Life as an art form

Jen + Sean

2012-02-12T19:25:00.002-06:00

Say hi, Seanie!

Squeals for Squeaks & Beeps

2012-02-12T11:46:00.000-06:00

Sean seems to like the handmade bibs and burp cloths that Michele made just for him!

FOR ME?

WHEEEE!!!

Day two, in pictures!

2012-02-11T18:50:00.075-06:00

Good Morning, Guesthouse!

Good Morning, Nelly!

Good Morning, Little Man!

Baby squeezes before breakfast. Sean was fascinated with my hands.

Good food...

Eric fixed breakfast #1: Homemade yogurt with homemade granola and bananas

Kelley fixed breakfast #2: sautéed veggies, eggs, avocado, balsamic glaze & toast!

After breakfast, Kelley, Sean and I headed out for a little fun... another gorgeous day in LA!

Owl pillows at Paper Source

Treats at Big Sugar Bake Shop (we gave some brownies a good home)

Great letterpress by Hello! Lucky

Zonked! How do babies become exponentially cuter when sleeping? It's a mystery.

snack: Kelley's homemade veggie chili

Time for a sushi fix!!! Treats from Izakaya Sushi Ran:

Kelley & Eric

me & Dave

Little Monkey

2012-02-11T15:25:00.001-06:00

courtesy of instagram

INVISIBLE CLARINET

Handsome Mr. Tay

2012-02-11T13:56:00.003-06:00

Handsome Mr. Tay (an experiment with Camera+ on iPhone)

Eric is teaching me why I should like Camera+ (and after seeing the filters, I do!) and now that I like that, he's selling me on Snapseed, which has even finer control over images.

LA Today!

2012-02-10T22:20:00.001-06:00

Today I was so excited to get out to LA and visit Kelley and Eric, but especially to meet my very first nephew, Sean, who is now 4 months old. (And getting cuter by the day.) Had a great visit with Joni at my house when she came to pick me up, and we were off to the airport. I was a little nervous about airport security and "the boot", but I was pleasantly surprised—they didn't make me remove it! I simply had to go through the full body scan, and then they swabbed the boot. Easy. And everyone was super-friendly to boot (pun intended).

I grabbed a sub sandwich and found a seat near the gate, next to an older guy who was dressed like a pilot. And… he was our pilot! We sat and talked for about 45 minutes 'til the plane arrived, and talked about careers and goals and family and all kinds of things. He was a great guy and very interesting. He suggested that I talk to the gate agent about my ankle, and I barely had to show her the boot, then she handed me a blue plastic folder that gave me permission to board first, with all the elderly people in wheelchairs. These old ladies were teasing me about my leg and we had a good time, taking our time down the jetway. I got an aisle seat on the left side of the plane, so I could hang the boot out in the aisle to stretch when needed. The women sitting next to me were fun and friendly. Hmm… I might have to wear this boot more often!!!

Kelley picked me up and we took off to Silver Lake to pick up her biweekly produce assortment, then back to her house to play with Sean and relax a bit. He was alert and happy and kept staring at me with his wide blue eyes. It's really cute when Kelley gets in his face and he crinkles his eyes and emits a huge smile.

There was a gorgeous, bright pink and purple sunset—blocked by trees in the yard, though—I'll have to chase down a photo if we get another. I guess smog is good for one thing, eh? If I remember my high school science, particles in the air make for good sunsets because light and color reflects off of them. It was pretty spectacular.

Kelley took Sean through his evening routine (dinner, bath, walk around the neighborhood 'til he falls asleep in the carrier) and then put him to bed. And that meant it was dinnertime for us!

She recommended a couple of good Japanese restaurants she had tried before, and we settled on Daichan (the stuffed kabocha appetizer was what tipped me to try this place over another, and it certainly didn't disappoint!) Kelley ran out to pick up our food while I iced my ankle and listened for Sean to stir (he didn't). We had great Poki bowls (mine with chunks of raw tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and red snapper) that consisted of fish, seaweed, lettuce, green onion and a soy vinaigrette over rice. It tasted great with the kabocha and miso eggplant appetizers. Yum. I easily get spoiled every time I visit LA.

By this time it was almost 9:00 (11:00 for me) and I was worn out from dragging the boot around, along with my luggage. So I retired to my own private guesthouse in their backyard, recently renovated. Perfect. (Even slept in 'til 5:00 am—7:00 for me, a luxury which Aki rarely lets me have!) Zzz...

Bring me the head of Tay

2012-02-10T17:15:00.002-06:00

Joni came by this morning, having graciously offered to be my airport ride, since I'm a gimp. And no sooner did she sit down than she had a lap full o' Shiba love. I think Mr.Tay has a crush on her, the goddess of border collies. (And he looks like a disembodied head in this photo!)

Auntie Jen is Frightening

2012-02-10T17:08:00.003-06:00

I just met my new nephew, Sean Julian... and I think he might be afraid of me...

Backseat Driver

2012-02-10T17:00:00.002-06:00

A baby picked me up from LAX... cracked me up when we opened the back hatch of Kelley's car!

I (heart) LA

2012-02-10T16:58:00.002-06:00

This is me on LA. And it is good.

20 degrees at home, 70 here. If I can't be snowboarding, I might as well be sitting outside on a patio sipping blackberry-pomegranate soda, listening to birds singing and enjoying some nice weather!

"Fun with the boot" 3

2012-02-10T16:50:00.002-06:00

Aki: Ah! What happened?!

Jen: My ankle is injured, so I can't walk very well.

Taylor: So we can't go to the dog park? It is no good!!!

"Fun with the boot" 2

2012-02-10T16:47:00.002-06:00

Day 9 of my capture... and I was sick of this predicament on Day 1...

"Fun with the boot" 1

2012-02-10T16:46:00.002-06:00

Letter to my Ankle

2012-02-09T17:44:00.003-06:00

Dear ankle,
I am writing to request that you hurry up and heal. Just received my awesome 3L hydration pack in the mail, and my season pass is good 'til June. Surely you could stand up to a little carving and shredding on the mountain; those snowboard boots are tighter than this orthopedic boot!

Additionally, I have my rock climbing gear all picked out. I am supposed to join my friends at the end of the month for a climb. You can see the backlog you're causing. We have things to do, places to see, mountains to conquer, dear ankle!

Do what you can. Mend. It's been 8 days and I'm tired of sitting around. Surgery schmergery!

Cordially yours,
Jen

Tayzilla

2012-02-07T20:30:00.002-06:00

I love playing with the iPhone camera. Took this after Tay crawled into my lap & wanted to wrestle...

Tayzilla Too (Electric Boogaloo)

2012-02-07T20:28:00.002-06:00

Terrorizing the couch: it's Tayzilla!!!

Shrimp Scampi and a Little Scamp

2012-02-07T20:07:00.006-06:00

Tonight I cooked up a new recipe, courtesy of The Dr. Oz Show: Anaheim shrimp scampi. It's a healthier version that incorporates spaghetti squash instead of spaghetti. And I love squash, but the shrimp is so delicious that it would taste good served over sand. (Perhaps I'll save that for another meal.) Definitely a dish I'll make again, & proof that not everything that tastes good will kill you.

Judging from the crowd it's drawing, it's good. Gyp is up to her old tricks: sitting close with her front feet on my leg, and strategically leaning in & swatting at my fork as I bring it to my mouth! I tamed this wildcat with food over 14 years ago, and she's not getting any less spoiled over time. She is THE reason that I made it a firm rule never to feed the dogs from the table. One unabashed beggar is enough!

Random Hallmark Moments: Pain in the Ankle

2012-02-06T21:55:00.002-06:00

Day 6 was rough. Too much walking at work. This just in: Hallmark is huge!

Fun with Surgery

2012-02-04T12:12:00.001-06:00

I was just talking with Joni about my surgery experience and it made me remember a couple of things that happened. We've all heard horror stories where a doctor has operated on the wrong limb; and apparently they've implemented some clever ways to prevent this mistake. When the nurse first brought me back, she asked me several times which ankle required surgery. Then she sat me on a gurney and handed me a permanent marker. She told me to write my initials on the foot that they would be operating on. Once I had marked my "JR" on my right foot, she wrapped black and yellow tape around my left leg that said, "DO NOT OPERATE".
We also talked about the vasovagal episode I had, and about the possible causes. Nervousness is an obvious one, but honestly I was SO excited and looking forward to having this surgery done, hoping it would alleviate my pain. I didn't feel nervous that day—I felt hopeful. As we talked through it, though, I realized that for me it was probably mistrust of that nurse, who would be caring for me. One of the first things she said to me that day was, "So you don't have any allergies..." and I immediately became worried that no one had bothered to read all the information that I had carefully gathered—at their request. I had submitted all my allergy and medication information days earlier, and even followed up with the receptionist to make sure they had received it, and she and I went over it together in excruciating detail. When I responded with, "No—I have a LOT of allergies! Did you not receive the information I provided?" she seemed irritated and just said, "It's probably here in your folder."
Given that I didn't trust her (and I think, for very good reason!), I think it's reasonable to think that having her care for me made me nervous, hence my involuntary reaction to the IV and anesthetic. The surgicenter sent a survey to me yesterday, asking about all aspects of my experience. I read through it, and waited several hours to fill it out, wanting to provide a true and thoughtful response. My feedback was glowing overall, but I was very honest about my thoughts on that nurse, how I felt she treated me, and how I didn't appreciate the snarky comments about me and eye-rolling she did when talking to Kelly. I hope that the surgicenter will address this with her and deal with it appropriately. My name was on the survey, so time will tell!

Rear Window

2012-02-03T19:08:00.002-06:00

Aki helps me keep my foot elevated.

Taylor isn't really helping much at all.

Gypsy is ready in case I need chest compression.

I feel like Jimmy Stewart in "Rear Window", except all I can see is cat.

The birds have been very active outside. Glad I filled the feeders on Tuesday!

So far, no murdering out there. Update later.

Hangin' on the Couch

2012-02-03T19:05:00.002-06:00

I am a highly impatient patient, & am terribly bored after these first three days of lying around. Tired of the pain, ready to be back in my feet and running around again. Am I healed yet???

My caretakers today: Brett, Gyp, & Ak.

Miles to go before I sleep

2012-02-03T12:21:00.003-06:00

There's a commercial running on TV now (for Jeep) that features this beloved poem. It has always been a favorite of mine, as it concisely describes the beauty of winter and appreciate for the quiet of the season. This year, however, we've had less than an inch of snow in KC so far, and therefore have had no snowy hiking opportunities. (It has been in the 60s again all this week!)

So I guess the one thing I can currently relate to the poem is the feeling of eery quiet brought on by the Percoset—feeling deeply alone when it dulls my senses and forces me to lie still to avoid the intense nausea. Miles to go before I sleep, indeed! The last two nights have been tougher than I ever imagined; I wish the surgeon wouldn't have downplayed the surgery & recovery time when we first met, setting me up for false expectations. But I am sure I'm on the mend... and will be glad to arrive!

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

— Robert Frost

Recovery...

2012-02-01T17:29:00.004-06:00

Well, I came out of surgery just fine... Going in turned out to be the tough part. I disliked the main nurse almost immediately. She was curt and abrasive, which I wasn't in the mood for, considering that this was my first surgery, and that my life was in this staff's hands. I tried to be as nice & sweet as possible in response to her. I donned the gown, settled in on the gurney, and the nurse inserted the IV. No big deal. Until...
I had a really intense vasovagal reaction a few minutes later. Apparently I went white as a sheet as my blood pressure dropped dramatically, causing intense dizziness, nausea, and visual disturbances (not to mention a lot of beeping from the machine). Judging from the level of freaking out from the three nurses that I heard before I passed out, I knew it was not good. They injected me a couple of times (ephedrine, if I remember correctly?) to bring me back & get me stabilized. This was perhaps the single most scary experience I've had in my life. I honestly thought that I was going to die.
After what felt like eons, they got my blood pressure back up and I returned to normal, with a residual splitting headache. I don't remember them putting me back on the meds to knock me out, or taking me back to surgery. According to Kelly, who consulted with the surgeon while I was recovering, the cyst was larger and much deeper than anticipated. He had difficulty getting to it, and he suspects I'll be in more pain than initially projected because of this. The procedure took a full two hours, but it went well.
I woke up in the same room, same gurney, with the same pushy nurse at my side. I was barely coming to, and she was forcefully getting me dressed and sitting me up. I was EXTREMELY nauseous and dizzy—the whole room was spinning, and I could barely hold my head up. My body might as well have been a wet noodle. I kept telling her that I was going to throw up and I needed to lie down, and she kept physically forcing me to sit up. She even brought in the other two other nurses as reinforcements. I felt surprisingly lucid, and at one point I said, "I don't understand why no one is listening to me—I am extremely dizzy and I need to lie down for a minute so I won't get sick!" And she responded by forcing me to my feet and then into a wheelchair and—literally—dragging me in to Kelly's car. Seriously? You can't let me sit for a few minutes?? Sounds like I'm not the only one who needs to be on some meds.

The boys are taking good care of me! :)

I guess if that's the worst of it, then I can be grateful for that. Kelly brought me home, picked up my pain meds at the pharmacy, and made sure I was comfortable. Thank goodness for good friends!
The rest of the evening I continued to feel strangely alert, without any of the zombielike symptoms I anticipated from the anesthetic. I relaxed on the couch, iced my ankle, ate a big dinner, and took my first dose of painkillers after seven hours. I would assume that the worst is yet to come in terms of pain management, but I am so relieved to have the surgery behind me, and SO EXCITED to have the potential for a pain-free ankle ahead of me!

T-Minus 13 hours to Surgery!

2012-01-31T22:33:00.002-06:00

In preparation for my ankle surgery tomorrow, I came home from work tonight and cooked for nearly three hours. I went grocery shopping on Sunday, and loaded up my fridge. And now I have a fridgeful of healthy & yummy prepared food, in case I'm not feeling up to cooking over the next few days. Homemade crab cakes, soup, salad, and a few supplements from Trader Joe's kitchen.
Tonight's dinner combination was admittedly odd, but everything sounded so good that I wanted to try it all at once. It was still 55+ degrees when I got home, so I went outside and grilled a few huge pork steaks, with sweet & spicy Thai chili sauce. It goes great with roasted apples, mango and red onion. And I tried a new recipe, cauliflower "mac and cheese", which is much healthier than the pasta version of the dish. It didn't disappoint!
Since I am not allowed to eat or drink *anything* after midnight, I'm facing a long 11+ hours before the procedure. So my plan is to stuff myself right up until midnight so maybe I won't feel so hungry. Hope it works.
In any case, I have so much food in my fridge & freezer that anyone who saw it would think a family of twelve lived here. Nope, just one very tiny, very hungry person! :)

Deciphering the iPhone Camera

2012-01-31T22:18:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure I'm ready to throw out my higher-end digital camera, but the iPhone holds its own against other small point-and-shoot models. It's fun to play, especially with some of the apps that allow you to modify the shots right on your phone! Here's a spontaneous Gyp shot:

Gorgeous Gyppo, up to her old tricks (preventing me from reading the Sunday paper)

A before-and-after from Instagram:

Snarky Aki & Sweet Taylor

Here's the same shot, with some Instagram magic! This app is great because it uploads your work to a social site, where you & your friends can view & comment on each others' work.

And here's another before-and-after:

Just by cropping and applying simple preset filters, you can enhance the drama in a shot. Here are a few fun ones from Colorado:

One of the filters blows out the color and flattens the darks, just like 70s film photographs:

There's an app called TiltShift that makes the subjects look like miniature scale models by adding a blur strategically. (At least, that's the idea... it's tricky to get right, but I'll keep trying.)

Another fun feature is that the iPhone has both a forward- and rear-facing camera, and you can choose which way you shoot. This takes the guesswork out of shooting photos of yourself, since you can view the shot live onscreen. Fun for spontaneous snapsHere are a couple pics from the ride out to Lawrence on Saturday:

Asher, stop licking my eye!

MOMMMM, Asher's sticking his tongue out at me!!!

Basking in the Kippy love...

Random Hallmark Moments: HBD to Sacha!

2012-01-31T21:18:00.000-06:00

Sacha's birthday was this past weekend, which gave me an excuse to draw a lil' birthday kitty for her desk...

The Wonders of Skype

2012-01-31T21:13:00.000-06:00

Kelley had drawn Mom's name in our Christmas gift exchange, and had the great idea to get her a webcam, so that we can all Skype! Here's a shot of cutie Sean, when Kelley was demonstrating to Mom how to use the program:

And then when Mom returned home to Ohio, she and I tried it out

So now I finally believe that she has a cat. I still don't believe she has a dog...

Make Like a Groundhog

2012-01-29T22:27:00.001-06:00

This morning was the annual Groundhog Race at Hunt Midwest Subtropolis in North KC. It's an office park in underground caves, which nature keeps at a constant 55 degrees—so it's guaranteed to be a good run, regardless of what the weather may be doing outside. (Two years ago was icy & snowy; today was 35 degrees, on its way to 50!)
I met Lexie off I-35 and Johnson drive early, and we carpooled up to the site, which made the day a lot more fun! In the caves, we met up with a bunch of the Hallmark crew: Tom & Bess, Aaron, Brett & Mary, Danielle, David Eaton, and more! (Which was good, because I never saw any of the other 13 Meetup folks.)

me, Brett & Danielle

An hour before the race, the caves were still fairly empty...

But with a max of 3500 runners, they fill up quickly!

I ran a not-very-fast-but-still-respectable 28:25 (562nd place), pacing ~9:30/mile. Considering that my last week has been focused on snowboarding rather than running, and that I've generally fallen off the wagon the last few weeks, I'll take it. (But this was 2:30 slower than my time in 2010... ouch! At least I have a goal to strive for...)

And between the 5k & 10k races, TONS of people milling around!

Danielle, Lexie & me, post-race

Off to the Races

2012-01-29T22:07:00.001-06:00

2011 has been a good year; I've been running as much as I can work into my schedule, and the dogs are almost always at my side. According to the awesome iPod Nano that Mom gave me for my 2010 birthday, I had run 169 miles by the end of 2011 (and I started using Nike+ in February, so that's 11 months' worth).

None of the miles have come close to my personal bests (as fast at 6'34"!), as I'm trying to overcome the hip injuries I sustained in summer 2010—and so far, successfully avoiding surgery, with little pain! My ankle, however, which I injured approximately 25 years ago, is another story. But I'm thrilled that I have *finally* been diagnosed—which *only* took THREE specialists! And the orthopedic surgeon feels sure that removing a ganglion cyst from deep in my ankle joint will do the trick. (Unless tendon or ligament damage is discovered while they're in there—stitching those up would make the recovery in the 18-week range. Ugh.)
So I'm excited to go under the knife this Wednesday morning. If this works, I can do more running, more yoga, more swimming... all of the stuff that bothers my ankle when I overdo it. Here's hoping I'll have a speedy recovery—and be even speedier afterward!

Updated post for "Monsters of Rap"

2012-01-29T21:28:00.000-06:00

Added photos and video clips from the concert back in August, featuring Lil' Wayne, Rick Ross, Lloyd, Keri Hilson, & Far East Movement.

Clinton Lake has Gone to the Dogs

2012-01-28T20:09:00.029-06:00

This afternoon I took Aki & Taylor out for another hike with Joni, Alan, Wager, Kippy, & Asher; and Susan, Mark, Sanda, Louie, & Scruffy. This time we drove out to Clinton Lake, to enjoy the freakishly nice, 45-degree, sunny January weather! Susan & Mark drove separately, while the Shibas and I crashed the Bordermobile...

My best friend, Kippy

"Asher, stop licking my eye!"

"MOMMM! Asher's sticking his tongue out at me!"

5 people + 8 dogs (Joni was behind the camera)

Susan leads the pack

While not water dogs per se, the Shibas sure enjoy playing and exploring on the shore!

Gorgeous Wager poses as soon as the camera come out

"Pay attention to me."

"I said, PAY ATTENTION TO ME!!!"

Louie leads the pack

Taylor poses up on high

Joni caught me holding my apple while digging through my pack...

After the hike, Susan spotted a Mexican restaurant as we drove through Lawrence, so we stopped. The fajitas were great (I had the shrimp & scallop variety), and the frozen margaritas were REALLY great!

Gone Shredding

2012-01-25T10:17:00.002-06:00

Just returned to work from my madcap four days on the mountains! Had left this sketch on my chair... And now that my skills are 10x what they were five days ago, the drawing is more accurate than when I initially drew it! ;)

POWDER DAY!!!

2012-01-24T09:53:00.002-06:00

The sign on the bus says it all!!! Last day at Breck looks to be a great one!

Photos from Breck & Vail

2012-01-23T21:42:00.002-06:00

This "remix" was made by EpicMix from my professional photos taken on-mountain yesterday & today. Yesterday at Breck was a mixed bag of TONS of fresh powder (12"+ overnight), snowing all day, some sun, high winds, and blowing snow to near whiteout conditions at the end of the day. Quite an experience. Today in Vail was the PERFECT bluebird day, with tons of fresh, groomed powder, bright sun & super-blue skies all day long.

You're spoiling me, Colorado. But oh, how I like it!

Happy Year of the Dragon!

2012-01-23T06:15:00.004-06:00

Powder Day!!!

2012-01-22T09:08:00.002-06:00

Day 1 on the mountain was awesome, and today (day 2) we woke up to TEN INCHES of fresh powder! Off to carve like crazy!!!

Make like an Ibex at Ibex

2012-01-15T22:06:00.002-06:00

I spent over three hours this afternoon cultivating "trembling hand syndrome" with 33 members of the Adventure Club. A bunch of us had never tried rock climbing before, so we all took a belay class at Ibex Climbing Gym in Blue Springs to learn how not to die, paired up, and then set off climbing the walls. I buddied up with a guy named Kelly—who had climbed years before—so I figured I was in good hands. (At least one of us knew what the heck we were doing!!!)
The belay class was good... check your buckles, learn to tie a figure 8 knot, hitch up for climbing, tie a safety knot. The belayer takes the safety device and has to constantly pull the rope taught as the climber goes, taking up all the slack so they won't have a large drop if they slip off the wall. Getting my hands in the right places at the right time and pulling the rope the right way seemed daunting at first. (I wasn't 100% sure how bad an accident I could cause if I had my right hand over my left, rather than the other way around as it should be. Yikes!) This was the only time I had butterflies... Turns out this equipment is pretty safe even for dummies. Once I got comfortable with that, I never looked back.

the partner

the challenge

I started on some easier walls, and pretty much scampered up like a squirrel. (All were approximately 30' high, but the routes for each rope were rated by difficulty.) Fortunately, I don't have any trouble with heights as long as I feel safe and secure with the equipment. So we kept moving around to successively harder climbs, with widely spaced or rounded, slippery barnacles (I don't have any idea what those things are really called!), and sheer angles.

Kelly's having all the fun...

...while I'm belaying.

Go Stella!

Note to self: don't wear light pants; dark harness gives you an outliney, cartoony butt shape! LOL

After taking turns a bunch of times climbing & belaying, we went upstairs to try free climbing on the shorter (12-15'?) walls. That was fun, too: it was nice to have everyone climbing at once, with no one having to hold a rope. The scariest part of the whole day for me was dropping to the thick blue mats after reaching the top. It crossed my mind that if I landed wrong, this could really jack up my impending snowboarding trip...

Those short climbs were surprisingly hot & sweaty. It was a much better workout than I was expecting, which was nice. To "rest", we went back downstairs to scale the tall walls...

Yep, that's me: hanging there & trying to find a place to grab onto so I can keep going up.

At this point we were about 3 hours into climbing, and though my mind could have gone all night, my fingers were saying, "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?!" I tried the same 5.8 wall twice at the end, and got just a yard from the top before my fingers completely gave out (while pulling all my weight toward the wall on an angle that came out toward me), and I reluctantly gave the "get me outta here" signal. Honestly, that was the hardest part of the whole day: admitting that I was too tired to get to the top on that last run. I'm gunning for that one next time!!!

Funny Pets

2012-01-15T10:15:00.000-06:00

Taken while lying on the couch, reading the paper and listening to CBS Sunday Morning...

‎"He's right behind me again, isn't he?"

‎"Oh god... now there are TWO of them!"

Sunset Sushi

2012-01-14T22:28:00.000-06:00

Brett called to say he was driving to Clinton Lake to look for owls, and I was finally feeling better tonight, so he picked up me & the Shibas (with Sam in the front seat) and we headed out in time for sunset. Sunset was very pretty, but we saw no owls.

Great sushi at Wa almost made up for the owl-lessness:

Tres amigos, yellow dragon, Wa roll

Best. Art. Ever.

2012-01-13T22:46:00.000-06:00

My bestest buddy, Kelly, is working on an awesome tribute to the furry friends in my life (including the recently departed). It's not quite complete, but I'm already frame-shopping. (((LOVE)))

Holiday Treats for All!

2012-01-13T21:46:00.001-06:00

Best thing about Madel going to Japan? The presents she brings back!!!

The Gyp approves.

Kitchen Dog treats... like little maki sushi, with seaweed!

Plenty of interest...

Tay never met a treat-spewing dog toy he didn't like!

Locked and loaded...

Fire away! When you pull the lever, treats shoot 8-10' away!

Sweet Felted Shibas

2012-01-13T21:15:00.000-06:00

The other present from Madel was a kit to make two lil' wool-felted Shiba Inu cell phone straps! It goes so well with the kit Patty brought back for me last year. So thankful that I learned how to felt this fall... can't wait to make these guys!

Before & After

2012-01-12T18:12:00.002-06:00

This is me with my sad Blackberry Curve.
(Why yes, that IS tape holding the trackball in!)

And this is me with the iPhone 4s I received today... YAY!!!
(Now if I only knew how to use it... Stay tuned!)

But there is a downside...

iPhone 4s Photo

2012-01-12T17:34:00.005-06:00

Gyp approves of the new iPhone!

Not sure how to work the camera yet... so far I'm getting a bunch of blurry shots... yet, already better than my old Blackberry! And now for the Instagram version. I love you, iPhone...

All smiles here!

2012-01-11T21:31:00.002-06:00

We're having our first real snow of the season. Hoping that Denver is getting some fresh pow too! Just picked up my freshly-tuned snowboard yesterday (ground/filled/waxed) and can't wait to use it!!!

Adorable snowman faces!

2012-01-09T13:56:00.002-06:00

Anne's son, Will, whipped up these cookies for Amy's first day. They are nearly as charming as Will himself! :)

I still draw occasionally

2012-01-09T10:49:00.002-06:00

Too occasionally. Hoping to amp up the art in 2012. Be more creative & inspired, have more fun, experiment, draw up a storm! A good resolution for the new year, no?

Starting today. I quickly sketched up this welcome note for a brand-new team member. (I was so excited about her coming in today that I could hardly sleep last night!)

LOLwls

2012-01-08T20:35:00.002-06:00

Some funnies courtesy of icanhascheezburger...

Who you callin' turkey?

2012-01-08T15:46:00.000-06:00

The turkey vulture was especially proud and showy, changing poses frequently. Much more charming than you might expect a vulture to be!

Her beak curves up like a huge, menacing smile

"Hey, kid—you want some candy?"

A Great, Great Blue Heron

2012-01-08T12:23:00.000-06:00

After stalking the snowy owl by the boat ramp for a while, Joni instructed me how to effectively approach a great blue heron at the end of the dock. These guys are quite shy if approached too quickly. We were able to get some decent shots before he swiftly flew across the water:

At Last, the Owl!

2012-01-08T10:28:00.000-06:00

Okay, it wasn't the super-mega-closeup I was hoping for, but the female over at the boat launch in Little Platte Park was much closer than the other owls were... I wished I'd had a camera with more than 20x zoom, but was surprised that my photos turned out better than I expected: she's more than a little white blob! HOORAY!!!

The marina and boat ramp

Joni spots the owl

YAWWWW~N!

Suddenly she becomes more alert, puffs up, then starts preening:

bars on the owl, bars on the water

Snowy Owl, is that You?

2012-01-08T10:07:00.000-06:00

A secret no longer...

Every few years (I just learned), snowy owls descend from the Arctic tundra in search of food, as lemmings become scarce. Joni alerted me that the owls had been spotted in our area, and we spent most of this weekend tracking them down. Ah, the thrill of the hunt! (Don't worry, we were hunting with our cameras.)

While we weren't lucky enough to see them up close, we did see two of them on Saturday, and all three of them today. I took a few photos of what mostly look like white blobs, but having seen the incredible birds through binoculars and high-powered scopes (Swarovski, no less!), at least the photos will help me remember the experience. I'm very grateful to Joni for spending her whole weekend with me, chasing these guys around Smithville. (And Brett says they've been spotted at Clinton Lake, too... ROAD TRIP!!!)
The females appear darker due to the more plentiful black bars on their feathers, and the males are snowy-white. The owls have the utmost patience, sitting for hours in the same spot, calmly spinning their head from side to side, and sleepily opening their eyes and yawning occasionally.
This was the scene Saturday at dusk, on the dam, with a male perched on the sign:

That's him on the sign. Trust me.

And this was the same location on Sunday morning, with a juvenile sitting among the rocks. There was a male on the larger rocks headed towards the dam, too:

That's his little white head popping up in the center. I swear.

See the next post for the main event... we got a tip that the female was over at the boat launch in Little Platte Park...

And then there's this beauty...

2012-01-07T20:59:00.022-06:00

This lil' lady deserves her own post... barn owls look pretty strange at first, but the longer I watched her, the more captivated I became. Absolutely gorgeous—almost too stunning to be real! I was lucky that she was perched near a window, and the natural light shone through her golden and white feathers and gave her a ghostly glow. Too bad about the drink cup, emergency panel, etc... but not too bad nonetheless! She was quite animated and struck some great poses for me. Lucky me!

In this species, males are more white overall, and females are more golden. Barn owls look a bit strange at first, but the longer I observed her, the more captivated I became. Truly a work of art on wings!

Heeeeeere's... Asher!

2012-01-07T20:59:00.020-06:00

This was actually surprisingly suave for a puppy...

Joni caught a still shot of the goofball in action:

To which we say:

The most captivating owl of the bunch

2012-01-07T20:51:00.017-06:00

Meet the Eurasian eagle owl. He's large, he's in charge, and he has 1,001 different expressions... Most of which look charmingly disapproving. It's the look that says, "Don't even think about messing with me."
Owls are remarkably patient, and when Joni and I started photographing this guy we began to feel foolish... after over a minute, no motion. The joke's on us: we were photographing a taxidermy specimen, right?! Then suddenly, his head turned, which surprised us. We had ourselves convinced that he must be stuffed.

These are how I KNOW that Archimedes in Disney's "The Sword and the Stone" was modeled after a Eurasian eagle owl:

Despite the vigorous shake, his legs are perfectly still & in focus. Amazing strength and steadiness in those talons! I'd hate to be his prey!

"Good day, sir." (Pause) "I said GOOD DAY, SIR!"

Actually, Disney is famous for bringing live animals into the studios for the animators to observe and draw from life, to make their characters more authentic. Like this classic image of Frank Thomas with a deer:

The cutest raptor of all

2012-01-07T20:20:00.000-06:00

American kestrel: kind of like a cockatiel.

A deadly, deadly cockatiel.

Her:

Him:

In Rapture Over Raptors

2012-01-07T19:37:00.003-06:00

Here are a few shots I took at the "Eagle Days" event up in Smithville, held at the Paradise Pointe Golf Course. Although these were taken indoors, they turned out surprisingly well. What an opportunity—to appreciate these incredible creatures right up close!

Mississippi Kite:

Spectacled owl:

"Hmph."

"Why, I NEVER!

Golden eagle:

Eastern screech owl:

Broad-winged hawk:

Bald eagle:

Snowy Owls

2012-01-06T21:59:00.008-06:00

My friend Joni saw snowy owls yesterday... In MISSOURI! I wanted to play hooky & go with her, but I chickened out. (Which is unfortunate, because owls love chickens!) She said, "I don't even know if I'll see them." But I just knew she would. And she did! Lucky girl. Coincidentally, tonight I flipped over last year's Charley Harper calendar to find... SNOWY OWLS!

A quick Google image search turned up some other great owl & raptor images like the ones below, as well as this other fun site with many others. Owls are, and have been, in vogue and as an artist and designer, it's easy to see why.

Paper Source plush owl

Plaza Lights

2012-01-06T19:21:00.003-06:00

A pretty night on the Plaza, and I planned to walk and shop after getting my hair cut tonight. Little did I know, all the shops were closed by 7 pm Friday! If retail is suffering, don't blame me. My cute new haircut & I were trying to help.

Sweet Treat

2012-01-06T15:02:00.002-06:00

Walked over to Crown Center for lunch, & they still have the huge (real!) gingerbread village on display. It hasn't felt much like Christmas this year, with no tree, no family, and few presents (Santa delivered them to Ohio!), but this made me smile.

Eyes in my closet

2012-01-05T22:32:00.002-06:00

This pretty well scared the *h* out of me when I opened the closet doors to put my shoes away! Well, hello, Gyppy!

There must be a secret

2012-01-05T04:54:00.002-06:00

There must be a secret cat law that says all vomiting must occur in the 4 o'clock hour... Two mornings in a row. (And little do I know it, but tomorrow will make three.) Sigh.

If it pleases the queen...

2012-01-02T19:00:00.009-06:00

Allyson just told me that she bought her kitty, Lacey, a new fleece (dog) bed for Christmas, and Lacey has hardly stepped out of it ever since. I was beaming when I read it: so sweet! And it reminded me of something similar that my cats have done:

In Atom's last few months, he got really bold about stealing the dogs' beds, and I frequently spotted him curled up into a tiny ball in the middle of their big beds, with the dogs nervously shuffling around, afraid to disturb him to reclaim their spot. It made me so happy for him to take charge.

Similarly, recently Gypsy has said "screw your rules" and is now spending the majority of her time lounging on the dining room table, where the cats had never been allowed before. I willingly gave in, in an attempt to coax her to eat, and now her bowls are right in the middle. Who cares... as long as the queen is pleased! :)

A Hike to Kick off 2012

2012-01-01T23:27:00.004-06:00

It's official: my dogs are spoiled. I mean, even more than usual. Today we took our third hike with Joni in a week's time: first Shawnee Mission Park with Renee, then Weston Bend State Park with Susan, and now Clinton Lake State Park with Sara & Sean! Although today felt cold compared to yesterday's 65 degree temps, the sun made it feel more than the 45 actual degrees, and the wind felt refreshingly cool. And although the KC area received rain & hail last night, the trails out west were mercifully dry. Overall, a gorgeous New Year's Day. It was nice to see the ol' George Latham trail again.

Today we answered the question, "How many people & canines
can you stuff into a 17-year-old Blazer?" (5 of each)

Turns out 5 adults & 5 canines fit! Although tight it was actually comfortable... until Taylor started farting. (I think the look on my face says it all... I'm fading!!!)

Hi Kippy!

I think he likes me.

Alan and Sean talking about... oh hell, I dunno. My mind was foggy with Taylor gassing us out in the backseat!

Aki climbed right up onto Sara's lap (and ended up sleeping on her for half the drive)!

Random teepee! For the record, we did not peepee in the teepee.

Cute shot of Sara, Sean, Kip, Asher & Wager

Family photo: Alan, Joni, Kip, Wager & Asher

Latham, Lathan... Hey, if George doesn't mind, who am I to correct them?

Posing on the rock wall

Turns out I don't have Joni's gift for getting so many people & animals to pose all at once!

Mr. Tay looking good in the winter sun... love that red undercoat!

Mr. Tay wanted to get into that water SO badly, it was difficult to get him to hold still!

Aki & Tay

Joni & Asher

Joni, Asher & Alan

The Shibas were too excited to see what's ahead, and crowding poor Joni on the trail...

Pretty sunset, leaving long tree shadows

The sun looks star-shaped through those trees!

Joni, Alan & the pups heading back to the car

"Mom, it's past dinnertime. Can we head home already, please?"

Border pile in the back... so cute!

Found a few riders on my pack when I got home. Better on that than on the dogs!

Joni spoiled me again by cooking up a great New Year's feast to help us warm up when we returned. While the five dogs snoozed around our feet (my Shibas took about 3 seconds to make themselves at home!), we had pork roast with black-eyed peas (for good luck!), cheesy potato casserole, carrot soufflé, and fresh cornbread. And more of her yummy dessert, with blueberries this time! I feel like a real member of the Godsy household, and am so grateful for the fun time spent with their family for Christmas, New Year's, and in-between!

Rude Awakening

2012-01-01T09:28:00.003-06:00

"Feed me now, or I'll get the belt."

I'm taking it as a good sign that The Gyp is now waking me up to demand her breakfast! She ate almost a full ONE AND A HALF CANS of food today, plus a little dry food. This is huge news, and I couldn't be happier! (I did stack the deck by crushing up freeze-dried salmon and sprinkling it on top of her canned food, but all's fair in love & bribing your pets.

Happy 2012 & Much Luck in the New Year!

2012-01-01T00:28:00.000-06:00

"More toys!" "More hikes!" "More Filet-O-Fish Sammiches!"

Here's to more of whatever you like in 2012! :)

Ginny gave me an XL fortune cookie just to make sure.

NYE 2011

2011-12-31T23:08:00.001-06:00

Today has been productive, but not fun, per se. I've been on the phone with my cable company debating options, then online much of the day researching how to ditch cable TV altogether. Apple TV, Roku, or just hook my laptop up to the TV? Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, or all of the above? Too many choices. But I'd love to toast saving over $100/month in 2012!

Here's to 2012... which has already started in New York City. I have fun plans for tomorrow to kick the new year off right...

Happy Birthday + Merry Christmas to Me!

2011-12-31T21:55:00.002-06:00

The board that I ordered just arrived, and though these low-light pictures clearly don't do it justice, I am SO. FREAKING. EXCITED. It's even nicer than I remembered! I can't wait to not ride it!!!

Random Adorable Photos

2011-12-31T21:13:00.004-06:00

Gypsy on New Year's Eve, feeling spunky and claiming the dining room table as hers

She has claimed the adjacent stools as well

Aki curled up with me on the couch

So relaxed, her tail uncurled!

Taylor looking coy

Right after a bath... the second in just three days!

Despite my pleas, Gyp refused to eat the entire Filet-O'-Fish that I got just for her

All-out food assault: I literally tried everything* to get her eating again!
(*dry food, more dry food, canned food, chicken baby food, turkey baby food,
real rotisserie chicken, real turkey breast, dry food soaked in water,
Three Dog Bakery freeze-dried salmon treats,
dry food soaked in homemade chicken stock, tuna fish, shrimp, sirloin steak, pork,
McDonald's Filet-O'-Fish, and Sara Lee additive-free chicken lunch meat.)

Modeling this year's awesome red Nite Ize collars from Kelley & Eric,
and last year's white LEDs from Madeline
(we ran 3.5 miles in the dark tonight to try them out!)

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good nap!

Happy Birthday, Lil' Attie!

2011-12-31T12:06:00.002-06:00

My lil' guy would have turned 13 years old today, had his life not been cut short by kidney disease. Gypsy and I still miss him and think about him every day. Her health took a turn for the worse right after we lost her friend, and I don't believe it's pure coincidence. I'm just starting to feel like I've nursed her back to a new normalcy, after nine days of attentive care.
And the dogs? Well, dogs are dogs. They're a little clueless about everything but dinnertime.
We miss you, buddy! Hope there's an endless supply of salmon treats and mice to chase, wherever you are!

Guess what I'm playing...

2011-12-30T20:18:00.003-06:00

Hint: it has triumphant Taiko drums:

Watermelon-seed-spitting contests:

And stacks of Shiba Inu snatching helicopters:

And, oh yeah, it's so loud it sends all the pets scattering.
たいこの達人 (Taiko Drum Master)!

Great Horned Owl

2011-12-29T22:10:00.000-06:00

I was following Joni on the way home from the hike, and she unexpectedly pulled over, telling me that she thought she had seen a owl on the side of the road. So we turned back and pulled safely over to the side of Highway 45, got out and crossed the street. From a distance I could see the telltale "horns" sticking up from the dead grasses. The owl flopped around, flailing its wings clumsily and tried to escape. The poor thing. As Joni noted, its wing bent the wrong direction—a serious, compound fracture. I took these photos from my lousy Blackberry-cam, which struggles in low light:

And Joni got this one with her camera:

The owl glared at us as we stood there and marveled at its stunning, barred feathers, fuzzy "horns" and clear, brilliant eyes. It blinked slowly and softly, and I couldn't get over how much it looked like a cat—it really reminded me of Atom! Its talons were surprisingly large for the size of the bird, and looked fuzzy. Joni said these guys are called "the tiger of the sky" due to their ferocity. It was quieter now; perhaps because it realized we weren't there to eat it. The larger question was, were we there to rescue it?

We debated for a few minutes. We'd have to safely catch it and get it into Joni's dog crate, keep it alive overnight, then deliver it to OWL (Operation Wildlife) tomorrow. Would it even make it that long? One eye now opened wider than the other, and the owl's life seemed to be draining away.

Ultimately it was Joni's realization that convinced us to leave it where it was, so that nature could take its course. It would probably be eaten by a coyote. But the alternative—due to the severely broken wing—would be a life in captivity, at best. And that didn't seem to suit this noble, beautiful, and thoroughly wild creature. It wasn't an easy decision, given the extent to which both Joni and I are animal lovers. But it was the right one.

I followed her home, and we both independently enjoyed the quiet contemplation of the harsh reality of nature, accompanied by a strikingly gorgeous sunset.