April Showers
Latest News:
There is one new print release this month, a light and airy Ethereal Galgo. She stands tall and graceful on a canvas of abstract color, that still feels a bit like a bright summer sky.
While prints are available, I’m thinking about putting this on a T-shirt or a coffee mug to see if I like it. I like the idea of my art on some practical product, even if it’s just for myself. Or maybe for a future charity auction donation, we’ll see.
In The Studio:
I’m still working my way through an online charcoal drawing class. It’s designed as a 9 week course and I was hoping to push through and finish it in less time, but I’m losing momentum. Daily life and chores pull me away and sap my energy. But I will persist. It’s a good course, with a lot to learn, and I really like seeing how the concepts are things that I can apply when working in other mediums, as well. Which is good, because my mind is being pulled beyond the black of charcoal, toward spring themed ideas, dogs in sunshine, with flowers, feeling like fresh air and new possibilities.
At Home:
After another re-check at the vet, we found that my sweet, handsome Podenco is not maintaining his protein levels properly after 1 month off of steroids. While this is not a huge surprise, it is a huge disappointment. And, boy, these setbacks just pull the rug out from under me emotionally. I know, logically, that managing a dog with PLE (protein-losing enteropathy) is going to have its ups and downs. It is not going to just improve and remain stable in a linear way, there’s going to be setbacks. But any time that there is anything less than perfect with one of my dogs, I just feel like a complete failure. Like I have let them down. Logically, I know that’s not true. He’s getting excellent care. We had to try getting him off the Prednisone due to the side effects (elevated liver enzymes). We are now trying a different steroid, one that typically has less side effects, less systemic action. It works more locally in the gut. So, now I pray that it works for him, and his proteins return to normal.
In the meantime, he seems to feel super! He’s happier off the Prednisone. He’s very bright and playful, full of mischief, as he should be.
Both dogs are happy that the weather is milder. It’s still quite cool most days and it rains a LOT, but mild temperatures and longer daylight means much more time to chase squirrels and birds in the yard, or even to just putter about with all the spring smells.
Thank you so much for being here, a part of this dog art journey. May you be blessed with sunny skies ahead!
XO
Jennifer