One more time...

The last thing for this round of blogging is asking for your kindness and generosity one more time and vote for this painting if you like it. It is being viewed by thousands, including people in many other countries. There is an interesting geo view of where my votes are coming from.

It's actually quite amazing to me that its been viewed from places like China, Japan, Africa, Russia, South America, Canada, and just about every state on the US map. I never dreamed I could get my art viewed by so many diverse people from all over the world.

It feels like success to me whether I move on to the next round in this campaign or not. So thank you once again for every one's help. I couldn't have come near this far without your support. There are roughly two days left to get in those final votes. Then I can relax. Whew, the campaign trail is a rough road. I need to sit a couple out...give all of us a break!

Artist's Choice - Round 1 Brickfish

I wrote today...

Particles of dust fallen
From winds of time and space
Primordial past of who or what

Alive creating to learn to grow
Molding a name and a face
Our print a faint presence

We wax we wane in the vast dark
Our world our time our place
Come see our dawn

Just Words

Glow touch spark grow
Know speak flame bestow
Blow futile wind throw
Slow Keen String Sew

Words travel

Elevated above or drowned in noise
Belated in your mind perfect poise
Exonerated lifted mark of choice
Perforated truths frenzied voice

Words travel

More...

Set free in the winds of time
blowing away doubts and fears

Travel and learn the infinite ways of life
Now a super sonic sound wave flying past

Assimilate the knowledge
Curious mind come aboard

Unhinge the world unwind in truth
Trust in the fate that brought you to this point

WOO HOO!!!!!

New Year's Eve is going to be SLAMMIN! I'm going to a private One Eyed Doll party with a date and I can't wait! We are going to have a blast for sure. We will get to see Kimberly rock her little heart out the only way Kimberly can do...like no other I tell ya...and we'll meet all kinds of amazing people. And Three will provide the beat of a lifetime as he rocks out on his little 'ol drums. Go THREE!

I can't wait to see my new friend Maryann too! She is so awesome...I adore that girl. Ahhh, life is good. The new year brings great promise and I'm very excited! :)

Love to All of my Special Peeps

I am having a big time love attack and want all my friends and family to know how much I cherish each of you. I know I don't get to see everybody as much as I'd like to, but know you are always in my thoughts and above all I send you my love. Each of you are special to me in your own way.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Love,
Ginny

Ginny has a Job!

Yep, after sixth months of not being successful finding work, I finally landed a job. It's a temporary to hire position and I have no doubts I'll be hired. The pay is very low to what I'm accustomed to, but once I'm hired full time I will get a raise. I hope it will be a good raise, but some is better than none.

The company is a mortgage company, which is an industry I know little about. Being the receptionist makes it very difficult to get any training in more challenging areas, but my new employers are finding out very quickly that I can handle way more than the job requires. Thankfully they are giving me more to do! I hate being idle in the work place. I've been told several times over that it took me mere hours to learn what it took the girl I replaced three weeks to learn. Yeah, I'm good *pats self*, but then again reception positions are easy as pie.

I like the people there, although they seem a bit stressed out. I'm doing my best to help them anyway I can, it's unfortunate that none of them can slow down long enough to teach me their computer system. I have limited access and am only able to use the internet to look up people's place of employment for employment verification. I know if they would give me the opportunity to learn their software, I could make a huge difference and possibly even find ways to streamline some things. I'm good at that. But they say I am making a huge difference already and they are happy.

The two owners (husband and wife) are nice as can be, and they are so grateful I'm there. It's nice to be appreciated and have received rave reviews. The wife is particularly thanking me all over the place because I've been able to take over the position I'm in with very little help. I'm making it my own and asking her constantly to give me some of her work load. I can see in her face how stressed she is and I want to learn fast so I can be a key player. I wonder if she'd be willing to come in on a weekend and teach me stuff. I should ask...

Never Forget

I'll never forget candy canes...for someone special...and when you read this you'll know. :)

Hi Everyone! An Update...

I joined a new blog called "Daily Painters Marketplace". I was going to create a blog very similar to this one actually, but why re-invent the wheel? I am happy to be a member of this community and add their link to my blog. Hopefully I will make some really nice friends and gain some good contacts. :)

There is some really great artistic talent here. I hope to add my works at some point. Painting has had to take a back burner for now unfortunately. I'm still job hunting and trying to make my way in this world. Thank goodness for the excellent network of friends and family who offer me emotional support. I would be so lost without it.

Things are stressful but I am keeping my chin up and not moping about too much. I hope that is shown here in my blog. I want this to be a fun place to visit on the internet...not a depressing one!

Love and gratitude to all of my friends and supporters!
Ginny

17 days left!

Hi all,
I only have 17 days left to get my campaign hotter than it is. I need everyone who can to vote, and then pass on the link(see the "share" button). The more people from different sources you can get to vote for me the better! You can send links through email, post them on your blogs, imbed the code directly into your face book accounts, and myspace accts. If you belong to other sites that allow you to post code, you can do that too!

You won't get spam or have to register for anything I promise! Thank you so much bloggers for your continued support. You are a large part of the votes that are coming in. Help me make this thing rise to the top and go as viral as possible. I'm so close to the top twenty...I just need that extra big push to get over the edge and be extremely competitive.

I appreciate each and every one of you!

xoxo,
Ginny

Artist's Choice - Round 1 Brickfish

More Dress Up

I went to a themed party a few weeks back. The theme was Space Disco/Space Opera. So here are pictures for your amusement. I did all the costuming myself for me and my good friend Azzurra. :) The "pod" thing I'm holding was our space baby. It glowed, but that doesn't show up in the picture. Too bad. It was the hit of the party!

I love themed parties!

By the way, Those dresses are my daughter's. She went to two different proms. I was so glad she had these! Azzurra paid for the hair accessories, and the pod was from a lamp I had purchased eons ago. :)

Playing Dress Up!

This is me and my new friend Maryann. We dressed up for a One Eyed Doll concert a couple of weeks ago. Kimberly got a kick out of us! I think we look pretty rockin!

Thank you Jesse!

I wanted to post this earlier, but the holiday choas etc, has kept me very busy! JESSE!!!! I got my painting and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it so much. It is really cool and I can't wait to get my own place and find a special spot for it.

I think I have a name..."The Trials and Tribulations of the Heart"

Thank you so much for being my friend and for who you are. I hope someday we can meet in person. There are so many friends that I wish I could meet in person. I have a special one in Australia that I would love to go meet! And I feel I have a special one in California now that I could totally hang out with(you Jesse of course), and I have a special friend in Big Bend named Ara that I would love to meet.

All of my friends are special and unique. You all bring joy to me in your own ways and I am thankful I have met you.

Hugs!
Ginny

Come Vote for this Kick Ass Rocker and Help Her and Me Both!

Festival Fodder 2: Cool Concert Memories Brickfish

Check it Out! I'm Getting this in the Mail Soon!

My good friend Jesse painted this most incredible piece of art for me. I can't wait to have it in my hands because I'm dying to touch the texture and study the piece closely. I think Jesse's use of color is perfect! I am thrilled because I get to name this painting. I have to wait on naming it though, so I can get a good feel for it once I've held it. Jesse is a very talented man...he is what I would call a renaissance man. Jesse you rock!

Amazing colors, texture, placement, balance!

Check out how amazingly different this angle makes it look! Such an interesting piece!

And yet another angle to admire! It seems like every which way it's turned, it just pops and I see something new.

And now the bottom angle. I love how the sparkles give it the perfect touch! This is a fine art piece!

Voting is Easy and it's for a Great Cause...ME! :)

Please go vote some more! I am thinking I really have a good shot at this with continued support and am so excited to be so close. If you click on the "share" button in the box, you can add a voting box like this one to your blogs and also to your other web haunts...such as Myspace, Facebook, Live Journal, MyYearbook, Hi5, etc... It's so easy to do and you don't have to be a brickfish member in anyway to do so. I appreciate all of you!

Artist's Choice - Round 1 Brickfish

Ouch, I'm so behind in my blogging!

Well here is an update my friends. I've still been heavily campaigning for my art at brickfish and also still hunting for work. I called some temp agencies today and feel like that might be my best bet now for getting a foot in the door somewhere. I can certainly feel the bite of an economy going bad. Yikes!

My car broke down, and is getting fixed. Hopefully it will be ready Thursday and I won't have to deal with repairs again for a long time. The clutch went out which is a pretty expensive repair. The unfortunate news is that it wasn't even my fault. Some friend of Samantha's ended up driving my car without my permission and she claimed she knew how to drive a standard...but she did not. The mechanic thinks she rode the clutch which destroyed it. I'm trying to get money from her for repairs before I take it to court. I hope she makes good on what she did wrong.

Last Friday night I went to see my favorite band One Eyed Doll and will have pictures up soon. :)
I'm about to enter another campaign that pays one thousand dollars to the winner. I will be using the pictures of Kimberly from One Eyed Doll in this new campaign. She is happy that I'm doing this because I will bring her publicity. She will also continue to support my art campaign. Cool stuff!

I'm ranked number 4 out of almost 7,000.00 entries! I am so proud of that. There are only about 40 days left in the campaign and more than ever I need votes and people to spread the links around for others to join in. I'll create another post for that purpose and let everyone know when the new campaign starts. :)

Peace to all,
Me

Kissin Cats

These hungry Monarch caterpillars raced to the top and met face to face. Aren't they cute?

I am just loving life!

How can I be so amazingly happy? I think it's because I'm finding myself and because I'm connecting with so many awesome people! I'm always going to be rich with love and that just makes my heart swell to giant proportions.

Rich with Love

I give, you give back
I love, you love back
My heart swells, so does yours
We give meaning to each other, and it's good
We all connect in the soup of life
We eat heartily,find warmth, and glow with satisfaction

Artist's Choice Update!

Wow, I'm moving up in the world. My paintings are now ranked number 8 and number 15 thanks to all the support I've been getting. This is totally awesome! Here, feel free to vote some more lol.

One painting

And the other

I'm also getting a little further on the viral meter which is great! This whole thing works on how much traffic you can bring to your campaign. I doubt very much it's based on real talent and believe me, there is some major talent in this campaign! I've voted for several people myself who are in the same one...just can't help it! lol

59 Days Left...Will I Make the Cut?

Hi friends,

I've been sick the past three days with either the flu or possibly even pneumonia. I'm not sure which but am improving in some ways and not improving in others. I always get respiratory crud around this time of year and it sucks. But I do have an arsenal of medication so I think I can avoid the doctor and the expense that entails...considering I'm poor! lol

My "Artist's Choice" campaign is going better than I thought possible. I am still ranked fairly high considering there are now over 2,000 entries! I'm ranked 10 on my hands painting, and 16 on my volcano abstract. Please continue to vote and show your support...simply click on the links I've provided above. I think I still have a shot at making it in the next round.

Part of my success will depend on how viral my campaign goes. That depends a lot on you folks out there. If you can pass along my links in your blogs, live journals, facebook, myspace, emailing your friends, etc...I stand a better chance. Also the more comments that are left on my art and the more views I get, the better it will go for me. Judging is done based on these criteria. My viral meter is low even though my ranking is high. So I'm appealing to you all to help me with that and to add comments...even as a guest it counts. You don't have to register!

This could be a very good way to get my art noticed and I'm working so hard to do that. I'm not having any luck finding a suitable job and my spirits are low as a result. I just don't think I'm cut out for the corporate world and am trying to pursue my dreams of earning a living using my creative ability. Of course I still need a day job to support myself but will never give up on my real dreams of making it in the fine arts industry, whether it be through my photography or painting or both. I would love to do commission work and when Sean asked if my painting was for sale, my heart soared! Thank you Sean. And thank you too poodles for throwing in a little competition there. ;)

You are all so wonderful and I appreciate the community that has come to me through this blog. It has become very important and I wish that I hadn't let it lapse for so long, but I couldn't help it. I will blog on and grow in this community and with you all for ages to come. The friendships I've made here are valuable to me and I feel like a very rich person in that respect. :)

Love to all,
Me

My Latest Painting

It's a work in progress but I wanted to post this picture for Jesse. He showed interest in a new technique I came up with. This is a canvas that I poured Gesso all over and then made a design in the gesso for texture and as a guide.

The back lighting is so I can see the patterns in the gesso and I'm going to paint those patterns on the top side. You can see that it is started, but no where near finished. This one is going to take a long time as I plan on using many colors and put in as much detail work as I can possibly cram in.

I believe this will be one of my best paintings to date when it is finished.

It's all Good

I just want to send a very special thank you to my good blog friend Jesse. I haven't known him long, but it matters not. He is a special guy in my eyes and I am grateful to him for reaching out to me.

As you remember, I sent him a painting that means a lot to me, and now he is the proud owner of it and that makes me so happy. He totally gets what I was saying in this piece and why I wanted him to have it. Go check out his blog...it's linked above. He has so many things to show us all, and his readers have all joined in a special community. And in honor of such wonderful people and amazing things in life, here is a short poem I just wrote...

When I find myself in a dark place
all I have to do is reach out to you and I'm healed

I always knew there were things greater than myself
And when I reach out they are revealed

I must always remember what is important in life
and reach out for others too when they appeal

My Paintings are Doing Well!

Thanks to all of you who are supporting me, I'm ranking pretty high still. Wow, I'm really blown away by this. Email me if you have any trouble voting...there have been reports of the links not always working.

Thanks again Friends. This means more to me than you can know. :)

Hugs,
Ginny

I need votes!

Vote Here and Here!

Please go see my new brickfish account and vote for the two paintings I entered in this competition. You can vote multiple times, and I need all the support I can get. The competition is tough! Feel free to pass my plea for votes on to other folks who you think wouldn't mind helping a gal out.

Love to you all! Thank you so much!

If I Could Have a Super Power...

I would want to be able to teleport myself to other places, or anything I can think of to me. I'd be able to teleport others as well. I'd start off with a few known terrorists and teleport their sorry asses into deep space.

If I wanted a rocky road ice cream cone, I'd think of it and *POOF*, it would appear in my hand! Need to go shopping but have no desire to leave my house...well easy...*POOF*, a new pair of shoes and some awesome clothes. I'd leave the money in the cash registers to pay for it.

If I felt like giving money to the poor, I'd poof myself into a drug lord's vault and take their cash and give it to the poor. I'd poof food and medical goods to nations in need and redistribute wealth and achieve balance in the world.

Need a vacation? No problem...*POOF* and off I go to some gorgeous tropical place for an afternoon. I'd take all my best friends with me. Oh if only....

Went for a Walk, Lake Georgetown

Went hiking today with my friend Linda and her friend Kathi. We walked a fast pace for about two hours...probably a six miler. Felt great! I even wore my large pack with some weight in it. Need to get back into backpacking shape. The new shoes are working out great.

Here are pics of my two favorite dogs in the world...they were about the only interesting thing to photograph today.

Angel is pretty beat. They were off leash today...no one was on the trails. It was great.

If there is water, Angel and Mercedes will find it! They have very thick coats.

They're just so damn cute and a blast to hike with.

Congrats Caitlin!

Caitlin just made all straight A's on her report card. Not bad for a kid who missed a lot of school due to illness. She's one smart cookie! :)

Okay Snake Wrangling For your Enjoyment

My tomboy side. "nice snake..."

Wanna Arm wrestle now?

My New Resume...An effort to Network

I am going to scan a copy of my resume today and figure out how to display it here on a permanent basis in an effort to network to help my career search. I am looking for work in the Austin area and if anyone in blog land who happens to read this knows of a job I would be suited for in my area, or people I should contact that would be very helpful.

I appreciate you all who take the time to visit!

Unamed

Jesse I think this painting should be yours. Email me at: happyhiker41@gmail.com with your shipping info and I'll get it right out to you. :)

Btw, it's a little brighter than what the picture shows...you know how it is.

Introducing Jesse

Hi Friends,

I've got a new blog friend for you all to check out. His name is Jesse and he's very talented. It's awesome to make new friends and Jesse is Warm and inviting. So stop on by his place when you get a chance and say hello.

My Most Recent Picture

Another Snake on the Trail

Okay, one more post...

I got out on a real trail today for the first time in ages and it felt amazing! My mood lifted instantly especially when my friend Linda spotted a huge rat snake right at the trail head. I wrangled it of course...I can't resist catching snakes...and Linda got some great snaps of the event. Eventually it calmed down and I let it go about it's business. Rat snakes are not poisonous but they can deliver a nasty bite that could get infected, so I was just as cautious with it as I was with the copperhead.

Hopefully Linda will get those pics to me in the near future so you can see Ginny "Irwin" in action. For the record, I won't be going near any sting rays!

Happy Birthday Lee!

Lee is my youngest sibling and I can't believe how old he is now. I was 13 when he was born...wow.
He is a good guy and funny as can be. Lee and I have had tons of fun when we were growing up and now our lives are far apart. I will reflect on all the times we have laughed till we cried...sometimes at the expense of our other sibling Lynn. Sorry Lynn. :)

Happy Birthday little brother. :)

Happy Birthday Caitlin!

I'm late posting this, but yesterday was Caitlin's birthday. She is 16 and more feisty than ever! This is a girl who knows what she wants and is determined to get it. I hope she uses all that fire and brain power for good not evil! Some 16 year olds are too smart AND too dumb for their own good...know what I mean? Just a couple of more years of teen insanity and we're home free. ;)

She Actually Showed Up!

So Ms. Palin made it to the debate after all...good for her! I still don't like her lol. But to be fair, I thought she did way better than anyone expected. She didn't win the debate obviously... Hmmm, can we even call that a debate? It was the weirdest debate I think I've ever seen. I can't put my finger on why really, but it was odd.

Just an Update

Hello everyone,

I've been looking for a job the past several weeks and so far nothing great has caught my eye. In light of the fact that our coast was ravaged and the economy is in a very precarious situation, I am sure finding work amongst all this chaos will be challenging. I am extremely concerned about the state of our nation, as everyone else is too.

I've been glued to the news and watched the debates carefully. Watching Obama made me feel like I was already looking at our future President. He was genuine, poised, and not afraid of anything McCain tried to throw at him...which btw, were mostly a pack of lies and misinformation. It's quite obvious that Karl Rove is in the cogs of that campaign. It's amazing how quickly McCain had a smear ad out towards Obama after the debate. That seems like desperation to me. What do you think?

I strongly believe Obama will be an excellent leader, and I respect him greatly. I doubt Palin will even make it to the Vice Presidential debate. If she does, I will be very surprised. Biden will mop the floor with her if she is allowed to continue as McCain's running mate. A few weeks ago I figured they would eventually push her out. It will be very interesting to see what happens.

In other news I had minor surgery on my leg to remove a growth that has been there for at least 14 years. Every time I have had a doctor look at it, they were nonplussed and said it was just a cyst and not to worry. Gross I know, but still kinda fascinating considering that thing has been growing larger year by year. I finally got up the nerve to have it removed. Silly that I had to get the nerve to make such a move, considering the risks I have taken out in nature are by far more dangerous...bear encounters, snake encounters, rock climbing, caving, out running raging waters, etc...

It is good to finally get it cut out. I watched the whole surgery and thought it was really cool. I like watching surgeries and think medicine is incredible and what our bodies can do. Any time I have had surgery that I can be awake for, I've watched. I might have made a very good surgeon had I followed a different path in life.

Anyway, the cyst was very deep, close to the muscle, and took a while for the doctor to remove. It was actually not as gross looking as I thought it would be. There was no odor or nasty contents. The doc commented that most of the time they are particularly gross and was amazed at how non-gross mine was, especially since it had been in my leg for so many years.

They will biopsy the tissue surrounding it and part of the sac it was contained in just to be on the safe side. I figure if it was cancer I would have died years and years ago, so am not concerned one bit. I'm hardy and tough and have excellent health over all.

Today is my mom's birthday and I spent a very long time on the phone with her. She had a happy day and that makes me glad! She deserves it. I can't disclose how old she is, but she is kicking and well. :)

Caitlin has been quite sick over the past month. First she had a skin staph infection, and on the heels of that, came the Parvo B19 virus which is a common child hood illness. It used to be referred to as Fifth's disease. Basically it is one of those viruses that if you are older it makes you sicker. Caitlin has been having a very rough time and is so miserable. I wish I could take every bit of her pain away. It could take a while for her to recover completely, and she has missed a bunch of school. She strives for excellent grades and has been worried that this is going to cause her grades to fall terribly. It remains to be seen.

Samantha is living with me and trying to find work as well, while she waits for the spring semester at ACC to start. I am pleased that she is going back to school and believe she will do very well. She is very intelligent and I'm proud of her. Our relationship is the best it has ever been. For a while things were rough, but she has matured to a point where she can better understand the way life was like for me when I was struggling as a single mom. Now that Russell and I are no longer together, I wonder what the single life with a young child will be like again.
I feel stronger now though, and feel like things will work out...they always do for me.

Well that is it for now. I hope everyone stays safe and we all get through these times as a Nation. Our country has been terribly divided and right now we need to stick together as a people. I hope it is possible. Maybe Barrack will bring about the change we desperately need and I think there is a good shot for hope. We sure need positive leadership after having been raped the past 8 years by evil crimminals in the White House.

A Bad Ass Picture

Caitlin was running her horse around the barrels and took this shot. No photo shop editing done and the picture turned out way cool! I'm proud of Caitlin's photography.

Picture Time Again

Last night we had fat juicy steaks...

Baked Potatoes with basil butter...

And here are the chefs...Samantha and her boyfriend Vince

Ben loves being outside in the back yard...I can't wait to take him camping again

This is called a Green Lynx Spider. If you look closely in the background near the stem, you can see the male. These spiders are not considered harmful to humans.

Ben watches with intense interest as the two spiders mate. This is the first time either one of us has seen spider's mate. It was so cool!

This is Scout. She is Sam's cat and such a silly thing

Bad photo I know, but I had no choice but to shoot into the sun

Samantha with her horse Christie

People in Austin Panicking?

I went to the grocery store today just to pick up a couple of things for dinner over at a friend's house, and it was a mad house. I couldn't understand why people were stocking up on water and frozen goods. Sheesh, frozen food? I mean come on, use common sense. Buying frozen food is kind of stupid considering that if the electricity goes out from the supposed terrible winds and horrific rain, the food will end up spoiling.

Personally I think folks in Austin are being a little over zealous in their fears. I feel like we'll be fortunate if we get rain, but doubt it will be terrible storming like the news predicted a few days ago. Today on the news they said winds could get up to 20, maybe 40 miles an hour here! Oh the horror! *smirk*

Honestly people just settle down.

And Now for a Happy Post...

A new reader came along and commented that the first post she read was a sad one. I don't like the thought of that, so here is a happy post. :)

Ben is doing well in school and is probably the best reader in his class. GO BEN! It pays to read to your child from babyhood on. Russell and I have both read to Ben since he was very small and have continued to do so on a daily basis since.

It's a joy to know that he is so engaged and smart as can be. He takes pride in himself and his ability to read better than anyone in his class. He is six years old and if he were sitting in front of this post now, he'd be reading all of it. Not bad for a first grader!

All of my kids are turning out to be amazing individuals and I'm so proud of them all. I look forward to the years to come to see what they all do with their lives.

In Memory of Anastasia

Anastasia was a strikingly beautiful cat. Her fur felt as soft as a chinchillas and her markings were were distinctive. She had a mitten on one paw, and a sock on the others. Her tail was so big and fluffy, everyone commented on it. Her eyes were luminous and full of expression.

A while back she got attacked by a canine of some sort...perhaps a coyote. I took her to the vet to get her fixed up. All seemed well with her many days afterword. She was gaining weight and seemed very fit. Until a few days ago.

I noticed she was sleeping more, but didn't think much of it. She still seemed fine. Then a day or so later she came into my bedroom and I noticed she wasn't breathing well at all. It was very upsetting, especially when I gently pet her and I could feel her back bone. It was shocking how bony she had became in such a small period of time.

When she came into my room I feared she wouldn't make it through the night. I didn't know what to do for her, since I had no clue what was happening. I couldn't rush her to an animal hospital because I didn't have the money to pay their prices, which is highway robbery.

So I sat with her throughout a good portion of the night trying to comfort her. She couldn't find any position that eased her breathing and I knew she was exhausted. I was very surprised that she survived the night and took her to the vet the next morning to end her suffering and put her down.

But when I got there, I had to see if the vet could find out what was wrong with her. I needed to know and weigh out the options. They immediately put her in a box with pure oxygen flowing into it and suggested x-rays to see if her chest had a mass in it. It turned out that her chest cavity was full of fluid, including puss. The pressure all around her lungs and heart were the cause of her respiratory distress.

The vet felt like she might of had a terrible infection as a result of her attack and said they could drain off the fluid, but that if there was infection it would come back and I would have to have her chest drained regularly. The vet said her best chance was to go to a specialist to have a chest tube put in and have her on high powered antibiotics.

They also did blood work to determine what kind of nasty bacteria that was causing the fluid build up. It was determined she had a super bad infection. At that point my only choice would be to send her to a specialist and the money it would cost would be impossible for me to cough up. My vet said there was a good chance that she wouldn't make it anyway, even with a specialist taking over her care. As it was her care already cost 400.00, which was expensive already. I had no choice but to have her euthanized. She died peacefully in my arms.

I brought her body home and buried her here at the house. She grew up here, so I felt it fitting. That was the hardest hole I've ever dug mentally and physically. It took about 2 hours to get it done. I had to bust through a thick layer of rock and clay with a heavy duty pic ax, then switched between busting the rock up and a shovel to remove the dirt, rocks, and clay. Russell came over and dug too for a little while because I was so exhausted I couldn't move my muscles any more. I am so sore I still don't want to move around much. We made the hole almost three feet deep and three feet long.

Russell read a few words he made up for the burial and we all cried until there were no more tears left. This was Ben's first lesson in death and the loss caused by it. He asked many questions and wanted to keep her body. I told him about the process of the body shutting down and the decaying that would happen. I explained that death was a final part of life and that she was gone and not suffering anymore. Ben said she was a good cat and she was.

She liked to play fetch and bring back whatever was thrown just like a retriever. She was also very smart and I could tell she easily figured things out when faced with obstacles, etc...

I'm relieved she is out of her misery and will miss her terribly.

Bad News...Ben has Asthma

Ben had an asthma attack on Saturday and Russell had to bring him home so I could take him to the doctor to get checked out. I knew he was having bad allergies, (he always does this time of year), and made sure to send his medicine with Russell to Keryn's place where Russell is staying now. When Russell called me to say Ben was sick, I figured the allergies had progressed into a chest cold which often happens, and told Russell to bring Ben home immediately while I called the urgent care clinic to make the appointment for him to be seen.

I was so hopeful that when Ben got here it wouldn't be too serious, but unfortunately when I saw Ben and listened to his chest, I realized he was having an asthma attack. So off to the clinic Ben and I went so he could be treated for it. Russell knew Ben was in good hands and went back to Keryn's.

I suspected Ben had asthma a couple of years ago, but his pediatrician didn't think so. I knew she was wrong. Fortunately Ben didn't have any kind of attacks after that small one and I started to think maybe I was wrong and she was right after all. That all changed on Saturday. My initial instincts were correct.

I have been a life long sufferer of asthma and know very well how to spot it, how to administer emergency treatment in case I can't get medicine or to an er right away, and how to manage it. Ben's asthma is primarily related to allergies like mine is, but stress is certainly an aggravator as well. I've been giving Ben allergy medicine for a couple of months now, but for some reason he had an attack while at Keryn's. It could be her cats or something in the air, or it could very well have been stress. Asthma can be brought on by any one of these factors, even running can cause an attack.

At least I know now his asthma is confirmed by a doctor, and can get the right medicine to Ben quickly if need be. We have a nebulizer that I have taught Ben how to use, as well as Russell and Sam. I am going to take him for a follow up appointment with his pediatrician and ask that she put Ben on a medication that will control his seasonal allergies so he doesn't have more risk of attacks, and an inhaler for him to keep at school, and one for me to keep in my purse incase we are out somewhere and he needs it.

I kept Ben home from school yesterday because he was still wheezing. I didn't want to take a chance that he could get too excited and relapse. Today he was much better after his oral medication and breathing treatment, so I felt comfortable allowing him to go to school. I met with his P.E. teacher and explained to her that he has been officially diagnosed with asthma, and she was very understanding because her son has it to.

I also met with his class room teacher to let her know what to be on the look out for incase he has any trouble, and to restrict his activity...no going out in the heat, no recess, etc... She was very sweet and understanding. Today I am sticking close to home just in case I get a call.

Poor Ben, I feel so sorry that he has this disease. It was very debilitating to me when I was in grade school. Fortunately I grew out of it for many years, but sometimes I still have attacks when my allergies go haywire. I usually get an attack once a year and end up having to use my nebulizer or go to the doctor for steroids. Sometimes the attacks are small and I'm able to stop them right away by staying calm and drinking coffee. Caffeine is a stimulant and acts similar to epinephrin, which is commonly used in ER's to stop attacks quickly.

So that is the update for Ben. Sorry it's not great news, but he will be okay.

Woo Hoo! Free Shoes!

I have a membership at REI which pays me yearly dividends and this year my check was for 67.00. I found a pair of Vasques that are awesome. They were originally 100.00, but were reduced to 59.00...I made off like a bandit on this. :)

They are trail runners and are oh so beautiful. I can't wait to get on a trail somewhere and try them out. I've been wearing them and they are incredibly comfortable. So now I have a light weight pair of hiking shoes for summer, and heavier boots for winter. This is exciting stuff for me...it's like Christmas!

Latest Pics of Me with Friends

This is Windy and me. She's a cool chick and a total sweetheart. This pic was taken at her going away party a couple of months ago. I miss you Windy! Austin isn't the same with out you.

This is Roland. He's one of the most awesome chill people I've met in some time. Roland has his Master's in Human Resources and we are all thrilled for him because he just landed a great job. Go Roland!!

Here I am with Dianna. I love the expression on her face...she's loads of fun!