Monday, July 16, 2007

Big hearts, some art & SMARTIES!

A big thank you for the love shown here & elsewhere for Mattie.

THANK YOU!

Your thoughts helped me, which in turn helped Mat, i'm sure!

She's doing a lot better, but still her veterinarians don't know what has been the reason for her issues, which involved some gastrointestinal woes (including ongoing infections that she's had since i adopted her four years ago) and subsequent pooping problems that were frightening.

My poor punkinhead was on six pills a day for a time, and it was a struggle having her take the bitter meds. There was no fooling her by hiding them in food. It was much like this cartoon:



Not only is my little 12-year-old girl deaf, she is, ummmm... stubborn. She's down to one pill a day - and so we press on and it is my great hope that she has many healthy years ahead.

Awesome blogger pals:

Vicki of Vegan Vice http://veganvice.blogspot.com/ sent me this adorable doggie card and a goodie bag for Mattie (and me) filled with doggie biscuits, huge SMARTIES, lavender packets to use as a sachet and for baking cookies, lavender jelly and lavender lip balm. Plus Buddha Mints! Yes! Blew me away... typical thoughtful Vicki.

i got to bring Mattie over to Sheree' 's http://boosveg-a-nut.blogspot.com/ house last week and we had a great time! There are photos of some of our brief adventure over at her blog... it was Mat's first time hangin' out with a dog other than her best pal, Heidi, in a loooong time, and she dug Sheree' 's Shiloh big time. Must be a blonde thing!!

And again thank you to everyone who commented here (so many!!) and on Facebook (Laura!), MySpace (Bazu!), through e-mails (Melody! Candi! Emmy!), snail mail (Vicki!), text messaging (Leslie!) and everywhere (Carrie!) to lend support. What big hearts you all have...

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A few weeks back, i grudgingly went to the San Diego Fair in Del Mar, which i have problems with because of their hypocrite behaviour and the way animals are housed, shown, then weighed and sold. Heartbreaking.


But... i did get to watch a couple of horses away from the main "housing" area and on a "kids' farm" play place, have a good time with one another. It was very sweet.


i had gone to see "Weird Al" Yankovic early on in the fair's 2007 tenure, but i returned about a week later, with my mom and dad (aren't they cute? just celebrated their 52nd anniversary!) to look at some of the art, and here's a small sample of what i saw.

Woodworking, file under amazing:


This painting is supposed to be scary but i couldn't help but laugh:


An artist's rendering of the "Urban Alphabet":


Turning the (picnic) tables, this was cool:


i love this painting, it was so "relate-able":


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This story, called "Where's the Beef?" was cool to see, from the newspaper i wrote for in college:
http://media.www.thedailyaztec.com/media/storage/paper741/news/2007/07/16/HealthFitness/Wheres.The.Beef-2923750.shtml

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Wanted to share a few comics i've been lookin' at from the "Cartoon Bank" that made me smile:













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i met this sweet young lady during Peter's and my trip up the coast, in Arroyo Grande. i forgot her name but she was happy to have me photograph that bag. And even tho i can't say "hate" is a good word to use when describing meat eaters, it had a point to make:
This puts a little more positive of a spin on a similar thought:

Anyway, love makes the world go 'round...
i hope everyone has a great week. Thanks again for showin' so much compassion...

51 comments:

Monika K said...

I'm so glad Mattie is well on her way to recovery! It was fun to read about your "meeting" with Sheree on her blog - if you're ever in Alaska, you know you have to stop by for lunch. (-: Your comics made me smile, have a terrific day!

Johanna GGG said...

great post - enjoyed the artwork and had a good laugh at the cartoons - hope mattie continues to improve

Scott McMurtrey said...

Enjoy your posts as always. We're pulling for the long-term health of Mattie. The feeding the dog cartoon is wonderful. :)

Tanya Kristine said...

I LOVE that last pix...and i sent the meat eating bicycler to our meat eating bicycle friend. so thank you for making a diff...you are loved, Ms. Kleo...and so is Mattie!

Tanya Kristine said...

i hate the fair too. in fact, one year i got in a fight with the elephant go'er arounder person with his big bad bull hook in his hand. we finally fought the fair so hard they eliminated teh elephant rides. man, that's awesome. but every year i used to go see the cows, sheep, etc., and i don't do that anymore. i just can't.

Sheree' said...

How sweet, Vicki! I am glad you got some goodies and Mattie too! Mail is always fun to get.

Happy Anniversary to your parents! That is an awesome achievement these days.

That art work is incredible. Thanks for the comics!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

I'm so relieved to hear that Mattie is continuing to get better - thank you for sharing all of these wonderful photos and the hilarious comics! haha, they made my day :0)

and of course, thank you again for the incredibly sweet comments you've left on my blog - I hope you will continue to follow my journey as I most certainly will continue to follow yours. I'm keeping Mattie in my prayers, and am hoping she will continue to get better!

Rage And Love said...

EEEK! Sorry I've so long with updation! I've been uber busy with stuffers and on top of it all...Harry Potter comes out on SATURDAY!!!!

Hope you're doing well!

Unknown said...

I love the cartoon of the dog at the psychritrist & the Bite Global warming bit. Your Awesome!

Thanks for the fun post. Its good to have you back!

Isil Simsek said...

Thanks for commenting on my blog.I hope Mattie is better now.You are in my thoughts..

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

love makes the world go around! great post, Kleo! Glad Mattie is feeling better, and your parents are cute, as well as an inspiration - that's a lot of years! Your cartoons make me laugh -- "media watch dog!" and of course, the bite global warming is right on point! :)

Carla said...

Awesome post! How was the Weird Al show? He was here last week and I should have gone. Is that true about vegans driving hummers? WOW! Not that I want to drive a hummer, but wow, what a visual!

urban vegan said...

I'm so glad the Mattster is on the mend. We can relate--those pills are no fun. B.N. had a urinary tract infection just before we left for vacation, and it was no fun trying to get that medicine down. Glad she's all better. I had no doubts--she's a tough cookie.

Love all the cartoons--esp. thetherapy session ("They moved my bowl")

Tofu Mom (AKA Tofu-n-Sprouts) said...

LOVE LOVE the post - good to see you back. (I'm sure you've tried everything, but sticking the pill in a 'glob' of peanut butter can sometimes work for reluctant doggy patients...)

And the Global Warming pic is AWESOME! I cut-n-pasted and downright STOLE it, I admit...

dreamy said...

I love your posts, they are always so interesting! Esp. like the comic on the doggie's tongue, the monster veggies and the bag that the lady carried :)
Great week to you too!

aTxVegn said...

Another super post, K! I can always stop by here and feel great when I leave. I love all the art work you selected to show us.

Your parents are adoreable! Mine will celebrate their golden anniversary next year and I must plan a well deserved spectacular fiesta.

I'm so glad Mattie could feel the love and is doing better. I'm still sending my good vibes.

Jen said...

I hope you & Mattie have many, many, many years together -- you take such good care of her! I hope she'll just keep getting better & better... I send lots of love her way!

I LOOOOOVE the meat-eating bicyclist sign. I wonder if I can put something like that up in the bike library...

Carrie™ said...

What an uplifting post Kleo! How nice that you got to meet another blogger! There's a new girl on the scene; Vegan Yummies and she lives in San Diego.
Isn't Vicki such a sweetheart to send you a care package? I was a bit confused by the Smarties. In Canada, those are Rockets. A favorite of mine at Hallowe'en. I'll send you some Canadian Smarties. They are like the British Smarties. They involve chocolate! How could they possibly be bad then?
A GIANT HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to your Mom & Dad. Hugs & Kisses to them both!

Carrie™ said...

I didn't know about the American Smarties until recently. Yes....I will send you Canadian Smarties. My sister, Trina is an addict when it comes to those things. I'll also send you along some Rockets, but I might not be able to find those so easily until Hallowe'en. Then you can do a Smarties/Rocket comparison like my Hershey bar experiment.

Anonymous said...

What a great post. I'm so glad Mattie's doing better. I, too, hope she has many years ahead of her. Cierdwyn used to be that stubborn with pills, too. (Kozmo's always eaten anything you hand him). Fortunately, she's improved. :)

Great pictures. I love the one about the bicycling meateater and them vegan in a hummer. ;)

That pic of your parents is wonderful. Mine are nearing 50 years, too. Wow...

Hope you're having a wonderful week. Thanks for the comments on my blog.

And no, I don't intend to read Tony Dungy's book. I like him as a football coach and respect his beliefs otherwise, but I don't care to get any closer to them than I already have by just being a Colts fan. ;)

laura k said...

I love the artwork you showed, especially the woodwork--yes, amazing! And the cartoons made me smile. But what makes me smile even more is Mattie--and I really hope her health continues to improve. Poor thing--all those pills...

Crystal said...

Great cartoons! Those gave me some good chuckles.

How sweet that folks are sending you stuff, surprises are good sometimes.

Hope Mattie continues on the better track so life gets easier for her.

Take care,

Crystal

pinknest said...

mattie will get better soon! we must will it and constantly think good thoughts for good energy!

on another note, those horses scare me.

Catherine Weber said...

So glad to hear Mattie continues to improve. (Six pills a day . . . wowza! I bet you're both glad she's down to one.)

I thought of you last night, Kleo, when Dan and I were watching "UHF," starring your fave actor! (What a silly film! I'm still laughing about "Spatula City!")

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

I am so sorry to have miss your post about Mattie not being well but SO happy to find out she is better! I am always very touched by your posts about her... Your love for her is always palpable and I can know she is so happy with you.

You are both in my heart and I wish you a million more share joys and wonders.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Anonymous said...

Isn't medical knowledge wonderful and of course all your tender loving care. The painting says it all.

Loved all the great cartoons, have a great week, The Artist

Anonymous said...

aw, kleo! i'm so glad to hear that mattie is getting better! thank you for the update and for another collection of educational bits!

Theresa said...

Watch out for the deadly fruits! They'll suck the life out of you! And that painting of the woman with the dog is just gorgeous.

Glad to hear Mattie's getting better!

veganmomma said...

It was nice "meeting" you on my blog - will have to have a SD veg friendly blog group meetup sometime!
And I hope Mattie continues to improve, how hard that must be to not know what is going on!

Anonymous said...

i was without computer so i miss what happens to Mattie, i will read your past posts. im still without my computer.

have a great weekend.

Drasch23 said...

Great post. You always make me laugh. Which is also my suck up for the fact that I tagged you for a meme.

http://greenbayvegan.blogspot.com/2007/07/meme-8-true-things.html

have fun....

Rage And Love said...

you are the sweetest person...EVER! I barely know you and I love you so!

Thank You so much for all your fab comments!

Unknown said...

you just made my day. my night. whatever.
our old, now late, Pampa had a lot of gastro-intestinal woes too, it was heartbreaking, so I can imagine what you are going through and feel for you and Mattie. my thoughts are still with you in hope everything that isn't quite right goes far better, soon.

Scott McMurtrey said...

thanks for the kind words about sadie. i think she'll be okay. :)

danucal said...

The Gods must be smiling down on Mattie to give him such loving and protective owners. I can tell he is very well taken care of, Kleo.

I loved all the cartoons, especially the one about the dog taking pills. Thank you for sharing, I'm sending positive vibes your way!

And your parents are adorable btw. :~)

bazu said...

I loved this post- how cool that you got to meet a fellow blogger, I love that! I hope to meet all my blogger friends in real life one day. Glad Mattie's feeling better, I hope the improvement continues. The dog in that painting looks exactly like Mattie- I can see why you find it relatable! Loved the meateater/bike vs. vegan/hummer sticker- so interesting to think about. A vegan on a bike is the best thing, then, I would guess!

bazu said...

P.S. I so sympathize with you about getting pets to take pills- my cats can taste a drop of medicine mixed with a whole can of food- so difficult- and heartbreaking to try to make them understand that the bitter stuff is *good* for them. Sigh!

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

What a cute little care package you got. I hope everything works out with yr baby!
I'm curious about lavender cookies . . . I have to admit I have never had the pleasure of eating lavender. Good to smell for headaches though.

Olivia H. said...

Hi. Thank you for the nice comments on my Barbie Blog. I liked reading the cartoons on yours. They are funny. Maybe Barbie will have to read the newspaper...

Dan said...

I was on vacation for nearly two weeks and just got back. I'm so glad that Mattie is feeling better. Sweet little pup. She's still in my prayers. Hugs to you during this time!

Hilary said...

Yeah, my high school has a club team that plays all summer long. Except for waking up bright and early for practices almost daily it's great. Oh how cool, I always though being a sports writer would be a cool job, getting to go check out games and stuff.

Amy said...

I'm glad Mattie is feeling much better than she was! I had one of my cats get an infection not long ago and had 2 months of 4 pills a day to try and clear it up plus twice daily chin baths. I think she's still holding a grudge (which is of course very cat like, not so much doggie like).

TB said...

i loved this post, as always! glad to hear mattie continues to improve, and the cartoons were great for a few good laughs :D i haven't been to the del mar fair in years just because i'm not in san diego much anymore, but my uncle had a rocking chair in the woodworking section this year, so my mom took lots of pictures, including one of the incredible tiger piece you posted about. amazing what talented people can do!

Emmy said...

I'm so happy to hear that Mattie is feeling better. I'm still sending lots of good wishes your way and I hope they can figure out what is causing her problems.

Happy, Happy Anniversary Wishes to your parents. 52 years....that's just wonderful :)

What cool are you saw at the fair. Love the picture you took of the horses as well.

Much Love, Emmy

Vegan_Noodle said...

So glad to hear Mattie is feeling better! She is certainly in my thoughts!

vko said...

Those cartoons are hysterical. Am so glad Mattie is feeling better- it's funny how talented our little friends become when it comes to taking m-e-d-i-c-i-n-e (I can't even say it around Booboo).

hope Mattie is fully recovered soon!
And your parents- they are great- Happy Anniversary!

Anonymous said...

Hello!

Thank you for dropping by my place and leaving such positive comments. I appreciate them.

I'm happy to hear that your Mattie is feeling much better. I wasn't so lucky with my 14-year-old Lhassa Apso, who passed last May. It was a very hard decision but I wanted her to go with dignity.

You have lovely pictures on your blog.

No, it's not all about you, true but you must begin by being kind to yourself in order to be able to spread the love.. ;-)

Anonymous said...

The painting of the woman holding her dog is really moving. I would like to get a pic of me & Noble like that and have someone paint it for me. Luv that bumper sticker about the bicycling meat eater. So true!

FreakyNick said...

Thanks for visiting my blog(s) and your kind comments.

I will come back and read more of this, looks very entertaining.

I also added you as a MySpace friend, even though I don't use that very much.

I'll be back.........

Mark Xander said...

Love the pic of the horses kissin'.. and the cartoons too! :)