Goodbye My Beautiful Casey

My favorite rat Casey died this morning. She was 2 years and 9 months old. She was a wonderful little friend and always greeted me with kisses. 

When I wrote in the bedroom late at night while my husband was out of town she would beg to come out. She was my most sociable rat. Her and Princess even got along. She even loved the dogs and would pull Barons ears until he walked away. Whatever your species she would cuddle with you. 

Once she snuck out of the cage and I didn't notice. I had a client over for a cut and was running around trying to get ready. 

As I was cutting his hair I felt a tugging on my pants. I looked down and there she was climbing me like a tree. My client saw her and had to pet her, she climbed up his arm and started grooming him. She loved to play with hair and would spend forever combing her hands threw it. After a few minutes I had to take her home, much to both of their disappointment. A month later he got a pair of rats for himself and I give him tips on their care. 

Every one who met her loved her and she loved them. She didn't care who you where as long as you petted her you were a friend. 

She is survived by 6 daughters and 3 sons. I miss her already. 

Some Things I Saw On My Walk Today

I went for a walk in a neighborhood near my old salon. Three times a week I go and tidy up the building before the stylists come in for the day. Sometimes I miss it there, but the rent was more than we could afford and I get to live the dream of being a starving artist/writer! (Not actually starving, just happily scraping by.) 

We can afford what we need, and when I sell paintings or jewelry we can get a little extra. It's actually a great lesson in living within your means and going it frugally. The only bumps we've hit were poor Zelda (who's wounds have healed to 1/2 size now and the one under her tail is fully closed. Yay!), and yesterday's plumbing issue that my husband fixed quite easily with a rental snake. 

The walk was great and I had fun going around a different place. I can't wait to be able to ride my bike there, it's only 8 miles so hopefully in a month or so. I've been increasing mileage with the 10% rule. I think I could go farther, but I don't want to hurt myself.  I'm up to 5 miles on the path and it's driving me crazy. I really need to break out and take a turn off, I just might end up lost though. Maybe I need to get lost.

Anyway, here is a handful of shots from this mornings walk!

Beautiful purple and green prickly pear. That will make a great element in a painting.

I want a gate like this! I love fancy metal work and this is fancy!

Tentacle monster cactus. This gives me an idea for a story...

Dove on a roof, couldn't believe it held still for me. It flew off after I took a few shots of it. Must be getting better at sneaking.

I love the stripes in this rock. If it hadn't been bigger than my head I might have taken it home. I collect random rocks.

Azalea bushes are in full bloom. They smell good, but will make you very sick if you eat them. 

A Painting I Finished Recently

Sorry the pic isn't the best, I took it with my phone. 

This painting was loosely inspired by a trip my husband and I took to Aravaipa Canyon last year. The water was slow moving, but around the rocks it looked like it was speeding. 

There were all these scrub bushes that had delicate purple blue flowers and huge thorns everywhere. I wish they had been seeding so I could try to grow them, but I just had to put them in a painting.  The bush and the water were inspired by our trip. 

The cabin is one that turns up from time to time in my art, I think I want to live there one day. It's just a small two room affair with a huge fire place. I can see it clearly in my mind. It's my mental happy place. 

Can you find the cat in the picture?

Zelda Seems to be Improving

Zelda seems to be getting better, although she looks a fright. I was warned that she might have some hair loss, but she's now mostly bald. It's caused by the allergic reaction she suffered as well as stress. It will grow back with time. The only ulcer that seems to be giving her any trouble now is the one on her front leg. It's also the leg she almost broke getting the bandages off. The one under her tail is almost gone and the ones on her hind feet are now 3/4 the size they were. She's healing faster than expected and I thank you all for the good thoughts you've sent our way.
She still hates the cleaning process and fight it, but I've gotten smart. I wear a leather jacket and the only thing she can claw is my hands. A few of the scratches are scarring on me, but it just adds character. I did try some of her cream on a really bad one and that stuff burns! Now I understand why she wants to kill me. I wish I could use something else. I'm just glad she's healing.
Here's a few happy pics.

Saw these on a walk today. 

These were at the store and I couldn't resist taking a pic. I think they will make a wonderful painting.

We rearranged the house and I now have a dedicated painting area. It's nice not to have to set it up and take it down all the time. 

My Fun New Chore. (Not For The Sqeamish)

I haven't post lately because there's a lot going on. The worst is that Zelda, the cat I inherited form my mom has developed an ulcers one three legs and under her tail due an allergic reaction to a new food. I thought expensive food was supposed to be good for them.
They're not bad yet but there's a chance it can get worse so I get to deal with it. Did I mention she only recently started letting me pet her with out hitting me? That's a thing of the past now. She sees me and vacates the room fast. It's like when she first moved in.
The process itself sucks for both of us. I have to hold her tightly and wash/abraded the area with an antiseptic solution then smear a cream on it. I'm supposed to bandage the wounds, but she almost broke her own leg trying to remove them so I just have to do it more often.
All this one handed because the other is holding her still/having its own skin removed by her. Not fun at all and I get to do it three times a day. Yay!  I wish I could wear welding gloves, but they make me grip her too tight and I don't want to hurt her. Neoprene gloves aren't much protection. At least it will be over in 6-8 weeks when she's fully healed up. I really hope she heals up!
The worst part though is Princess, my personal cat. She yells and screams at me in concert with Zelda and has even slapped at me to make me stop. She's as traumatized as us and won't let me pet her for a while afterward.
It'll probably be another year and a half before she tolerates me again. She is healing though so that's a good thing. The only other option isn't worth thinking about. She's an old cat, but I can vouch for the fight still in her and I'm collecting the scars to prove it.

A Walk With The Husband

I really love going on walks with my husband. He likes to stop and take pictures almost as much as I do. We may not get far, but we always find something neat. On a recent walk we saw some interesting yard decor.

A head with beads on it like a crown. She looks peaceful.

New growth on some prickly pears.

This house has built in trespass deterrent.

I couldn't tell if the spine is real or not, but the skulls are.

Big rusty pig. 

Nothing better than exploring the other side of the street for finding new things to see. I never ride over there, but I may have to start. It's great that adventures can be found right in your own neighborhood and you don't have to go far to sight-see!

Zoe Went To The Regionals

Zoe got picked to go to regionals for track. She was so excited!  Saturday we went to watch her run. It required getting up early, but it was worth it. I forgot to take a hat so I got a touch of the burn.

People milling about before the action.

We got there early for her event and it was packed already. There were people everywhere and it was hard to get up close enough to get decent pictures. We made sure we had a good spot to people watch then waited. 

 It was a bit warm out but the wait was interesting. A few of the parents yelled at their kids in a mean way, but most of them were very supportive of the runners. Most of them just seemed to want the kids to do their best and have fun. The women seemed to be the more aggressive ones and that was fascinating to me. I enjoyed watching the people, and a couple were even playing Frisbee. They let a little boy play with them and he had lots of fun aiming at the man.

Waiting for the hand off

She's in blue Taking the baton.

She ran in the relay race in second position and did really well. She took off like a rocket and all the practice they had been doing really paid off. No one dropped the baton. I hope she sticks with it, as long as she enjoys it. I love going to see her run

We have lift off!

Her team came in 2nd by 3/10 of a second.