Thankful in the Cascades...
I took a long overdue trip out to my brother's for Thanksgiving, we went up to his cabin in the Cascade Mountains, it was heaven...every sight, breathtaking. I couldn't hike much outside as my ankle is still compromised a bit, but played cards (Euchre!), had my first Wii experience (ankle friendly) and enjoyed good food (as documented above), wine and great company.
Watch your step!
"Beautiful Fall Day" took on a whole new meaning once I stepped in that hole. Friday, Met Cathi "Corn" Bouzide at Lill Street to pick up my trucks from her studio. She suggested we walk a few of them over to our pal Stephie's Angelfood Bakery, as she had a display of several pieces from the Women in Grains Show in her front window. (By the way, Angelfood had just been named one of the 'Top 5 Bakeries in Chicago' by Steve Dolinsky, so well deserved and so proud of my friend!).
Cathi and Stephie outside looking in...took a lot of miming through the window to get the rigs situated! 
Once we were done, I packed up my bubble wrap and headed back to my truck...la de dah...walkin' along, step off the curb and I'm down! What? (A huge hole hidden under a pile of beautiful fall leaves)...and it hurts! My ankle is huge, how can it get that big that fast? Stephie came running over with 2 bags of ice. I know she did not have time for this little emergency but she did what any good friend would do, hopped in the truck and drove me up to Peterson Urgent Care where we laughed and giggled between my teary outbreaks. I was relieved to find that my ankle was not broken but I did need crutches, and that proved to be very challenging for me.I fell a few times, am still crawling upstairs to bed each night but the swelling is way down and I can put some weight on my toes, now. Have never had to ask for so much help, I'm not good at it and poor Rich is trying to be patient, I always forget that he can't read my mind. Not to mention, that he's had to take care of two patients if you count Gracie:
Now just have to get through my Roscoe Village Dog & Art Lovers event on Friday. I won't be able to the normal prep, gallery re-hang etc, so this will be a good lesson for me to see how a show goes without working in over-drive, as is my reguar m.o. So grateful that I'll have Amanda to help me out and Rich. This ordeal has reminded me how lucky I am to have such a supportive husband and friends and mobility!
Happy Tail Syndrome...
A very belated update on Gracie...made even later by a freak and unfortunate step on Friday which resulted in a sprained ankle for me! More about that in the next post. So back to Gracie girl...we took her to our vet for the first time so he could take out her stitches (from spaying) and give her a good check up. What he found was the end of her tail in very bad shape (it was hidden by her very dark fur) basically raw to the bone. "Happy Tail Syndrome" is a somewhat common occurrence for shelter dogs - every time someone comes into the kennel area they get so excited that they wag their tales so hard that they break on the back walls of the kennels which are usually cement. I know, ouch. Almost impossible to heal in a shelter environment and even challenging in a regular home, as we can attest to! 
Dr. Rovner bandaged and wrapped up the tail (like a flower complete with pink end and green stem) and suited her up with a cone collar to keep her from going after it. This means she no longer fits comfortably in our kennel so I took her to the studio that afternoon where she proved herself a natural snoozing away in the front window among the adoring public. While fun for her, this scenario proved to be very unproductive for me so Plan B ensued: sequestering her to the bathroom when we couldn't be home with her.
Did I mention she had the bandage off within the first 12 hours?! (we wanted to give her a break from the cone). Over the next several days Rich played doggie MD and re-wrapped it with a pipe insulator to soften the blows. It was not a pretty sight and soon she found a way to get to it even with the cone on!
So I rigged it up with duct tape to add some inches around the perimeter, she looked so silly - but it held up until we got her back to the vet for 30" cone and a new bandage - this one reminiscent of a sock monkey!
At this point we have made it through 2 of the 3 weeks they predicted for recovery. It's been a little exhausting to say the least and training is going very slow but she and Alice are warming up to each other. I do have to add that she is one of the most affectionate, snugly dogs that I have met, even while sporting the plastic satellite dish couture!
Two tails in the house, again...
We headed down to Chicago Animal Care & Control on Saturday, this is the city shelter, basically ground zero for pets in Chicago, they are open every day for adoption (see their site for hours). No animal is turned away from this facility, which means when the other wonderful rescue groups can't take any more, the only way these pets find homes is for you and me to go down and adopt them. This would not be possible without the incredible volunteers who are responsible for taking the dogs outside, playing with and socializing them, as well as showing them to potential adopters - such important advocates, as they get to know the dogs and can offer feedback to potential owners. Sadly the city, does not provide enough resources, the volunteers are critical. It's so tough seeing all these sweet, innocent dogs, waiting alone in their kennels just wanting a little love and a home.
Several caught our eyes and hearts but the one that pulled the
strongest, for both Rich and I, was 11 month old pit mix, Poppy. She had been
there since early July, very sweet and quiet, yet quite lively when we
got her outside. We decided to go home and get Alice. The meet and greet went
well...not instant best friends but definitely comfortable around one
another and tails wagging. So we proceeded with the adoption, which only costs $65, and that includes the dog license and spay/neuter. We had our
adoption interview with Charles Craft, an amazing advocate for
these dogs and the head of the adoption program for the city and
Fostering Program through Friends of Animal Care and Control. We had corresponded in the past when I did art work for CACC, so it was an honor to finally meet him. (You can see other adoptable pets on PetFinder.com).
On the drive home Poppy (who they told us was originally Pippi, and we just named Gracie!) draped herself over me and melted into my
lap with a sigh.
It took a bath Saturday with a follow up shower on Sunday to fully remove the Eau De CACC perfume she was wearing.I'm sure she was relieved on Monday to find that bathing was not going to become a daily ritual in her new home!
She is a very skinny little girl with a very LONG neck...so long that she can counter surf, this is new behavior to us. Izzy had a few episodes early on...but this girl, you have to keep an eye on! Did I mention we think she might have some Great Dane in her?
We have some work to do with Gracie, she and Alice will need some time to bond, but soon, I'm sure she will fit in. This has all been a little bittersweet. It's the sad realization that we are really moving on, left with only our memories of Izzy...as we open our broken hearts back up and make new ones with Gracie.
Sketchbook Project 2011...
I just signed up for the Sketchbook Project 2011. Guess which theme I chose? Big surprise: 'It's raining dogs & cats'. You can participate too..just follow the links. Thanks to Kathy Weller for the reminder.
Twenty years ago today....
...I became a Chicagoan. I'm re-posting a blog entry I wrote on my 17 year anniversary of moving to this city of big shoulders:
Posted 9/7/07: "Seventeen years ago today, I moved to Chicago. 1990, age 23, no job,
knew 2 people, none close friends, with the exception of an ex-boyfriend
but that didn't count except that he did introduce me to Rich...so I
guess that does count! My plan was to stay 1-2 years and then move out
to the west coast. I was so scared but also very excited to finally be
in a BIG city. I was so excited to live only blocks from Lake Michigan
(never mind that I was too naive to know how edgy my neighborhood was
back then) Rogers Park area Kenmore & Granville. I was filled with a
feeling of adventure not knowing what great things...and not so great
things, awaited. My 10 day stint at an art foundry (I thought this was
going to be my dream job)...left me frustrated and sad, the man I worked
for told me "you are never going to make it in Chicago". So I'm a
little emotional...so what? I'M STILL HERE. I think it just added to my
resolve to find my own way. Then I became miss interviewee and corporate
temp...I had to buy a suit (I didn't even own a skirt) and start
wearing panty hose and heels - killer, for a gal fresh out of art school.
I found a job by December as a convention and meeting planning
assistant. I worked there for 6 years. None that I regret, in retrospect,
as it later proved to be invaluable to running my own business. Which I
guess I better get back to...Happy Anniversary to me!"
15 Years Ago...
Saturday & Sunday, August 28-29, 11am-dusk
Always a Wonderfully eclectic mix of Art Performance, Food & Fun!
Come see me on the South West Corner of Belden, Booth #15
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