A Hopeful New Year
Latest News:
January 2025 brings Chinese (lunar) New Year and the year of the Snake, starting on the 29th. Specifically, the wooden snake, symbolizing renewal, transformation, and growth.
The illustration I’ve been working on this month reflects this with a group of happy, playful dogs, having a grand time on a spring afternoon in a park with a large wooden snake. They romp about, chasing one another around the snake, in front of a lovely backdrop of cherry blossoms and distant mountains.
Just bringing some fun, hopeful energy into the new year!
In The Studio:
As I wrap up the Lunar New Year illustration, and also another project (a cat portrait for a friend), I’m looking ahead to what the next painting might be.
I tend to get more ideas than I could possibly execute (a great problem to have, I know), so I’ve been putting idea reference images into a folder on my phone. With these, I’m looking forward to starting some fresh new ideas in the month ahead.
At Home:
Home life was stressful this month.
It started out well enough, my little man had his latest ophthalmology recheck, and the situation with his eyes (both lenses luxated, and glaucoma) is currently well controlled with medication and stable.
This news is always a relief.
But a few days later, he got terrible diarrhea and had to go to the ER vet, because it was the weekend.
I couldn’t let it go until Monday when the regular vet opened, especially at his age (about 14, maybe older).
The treatment stopped the diarrhea within hours…but then he vomited, and wouldn’t eat. So he went back to the ER. He got more fluids, tests, and medication for nausea. Again, treatment helped within hours, and with meals of chicken and rice, over the next week or so, his system found its balance again.
But as soon as he started feeling better, the Chihuahua vomited, and was reluctant to eat. I was able to coax her to eat with hand feeding, which I was grateful for because then I could keep fluids in her. And I already had a bunch of chicken and rice on hand. She was definitely under the weather, listless for a couple of days, but she started to improve quickly.
She managed to avoid a vet visit because she, also, got sick on the (following) weekend, but it didn’t warrant an emergency. She was much improved by that Monday.
I’m so grateful and relieved that they both seem to be back to their normal selves now!
Even once they were improving, I would jump up at the slightest noise in the night, panicked that one of them might be vomiting again…only to find them both sound asleep under the blanket and the sound I heard was a Chihuahua snoring.
Thankfully, my stress levels have diminished and I’m not so hyper vigilant anymore. Lol.
I hope that your month has been peaceful, with happy, healthy dogs and all the hope that a new year brings!
God bless!
Jennifer
