Animal Wednesday: Snug as a bug

Emma's favorite thing is to sleep under warm things like blankets or big sweaters. She finds a spot and then covers herself up. Sometimes she needs a little help to get it just right. After I took this photo I went over and kissed her nose. I'm just crazy about this little girl!

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Emma's Gratitude

Emma hasn't had a nice run on the beach in a long while. I've been busy with patients which has me coming home after dark most nights, so by then Emma has had a short walk with dad. But last night I got home just in time for a walk at sunset. The bonus was that it was low tide so Emma had plenty of space to run and rid the beach of the feathered residents...that's her job! But the sweetest moment was when she paused after her run and faced the sunset in gratitude. I just know she was giving thanks. I taught her well.

Cactus Monday:Prickly Pear and Palm

This is a huge palm tree in my friend's yard. The prickly pear cactus is also huge, so one day I squatted down and took an upshot of them together. The day was foggy grey. Would've been so much better if the sky was blue! I have no idea how to use Photoshop to change reality.

Happy Cactus Monday!!

Tribute to Little Ava

I know the work I do is important which is one of the reasons I get up every morning. I get to help animals by providing prescribed medical care with love, compassion and confidence. I help the owners by listening to their concerns. . They know that I understand the importance of their companions and in no way do I think it's silly to consider them family members. In fact, I think it's silly not to.
And they all know I will give my honest, intuitive feelings when asked if it's time to let them go. And so it was with little Ava these past few days. She seemed to be getting more fragile and frail. There have been two falls that we know of, signs that her legs were getting weaker and probably her heart as well. But with little Ava it was hard to tell because she was so stoic. Never a complainer. Whenever she'd have a tough day, she'd rally. Iva, her Mom calls her The Comeback Kid!
Yesterday when I went over to see her I got a feeling in my gut that her time was coming. We finger-fed her some baby food and her mom started to cry because she was reminded of doing that for her last dog just before letting her go. When we talked on the phone later last night I told her mom that she might want to sleep with her, and she did.
Today it became clear to her that this was the day to let her go before any suffering began. And so it was.
Whatever your beliefs are, you know that little spirit is going to be hanging around the family for a long time to come. And she'll probably visit Iva in a dream tonight to let her know she's okay. Ava and Iva, inseparable souls.
Bless you little girl. You were a perfect patient and a sweet friend. I'll miss you.

Synchronized Sunsets

A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate to have met fellow blogger Sketched Out and her husband, Tom. They drove five hours from Southern California to meet me and to enjoy a weekend on the central coast. I happen to be one of her biggest fans in the blogsphere, and here I was about to meet her! I'm a very shy person in real life even though I may come across quite differently on the blog. Like many, I have self-esteem issues mainly based on my appearance.(Yes, I know what a waste of time that is.) On top of that, my friend came to meet me when I had major life issues going on, including the closing of Studio Lolo. In otherwords, I was not at my best!

We met at a Mexican restaurant and fell into easy conversation and laughter. It was as if we had been friends for years and we were just catching up! She and her wonderful husband were charming and engaging and made the meeting such a breeze. We went to my studio after dinner and they chose an Illustration Friday painting to take home with them, which I insisted they take as a gift. SuperHero now lives with them and I know she has a good home!

We met for breakfast the following morning before they went on their way to Point Lobos and Carmel Valley. We talked about the wonderful photo ops Tom would have as a photographer, and what places I suggested to stop for lunch and wine tasting.

When we met on our final morning together at another breakfast stop, they talked about the sunset and we each described the photos we took.( I watched the sunset that same evening down at Asilomar Beach with my dog, Emma.) So now when I look at this photo, it warms my heart to know they were sharing the same moment a little bit further up the coast.

I'll get down to their neck of the woods one day before I head back east. And I won't be preoccupied with "stuff." This time I'll be at my best.

So, thank you my friend for taking time out of your life to meet me and to bring light into a time of gloom. We'll always have this sunset!

(you can see their sunset by clicking on Tom above!)

Animal Wednesday: Life's A Beach

Fewer things make me happier than animals loving life! Here's my girl Emma at her favorite running place, Asilomar Beach. It's her job (don't ya know) to rid the beach of all pesky seabirds. You go Emmie!!

Just look at the doggy footprints that came before her. Maybe he cleared the birdies!

Happy Animal Wednesday to all you critter lovers out there. What would we do without them?

Cactus Monday again?

Here's a pic I took Saturday of my friend's prickly pear cactus. I love zooming in on the new growth! I hope to do a paiting of this and other shots I took when I find the time. Meanwhile, Happy Cactus Monday Cacuteers!