What Next?

Poor Robin the Good was found to be positive for anaplasmosis, one of the many lovely tick-borne diseases plaguing our outdoor adventures. Both Bob and I had noticed that our usually chipper Robin was a bit depressed and seemed under the weather; the blood test confirmed our suspicions. Robin was perscribed a two week course of antibioics (twice a day), which she willingly accepted for about a day and a half.

My first line of administration was tuck it into a blob of peanut butter (*1). Another day of two doses sucessfully taken... until Robin caught on and decided peanut butter was now to be avoided at all costs. I then purchased some extra smelly meat-like dog treats which proved effective for another day or so and then those treats were also found out to contain the dreaded pills. I wrapped the pills in a chunk of chicken skin... but ditto, as this too was found out and Robin then decided that I was trying to poison her. She began refusing food and even her beloved Kong (*2). I confess to resorting to cornering poor Robin and wedging the pills into her mouth (between all those lovely, pointy, sharp canine teeth). I then had to hold her mouth shut and message her throat until she swallowed. No one was happier than I when Robin finished her course of antibiotics; two weeks felt like two bloody years!

Imediately after completing her course of medication, Robin seemed her normal bumptious self. The first time I saw her skipping blithely across the lawn I was over joyed. She had recovered and all of my careful doctoring was rewarded. No one wants to see their beloved beast sick! But Robin then began presenting a weird new behavior...

We will never know if Robin's next manifestation of doggy quirk was somehow brought on by the illness or the pills or if it was simply a bizarre coincidence, but Robin began expressing what is called a "pseudo-pregnancy". (*3) She would pick up one of her stuffed toys- interstingly, only the two green vaguely "dog-ropromorfic" ones- and carry it around while squeaking and whinning in the most heart-breaking manner possible. She's retreat to the cave under our computer table and just look miserable. I began thinking, "Great! Now she's lost her marbles!"

(One of two of Robin's "puppies".) Fortunately, this stage has only lasted four days or so and Robin seems as normal as she ever does (*4). She has been eating, I seem to have been forgiven for attempting to poison her and she's walked past her two green puppies without a thought. It's good to have her back!

(*1) It does mystify me as to why dogs love peanut butter as much as they (rather universally) do. It resembles nothing else they eat and requires preparation in the form of grinding and putting it in a jar and labeling it. Weird.

(*2) A Kong, for those of you who are (unfortunatley) dog-less, is this molded rubber object (looks like some sort of sex toy) who's cavity is filled with dog treats, usually bound togther in a mortar of peanut butter; keeps them busy for a few minutes. Robin adores hers and will not start the day without one!

(*3) Believe it or not, this is a fairly common behavior in female dogs and cats- whether spayed or not. When we were growing up, we had a cat (I think it was Mazille) that took to meowing pitifully while carrying a mitten around in her mouth. I still remember her going up the cellar stairs with her mitten kitten, apparently looking for a safe spot.

(*4) Normal being relative. Robin the Good is a truly superior dog with a mind to match but she is a bit odd. She doesn't like car rides, she doesn't like walks, and she doesn't particularly care for other dogs. 

Lots to Do!!

 

Well this is a partial explanantion as to why I haven't had a minute to post a new blog. The siren song of gardening is calling with all its attendant demands on my time. You have to go to nurseries and garden centers (and local plant sales) to buy the plants with which to fill borders and containers. Then you have to keep them happy until you plant them. And you have to shuffle them from outdoors to indoors when there's danger of  freeze. Which there was! In May! And not early May! Lots of things I would have considered hardy got zapped: young leaves on a Tiger's Eye Sumac, many of the young shoots on the garpe vines, Casa Blanca lily stalks... pretty depressing! So every day, I lugged all those tender plants pictured above in and out of my studio... 

And as if that weren't enough to keep an actively gardening artist busy I also had two shows to prepare for. One show, "The NO Show" I actually helped plan/organize and "curate" against all my best instincts. I've always vowed to never avail myself to the other side of the artistic process as producing art shows can be a thankless and punishing process. But NO!! It's been great! Artist chosen were well-behaved and actually got their work to us and set up of the show went swimmingly. A pleasant surprise!! Thank you Jim (*1) and Megan!

Oh no! There's plants everywhere!! Even hiding under my studio table! Aaaaaauuughhh!!! Anyway, I was also asked to show at another space at the end of June so I had to clean up the studio to accomodate the curator- move over plant life!

(*1) The concept for The NO Show came about because our friend Jim was frequently bemoaning his inability to say NO to people who came to his shop with requests for repairs and the like. I kiddingly gave him the assignment to create a large NO out of metal and put it on the lawn in front of his studio. A few years passed with me periodically reminding him to make the damned NO. One day while visiting him, we started riffing on how saying NO was a good thing and how many of us artists say "YES" to donations and things we really didn't want to do... which led to The NO Show. It's a good way to liberate yourself from always saying yes.

 

April Showers Bring...

 

Weird alien life formers growing on a manure pile. Look at this charmer! Translucent with odd vein like things running over the surface... like an alien skull! The almost constant moisture we've experienced has erupted into myriad colorful and exotic mushrooms.

How about these frilly positively Baroque specimens? They look like the Flying Nuns head gear! They sprang up over night and this is on rather fresh manure... not even composted.

Look at this one! Appears to almost have testicles off to the right. This beauty is really lubricious; looks nasty and shiny.

Look at the sheer variety of forms. Not sure what any of these individuals are but my guess is the're pretty poisonous. And who wants to eat something off the manure pile!?!! (But after the natto, maybe eating this would be preferable...) (*1)

And then there's Bob's lunch! No, not plucked from the compost/manure pile but from spores installed in his mushroom logs. They love the damp weather!

(*1) That last mushroom seems maybe to be a "Shaggy Ink Cap" or Coprinus comatus. We looked in a book...