday, but it's the better of all the peanut butter pictures.

IDEE's dad came by this morning and dropped off some vet wrap and gauze to use when I change her bandages.  He's a prince.  Thanks, Tom!

My next objective in Fleur's care is to get the dried blood out of the fur in her neck area.  The vet said that they tried to get it out but that Fleur was too nervous to let them mess with it.  So I am going to use peroxide and gradually try to get it cleaned up.  After all, diamonds and pearls on her tiara will be dulled by the dark red and black of the blood, and every princess wants to look her best when leaving the palace!

Note:  I had little success with the peroxide, so quit and rebandaged the area, so that she would not be able to get the stitches out when using her real toenails to scratch the neck area.  I've had several episodes in which wounds were stitched, then stitches being pulled out by the greyhound, the skin reopening, and then having to start all over getting the stitches sewn, etc.  I'm not wanting that again because of the pain and suffering for my wallet, and for Fleur's comfort!

I'm grateful that she is feeling so much better, and can go for walks again, and eats without much difficulty.  She is really nervous about having anything near her head and neck right now, so I'm having to remember to rub on her to the rear of the neck region, or risk my fingers disappearing.  She's a bit leery of other dogs as well.

The little chinstrap that holds her tiara in place is too uncomfortable just now, so she shows her more commoner appearances!

Fleur riding in her coach

While riding in her coach, she had to squint her eyes because of the helicopter tail from Power.  Normally she would send him packing, but she's not at full strength right now!

GSOD!

Thursday, the weather was so peaceful that I decided to visit with IDEE and her Mom and Dad at their campsite.  We were all glad to see each other, and "mid hello" all **** broke loose between IDEE and Fleur. 

The GSOD(greyhound scream of death) was unsettling and spurred us to action.

We humans pulled them apart, and at that point IDEE's Mom asked me if the hole in her neck behind her ear was new.  When I got my brains into gear enough, I finally found the hole, behind her left ear, and down the neck.  All that GSOD was for good reason.

Fleur's fancy necklace!

 I called my Northern New Mexico Vet and he said he would meet us at the office.  He sedated her, called in his assistant for help, and after all the shaving of the fur, stitching the neck injury, today we went to the vet's surgery to pick up our regal princess! They couldn't get her tiara to stay in place( she kept trying to nip their fingers when they were shining up the tiara and putting it on her royal brow).  So, instead, she has this lovely bandage and neon green vet wrap!

Harness loaned to me

 IDEE's mom and dad were thinking ahead, and they offered us the use of a harness since no collar will be put on her neck for a few weeks.

Middle of the night

 This princess has two dog beds stacked on each other, and still insists on looking very uncomfortable due to her hanging over the edge of the beds.

Mom, I am too weak to lift my head for that peanut butter!

IDEE's dad told me about the peanut butter with the pill trick.  So the above picture is of Fleur licking the last of the peanut butter from the plastic spoon.  Never had pills gone down her so easily.

So, in conclusion, tiara in place or not, sometimes the GSOD is truly a scream for help!

Tiger collar, part 2

Welcome to the new followers!  I noticed that the number listed by the followers was 29, and I think it changed in the last few days.  I noted that the Names were there, but no photos, so I just say welcome to 
JO, Mack and Maisie, and all the others who have been with us for a while.

Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when I posted a photo of the roll of ribbon with beading, saying that I was going to make a collar for IDEE?

Roll of ribbon with my beading shown

The following photo is IDEE wearing her tiger striped collar and leash.

IDEE wearing the collar, leash and bandana

The bandana is embellished with orange beading!

IDEE wearing the collar, leash, and bandana

The fur pattern and color on IDEE is very striped, like a tiger.  Many folks have told her Mom that she looks like a tiger.  I had the idea of making the collar and leash to go with the "tiger" theme.