Lament

Quick post as I'm still fighting cold or allergies whatever this is. It's wearing me down. Puppy is a devil dog now. My friends all tell me that once they know that you're going to keep them, their true personalities come through! LOL! Seriously, he's a dickens, but he's got such spunk that I love him dearly. Last night, just before bedtime, we couldn't find him anywhere. We called, we looked and looked. Where was he? In my bed, under the covers rolling around - just having a ball! Thank goodness the weekend is here!

Enjoy,

Almost made it

All winter and into the spring, I did not get sick. No cold, no flu. Sure there was an occasional day that I didn't feel well, but all in all, it passed without a major illness developing. Until now. Marc came down with a cold late last week and then it was my turn. However, in the past few years, colds never just come and go for me. They hang on and develop into that horrible cough and all that. I went through this last year big time. Personally, I think I'm allergic to something that is in the air this time of year too and that just makes it all worse. Anyway, I've missed a couple of days of work this week and am finally going to the doctor later today. It's a very good thing that my new puppy, Zero, is the best little boy ever! He is a little angel. He must think we are the most boring people to be around! We just want to lay around and cough... I can't wait until I feel better that I can take him and Jac for a walk and start doing some basic obedience training with him. My friend Diana wants me to do agility with him. Diana just happens to be an agility instructor! How convenient...

Here is a photo of Diana with Zero the night we picked him up from the breeder, Mary Jo. I'm sure we will do some agility. I liked doing agility with Guinness and he liked it too. Guinness detested the car ride, which was a long one to each lesson and back and would whine, scream and dig in his cage the whole way. When he got there, it helped him burn off all that energy he had pent up - which would be good for Zero too. It was difficult for Guinness to focus, but I don't think it will be nearly so hard for Zero. It seems to come natural for him. He is very attentive. I tried doing agility with Jac, but he is more lazy! He loves to run & jump, but not climb. Zero loves to climb, run & jump. I know that already! He is so sweet and still doing very well on the housebreaking. Thank goodness. I still so miss Guinness, but Zero has given me a new view on life. He is so full of energy and happy all of the time. Even Jac likes him - except when he tries to climb on him, then he growls. Otherwise, there is no conflict between the two.

Now I just need to get better and get into the art studio to be creative and all will be right with the world again (sigh).

Enjoy,

registered

another snow storm today. we are expecting up to five inches of fluffy white stuff. my enthusiasm for winter is waning quickly. it doesn't help that i'm feeling under the weather myself. many people at my work have colds and i feel like i may have the start of one. for one thing: my left ear is clogged. this is most annoying! sinuses are going crazy. i've certainly had enough of that this year! with any luck this will just drag on and not get even worse. work is absolutely nuts. i won't even go there... and it is going to get worse before it gets any better. (just like everything else in life.) this blog and my art work are my sanctuary as is my life at home with marc, the doggies and our cat, bean. an evening in front of the fireplace next to marc with a great stamp/art magazine and i'm all set. of course, there is always two dogs and a cat on us too.

a very positive thing: i finally decided on a workshop at the valley ridge art studio. i'm going to take the class by lisa engelbrecht. i had wanted to attend one of her workshops before and just couldn't do it for various reasons. the timing on this one wasn't perfect, but nothing in life ever is so i took the plunge and signed up for it. i can't wait! it's not until october. wish i could take many, many more workshops there. someday, maybe. i had such a wonderful time at the last workshop i attended there. i know this one will be wonderful. i have heard great things about lisa. i think her workshop will be fun - even though it could be a serious subject. you can check it out if you're interested.

as for me, i'm working along on my board book and some large tag cards. they are quite fun, actually. i found envelopes to fit them from stampin' up. i got my stampin' up order last friday. love stamps, inks, papers and all those supplies! don't get me started on punches. i love punches. two weeks ago we went to madison with marc's mom and we stopped at a scrapbook store there. she had never been to one before. she was amazed at all the paper and stuff, but she just loved all of the punches (they do have a lot of punches at that store)! i will have to have her over to punch and make little things with me sometime i guess. she and i have so little in common - taste wise. but, she gave birth to marc, so that makes her tops in my book and she& his dad did an excellent job raising him. she's a wonderful lady. very nice. we just don't have a lot in common. i'm sure you know what i mean. we are very much NOT alike. I guess that's a good thing?!

i hope this busy time before the holidays finds you and your families all well. peace.

good grief

today i've been having trouble breathing. especially when i leave the house. i called the doctor, she's now put me on advair. she told me to stop taking the singulair. good grief. i'm at the pharmacy just about every day lately. just took the advair inhaler. we will see if it helps me or not. it's freaking expensive. i printed a coupon on the internet for the first month free, but the prescription cost otherwise is $234 for a one month supply. INSANE! this stuff better work wonders for that cost. reading the precautions is not making want to be on it. i'll give it a try. i'm miserable right now. more later if i have time. i'm taking off work tomorrow so i can get ready for the weekend.

relief at last

this photo is of a beautiful fungus of some sort that marc found growing in the wood near where he works. he was quite proud that he had found it and took the camera into work to get the photo on his lunch break. within a day, some had kicked it and destroyed it (intentionally). how can someone not find beauty in this? i know marc did, and he wanted to share it with me.

i have finally found some relief in whatever this sinus thing is that i've been battling. i went to an ear nose & throat specialist today. although she thinks i probably had some viral thing going on last week, based on my symptoms the past several weeks, she believes my allergies are out of control and have royally pissed off my sinuses. she looked at them from every angle she could (don't ask, not fun) and has now put me on prednisone (steroid) for several days. she wants me off the other antihistamines as they are aggravating the condition. she gave me some nasal spray which will bring down the sinus swelling and also some cough syrup to take at night so i can sleep (and breathe) comfortably. thing is, i feel so much better since i took the prednisone & nasal spray this afternoon. it's remarkable. i think she's going to help me through this. then we will have to figure out how to best treat the allergies so they don't do this to me again. 

in the meantime, i felt well enough tonight to work on getting my supplies together for the artist workshop this weekend. i am so excited! i was worried the past couple of days (and this morning before going to the doctor) that i wouldn't feel well enough to go. i think i can do it now. this is truly the opportunity of a lifetime for me. i'd love to take other workshops at this studio as they have other wonderful artists coming there all the time... unfortunately, at this time anyway, my budget doesn't allow for it. maybe next year i can save up and do two workshops? that would be terrific. i do hope marc enjoys this trip and the b&b. i can't stand to be away from him unless it's absolutely necessary. he will be off doing the things he enjoys - driving around seeing sites and going antiquing while i'm in the workshop during the day. i will see him at breakfast, dinner and at night, of course! 

i am still waiting to hear if i'll be going to the fiserv conference in orlando in september. if i end up going, it will be without marc. we are going on vacation the week before, so i'll get to spend a week with him. i do believe i will, but it seems that every year i find out i'm definitely going just before it happens. i like to plan out things well enough in advance. i just like it that way if at all possible. anyway, enough for tonight. i need my beauty rest ;-)

feelin' bad

here's a pic of bean peering out at a mallard duck walking across our yard one day last week. bean was just enthralled with this huge birdie. it seems that the bigger they are, the more excited she gets. the green furry thing behind her is her furby. she just loves furby. she interacts with him ALL THE TIME and he interacts with her. he tells her his name is "toh lu pah" and he calls her "coco" - he even gives her kisses. so many times i hear him yapping away in her kitty condo, face down on the carpet saying things like "PARTY" and "again, coco". they have a strange relationship indeed. 

i can't believe i'm sick again. i've been feeling miserable due to allergies for some time now (see previous blogs) but now i've been laid up for three days with what appears now to be sinus and or respiratory infection.  i won't get into any details, because if you've had this yourself you know how nasty the symptoms are and how down right miserable it makes you feel. i'm waiting to go to the doctor in just a bit. second time to the doctor in three days. i'm living on hot tea, lots of water, and crackers. don't feel like eating. can't taste anything anyway. not my desired way of spending three days off work. i'd rather be doing something fun or at least just doing some thing i like to do. regardless, being stranded on the sofa the past few days, i've resorted to taking bean's furby out of her kitty condo as he was driving me nuts! she'll get him back when i'm better.