Basil Bea Dog has always loved two things in her life: her crate and her pillow(s). When we first got her she loved her pillows so much, she ate them. After having all the pillows in her life taken away, she learned to just love them by wearing them out. This whole wearing out the pillows is a lot less frustrating than when she would eat them.
Since moving to Alaska, she's gone through three pillows. She loves pillows the best when they are in her crate. Basil Bea arrived loving crates. She was crate trained and at first I though it a wee bit odd she would go into her crate when it was not time for bed or time for me to leave. She hung out in her crate, took naps and well....hung out in there a lot. When we lived in Chicago, we tried to keep her out of the crate, mostly because she seemed to antisocial if she was always out in the cold greenhouse. So I bought her two pillows and kept one in the family room, where each night at 7 pm, she'd give us her rendition of a drunken sailor.
Since we've arrived in Alaska, I just let her hang out in her crate. I figure if she wants to be in there, she can be in there. It keeps her fur in one spot. And she doesn't bark as much if she's always hanging out in her crate.
Recently I got her a new pillow, because the other one I got had become rather misshapen from liviing in the crate. It had a Basil shaped hole in it and I figured she was hanging out on the plastic, as the stuffing was pushed out. She was really excited when I produced the new one, her whole body was shaking. She loved it.
Till today.
I am not sure what happened. This morning she began pawing at the bed. Then I left her in it when I left. At some point today she began to hang out on her old pillow (the misshapen one). Tonight, when I came up for bed, she was in the sewing room, on the old pillow. I am in the bedroom and she's not in her crate. I'm pretty sure she will spend the night on the dodgy pillow.
Crazy puppy.
05 July 2010
01 July 2010
let the sun shine down
Today, it was sunny. Thank god. Even though I had a minor sinus headache almost all day, it wasn't so bad due to the fact the sun was out.
Basil Bea was happy.
We even went outside to play. Then she drank water to fast and threw up.
The major highlight of the day was setting up the wireless router. My father, located three time zones behind me, aided in this endeavor. After three hours, and many reboots later, I am wire free for the time being. We will see how long this lasts. Last wireless router I bought was faulty and never worked wireless. It worked as a router. But I was always wired in. So far today I've totted the laptop to three different rooms and it was not nice having a 90 foot cord following after me. Now, in the winter when I am freezing, I can move to the room that is the warmest in the house.
I posted a new purse today (irelandscott.etsy.com). It is wonderful and a Teagan tote. I've been trying to figure out which purses I should make more of. Hobo bags seem to be rather popular. In the winter, the Hillhead Satchel sold well too. I want to create a new style. I did see one on "Glee" tonight that I think I could swing making. Its kinda funny, I see handbags now and I see patterns I can make. I made a clutch today, still not up to the standards I want...but I'll try to sell it anyways, as its got a lot in it. Plus, I bet its just me being hard on myself. I'm almost done with the batch I want to make to send R for the fest she's going to in September. She offered to hawk them in her booth for me. I doubt any will sell, but hey, I gotta get my name out there some how right? I'm thinking of getting some MOO cards printed up as coupons. Or just printing some out on my own now that I've got the printer working.
Dude, I could make the printer wireless!
Tomorrow I plan to run all the errands I've been putting off all week. (OMG, the week is like gone...) I hate going out in the weekends around here, with all the various roads that are closed/congested/etc. Its just safer to remain in the house on the weekends.
I'll sew and make new purses. The purse I was most proud of turned out to have a little iron boo boo on it, so now I can't sell it. I guess I'll carry it. Its really cute.
Basil Bea was happy.
We even went outside to play. Then she drank water to fast and threw up.The major highlight of the day was setting up the wireless router. My father, located three time zones behind me, aided in this endeavor. After three hours, and many reboots later, I am wire free for the time being. We will see how long this lasts. Last wireless router I bought was faulty and never worked wireless. It worked as a router. But I was always wired in. So far today I've totted the laptop to three different rooms and it was not nice having a 90 foot cord following after me. Now, in the winter when I am freezing, I can move to the room that is the warmest in the house.
I posted a new purse today (irelandscott.etsy.com). It is wonderful and a Teagan tote. I've been trying to figure out which purses I should make more of. Hobo bags seem to be rather popular. In the winter, the Hillhead Satchel sold well too. I want to create a new style. I did see one on "Glee" tonight that I think I could swing making. Its kinda funny, I see handbags now and I see patterns I can make. I made a clutch today, still not up to the standards I want...but I'll try to sell it anyways, as its got a lot in it. Plus, I bet its just me being hard on myself. I'm almost done with the batch I want to make to send R for the fest she's going to in September. She offered to hawk them in her booth for me. I doubt any will sell, but hey, I gotta get my name out there some how right? I'm thinking of getting some MOO cards printed up as coupons. Or just printing some out on my own now that I've got the printer working.
Dude, I could make the printer wireless!
Tomorrow I plan to run all the errands I've been putting off all week. (OMG, the week is like gone...) I hate going out in the weekends around here, with all the various roads that are closed/congested/etc. Its just safer to remain in the house on the weekends.
I'll sew and make new purses. The purse I was most proud of turned out to have a little iron boo boo on it, so now I can't sell it. I guess I'll carry it. Its really cute.
28 June 2010
Gloomy weather coming at ya
for the past few days its been rather gloomy here. Currently, it is 57 degrees outside and not much warmer in the house. Instead of turning the heat on, I put more clothes on. I am dressed...for winter. I am serious. I am wearing my ski socks, a sweater and jeans. A very familiar outfit, as I wore it a lot during the winter. I had a sweater jacket on till Basil Bea spilled tea on me. I am not sure why she felt the need to do this, but she really wanted the tea and nothing but me getting angry stopped her.
Anyways, I am freezing. My fingers are frozen and I feel so lackadaisical. I want nothing more than to curl up in bed and watch "Doctor Who" till the sun shines again. I had to force myself to go buy milk and I managed not to buy too much junk when I was at the store.
Basil is staring at me.
Purse making has been going very slowly as of late. Nothing seems to be going right. I broke a needle again and now don't have the right needle for sewing. I think that is part of my issue, I need to buy new needles.
My mom sent me a box today. It was full of random objects she had found while cleaning out my grandma's belongings. I have two full manicure kits now, plus a piece of paper I wrote my name all over when I was in kindergarten. Least to say, I did not know how to spell my name, nor did I write the letters the right way. For some unknown reason, my grandma felt the need to save this piece of paper and my attempts to write my name. It is a wee bit odd, as it was in a bunch of stuff that was mine. Like letters and stuff that were mine. From her, but she had sent them to me. I know for a fact she never sent me a random post it I wrote my name on. Or tried to write my name.
I wonder how I will survive the winter here? A few days of clouds and I'm all cloudy and cold. It was hard to get me out of bed this morning because the room was so cold and the bed was so warm.
I FINALLY got to see "Bourne Ultimatum" today. I tapped it off of USA when they ran it without commercials on Sunday. I love the Bourne series. Usually I cannot stand to watch Matt Damon because he looks like an ex-boyfriend I had long ago, but in the Bourne series he doesn't have the right hair, so he just looks like Matt Damon, thank god...till they show that stupid picture the CIA uses of him. I can't stand that picture, but I digress. I love those movies, which aren't my usually taste in movies. I think it was one of those movies C rented off of Netflix when we were in college. I cannot for the life of me remember why she got it, but I do remember after watching it, I was in love with it. I bought the DVD. I bought the next one without any thought or seeing it. I thought it'd be one of those movies Pilot Boy and I could watch together, as we have very different tastes in movies. (He didn't care for it, even though it has all the things he enjoys in movies.) Anyways, I've been waiting for years to buy the Ultimatum. Years, I say, because I didn't want to pay 20 bucks for it. It always was 20 or above when I'd see it at stores. Then, it vanished from stores. I haven't seen it for awhile and had actually forgotten about it. Till I saw an ad for it when I was watching something else on USA. So I taped it and finally watched it today. I think the third one was pretty damn good. I realized there was not much dialogue in the movie. A lot of running and shooting and fighting and a car chase. However, I did find it highly amusing. I am not sure if they meant it to be funny, but I found it amusing.
I also have been watching a lot of old movies. Yesterday I watched "Bringing Up Baby" with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. It was HILARIOUS at parts and kinda slow at others. I think my favorite part was when they were eating dinner at the aunts house and Cary Grant's character was paying total attention to the dog, George, and was stalking George. he'd just following him around and out of the house in mid-conversation. I was laughing pretty hard.
I have also come to the conclusion I like Matt Smith's Doctor. I was a wee bit iffy at first, as I was one of those people who discovered Who only due to David Tennant and his crazy hair. I was a little upset when they cast Matt Smith, but after getting this far into the season, I have realized I like him. Quite a bit actually. I mean, he's no David Tennant, but there is a lot less spitting now. Also, this doctor doesn't seem to get upset as often. I am totally fascinated by the crack in the wall thing too. I went and bought the iTunes season pass for the 5th season. Mostly so I could watch them on my own time and not have to fast forward through the commericals and nit pick.
Anyways, for some unknown reason its brighter outside than its been all day. It is almost seven pm. I almost want to just go to bed and be done with the day. I hate Mondays and I have no reason to hate Mondays because its just another day in my world.
Anyways, I am freezing. My fingers are frozen and I feel so lackadaisical. I want nothing more than to curl up in bed and watch "Doctor Who" till the sun shines again. I had to force myself to go buy milk and I managed not to buy too much junk when I was at the store.
Basil is staring at me.
Purse making has been going very slowly as of late. Nothing seems to be going right. I broke a needle again and now don't have the right needle for sewing. I think that is part of my issue, I need to buy new needles.
My mom sent me a box today. It was full of random objects she had found while cleaning out my grandma's belongings. I have two full manicure kits now, plus a piece of paper I wrote my name all over when I was in kindergarten. Least to say, I did not know how to spell my name, nor did I write the letters the right way. For some unknown reason, my grandma felt the need to save this piece of paper and my attempts to write my name. It is a wee bit odd, as it was in a bunch of stuff that was mine. Like letters and stuff that were mine. From her, but she had sent them to me. I know for a fact she never sent me a random post it I wrote my name on. Or tried to write my name.
I wonder how I will survive the winter here? A few days of clouds and I'm all cloudy and cold. It was hard to get me out of bed this morning because the room was so cold and the bed was so warm.
I FINALLY got to see "Bourne Ultimatum" today. I tapped it off of USA when they ran it without commercials on Sunday. I love the Bourne series. Usually I cannot stand to watch Matt Damon because he looks like an ex-boyfriend I had long ago, but in the Bourne series he doesn't have the right hair, so he just looks like Matt Damon, thank god...till they show that stupid picture the CIA uses of him. I can't stand that picture, but I digress. I love those movies, which aren't my usually taste in movies. I think it was one of those movies C rented off of Netflix when we were in college. I cannot for the life of me remember why she got it, but I do remember after watching it, I was in love with it. I bought the DVD. I bought the next one without any thought or seeing it. I thought it'd be one of those movies Pilot Boy and I could watch together, as we have very different tastes in movies. (He didn't care for it, even though it has all the things he enjoys in movies.) Anyways, I've been waiting for years to buy the Ultimatum. Years, I say, because I didn't want to pay 20 bucks for it. It always was 20 or above when I'd see it at stores. Then, it vanished from stores. I haven't seen it for awhile and had actually forgotten about it. Till I saw an ad for it when I was watching something else on USA. So I taped it and finally watched it today. I think the third one was pretty damn good. I realized there was not much dialogue in the movie. A lot of running and shooting and fighting and a car chase. However, I did find it highly amusing. I am not sure if they meant it to be funny, but I found it amusing.
I also have been watching a lot of old movies. Yesterday I watched "Bringing Up Baby" with Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. It was HILARIOUS at parts and kinda slow at others. I think my favorite part was when they were eating dinner at the aunts house and Cary Grant's character was paying total attention to the dog, George, and was stalking George. he'd just following him around and out of the house in mid-conversation. I was laughing pretty hard.
I have also come to the conclusion I like Matt Smith's Doctor. I was a wee bit iffy at first, as I was one of those people who discovered Who only due to David Tennant and his crazy hair. I was a little upset when they cast Matt Smith, but after getting this far into the season, I have realized I like him. Quite a bit actually. I mean, he's no David Tennant, but there is a lot less spitting now. Also, this doctor doesn't seem to get upset as often. I am totally fascinated by the crack in the wall thing too. I went and bought the iTunes season pass for the 5th season. Mostly so I could watch them on my own time and not have to fast forward through the commericals and nit pick.
Anyways, for some unknown reason its brighter outside than its been all day. It is almost seven pm. I almost want to just go to bed and be done with the day. I hate Mondays and I have no reason to hate Mondays because its just another day in my world.
21 June 2010
In the Land of Midnight Sun
Its cloudy.
It is the longest day of the year and it is CLOUDY.It was brilliantly sunny all day. I woke up at 5 am this morning and thought it was 9 am.
But, not it is cloudy. No sun. There is just something wrong with that. One's first Alaskan first day of summer is supposed to be sunny.
Instead I get this:
Not the best picture, but at least you can see the camera in the window.
Oh well. The sun just stayed out long enough to heat my house up, though now that it is gone, the air should cool down so I can blow some cold in before I go to bed.
Living here in the summer is just odd. I'm not sure how to really explain it, but you never know what time it is, because the sun never sets and it always looks like the middle of the day most of the day. I did not fully understand this till I went six hours without a clock. I was in a building for 6 hours without a clock and when I left I thought it was maybe nine pm at night. I got in the car and it was almost midnight. MIDNIGHT.
After our heat wave (when I last updated) it cooled down a lot and I had to TURN ON THE HEAT. It was a few days before I realized I was freezing to death in my own home. In June.
Today, I got a logo for Ireland Scott Designs. It hit me rather randomly (like most things) while I was looking at stamps. I was searching for a purse stamp to add to the business cards I got for free off of Moo when I saw it: a Scottie stamp. A DOG! It was perfect. So I added the stamp to the business cards and then the new labels I made. Then I revamped all the other images. I, however, never did finish the purse I have been attempting to finish for the past two days. I was going to do it tonight, thinking the sun would be at full force until at least 11, but alas, it is not because it is cloudy.
I sat with the shade closed all day to keep the heat out of the room, and now I open it for some light and all I get is a cloudy sky. Oi. There, some sunlight over that way. I know that sun is still out.
It is the longest day of the year and it is CLOUDY.It was brilliantly sunny all day. I woke up at 5 am this morning and thought it was 9 am.
But, not it is cloudy. No sun. There is just something wrong with that. One's first Alaskan first day of summer is supposed to be sunny.
Instead I get this:
Not the best picture, but at least you can see the camera in the window.Oh well. The sun just stayed out long enough to heat my house up, though now that it is gone, the air should cool down so I can blow some cold in before I go to bed.
Living here in the summer is just odd. I'm not sure how to really explain it, but you never know what time it is, because the sun never sets and it always looks like the middle of the day most of the day. I did not fully understand this till I went six hours without a clock. I was in a building for 6 hours without a clock and when I left I thought it was maybe nine pm at night. I got in the car and it was almost midnight. MIDNIGHT.
After our heat wave (when I last updated) it cooled down a lot and I had to TURN ON THE HEAT. It was a few days before I realized I was freezing to death in my own home. In June.
Today, I got a logo for Ireland Scott Designs. It hit me rather randomly (like most things) while I was looking at stamps. I was searching for a purse stamp to add to the business cards I got for free off of Moo when I saw it: a Scottie stamp. A DOG! It was perfect. So I added the stamp to the business cards and then the new labels I made. Then I revamped all the other images. I, however, never did finish the purse I have been attempting to finish for the past two days. I was going to do it tonight, thinking the sun would be at full force until at least 11, but alas, it is not because it is cloudy.
I sat with the shade closed all day to keep the heat out of the room, and now I open it for some light and all I get is a cloudy sky. Oi. There, some sunlight over that way. I know that sun is still out.
02 June 2010
Baking in Alaska
A heat wave has hit Alaska, and Basil Bea and I have been baking in our own home, which does not have a/c, because who needs a/c in Alaska? Well, the sun is totally intense, so I have been shut into the house for almost a week now. Yesterday it finally rained and was cool enough for me to really get to work in the sewing room. In a few days I will go out and buy a new camera, so new purses will begin to appear in the shop.
I have been working on clutches. Yesterday's did not go too well. I wanted to make a small draw string bag like the one the tank tops I ordered from Victoria Secret came in. The first two tries did not work in the least, so today I might try again or just work on purses I know will work. I still have to figure out where to take pictures. Now that I am in my own home, I can use the wonderful kitchen table again. Though, I am totally in love with the purple wall in the sewing room. Not sure where to use the purple wall, as the sewing room is always a mess. Total mess.
Well, that is all. The dog and I just went for a walk and I did some yoga. I am starving but its only 11 am. For some odd reason I feel that is too early to eat lunch.
I have been working on clutches. Yesterday's did not go too well. I wanted to make a small draw string bag like the one the tank tops I ordered from Victoria Secret came in. The first two tries did not work in the least, so today I might try again or just work on purses I know will work. I still have to figure out where to take pictures. Now that I am in my own home, I can use the wonderful kitchen table again. Though, I am totally in love with the purple wall in the sewing room. Not sure where to use the purple wall, as the sewing room is always a mess. Total mess.
Well, that is all. The dog and I just went for a walk and I did some yoga. I am starving but its only 11 am. For some odd reason I feel that is too early to eat lunch.
23 May 2010
Fell again on the updating....
The past two weeks have been a roller coaster ride with me, and my work on my shop has suffered greatly. I thought by now I'd be rolling out the purses like I did once I got set up on Chicago, but alas, not so much here. There has just been so much going on, by the time I have a moment to work on purses, I'm totally wiped out. Today was a perfect day, but I could hardly keep my eyes open.
Summer sun is here full force. It is so odd when its ten pm and I am wearing sunglasses. I was in Chicago for a week, last week, and it was dark to the point of needing a light by 8 pm. It is now 8 pm and it looks like about three pm.
Summer sun is here full force. It is so odd when its ten pm and I am wearing sunglasses. I was in Chicago for a week, last week, and it was dark to the point of needing a light by 8 pm. It is now 8 pm and it looks like about three pm.
07 May 2010
Allergic to Cockroaches
Today, I went to the allergist. I have been having massive sinus headaches for years now and it has gotten to be too much. So, the doctor and I figured we should figure out what I am allergic to, so I went to see a different doctor.
I'm allergic to mold and cockroaches. Two things that aren't really prevalent in Alaska.
They tested me for 45 things, and I only really reacted to mold. My reaction to cockroaches was minor, while the mold was major. So, seeing I am not allergic to anything "out of the ordinary" the doctor figures I need a cat scan to figure out my sinus issues.
The shop is reopen and getting hits. I finally finished making a purse and tried my hand at making my own labels. The first batch didn't go too well. I need some liquid seam stuff. I left my bottle at my parents house.
This has been the longest week known to man.
I do not understand twitter. I'd leave if I didn't print it on my business cards. Oh well.
Well, I guess I should go let the dog inside. She's outside in all her glory. She's no longer afraid the back yard. She got bit by a icky bug and was rather timid about the whole back yard for awhile. She seems to have forgotten about it.
I'm allergic to mold and cockroaches. Two things that aren't really prevalent in Alaska.
They tested me for 45 things, and I only really reacted to mold. My reaction to cockroaches was minor, while the mold was major. So, seeing I am not allergic to anything "out of the ordinary" the doctor figures I need a cat scan to figure out my sinus issues.
The shop is reopen and getting hits. I finally finished making a purse and tried my hand at making my own labels. The first batch didn't go too well. I need some liquid seam stuff. I left my bottle at my parents house.
This has been the longest week known to man.
I do not understand twitter. I'd leave if I didn't print it on my business cards. Oh well.
Well, I guess I should go let the dog inside. She's outside in all her glory. She's no longer afraid the back yard. She got bit by a icky bug and was rather timid about the whole back yard for awhile. She seems to have forgotten about it.
27 April 2010
A true Spring Day
Today, it really feels like spring. It even smells like spring out there. At about 10.30 am I let Basil Bea outside and she promptly started sunbathing on the deck. So I decided that maybe today would be a good day to go on a big walk.
I have been putting off taking Basil Bea for a long walk down the street because of the mess. It was a combination of dust, mud, melting snow, and garbage. Basil was always a dirty, wet mess when we'd get home from the short walks around the block I'd take her on. But, today I figured the snow was mostly gone, the "Spring Clean Up" has been going on for awhile now (do not get me started on how stupid it is the town has to "clean itself up" for the tourists) so I figured it'd be safe.
IT was WONDERFUL out there. The sun was bright, the garbage wasn't too bad and most of the snow along the road is gone and melted away, so Basil Bea remained dry. I totally enjoyed our walk down the road and back.
I have been thinking about buying some toning shoes to talk Basil Bea walking. I really like the idea of the Reebok ones. Maybe tomorrow or this afternoon, I'll venture to get them. I don't know. I haven't decided yet.
In other news, I still have not gotten that stupid piece of paper to reopen the shop. April is almost over. The longer it takes, the less motivated I am to do anything about it. I figured today, I'd tape the living room off and start painting it. It is a huge wall and I haven't touch it since Thursday when Basil showed up doing her impersonation of a balloon.
I have been putting off taking Basil Bea for a long walk down the street because of the mess. It was a combination of dust, mud, melting snow, and garbage. Basil was always a dirty, wet mess when we'd get home from the short walks around the block I'd take her on. But, today I figured the snow was mostly gone, the "Spring Clean Up" has been going on for awhile now (do not get me started on how stupid it is the town has to "clean itself up" for the tourists) so I figured it'd be safe.
IT was WONDERFUL out there. The sun was bright, the garbage wasn't too bad and most of the snow along the road is gone and melted away, so Basil Bea remained dry. I totally enjoyed our walk down the road and back.
I have been thinking about buying some toning shoes to talk Basil Bea walking. I really like the idea of the Reebok ones. Maybe tomorrow or this afternoon, I'll venture to get them. I don't know. I haven't decided yet.
In other news, I still have not gotten that stupid piece of paper to reopen the shop. April is almost over. The longer it takes, the less motivated I am to do anything about it. I figured today, I'd tape the living room off and start painting it. It is a huge wall and I haven't touch it since Thursday when Basil showed up doing her impersonation of a balloon.
25 April 2010
Balloon Puppy
Thursday was a pretty boring day. I planned on not leaving the house, so I was just sort of a hot mess. I did not actually do anything productive other than stuff some pillows and start to tape a wall off for painting. I was exhausted, but not sure why. However, my day went from boring to scary in a matter of minutes.
I was sitting in the living room taping the wall when Basil came and sat down next to me. She had just returned from an adventure outside a few minutes before, so I ignored her, as she seemed to want to go out yet again. I figured, it being roughly three in the afternoon, she was just being pesky. Yet, something was not right. So I started talking to her and then I looked at her.
She looked funny. She was just sitting there. She wasn't shoving her head in my way or getting in my way, she was just sitting there. Usually when I talk to her she actively listens, she was just sitting there staring at me. And she looked funny. She looked like she was lumpy in her face. I began to pet her head and stare at her. I tried to touch the spots that were lumpy, but she kept moving. I took her head in my hands and stared at her and realized she was swelling up before my eyes. The lumps were getting bigger by the second. Her snout suddenly looked like she had a golf ball in the side of her mouth.
And so I freaked out. I leaped up and ran like a mad woman into the kitchen, cursing the drawer that sticks. The drawer flew open and everything flew out of the drawer. It took me a few minutes to find the sheet of phone numbers the spouses had given me a while ago with suggestions. They only had two vet numbers listened, one was in Eagle River and neither was the one I wanted.
At this point Basil began to jump on the back door and make muttering noises. She also kept staring at me, getting larger and larger. I found the number for the vet I wanted and called, while staring at the ever swelling Basil. I found out they had no appointments till Monday, but that I could take Basil to an emergency vet.
Emergency vet? A pet ER? Sure, give me that number.
Before I called, I put Basil outside, because she was having a royal hissy fit while I was on the phone. The lady at the vet figured she was having an allergic reaction to something. She was prompt to blame Basil's new bag of food. I called the ER, and they said basically the same thing and bring her in and they'd give her something to stop the swelling.
I dragged Basil inside. She had been rolling around in the snow face first since I had put her out. I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get Basil and myself in a state to leave the house. I basically threw shoes and a coat on and grabbed Basil leash and records (just in case). The latest snow storm was going on at that exact moment and it was also 3.30 in Anchorage. This meant I fit right in as I drove like a crazy person across town to the pet ER. Basil was perfectly silent on the way over. She looked horrible by the time I got her into the car. She looked like she had been beat up. She had huge lumps above her left eye and her left side of her snout was huge, and her right side was getting going. She also had a few other random lumps forming above her right eye.
I managed to get to the pet ER in one piece and got Basil out of the car, past the random barking dogs in a truck and into the vet. It was deserted. Seriously, no one was in this place. Basil was greeted by a random dog before a person showed up. When the person did show up, right away she said it was an allergic reaction and the vet would give her a shot of Benedryl to make the swelling go down. We had a fight with Basil to get her on the scale (I am not sure when Basil concluded the scale was evil) and found Basil had gained a pound since she left Illinois. After that, we went into the exam room and a vet tech came in.
He took Basil's temp (which went better than the last time she had that done to her) and asked me a million questions. He wanted to blame the paint (I had no paint out when she started swelling) he wanted to blame her food (which she had eaten almost 8 hours ago?) he wanted to blame the new house (which she had lived in for a month?) he wanted to blame anything I had done to her except let her outside.
Then he left. And I realized I was sweating through my shirt and I had to pee like no other. We sat in the room for almost a half hour before the vet showed up.
The vet marveled at Basil's cute name. We had a conversation on why we'd named Basil so and how names get stigmatized. She seemed to think Basil brought hippies to mind, while I didn't voice the fact when I thought of Basil I thought of a British butler. She didn't ask me many questions, but said who knows why dog's have allergic reactions. She thought Basil was adorable and seemed to fall in love with my dog. When she found out Basil was a lower 48 dog, she seemed even more fascinated by Basil's reaction. She admitted it might have been her trip to the outside that had caused the reaction. Spring was attempting to break out, so something might have popped up and she had gotten into it.
The vet left, another vet tech appeared a short while later to take Basil to get her shot. After the vet left, I noticed a huge lump on Basil's neck, which seemed to be covered in dried blood. Right in her usual spot where she scratches. I mentioned it to the vet tech and the vet tech said she's tell the vet. Basil left, then returned, wagging her tail and having her perky ears on.
This is important, as she had not been wearing her perky ears since her swelling had began. She was still panting up a storm, but her perky ears were on. The vet tech said they'd also given her a steroid shot to help with the swelling.
I took Basil out, paid 100 dollars and left. Basil was her normal self on the ride home. By the time we got home, she looked better. She still was swollen, but not as much as she had been. Pilot Boy was home when we arrived, so Basil's day was even better now. She ran into the house, greeted Pilot Boy, drank down all her water and then threw it up. (She does this when she drinks water too fast.) I finally peed and changed out of my sweat drenched shirt (it was like 100 degrees in the office and I never took off my coat.) By the time we had gotten done at the ER, the snow had stopped and the sun had come out.
I let Basil outside shortly after she had finally gotten some water down. She sat on the porch the whole time. She refused to leave. I let her back in. Later, before bed, she left the deck, did her business and came right back. The next morning, I noticed she would not leave the snow area. I concluded she must have gotten into something in the melted area of the yard. Her swelling had gone down within three hours, like they had said it would, and she looked like her normal self the next morning. I worried every time I let her out, she'd get into the same thing again, but she seemed not willing to venture out into the yard much.
It was evening when I discovered the dead bug on her. She was sitting in her chair by the big window in the living room. Pilot Boy had put it there for her so she could look out. I was petting her and remembered the blood caked area on her neck. I looked. I pulled her fur back and searched and thought the thing I thought was a scab looked like a bug.
"Is this a bug?" I asked Pilot Boy.
"No, its a scab," he said, barely looking.
I kept looking at it, pulling away more fur till I was sure it had legs. Scabs do not have legs.
"I think its a bug!" I screamed.
Pilot Boy looked again, "I think you're right."
He got some tweezers and pulled it off of her. It was dead. It had been dead since I think it bit her, because it was dead when I found it at the vet and thought it was dried blood. It was a brown bug with some legs. Some sort of tick, I guess. I freaked out all over again, blaming myself for not buying her the most expensive flea/tick treatment one can buy. Her swelling was a tell tail sign of a bug bite, yet NO ONE thought of that, even thought I told them she had just BEEN OUTSIDE. Why? Because it is still WINTER HERE. The ground is still pretty frozen in places. But, when it began to melt, I put the treatment on her. It said it was also for ticks. I will just have to watch her to make sure she's okay. She seems okay. She has been totally normal since the whole thing. Yesterday she even ventured further into the yard. No running around, but she is venturing out again. Pilot Boy told me not to worry, but of course I do worry. She is my puppy.
Right now she's in her crate sleeping because I got her up too early. We also forgot to lock her crate last night, so she went for a night time stroll. Pilot Boy woke me up and asked, "Did we lock her crate last night?"
"I didn't. Didn't you?"
"No. I think your dog just went for a nighttime stroll."
"Is she downstairs?"
"No, she just went back to bed, I think. I'll go see."
He left, I heard the crate shut and he returned. "Yeah, she was in there. Rolled up in her ball."
At least she didn't go on a barking stroll like she did when we were in Chicago and my parents didn't lock her crate. Her nighttime strolls to her other bed were cute, barking all over the house at 2 am, not so much.
I was sitting in the living room taping the wall when Basil came and sat down next to me. She had just returned from an adventure outside a few minutes before, so I ignored her, as she seemed to want to go out yet again. I figured, it being roughly three in the afternoon, she was just being pesky. Yet, something was not right. So I started talking to her and then I looked at her.
She looked funny. She was just sitting there. She wasn't shoving her head in my way or getting in my way, she was just sitting there. Usually when I talk to her she actively listens, she was just sitting there staring at me. And she looked funny. She looked like she was lumpy in her face. I began to pet her head and stare at her. I tried to touch the spots that were lumpy, but she kept moving. I took her head in my hands and stared at her and realized she was swelling up before my eyes. The lumps were getting bigger by the second. Her snout suddenly looked like she had a golf ball in the side of her mouth.
And so I freaked out. I leaped up and ran like a mad woman into the kitchen, cursing the drawer that sticks. The drawer flew open and everything flew out of the drawer. It took me a few minutes to find the sheet of phone numbers the spouses had given me a while ago with suggestions. They only had two vet numbers listened, one was in Eagle River and neither was the one I wanted.
At this point Basil began to jump on the back door and make muttering noises. She also kept staring at me, getting larger and larger. I found the number for the vet I wanted and called, while staring at the ever swelling Basil. I found out they had no appointments till Monday, but that I could take Basil to an emergency vet.
Emergency vet? A pet ER? Sure, give me that number.
Before I called, I put Basil outside, because she was having a royal hissy fit while I was on the phone. The lady at the vet figured she was having an allergic reaction to something. She was prompt to blame Basil's new bag of food. I called the ER, and they said basically the same thing and bring her in and they'd give her something to stop the swelling.
I dragged Basil inside. She had been rolling around in the snow face first since I had put her out. I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get Basil and myself in a state to leave the house. I basically threw shoes and a coat on and grabbed Basil leash and records (just in case). The latest snow storm was going on at that exact moment and it was also 3.30 in Anchorage. This meant I fit right in as I drove like a crazy person across town to the pet ER. Basil was perfectly silent on the way over. She looked horrible by the time I got her into the car. She looked like she had been beat up. She had huge lumps above her left eye and her left side of her snout was huge, and her right side was getting going. She also had a few other random lumps forming above her right eye.
I managed to get to the pet ER in one piece and got Basil out of the car, past the random barking dogs in a truck and into the vet. It was deserted. Seriously, no one was in this place. Basil was greeted by a random dog before a person showed up. When the person did show up, right away she said it was an allergic reaction and the vet would give her a shot of Benedryl to make the swelling go down. We had a fight with Basil to get her on the scale (I am not sure when Basil concluded the scale was evil) and found Basil had gained a pound since she left Illinois. After that, we went into the exam room and a vet tech came in.
He took Basil's temp (which went better than the last time she had that done to her) and asked me a million questions. He wanted to blame the paint (I had no paint out when she started swelling) he wanted to blame her food (which she had eaten almost 8 hours ago?) he wanted to blame the new house (which she had lived in for a month?) he wanted to blame anything I had done to her except let her outside.
Then he left. And I realized I was sweating through my shirt and I had to pee like no other. We sat in the room for almost a half hour before the vet showed up.
The vet marveled at Basil's cute name. We had a conversation on why we'd named Basil so and how names get stigmatized. She seemed to think Basil brought hippies to mind, while I didn't voice the fact when I thought of Basil I thought of a British butler. She didn't ask me many questions, but said who knows why dog's have allergic reactions. She thought Basil was adorable and seemed to fall in love with my dog. When she found out Basil was a lower 48 dog, she seemed even more fascinated by Basil's reaction. She admitted it might have been her trip to the outside that had caused the reaction. Spring was attempting to break out, so something might have popped up and she had gotten into it.
The vet left, another vet tech appeared a short while later to take Basil to get her shot. After the vet left, I noticed a huge lump on Basil's neck, which seemed to be covered in dried blood. Right in her usual spot where she scratches. I mentioned it to the vet tech and the vet tech said she's tell the vet. Basil left, then returned, wagging her tail and having her perky ears on.
This is important, as she had not been wearing her perky ears since her swelling had began. She was still panting up a storm, but her perky ears were on. The vet tech said they'd also given her a steroid shot to help with the swelling.
I took Basil out, paid 100 dollars and left. Basil was her normal self on the ride home. By the time we got home, she looked better. She still was swollen, but not as much as she had been. Pilot Boy was home when we arrived, so Basil's day was even better now. She ran into the house, greeted Pilot Boy, drank down all her water and then threw it up. (She does this when she drinks water too fast.) I finally peed and changed out of my sweat drenched shirt (it was like 100 degrees in the office and I never took off my coat.) By the time we had gotten done at the ER, the snow had stopped and the sun had come out.
I let Basil outside shortly after she had finally gotten some water down. She sat on the porch the whole time. She refused to leave. I let her back in. Later, before bed, she left the deck, did her business and came right back. The next morning, I noticed she would not leave the snow area. I concluded she must have gotten into something in the melted area of the yard. Her swelling had gone down within three hours, like they had said it would, and she looked like her normal self the next morning. I worried every time I let her out, she'd get into the same thing again, but she seemed not willing to venture out into the yard much.
It was evening when I discovered the dead bug on her. She was sitting in her chair by the big window in the living room. Pilot Boy had put it there for her so she could look out. I was petting her and remembered the blood caked area on her neck. I looked. I pulled her fur back and searched and thought the thing I thought was a scab looked like a bug.
"Is this a bug?" I asked Pilot Boy.
"No, its a scab," he said, barely looking.
I kept looking at it, pulling away more fur till I was sure it had legs. Scabs do not have legs.
"I think its a bug!" I screamed.
Pilot Boy looked again, "I think you're right."
He got some tweezers and pulled it off of her. It was dead. It had been dead since I think it bit her, because it was dead when I found it at the vet and thought it was dried blood. It was a brown bug with some legs. Some sort of tick, I guess. I freaked out all over again, blaming myself for not buying her the most expensive flea/tick treatment one can buy. Her swelling was a tell tail sign of a bug bite, yet NO ONE thought of that, even thought I told them she had just BEEN OUTSIDE. Why? Because it is still WINTER HERE. The ground is still pretty frozen in places. But, when it began to melt, I put the treatment on her. It said it was also for ticks. I will just have to watch her to make sure she's okay. She seems okay. She has been totally normal since the whole thing. Yesterday she even ventured further into the yard. No running around, but she is venturing out again. Pilot Boy told me not to worry, but of course I do worry. She is my puppy.
Right now she's in her crate sleeping because I got her up too early. We also forgot to lock her crate last night, so she went for a night time stroll. Pilot Boy woke me up and asked, "Did we lock her crate last night?"
"I didn't. Didn't you?"
"No. I think your dog just went for a nighttime stroll."
"Is she downstairs?"
"No, she just went back to bed, I think. I'll go see."
He left, I heard the crate shut and he returned. "Yeah, she was in there. Rolled up in her ball."
At least she didn't go on a barking stroll like she did when we were in Chicago and my parents didn't lock her crate. Her nighttime strolls to her other bed were cute, barking all over the house at 2 am, not so much.
17 April 2010
Nail Polish, how I love thee
I love nail polish. I have loved it since I was in 5th grade. In 7th grade, I remember it very clearly, was when the BLUE nail polish appeared. Blue nail polish? In the past (all 13 years of my life) I thought red was a big deal. Why?
My mother didn't wear nail polish and the only nail polish in our house was either clear or sheer peach. I remember the sheer peach because when I was 13 I spent about two hours painting my nails with it trying to get it to appear more vibrate. Instead, I ended up slightly high on the fumes and the polish never dried.
When I wanted to wear nail polish, my mother told me I could only wear pink. Little girls only wore pink. End of story. I couldn't wear red, blue or any other color under the rainbow only pink.
So I amassed the largest collection of pink known to man. When I was in 6th grade, I could wear a different color pink polish on a daily basis. So I did this and my nails turned yellow. Not a good idea.
In 7th grade, I had a party in the spring and my mother bought a pack of nail polish for party favors. They were all pink based of course. That summer, I bought white nail polish. My mom was rather leary of this, as I remember, nails are not naturally white (nor are holes in ones ears....hence why I didn't get my ears pierced till I was 14 and my mother didn't take me, my aunt did.) But I had white nail polish. I thought I was the coolest person in the world with white nail polish. Then one day, I discovered I could DYE the nail polish. With food coloring.
And then I had blue nail polish. It was light blue, it was powdery blue, it was gorgeous.
And I made a huge mess and got in trouble. But I had blue nail polish! And after this, I made purple, green, yellow, etc. And my mother lost control of my nail polish buying. Sometimes she'd put her two cents in (like when I wanted mocha, she told me brown sugar would suit my coloring better and she was right), but I had blues, greens, purples, corals, yellows, golds, oranges, etc. My mother even bought me orange nail polish once, to go with this orange outfit I had going for myself when I was 16.
By the time I left for college, I had over 100 bottles of various polishes. And I hadn't purged any since I was 13. So I purged. And went merrily on way to college to amass another collection.
I always seem to end up with the same colors though, various shades of pink and red. Seriously, I believe I have bought over my life time every shade offered by L'Oreal, Revlon and Maybelline. And shades of purple. Every time we move now, I go through my collection and purge out old shades and end up with a collection of very similar colors.
This past time, I tossed out almost everything except my favs and the OPI polishes I had. I had put my faith in OPI top coat and had branched out into OPI polish. I hadn't noticed much of a different between my beloved Revlon and OPI, in all honesty. My nails chipped at the same rate.
Also, as I got older, I didn't really wear much nail polish. At my first job, I did a lot of typing, so my nail polish never held up. After I was married, I didn't wear it often because my nails just seemed to chip more. So I only wore polish on my toes. In the Dirt Hole, my toes finally began to peel, gross I know. But they were so gross looking, I continued to put polish on them. Once I moved back to Chicago, I stopped wearing polish all together.
Until one day I was standing in Target, staring at the polishes. I bought some from Revlon, bright colors. The next day, I went back because my OPI top coat didn't open any more (it almost always would get stuck and only Pilot Boy could get it open). I was standing in front of the OPI section at Target. I picked up the OPI and stared at it. I then thought, "The NICOLE is cheaper. and made by OPI." So I picked it up. Then I saw it.
Randomly sitting in the almost empty stand of OPI and NICOLE polish: And Essie bottle.
I stared at it. I had heard all about Essie. I had seen a story on it on Sunday Morning. I had been reading By Hillary and knew all about it from there. I also knew that she swore the better the brand, the better the polish. Money mattered in nail polish. I stared at the Essie bottle. It was red. They only had red. It was the shade of red that looked great on me. I picked it up. It was the only bottle there. I wondered how it had gotten there, but it was there and I was the customer so I was buying it.
I thought maybe they wouldn't let me buy it, but they did. And then I wore it. And it was amazing! I was a convert to pricey polish.
When I arrived here I was pleased to see the Target carried a wide array of Essie polish. Then I found out about Seche Vite top coat. I wanted it. Badly. But no where around me carried it. So, I was like, "Maybe Target will restock the Essie supply and they'll have a top coat or something? Because I want to wear nail polish again. I'm getting my nails back in shape."
So I did, I bought some calcium gel stuff and began wearing that. Then, yesterday, I was in Target. Staring at the Essie colors they had. They were all various shade of pink and reds. Not what I wanted, but I had gotten some blues and green from Sephora with my last order, so I was just looking for a new top coat. I picked up the Essie top coat and was about to leave when I saw it. Sitting, all alone, a single bottle of seche vite. Seriously, just like the first bottle of Essie I had seen at Target, this bottle of seche vite top coat was just alone. The only bottle.
I grabbed it and ran.
I painted my nails while watching the Gilmore Girls. And they are lovely. They haven't chipped yet and they dried at top speed. They are lovely. I want more pricey nail polish, but tragically do not live in an area that it is readily available. But I'll get my mits on it one way or another.
My mother didn't wear nail polish and the only nail polish in our house was either clear or sheer peach. I remember the sheer peach because when I was 13 I spent about two hours painting my nails with it trying to get it to appear more vibrate. Instead, I ended up slightly high on the fumes and the polish never dried.
When I wanted to wear nail polish, my mother told me I could only wear pink. Little girls only wore pink. End of story. I couldn't wear red, blue or any other color under the rainbow only pink.
So I amassed the largest collection of pink known to man. When I was in 6th grade, I could wear a different color pink polish on a daily basis. So I did this and my nails turned yellow. Not a good idea.
In 7th grade, I had a party in the spring and my mother bought a pack of nail polish for party favors. They were all pink based of course. That summer, I bought white nail polish. My mom was rather leary of this, as I remember, nails are not naturally white (nor are holes in ones ears....hence why I didn't get my ears pierced till I was 14 and my mother didn't take me, my aunt did.) But I had white nail polish. I thought I was the coolest person in the world with white nail polish. Then one day, I discovered I could DYE the nail polish. With food coloring.
And then I had blue nail polish. It was light blue, it was powdery blue, it was gorgeous.
And I made a huge mess and got in trouble. But I had blue nail polish! And after this, I made purple, green, yellow, etc. And my mother lost control of my nail polish buying. Sometimes she'd put her two cents in (like when I wanted mocha, she told me brown sugar would suit my coloring better and she was right), but I had blues, greens, purples, corals, yellows, golds, oranges, etc. My mother even bought me orange nail polish once, to go with this orange outfit I had going for myself when I was 16.
By the time I left for college, I had over 100 bottles of various polishes. And I hadn't purged any since I was 13. So I purged. And went merrily on way to college to amass another collection.
I always seem to end up with the same colors though, various shades of pink and red. Seriously, I believe I have bought over my life time every shade offered by L'Oreal, Revlon and Maybelline. And shades of purple. Every time we move now, I go through my collection and purge out old shades and end up with a collection of very similar colors.
This past time, I tossed out almost everything except my favs and the OPI polishes I had. I had put my faith in OPI top coat and had branched out into OPI polish. I hadn't noticed much of a different between my beloved Revlon and OPI, in all honesty. My nails chipped at the same rate.
Also, as I got older, I didn't really wear much nail polish. At my first job, I did a lot of typing, so my nail polish never held up. After I was married, I didn't wear it often because my nails just seemed to chip more. So I only wore polish on my toes. In the Dirt Hole, my toes finally began to peel, gross I know. But they were so gross looking, I continued to put polish on them. Once I moved back to Chicago, I stopped wearing polish all together.
Until one day I was standing in Target, staring at the polishes. I bought some from Revlon, bright colors. The next day, I went back because my OPI top coat didn't open any more (it almost always would get stuck and only Pilot Boy could get it open). I was standing in front of the OPI section at Target. I picked up the OPI and stared at it. I then thought, "The NICOLE is cheaper. and made by OPI." So I picked it up. Then I saw it.
Randomly sitting in the almost empty stand of OPI and NICOLE polish: And Essie bottle.
I stared at it. I had heard all about Essie. I had seen a story on it on Sunday Morning. I had been reading By Hillary and knew all about it from there. I also knew that she swore the better the brand, the better the polish. Money mattered in nail polish. I stared at the Essie bottle. It was red. They only had red. It was the shade of red that looked great on me. I picked it up. It was the only bottle there. I wondered how it had gotten there, but it was there and I was the customer so I was buying it.
I thought maybe they wouldn't let me buy it, but they did. And then I wore it. And it was amazing! I was a convert to pricey polish.
When I arrived here I was pleased to see the Target carried a wide array of Essie polish. Then I found out about Seche Vite top coat. I wanted it. Badly. But no where around me carried it. So, I was like, "Maybe Target will restock the Essie supply and they'll have a top coat or something? Because I want to wear nail polish again. I'm getting my nails back in shape."
So I did, I bought some calcium gel stuff and began wearing that. Then, yesterday, I was in Target. Staring at the Essie colors they had. They were all various shade of pink and reds. Not what I wanted, but I had gotten some blues and green from Sephora with my last order, so I was just looking for a new top coat. I picked up the Essie top coat and was about to leave when I saw it. Sitting, all alone, a single bottle of seche vite. Seriously, just like the first bottle of Essie I had seen at Target, this bottle of seche vite top coat was just alone. The only bottle.
I grabbed it and ran.
I painted my nails while watching the Gilmore Girls. And they are lovely. They haven't chipped yet and they dried at top speed. They are lovely. I want more pricey nail polish, but tragically do not live in an area that it is readily available. But I'll get my mits on it one way or another.
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