The "Clear One"

Not sure why, but the "Clear Bone" is her favorite. It's actually meant for puppies as a softer chew, but my little dog is very much taken with this juvenile toy. She never tries to destroy it, even though that behaviour comes very easily to her.

Her hell bent on destroying only appears when certain items are around. Kleenexes behind our backs if she is able to find a used one (much more fun), the aftermath is deliberately left on the floor for us to remove and dispose of once found, cardboard when given to her - she will never take cardboard that hasn't been okay'd, and "other" bones. Bones like the hard Nylas (for heavy chewers) and of course, the edible Nylas. She was a much heavier chewer when she was younger, so we don't go through bones like we used to.

This "clear bone" is special - it has a name. She prefers to tug it, gum it and lick it. Don't ask, because I have no idea.

So if you inquire with her as to where her "clear bone" is, she will go and find it for you, bring it to you and ask you to play with it, or sit in front of you and gum it until it's all slimy, then spend 5 minutes licking it off with you observing (it's no fun if no one it watching). Can you just envision the pleasure in that?! Odd little dog - but that's what makes her entertaining, delightful, humorous and that's what makes good photos.

Random Sketch

Out of boredom, whilst sitting in the car on my lunch break. Car? You ask. Yes, my car is my lunch room, seeing as how there is no lunch room in the office, and seeing as how I need to get some real O2 into me after sitting in a cesspool of regurgitated CO2 for hours on end (as well as some possibly lethal printer fumes). My lunch time creation. Huh, for some reason that little dog keeps showing up in certain pieces, not sure why...

Can I win the lottery yet???

It is dreaded Monday, once again. Monday has to be the worst day of the week - the weekend is over, fun is over, my will to live is over, and I am required back at my "real" job once again to deal with an endless parade of, how shall I put it, "interesting" characters, and sadly, most days, I feel like the above image.

A mysterious quote I saw once rings very true at work: "The more people that I meet, the more I love my dog".

I suppose if I was serious about winning the lottery, I should really start buying some tickets. I don't think that they will every work their way to me without some sort of purchase or monetary transaction. Alas, I can never be bothered to stroll to the corner store and waste my money - though one day it may not be a waste, but one day for who though, that is the question.

So I am off, once again, to sit in my windowless cell for a week, slaving away until once again, the weekend appears, and I am free!

If portraits and dog training could sustain me, I'd be one happy woman - I'm still working on that. Perhaps one day that will be my "lottery win"...

Camera-ing

Just playing with different settings on the camera today (Canon Digital Rebel XT). Nothing professional to see here. Merely capturing my favorite subject just for fun on this, the 2nd day of spring, whilst patiently waiting for the weather to warm up. Favorite subject hates when I use the flash...I really don't blame her, you know, with the blindness and all. She's a good little sport about it though. None of the images are cropped or enhanced - just plain ol' right off the camera. The last image, however, was dry-brush filtered with Photoshop for sh!ts and giggles.

Watch for some pictures of Cayo Coco, Cuba to come within the next few weeks.

Lazy Little Dog

Granted she is still post-surgery, and she has been having some back issues (seems to be muscle related, perhaps over compensation after surgery - which we will be working on via massage and possibly chiropractic), but none-the-less, she's still lazy, and this seems to be her favorite position.

Completed...and given!

This piece was created as a gift for my sister and her new husband, who were just married last week in Cuba (March 4, 2009).

We agreed upon no gifts...but I had to do something. I wanted it to be inexpensive but different, something a little special. That's when I can up with the portrait idea and, well the rest is history.

The portrait is a 9"x12" graphite pencil created on Strathmore Bristol smooth 100lb stock, accentuated with a solid black wood frame.

They seemed extremely pleased to receive it, and I wish them the best of luck and love in their upcoming married years!

Ah yes, the spring rains, and April isn't even here yet. Actually, it's not raining today. It's nice and sunny, sounds like it's going to be warmer...around 7 celcius. It's odd when I'm looking forward to 7 degrees. Seems a bit sad really.

It did rain the other day however, and once again, I lacked my camera while driving across the wooden bridge that separates me from the creek that had over-flowed again. It's amazing to see water moving that fast while covering the banks and part of a small field. Not a day for hip waders I tell you. No sir.

Speaking of hip waders, that is the weather I'm really looking forward to. Fishing weather - not hard-core, die-hard fisherman weather, but sunbathing, relaxing, beer drinking fishing weather like this:

Shores of Rice Lake

But for now, I have to accept that it's not here yet, nor will it be for a while. So I must find the joy that I can out of the cool, rainy spring days and the weird cold spells in between. Sign...I'm trying to wait patiently...

I've know about the Terrier Man for sometime, I believe when I first became interested in Jack Russells. However, I only recently started to follow (and thoroughly enjoy) his blog.

Terrierman Blog

I love the way frank way he writes, and the thought provoking topics that he blogs about. Plus, well, I'm a huge fan of the JRT, and he seems to be as well.

Check out his blog, and his website and see for yourself. Always something interesting, thought provoking and entertaining.

Brandy ... ?

I sit here tonight, contemplating my little dog. I like to contemplate my little dog, well, because she's crazy. Crazy in a good way. Crazy and too smart for her own good.

There will NEVER be another Brandy. She is one of a kind, and I lucked out with my (actually my hubby's) $350 purchase. The best $350 we've ever spent. Hah! And they say money can't buy love! I beg to differ.

She really is like no other dog I've ever met. She can be extremely cat-like, independent, likes to hang out on her own, sleeps a lot (think she picked this up from her "dad") and basks in any sort of heat generating glow she can find...including the heat lamps on the chameleon cages.

I suppose the opposite to what a Jack Russell is suppose to be. But then, she is willing to work and overly enjoys it, is exceptionally easy to train (too easy if you ask me), extraordinarily driven (too extraordinary if you ask me) and has a memory like no one I've ever met!

Crazy enough, with all of her drives VERY well intact, she leaves the chameleons alone. Huh? A Jack Russell that leaves small animals alone? Odd. Yeah, odd, she'll sit right beside one, have a peak, turn her head away and carry on with what she was engaged in before the lizard rudely interrupted. But you throw a cat in our backyard, and all hell breaks loose, and she'd do a pretty good job of a rabbit if she ever caught one. But the CAT seems to be the #1 prey item for her. Oh scream, does she ever. So I'm safe if any burglarizing cat on a rampage decided to break in.

She is, in my opinion, the "perfect dog". Although, I'm sure that everyone out there owns the "perfect dog". She's my kind of perfect anyway.

I will now resume my silent contemplation of this amazing little bugger ... as she gives me dirty looks from her bed because tonight is her "night off"... still have to rest up that knee...

Another older piece, and one of my favorites, of course because it is my favorite subject. And what better way to capture my favorite subject in a painting, than with her favorite thing in the whole world - THE BALL!

I titled this acrylic piece "Me and My Ball". The BALL in question is a red rubber "Kong Ball", and if your dog is BALL crazy, I highly recommend these almost indestructible play-things.

The BALL seems to be like drugs to my little dog. It doesn't matter if the world is coming down around her, as long as she's got the BALL, all is well.

The odd time she will moan about the cupboard where it is kept, waiting somewhat impatiently, for the door to be opened so that the BALL can come out and play.

Her obsession has subsided slightly over the years, but if the BALL is revealed, all hell can and will break loose. We did, at one point, use it as a reward for a job well done in the agility ring. That went sour very quickly.

Brandy isn't stupid, nor is she a "let me please you, and you alone" kind of dog. So once she found out that the BALL was not on course with us, well, it just wasn't worth while for her to stay in the ring. Granted we've worked on this as a training issue, however, the BALL is no longer allowed at agility events.

But, the BALL makes her happy - a little too happy at times, but happy none the less, and it's amazing the kind of joy that she gets out of a simple little round, red, rubber object. Makes you stop and take a second to appreciate the small things in life. Not necessarily BALLS, I'll leave that for the dogs, but the other small things, that seem unimportant in the big picture of things, but should never be over looked for fear of missing out on something that could bring a little bit more joy into our days.

More Bees

It really does taste good, honey on toast. Haven't had it for years, so I'm really not sure what inspired this 8"x10" acrylic piece.

Bees with Honey

This is a piece from last year that I created ... yes, I have an odd imagination, but it entertains me. And, I like and admire bees, what can I say. They work so hard, and I can't fathom why you would even want to work that hard for your whole life. I'm still waiting to win the lottery.

I have a new piece on the go right now, another work in progress, however, can not post the progress as it is a gift for someone who may be lurking. So, I'm digging up some older pieces to display on here until the gift is complete.

Another Bee piece will follow tomorrow.