Hi Everyone :)
Today's theme for the Scribble Picnic is "One of a Kind". I guess this watercolour is a self-portrait in a way. After all, I am one of a kind :) I was told once that "they" broke the mold after they made me...but I wasn't sure if that person said it in a good way or a bad way, so I'll assume he meant in a good way!! This painting is called "Thoughts". What goes on in my head, in my world and in my heart is unique to me. Sometimes the thoughts are good, sometimes bad, but they definitely are my own. :) Thoughts lately have been troubling. I can very firmly say "Oh, my shattered noives...(nerves lol)"!!!
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| We heard something in the woods!! (September 2016) |
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| Swimming in the Rivière du Nord (August 2015) |
Charlie, our fiesty female husky gave us quite a scare Sunday night.
Look at this poor little girl! We were sitting in bed watching a movie, when suddenly she started to whine and scratch at her face. Her face must have tripled in size, her eyes got all red and nearly closed. Veterinary emergencies ALWAYS seem to happen either on a holiday or a Sunday night...
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| Charlie Art |
We called the emergency clinic that is just north of Montreal for advice. I have to say I was scared we were going to lose her. The drive is nearly 3 hours away, we were in the middle of a blizzard and you can imagine how much money they charge. The first thing we checked was her gums. They were still pink though it was nearly impossible to open her mouth, that was a sign that her windpipe was not compromised. Phewf. The vet tech (who was ridiculously reluctant to share information and refused to speak to me in English) finally told me to give her 75mg of Benadryl but that "it won't work anyway". What a {insert derogatory expletive if you wish, in my thoughts, I did!!!}! My gosh, how about some compassion and care for the animal instead of your damn cash register??? Anyway, we only had 50mg in the pack so we gave it to her in some yogurt, she had such a hard time swallowing the pills. :(
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| Charlie: One of a Kind Husky |
Sunday night we were both wide awake keeping an eye on our Charlie. After Pavlov's allergic reaction and now Charlie's...we are completely bewildered as to what is causing these poor dears such allergic reactions! She didn't eat anything she wasn't supposed to, we didn't see any bites on her, or hives or physical traumas, cuts...
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| Her first walk in the woods in 2015 She LOVED it! |
We adopted Charlie from a shelter in July 2015. She was skinny, depressed, had been abandoned and was at the shelter already 3 months when we fell for her.
On Monday morning, as soon as 8am hit the clock, I was on the phone with the local vet. We brought Charlie in at 9:30am. The swelling was going down but she was still so itchy and uncomfortable. The poor husky gal was burying her nose in the snow for relief when I took her out to pee in the morning! We didn't have enough Benadryl on hand to see if it would work or not. (btw, safe doses for dogs is 1mg of Benadryl per pound of weight...please keep some at home for emergencies my dear dog lovers!) She was given a shot of anti-histamine mixed with cortisone and a pain killer. She is now on day 3 of the same medicine in pill form. Thankfully the swelling is gone and she is almost back to normal but oh so drowsy. :(
On Monday morning, as soon as 8am hit the clock, I was on the phone with the local vet. We brought Charlie in at 9:30am. The swelling was going down but she was still so itchy and uncomfortable. The poor husky gal was burying her nose in the snow for relief when I took her out to pee in the morning! We didn't have enough Benadryl on hand to see if it would work or not. (btw, safe doses for dogs is 1mg of Benadryl per pound of weight...please keep some at home for emergencies my dear dog lovers!) She was given a shot of anti-histamine mixed with cortisone and a pain killer. She is now on day 3 of the same medicine in pill form. Thankfully the swelling is gone and she is almost back to normal but oh so drowsy. :(
I feel like a drug pusher lately giving all of these pills to our pets...with Marlene's bladder stones, Oscar the cat's mystery allergy, Pavlov's mystery allergy and now Charlie's mystery allergic reaction.
Yesterday I took about an hour to write a list for some major deep cleaning of this rental. Each room has a page like this one. OMG it's going to be a big job...it's an old cottage...the possibilities of things that the pets could be allergic to are endless. Even Alex and I have noticed that we get more congested during the winter. I have to get out and get some natural cleaning supplies tomorrow and then the cleaning overhaul begins. I'm even going to vacuum and wash all the walls and ceilings.
So that's what's been keeping us busy. When it rains it pours doesn't it? I don't even want to think about how much this has all cost...Dinners have been whatever we can find that's quick and easy..Things seem back to normal this morning, so I'll be cooking again today. I need some kitchen therapy before the big deep cleaning!!!
I'll leave you with some of the drawings I've done lately. One thing I'm doing very purposefully is to draw every day, despite the stressors. We haven't eaten or slept well at all this week. Drawing and painting calms me and I don't want the anxiety to take over again!
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| "Lost" - another patented Rain nightmare, yeesh! |
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| Brilliance |
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| Sunset |
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| Enchanted Forest (one of a kind trees!) :) |
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| Green Trees |
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| The Sun |
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| Howling at the Moon |
Take care everyone, give your little fur-kids a big hug!! :)
PS: I have picked a winner for the book giveaway, and I promise I'll post about that soon!!! :)
Love all your art, but that first one, is simply gorrrrrgeous!!!!! I love it. It just 'grabbed' me, when I first entered your blog now. Wow!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry for all the animal issues. Poor, poor, poor Charlie. Poor Dear. -sigh- So glad she was helped, so she could go to the vet in the morning.
Sunday night. Blizzard. Sick dog. -sigh-
Love the pics of you. You are such a Cutie!!! With your gorgeous red hair!!!!!
Best of luck with all the deep cleaning. Certainly hope it helps, with all the unknown allergies and etc. Then, hope you can get back to sleeping/eating/living in a regular way.
Hugs....
The enchanted forest calls to me! Those mystery allergies are very troubling.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad Charlie is on the mend. She is an absolutely gorgeous girl! Isn't it always the way that things happen on a weekend or in the middle of the night? I hope she's doing better each and every day!
ReplyDeleteLove the pic of the two of you! And the swimming one! Our husky Tor would not go in the water. Up to his "elbows" and that was good enough for him!
I don't like weeks like the one you have been having - makes for anxious moments and scattered thoughts. I hope things ease up and get back to normal for you.
I hope you can figure out what is causing these mystery allergies. I don't like the not knowing part!!! Makes you feel on edge all the time.
I hope your day is going well and some cooking has happened! :)
Your paintings!!!! I just love them all! You have some incredible talent! :)
Hi Rain, sorry to hear you and your dog are suffering right now and I hope it gets better for you soon. A 300-drive to the vets is like nearly the whole of the country in the uk. It must have taken youhours to get there. I’ve never known such distances you have to travel in order to help your pets.
ReplyDeleteSo strange about the allergy, we haven't had that. Aggy was itching one time and stopped when I switched the brand of her dog biscuits, who knows what was in those things. Be careful swimming like that as a polar bear might be in the water!
ReplyDeleteA really tough time dear Rain, so sorry. Hope all works out for the animals - they are so fortunate to have you and Alex!
ReplyDeleteYour artwork is amazing - and of course you truly are One of a Kind - always knew that!!
Hugs - I'm off soon and will try to keep in touch if possible.
Mary X
Oh poor Charlie...I just hate it when our furry family members are sick or hurt, or we just don't know whats going on. I loved the pictures of you and Charlie. You are both so cute, and darling together.
ReplyDeleteI liked your"thought" in blue portrait of yourself. Very thought provoking. You have quite a list to perform. I call that extreme cleaning. Good Luck.
Hoping and Praying that Charlie will be find.
I understand your stress. I get very upset when my fur family gets sick and there is little that I wouldn’t do for them. Well, maybe I wouldn’t clean the ceilings because they might have to take me to the hospital after that.
ReplyDeleteYour artwork is lovely, Rain.
Sorry to hear about Charlie! It sounds like a spider bite or something to me since it came on so suddenly. (Boo on the vet...seriously!) Keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteoh my gosh what a scare,, thats terrible,, and what a jerk of vet!!! I hope yu can get to the bottom of the problem, if they all just showing signs and haven't been ill before it makes one think it must have been something that was recently introduced to the house,, or yard? Finding the answers is a hard long process,, I wish you luck with this,,
ReplyDeletepoor charlie! i hope you figure this out. these pups sure can give us fits. winnie has had the worst allergies, at least i think that's what it is. sneezing and runny nose. this happened since we moved into the food cave. this is a 130 years old house so god knows what we are breathing. i just ordered an awfully expensive air purifier...it better help! tomorrow is the big winnie snip day...i am a nervous wreck and she has no idea what is ahead of her. i can't wait for it to be behind us!
ReplyDelete*hugs* to you and your lovely doggies. ;)
ReplyDeleteI will keep a good thought for your massive cleaning project. We just did this before Christmas here, and rather than go through that again I am planning on making smaller areas clean each day.
LOVE your one of a kind choices and you especially are one of a lovely kind of person! So sorry about the allergies, maybe it's something they ate? maybe they are stealing cheese.
ReplyDeleteI like all the blues for that first piece, and also, she, you looks like a strong force that could do many things.
ReplyDeleteI hope Charlie gets well real soon.
have a lovely day.
What kind of heat do you have? Are there any ducts? My first thought was some sort of mold inside the walls, but winter would be a strange time for that to be more active.
ReplyDeleteI once had all four of my then cats start vomiting. It was the same brand of food I had fed them for ages, but I threw the bag away and never bought it again. I figured it was one of those bad batches from China.
I love that you're still able to do your daily artwork even when under stress. I don't have your resilience.
I LOVE all your artwork, Rain. I can't really pick a favourite but 'Lost' really gets to me emotionally. It is quite profound.
ReplyDeletePoor sweet Charlie! That must have been quite a scare. Sending healing thoughts your way. I hope the major cleanup helps. It must be really frustrating and worrying not being able to figure out what's causing all this.
And I LOVE those photos of you, especially the one of you with and Charlie. You are both adorable ❤
Rain, I have to tell you that you are absolutely one of a kind. And I mean that as a big compliment. Why be like everyone else when you can be totally unique? Yes...
I love your blue portrait. So sorry to hear of your emergency and that vet visit. How distressing. Take care of yourselves. Keep on drawing, I'm sure it will help with the street. And good luck with the cleaning.
ReplyDeleteI like the Charlie Picture.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your one of a kind artwork-especially the forest and the portrait of Charlie. Poor dog - hope he's all better now, and that you're able to get the allergen out of the house, whatever it may be! Our cat's mouth and chin suddenly swelled up one day in early January, but thankfully went down in a few hours. We don't know what brought it on.
ReplyDeleteWe keep benadryl on hand for allergic reactions too. One time Jesse had a bad reaction to a vaccine the vet gave him, and he swelled up terribly. Glad you got in at the vet. I've been deep cleaning here too. A little here and there as the weather allows me to open my garage (cleaning it out too).
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, Rain ... stress is an understatement. I always keep Benadryl on hand. Izzi has been stung by bees several times and it seems to resolve the swelling and the pain better than anything else. Izzi also has allergies in the summer that cause her to itch and bite her feet. We have tried everything but haven't resolved it. Good luck finding the culprit. Plants of any kind are a good place to start ... I have resorted to artificial plants because I am never sure which plants will effect which pet.
ReplyDeleteAs for your art ... exquisite! And thoughts is the perfect "one of a kind" as our thoughts are certainly our own. Love your self portrait :) Your every day drawings are wonderful too ... I love the butterfly. It actually looks translucent :) We are moving to a house to be closer to our kids in the next month so my life feels a bit overwhelming. It is hard to sit down and draw when I have so much to do, but like you, the drawing is sooooo relaxing. I will try to keep it up, but on top of everything else, my computer took a nose dive and I am having to use my husbands which seems to work differently than mine in enough ways to be confusing. Ahhhh ... life is good, but sure can be complicated. Be well, Rain and good luck on your search.
Andrea @ From the Sol
A side note: I usually recommend starting benadryl at half that dose, some dogs are extremely sensitive to it and it'll knock them out. Having said that, for that extreme sort of swelling, yah, max dose it is! We keep benadryl in the cabinet at all times for this exact reason. And I'm barely 20 minutes from my emergency vet (who also happens to be my regular vet, and isn't that a comfort!).
ReplyDeleteI assume you've run through all the basics. In the last six months has there been any changes in: laundry detergent, dish soap, other cleaners (even if they're organic/dye/scent free/etc), air fresheners, candles, scented oils, foods (including same brand different flavor, or same flavor different brand), treats, bedding, human medications, human lotions, human perfumes, furniture in general.....were furnace filters changed? If so was a different brand used? If they weren't changed, change them! Humidifiers, filters, and any additives? New plants growing in the house that you've not grown in the house previously?
Oh, my gosh, Rain! What a scare! I've been dealing with allergies with Peanut, although not half as bad as poor Charlie's! I give him half of a Benedryl capsule 2x a day and it does seem to give him relief. I'd like to find out what's causing the reaction, though. What a job you have ahead of you, trying to sanitize a whole cottage!
ReplyDeleteMy goodness! To take your baby to the vet, and then for this person to display such negativity sounds crazy, and so sorry you had to go through that. Thank goodness your babies are on the mend, but I hate that it's going to take so much work to get it done. Your self-portrait is lovely, but it doesn't do your in-person beauty justice. Love your art pieces. Hang in there Rain! Hugs...RO
ReplyDeleteNice piece for one of a kind. Looks kind of snowy!
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I'm so sorry you;ve had to contend with all those things with poor Charlie and how rubbish of that first vet! Ugh. Yes, im sure it was super expensive and to then only have to go back again! Glad he is getting back to normal now, poor guy. how blessed he is to have you as his owner now though after that rough start he had earlier. Thank you! If only there were more pet owners as such but, boy, yes, you are a like a nurse there with all those meds!
ReplyDeleteYES, YOU ARE indeed a one of a kind and glad you embrace that! I love your painting as such and love seeing the cute photo of you too. So nice! Thank you. I love the ethereal feel of those brain waves or thoughts of spirit or what have you! Fanstastic, Rain.
Also, I love all the sketches you've been doing daily. You've really kept up and it shows. More and more creative in interpretation. I just love them and envy your work here. I am quite ashamed to say that my attempts to daily sketch have been pretty naff, msut say! I really need to do more and with my Alex leaving for KY soon to help her family and to that conference in Dalls tomorrow, I will hav more free time at home to do such, I hope. But, boy, am I going to miss the girl! Not so great on my own, must say.
Rain, I am so sorry for your animals and for you and your man! Are you sure, there isn't mold in the house?? That is the only thing I can think of! Please be careful when cleaning! And, if you see anything, that looks like mold, use bleach!!! I truly hope you can get to the bottom of this!
ReplyDeleteYour blue painting of you, is stunning! I truly love it!!
All your other pieces are great too! Keep painting, especially since it helps you!!
Big Hugs and Much Love!
I am so glad that Charlie is going to be okay. Is something coming from the furnace? Nancy
ReplyDeleteomg that would be o scary. I am so glad the poor girl is doing better. I hope u will find the reason for all the mysterious allergic reactions in your house. U mentioned once you got a diffuser for essential oils ... could it have something to do with that ? Many oils are toxic to dogs and cats ... just a thought that popped into my head. Your cleaning job does sound like a big one. Wish I could help ... ❤
ReplyDeleteI can sure sympathize with the bad feelings about animals needing help when th vet is not open. My ferrets have to go to a vet that is 82 miles from here, (one way) and I keep benadryl on hand for them at all times. It is one of the few non-prescription medications ferrets can have.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you did the best you possibly could for your pup, and it worked out ok. I can understand deep cleaning at this point, not only for the animals but for yourselves. Who knows what is in there that is causing this.
Liked the paintings. As always , you got the message you wanted to convey just right.
Oh, poor Charlie! It's been crazy here with Grace as I thought she was getting better and then she had a relapse so back to syringe feeding and pills. But her gums are no longer yellow nor the inside of her ears which is a good sign and she is starting to eat a little.
ReplyDeleteYou must have been a nervous wreck waiting for Monday! So sorry for all of you going through that scare. I do have Benadryl on hand but you have to give them an awful lot to make a difference.
Your drawings are exquisite...my favorite are the unique trees....that is beautiful! I also like the howling.
Oh, someone is deep cleaning with me! LOL! Yay!!! I feel so overwhelmed with it all but it was so nice to read your list and not feel so alone in this venture. You always keep me uplifted and motivated! Thank you as I have been failing miserably this last month with illness and general problems around here. I hope Charlie continues to heal and that you find and rid yourselves of whatever is causing it.
Love the art work, hate the doggie medical situation and I am sure the 'They broke the mold' was a compliment........................ wasn't it? hahahaha Love from Florida!
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