Bringing Up Puppy

"Wishes" - Enhanced digital photo

I recently received an email from a good friend of mine who mentioned the fact that I hadn't posted anything in my blog lately. I was shocked to realize that she was right! I don't know how it happened that I stopped posting. I was also shocked to realize that people actually read my blog! :D

Well, as most of you know who follow me on FB, I'm busy raising a puppy and I may as well have wished a new baby upon myself! Well, OK, it's not quite THAT bad, but almost.

Wishes (short for Aloysius) takes a lot of my time and is quite a handful. At four months he's 24 pounds and full of curiosity and mayhem. He's also very vocal and makes his feelings known. He grumbles and curses and barks and scolds. He can be quite demanding. I've discovered that the only way I can eat my dinner in peace is to park the vacuum cleaner by my side at the table. I've begun to call her Vicki. Wishes becomes silent and skulks off to a corner whenever Vicki is present for dinner. 

Since the completion of all his puppy shots, we began puppy school yesterday. It's clear that he won't be the star of the class, but it's not for lack of intelligence. He's just overly curious and maybe has a little ADD, too. The instructor asked me, quite loudly, in the middle of class, why was my dog behind my chair and not in front of it like the rest of the dogs. Was he shy? Well, Wishes is far from shy, but I couldn't really answer her question. Turns out he noticed a bunch of dogs in crates behind a screen and was trying to check them out. None of the rest of the puppies had noticed them. 

So what am I supposed to be doing with my time??? Creating websites. I'm so thankful for my guinea pig, Susan Amadio, and excited about nearing the completion of her site so I can add it to my portfolio. Working on it keeps my skills fresh and because I love her artwork I find the project extremely rewarding. I'm also supposed to be soliciting new business. HELP!

I joined the local Chamber of Commerce and have participated in a couple of their events and I've been brainstorming about other ways to drum up business, but it's not easy. If any of you have any ideas, I'm all ears and feel free to post your ideas in the comments.

In the meantime, I'll be working at the Christmas shop two days a week. That's right! Back at the Christmas shop. And Wishes gets to come to work with me. Maybe he'll bark at the customers until they buy. 

So, that's some of the latest. Creating artwork is but a dream right now. Kind of sad. That's what I'd truly like to be doing for a living.

Anyway, I promise to post more regularly.

Flower Market

"Flower Market" - Enhanced Digital Photo
Image available for sale at Society 6

2015: The Year Of Living Dangerously

I declared 2014 the year of the dog, and two weeks ago I adopted the most adorable male apricot colored Double Doodle puppy named Aloysius, or Wishes, for short. 

2015; however, is the year I go out on my own for the first time. Ever. I have never lived on my own before. I am really looking forward to that part. I have found a lovely apartment to which Wishes and I will be moving next week. The part that scares me is that for the first time ever I'm responsible for solely supporting myself... and I'm terrified.

Since I was not successful in selling my artwork in a manner that would make me  financially independent, I have decided to put my artwork, as such, to one side and develop and design websites instead. Anything can happen. I have some savings to help me out, but it won't get me through a full year. I must. Make. This. Work! 

This year I'm taking a HUGE step outside the box and while it scares me, it also thrills me. This is the biggest New Year's resolution I've ever made and I'm determined to make it work.

Happy New Year, everyone, and resolve to live your dream this year!

Time Travel

I find it fun to travel back in time and find photos that are interesting to enhance. The original for this enhanced photo was taken at Longwood Gardens in December of 2011. It was a very special day. 

"Christmas Lights" - Enhanced Digital Photograph

My Guardian Angel

"My Guardian Angel" - Enhanced Digital Photo

Sometimes I'm sure I make my guardian angel weep and shake her head with the stress of it all.

Move! (Living with RA)

Get out there and walk!

First of all, I want to thank everyone who sent me messages after yesterday's post describing their situation and what has helped them. It has been very encouraging.

I want to reiterate that I have not been "officially" diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, but based on my symptoms and the positive blood test result, I want to be pro-active. Nothing that I am currently doing can be anything but good for my body.

My sister-in-law, Nancy Goff, while suffering through joint pain in her knees, was often heard chanting the phrase, "motion is the potion." More recently, my son, Garrett, chanted to me, "rest is rust." Of course, it all falls within the category of "use it or lose it."

Our bodies need to be exercised and those joints stretched out. Walking has long been a favorite activity of mine, but I can also go through long periods of laziness of which I'm recently guilty. My current goal is 10,000 steps a day which my new Samsung S5 so unmercifully keeps track of. I also use the app, Map My Run to track my workouts. Currently I'm trying to take two walks a day, each of about 2.5 miles to meet this goal. It's not always possible and I try not to beat myself up over it, but it feels great when I can do it. It's also conditioning me for when my new puppy comes home. :D

While walking, I try to remember everything I've heard about the way to walk and good posture. I have long walked with rather stilted steps which put a lot of pressure on my knees and I tend to "lead with my head" by bending over at the waist. I keep reminding myself to walk with my whole leg; stretch out from the hips. When I do that I can feel the load lessen on my knees and can sense my thighs stretching. I also visualize that I'm pulling my belly button in and up; that makes me stand taller and opens up my chest and lungs. Walking with my hands no lower than my waist puts an extra oomph in my workout and helps keep my arms toned.

So see? So far so good, I'm not doing anything that I shouldn't be doing anyway; I'm just more motivated to do so now.

I will also be adding yoga classes to my exercise regimen. I have to do a little more research, first. Meanwhile, I spend time each morning doing routine stretches to work the kinks out of my body.

Next time I'll begin talking about foods.

Facing Adversity (Living with R.A.)

At this point, despite the pain, my hands look fairly normal. I can detect the swelling in the joint at the base of my right index finger (the hand on your left) but most other people would not be able to notice it.

I am a very fortunate woman. My life has been nearly trouble free and full of wonderful things for which I'm always grateful. Recently; however, I was struck in the face with a grim reality when I tested positive in a blood screening for rheumatoid arthritis. My doctor's nurse tells me that just because I test positive, that doesn't necessarily mean I have the disease and that more tests will be conducted by a specialist. After doing some online research, though, my symptoms are so text book that I'd be surprised if it turned out that I don't have it.

I went to see the doctor about the aching and throbbing in my fingers and the very strange lumps visible under my skin in the palm of my right hand. These are very telltale symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and, of course, there are many others.

I'm not sure when the appointment will be made with the specialist, I just know that it could be as much as six weeks from now. So, in the meantime, I want to try to find natural remedies and see if I can't control many of the symptoms myself. 

I'm sharing all this so that if anyone else out there can offer suggestions or learn something from my experience, we can all benefit.