Our little dude, Copper, had some surgery last Friday. He’s been wearing this cone for a week - can you stand it? He’s been pitiful. The sound of scratching plastic has filled my ears and my head. Plastic scraping on the floor while Roomba Jr. tries to resume normal activities.

I’ve slept with him on the couch, scratched his itches, and made sure his water dish was full enough so that his little tongue could reach beyond the cone.

He looks at me with those big watery eyes as if he’s apologizing for spraying my pillow on his quest to dominate me in my home.

Yes, well, I think he’s learned his lesson, don’t you? (Kidding, it’s been a week - his incision has healed enough. Not that I was trying to teach him a lesson - he learned that one fast and furiously the day I washed my bedsheets THREE TIMES.)

Time to take the cone off…

Catybug had a graduation ceremony at Church this past weekend and part of the ritual is a good old fashioned food in the face … thing. Daddy applied the peanut butter, and then she went face first into a plate of M&M’s.

I’m still finishing up some design work - with a head cold - so I’m around, just a little stuffy, and a little slow!

Why hello there, Mr. Monarch. I’ve been waiting for you.

This summer has not been what I expected. Not that I’m disappointed, but I thought if a person should grow over the course of a year, it wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) happen over the course of just a couple of months. As much as I’ve become more settled, I’ve become less settled. I’ve become more confident about some things, and less sure about others. I’ve realized where I’m most grounded, with the help and insight from my family. I’ve made new goals, and changes to old goals.

I’ve pulled back, as I’ve been going through this transition, because honestly when this much stuff is swirling around in my head and important decisions are being made, It’s overwhelming. Writing seemed an impossible task, and you’ve heard less from me than you’ve seen lately.

It’s not that I haven’t wanted to write, I just haven’t been able to write. I’m relating more to the things I see when I’m alone with my camera, and the things I feel when I paint. I’ve been needing more of that time, craving more of that time, and in a few weeks, I’ll have more of that time. With that will come peace, ingenuity, creativity.

Also, I’ll be able to pay more attention to you. My friends, my “fans”, you who appreciate nature, who love a daily dose of creativity topped with a spark of enthusiasm. You’re a big part of the reason I’m still here, and an even bigger part of why I’m so ready and willing to make changes. As I grow, you grow with me, and I love the bond that creates.

I’m a little nervous, but excited. I’m also a little ambiguous, but you love that about me, don’t you?

…that my hubby’s unit has been activated again? He just got back from Iraq in March 2005 and now his unit is heading for Afghanistan.

Thankfully, God Bless the guys in his unit, he’s been elected to serve as the Unit Administrator during this deployment, which means he won’t be leaving the states. Amen to that.

His unit is like a family, though, and as much as we’re relieved he gets to stay behind, his brothers are going to endure more time in the Middle East. Please keep the Dixon IL-ANG (Illinois Army National Guard) unit in your prayers. And the people of Afghanistan.

When Chickeymonkey hollered at me while I was mowing yesterday and held this note up for me to read, I couldn’t quite make out what she was trying to ask me.

“You want to plant??” I yelled. “Sure! You can plant!”

“No!! PAINT!!!” she yelled back.

“Paint??” (squints at note and makes puzzled face) “That says PAINT?”

“YES!!! Can I paint???” she asked.

“Of course!” I said. “Just clean off the table first!”

And off she went. And I thought, I feel like I’ve been asking myself the same question. And it’s finally dawned on me, I’m the only one who can answer it.

Caesar’s portrait is complete, pending client proofing. You may notice I’ve changed the collar from blue to red - a last minute tweaking that makes him even a little more bold against the canvas.

Enjoy!

Here’s Caesar’s underpainting. If you’re curious, I don’t use any black in my paintings at all. I haven’t in quite some time. Since there is no “black” in nature, my black consists of various combinations of indigo with raw umber, sap green and/or magenta. I think this produces a much more natural portrait with true earth tones.

You can see that my reference photos aren’t really “perfect”, but I wanted you to see that sometimes, if it’s all you have, it can still work. A few photos that show me personality, coat length and color and a bit of eye color, and I can usually fill in the rest. I know how important it is that the end result replace those photos with a clear, lifelike memory of a pet.

That said, I’ve got Caesar speed drying and I’m going to try to finish his portrait tomorrow afternoon.