Goodbye to our stately old man ...

Our dog Kirby crossed the rainbow bridge today and should be romping with his "bro" Oscar - both of them healthy and full of energy again. We almost lost him about 5 months ago - but he wasn't quite ready for the great beyond. He came back with a small roar despite the tumors in his little body. Unfortunately he eventually started losing control in his back legs (either his arthritis got a lot worse or tumors were spreading) and for the last 2 weeks he has been on pain pills.

We got Kirby way back in 1999 - not too long after we got Oscar. He was 5 and was saved from a not too caring owner by Westie Rescue. When they got him his front legs looked like hamburger because his skin allergies were so bad. They got him all healed up and we got to adopt him. In my research on the web I found some information linking Westie skin allergies to high protein. We put him on a low protein diet (Nutro Lite food was the lowest protein percentage I could find) and his skin problems only showed up when he managed to sneak some of Oscar's food. He absolutely adored Oscar! In their younger years they enjoyed wrestling together and sometimes even played tug-o-war with each other. Kirby was the only one who could get Oscar to play.


Kirby was always the mellow "older" brother and he REALLY loved rolling in the grass and laying on nice cool dirt. Here are shots of him doing both


He also loved sleeping - especially in his basket - but not just there



Kirby also managed to need a surgery I hope I never need - he had to get the doggie equivalent of an ACL repaired. Here he is with his leg all bandaged up and enjoying his favorite activity - LOL!

He loved to play with toys - often by himself. And some of his favorites were some tug toys I got at the $1 store - the pink pig was especially cute against his beautiful white coat - whether he was playing with it or using it as a pillow.

And more shots of him taking naps - anywhere


We sure miss our little old man - but I'm glad we got another 5 months with him so he could teach Gino a few things - like how to really enjoy a car ride by smelling out the window!

Some new designs ...

I listed a couple of new designs and one already sold - YAY! Here is a luscious cranberry and gold bracelet with a little pop of spring green ...

You can find this bracelet for sale in my Artfire store

And here are some fun holiday earrings that I made and sold ...

Aren't they cute?

Misc musings ...

Got my consulting work done and once the customer gives it a try I should be off the hook until after Thanksgiving!

Finally designed a new bracelet - YAY! I've been in a bit of a slump. Partly due to the gem order I had to sort/ship, part due to losing Oscar. Now to just finish it off, take pics and get it listed!

Gino continues to entertain us! I have yet to successfully keep him locked into the kitchen when I leave. Today I put up all the crunchable/edibles but he managed to find a plastic cup Tony had and left teethmarks in it, moved one of Tony's shoes, pulled some OLD paperwork out of a file on the table and partially shredded it - I put all of it in the shredder since it is actually trash. He also found some headphones somewhere - I forgot to ask Tony where they came from ... This time he jumped over the barrier that didn't have chairs in front of it. Sigh!

Here are some more recent pictures of him and of Kirby ...



I still have no clue what breed he is exactly. Schnauzer I'm sure - but he has real curly hair from some other kind of terrier.

I also got to watch my friend make a bowl/plate at her glass lesson. I can't wait to see how the color comes out. It was fun watching her make it. I got to help with a little blowing in the pipe. Her instructor is Kathleen Mitchell and she makes GREAT glass gourds. I picked up 2 more for Tony's mom - in blue - which we'll be taking up to her. Hopefully she likes them!

The adventures of Gino ...

Let's see where we're at with Gino's personality development. One thing I know - if he has been outside by himself for a while and is being quiet - go see what he's up to. LOL! He's a sometimes digger. I found a rather deep hole he dug while hubby was talking on the phone nearby. It was about 8" deep and probably 8" wide. I have no idea what he was digging for. Tonight I go check on him and find him lolling in the grass chewing on a bone. I have NO idea where he got a bone (a neighbor must have tossed it over the fence for some reason) but he was having a great time with it. Needless to say I took it away and threw it out.

We went to the dog park today and Gino had a blast running!!!!! Kirby had fun too - he refused to sit still with me and wanted to go sniff dogs and many points around the dog park. They are both exhausted and Kirby is having tremors so he really overdid himself. After giving him an anti-inflammatory pill and some honey the tremors seem to have stopped. I don't know if I'll take him there again since he seems unable/unwilling to just lay down, relax and be an old dog. He had fun, but he's paying for it tonight.

I do need to remember to take pictures though! Gino runs flat out - all legs stretched and extended to the max. Oscar used to tuck his tail (or what bit of it was left) under him and ran low to the ground.

If he's being quiet he may also be dragging things to add to his pile. Can we say "hoarder"? I've found my socks in the middle of the hallway, Tony found the dog basket pillow halfway down the stairs and dog blankets trailing behind all the way back into the bedroom - LOL! He regularly takes the dog toys out of the basket and either piles them up on "his" rug in the kitchen or takes them out to "his" rug out on the patio. A westie squeaky toy (with no more squeak) was on his inside rug one day, on his outside rug the next, then disappeared for a day and then reappeared in the grass near where he was chewing on his bone. I have no idea where it disappeared for a day - I searched the yard and couldn't find it anywhere ...

I can't wait to see what other personality traits develop ...

Oh wait - and he has the potential to be an escape artist. He did get out the front door today when I wasn't being too careful. Fortunately he stayed on the front porch and when I rattled the leash he ran back into the house. I MUST be more careful when going out the front door. Hopefully he won't figure out he can dig a hole under the fence and get out that way.

An Etsy memorial to Oscar

I've been trying to get an Etsy treasury for weeks. I finally got one and here it is:



It is also fun to find what unique items are available for sale on Etsy and especially when you're looking for a particular type of something.