The trouble I find with not writing a blog post until something is "over," is that sometimes things go on and on. Meanwhile, other things are happening. Soon I have a choice: either write a novelette-length post or wipe my brain-slate clean and post a photograph with no words at all. Helloooo, Wordless Wednesdays!
I'm going to try a middle-ground approach today: a sort of illustrated bullet list of things not mentioned in recent weeks. Let's see how it goes, shall we?
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Goats: two worrying health issues. Tansy, recurring and baffling lameness with no other symptoms. Campion, shockingly off feed for a full day due to apparent mouth pain, now - I hope - resolved.
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| Little Tansy, Having A Think |
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| Campion (My Champion) |
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| Nothing wrong with Vinca. Except an inability to believe a pocket can be EMPTY. |
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Piper: recovery from dental surgery going beautifully when suddenly a mysterious cyst appeared on near foreleg. My vet aspirated; after two extremely long days, lab reported no evidence of cancer cells. Whew.
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| Piper at the pond today |
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Me: saw doc mid-July for joint pain review. Two hours of standing/sitting at her office generated severe upper back pain, leading to a headache which lasted 8 days before I broke down and saw chiropractor. Note to self: next time don't wait 8 days, you eejit. Also: whew.
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Gardens: the incredible lack of rain all season has been a challenge for plants. Currently harvesting cucumbers; watching squash and pumpkins. Yesterday something caused the entire center of my popcorn patch to fall over. It is hard to see plants on the brink of pollination...downed.
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| suyo long cucumbers |
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DrawingAugust2016: been making an effort to play at drawing every day, for a little while, either working outdoors or from a photograph. It's a bit magical to do a simple pen sketch:
then add watercolor pencil:
then a wet brush:
As "magic" goes, this is inexpensive, portable, and fun.
I highly recommend it.
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Well, that's it for the Illustrated Bullet List.
What say you...better than a novelette?
What say you...better than a novelette?
I hope your week is going well :)
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I enjoyed getting your news and to know that both you and Miss Piper are on the mend. (I am like you, I suffer thoracic pain which is relieved by the trusted chiropractor, so I empathise).
ReplyDeleteSweet Piper, unexplained lumps on our animals are scary, you must have been relieved to learn that it was a cyst.
I have been enjoying your artwork, the pen sketch has been one of my favourites.
Thank you, Kath!
DeleteThe goats are cute. Sorry you've been dealing with sick animals. No fun!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your artwork. It's neat to see the progress.
It's been a hard growing season - maybe rain next week?
It's actually misting right now, and thunderstorms are predicted today. A nice, gentle rain lasting for hours would be ideal, but ANY moisture falling from the sky is very welcome indeed!
DeleteEnjoyed your newsy post and your two paintings are lovely. Spiderwort is one of my favorite flowers in my gardens. Your pond painting is so peaceful.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing ~ FlowerLady
Thank YOU, Lorraine!
DeleteI only discovered spiderwort three years ago - don't know how I'd missed it for so long, as now I see it everywhere. I love the blues and purples, and thanks to the town library plant sale last year, I now have white spiderwort also :)
I liked reading about your day.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Judy - I always enjoy your blog too :)
DeleteGreat post
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine you in a chair no matter what living beings you may or may not have around. If not goats, then you'd be following butterflies in the woods.
Do you belong to an area art group that does plein air excursions? If not, then consider looking for one because they can be a lot of fun, and very refreshing for the spirit as well as the aches and pains. You really are a good artist.
Prayers for y'all's good health
She meant because in recent years it's gotten to the point where the only position I can be in for any length of time without increasing pain is the so-called "NASA" or "zero-gravity" position. ANY kind of excursion would be fabulous (in my mind) but extremely difficult (in my body). It's been a hard thing to accept, but I try every day to focus on what I can do, not what I can't.
DeleteThanks for the compliment about my drawings, and for your prayers! :)
I love that pic of your sketch and Piper at the pond. Very nice angle. I can see where that comment could be said in a critical way. It depends on what prompted it and how it was said. You are certainly more active that some people who have no joint or back issues. Take care, Tammy
ReplyDeleteShe wasn't criticizing or calling me lazy, though I can see where it might have read that way above :) She hadn't seen me in 6 months, and was commenting on what she sees as my deterioration. I appreciate that she was speaking from concern, and sincerely thanked her for caring, but...really - this was not helpful.
DeleteI'm so glad you like my drawings, Tammy! I always admire yours, which seem so free-spirited :)
I like your colorful bullet list :) I always enjoy seeing the drawings you create. I hope the goats are all ok now.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Carmen! By the way, you might want to check your spamfolder for blog comments...my new laptop is apparently being seen as a threat by some of the blogs I routinely comment on.
DeleteWhat would we do without our trusty chiropractors! So sorry that you had a few critter health scares too and hope that all is well now. It's actually somewhat cloudy here at the moment - dare we hope for that four-letter-word that we don't say out loud for fear of jinxing things?
ReplyDeleteWe had Real Rain last night (Saturday)! Just as steamy and blistering as ever again today, but...at least some water made it into the ground!
DeleteLoving your post. You're a beautiful artist to say the least and your goats are adorable. Your gardening always amazes me. Keep it up
ReplyDeleteGosh, you are very kind! Thanks for the encouragement :)
DeleteI sincerely hate it when a visit to a doctor makes me have pain for many days thereafter. Argh. Glad your chiro can help. Sadly, chiro doesn't help me.
ReplyDeleteI hope that your goats are doing better by now, and a huge sigh of relief about Piper.
I adore your drawings! I liked this post!
Thanks, KB - and huge sigh of relief is right!
DeleteIt took years for me to identify which issues my chiro could probably help with - it's more the add-ons than the chronic - but I'm lucky to have that office only a few miles away, unlike most of my medical appts.
This is just what I needed to read, a nice catch-up on things going on your way. Sorry to hear of the goats mystery ails and Pipers too. Your later posts seem reassuring that things will come alright for everyone. I'm sure your friend didn't mean to hurt your feelings, although it was maybe a bit careless of her to say it. I think those darling goats & Piper are a blessing to you, which I'm sure you know. Your lovely sketch looks like it's straight out of a page of a botanical diary. You do such beautiful work in all that you do Quinn. Have a wonderful week, and I sure hope it has rained there since you wrote this. We've had some terrific downpours and high winds, but all calm (and hot) again. I'm loving it though, and not ready for autumn just yet!
ReplyDeleteWendy