More Baby Booties & Owls!

I've posted the cute baby booties that my mom makes before. Well, here's her newest group! She's added a "sneaker" style that is good for boys, in addition to her mary jane/ballet slipper style that she started with. The ones in the following 2 pics can be found at Who's Your Betty? in Oakland. The shop is on College Ave in Rockridge. I encourage you to visit this cute shop!


ANNNNND! ....I've finally made a few new owls! Plus, I've got more on the make, as well! These have been sent down to Los Angeles and are now awaiting new homes! You can find them at Leanna Lin's Wonderland in Eagle Rock!

Tasty Treats!

My birthday was in May. I had a pot-luck bbq to celebrate and thanks to a dear friend and his son, the amazing creation above, was my birthday cake! They got it from their local Russian bakery. It was delish and such a sweet gesture!


The above is my plate of Ethiopian food! I have not been to my favorite Ethiopian restaurant in such a long time and had a night of solo dining on my hands, so treated myself to the veggie combo plate! Yes, it was as yummy AND filling as it looks! If you're in Oakland, I highly recommend Ensarro on Grand!


This fancy concoction is of my own creation! I call it strawberry - coconut ice cream float! It's made of a couple of scoops of coconut ice cream, a handful of frozen strawberries (fresh would be even better!) and enough 7-up to cover the solid ingredients in the blender. Can I say, this bevvie was truly what was needed on a hot summer afternoon!

An update about my baby doggy, Shuka

So, it's been almost 2 months since I first posted about my dog, her injury and the problems/expense that all of this entails. I've spent a lot of time researching the injury. There is no doubt that the ideal thing would be to go with the surgery, but I think that decision would also be based on the ideal patient. Unfortunately, in order for me to keep my dog in a resting state, I'd have to heavily drug her and that's not something I want to do. The surgery would include at least 8 weeks of recovery, which given her current state of extreme separation anxiety, would be an extremely stressful 8 weeks for both her and me. Actually, I'm not really sure how I'd be able to manage it at all. So, as the best alternative, I've started working with a behaviouralist. Thanks to the East Bay SPCA, I've been put in touch with an amazing woman. I have my work cut out for me, but I'm hoping that it will pay off and will allow Shuka to live her final years out in a more relaxed state. So, until the next update, here are some pics and she and I. :) Enjoy!

Unique designs from Nervoussystem on Etsy!

I came across this shop with the help of a recent featured treasury on Etsy. I find this ring in particular to be quite lovely, but upon inspection of the rest of the shop, I find it hard to pick a favorite design. Take a look here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/nervoussystem?ref=seller_info

I'm not a big ring wearer, but I think I will have to figure out my size and order one of these fantastic designs! I love the sculptural feel and the process used to create it is very unique. If and when I do order one, I'll post a new pic of the ring on my own finger!

A few of my favorites...

Sitting on the stoop, enjoying the final moments of today's sunshine, a film came to mind. "In The Mood For Love" by Kar Wai Wong. It's one of my favorites. This lead me to the creation of a short mental list of a few of my other favorite films of all time. Here are a few videos that I found on YouTube, to share with you.
In The Mood For Love


One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest


Casino


Space Is The Place


The Graduate


Papillon

Egon Schiele is speaking to me...

Funny how certain things in life find their way to you in synchronicity. The most recent visitor is Egon Schiele, a figurative painter from the early 20th Century. He was a protégé of Gustav Klimt. I became aware of Egon Schiele when I was in art school, as part of my art history studies. As most overview art history classes go, his subject was only just touched upon. It wasn't until later years that I had a boyfriend who loved his work and I became more familiar with it, myself.

Recently, I came across a thoughtful and inspiring blog full of vintage photographs called Le Clown Lyrique: https://leclownlyrique.wordpress.com/. I got caught up for several hours scrolling through hundreds of photographs. One in particular stood out to me. "Egon Schiele’s Death Bed" by Martha Fein, 1918.

This photo inspired me to look up more information about him and lead me to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egon_Schiele. What an amazing life that was so creatively productive, yet cut short so tragically early. I encourage you to read some of his history.

Then, today, I came back to a friend's playlist on Youtube. One of the songs that came on is by The Rachel's. It's called "Family Portrait" and is a tune off of their album entitled Music For Egon Schiele!

A beautiful song that invokes a somber, yet thoughtful feeling. This song could so easily sit side by side with Martha Fein's photograph...a beautifully sad pair.

I'm glad to be reminded of Egon Schiele and to remember to appreciate his work and inspiring creativity.

Alternative to Surgery for ACL knee injuries in dogs...

If any of you know me on Facebook, I'm sure by now you are tired of reading my posts about my dog, her injuries and my pleading for help. However, now 3 weeks into her injury and 2 weeks into knowing what her injury is, I've been able to do quite a bit of research into the injury itself, the surgery options and the non-surgical options available. I will be taking Shuka to vet #2 Saturday morning for a second opinion on the injury and what options I can look at as possibilities to help her. I have also contacted vet #3, a holistic vet, and am looking at the possibility of using acupuncture and herbal/homeopathic medicines to help her heal in a more natural and non-invasive manner.

From what I've found on the internet, ACL injuries are quite common. They are also quite expensive, especially if you go with the TPLO surgery commonly recommended by the typical vet. Through my research, I have found a brace called A-TraC that oftentimes works very nicely to help keep the knee stabilized while the ACL heals. I have already started giving her supplements to help keep her joints healthy and strong. I found this article that talks about alternatives to surgeries: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/13_2/features/Canine-Ligament-Injury-Options_16198-1.html?zkPrintable=true The holistic vet is suggesting "Prolotherapy" which sounds intriguing, but I'm worried it might wind up being just as expensive as the surgery. I am also still awaiting the delivery of the ThunderShirt, which is scheduled for Saturday (which can't get here soon enough!). I can't rule any option out just yet and I am thankful to each person who has helped guide me to another possible answer to help Shuka to extend her life in a healthy and happy way. At this point, I am unsure what the next couple of weeks will bring concerning this situation, but I am doing my best to stay positive.

Shuka has been a good companion to me through many tough times. She's been my watch dog, comfort giver, bed hog, food beggar, walking buddy and dependent. She loves me unconditionally. I do not know what kind of life she had before she found her way off the streets of South Central Los Angeles, into the shelter and then into my own life. Even though the idea to adopt a black lab was not mine, I am glad that she has been with me for the past 7 years. Her shelter dog issues have been trying at times, as her separation anxiety is right now, but it's not her fault and I hope that I can find a way to help her to live out her final years in a more peaceful state of mind.