A better video!

Again, the key word here is 'foster'.

Here is a little movie I quickly threw together featuring Chip, the ram lamb we are fostering. He came to us on Christmas day (his mother was sent to slaughter) and has been living cozily by the woodstove.

Angel Pig: 9-15-00 ~ 11-30-08

Jewely came to us in a cat carrier in September 2000. She was a runt, obtained for us from a hog farm by a well-meaning (but misguided) friend. She was sickly, and needed special food and a heat lamp. With gentle care, she soon became a lively member of the farm and began to thrive. Let out of her area, she'd follow us around the yard, playing like a puppy.

True to her Yorkshire White breed, she rapidly expanded to around 500 pounds. Sometimes her play was a little rough; one of her favorite tricks was to get behind someone and send them airborne with a well-placed snout between the legs. The day Jewely did not follow us and began to wander into the field, we quickly enticed her into the barnyard with a molasses cookie and there she spent the rest of her life, except for one traumatic escape, which resulted in the installation of electric fence around the barnyard. For many years after, whenever Jewely went into heat, she'd stare at that spot in the fence where she was once able to get out and search for a boyfriend. If she wasn't staring at the fence, she might be obsessively dragging weeds into the barn for her nest.

Given a bale of hay, Jewely would make an impressive mound for her bed. Visiting her in the barnyard during her 'special time' was the only time it was somewhat risky to be around her. It was that old snout in the butt trick, but it was not so funny coming from a 700 pound pig. Our driveway runs along the barnyard, and if Jewely was out browsing when I drove up from work, she would race me up the hill, ears flopping and barking loudly. Yes, pigs bark.

She was alone for much of her life, except for the various chickens and pigeons who inhabited the barn. Then, in 2005, we got Spi, a pony, for Eliza. Jewely followed Spi around like a puppy, nibbling his tail and generally being a pest. For the most part, it seemed like unrequited affection, although I did once see Spi licking Jewely's back. Ultimately, when we connected the barnyard and pasture areas, her friends included 6 goats and 4 horses. Even with a new 7 or so acres to explore, Jewely stayed in her known barnyard area. Only once, just this past fall, did she explore the upper pasture. She spent the entire next day resting in her bed. Unfortunately, she never got up again.

She had been fighting an infection, which we treated successfully with antibiotics. But she went off her food, which is a big deal for someone who rolled joyfully in such treats as leftover cherry tarts and frosting covered cookies (I used to have cafeteria duty in public school and the amount of lunchtime waste was truly disturbing; the kids all knew I was saving goodies for my pig.) She loved to eat - with literally lip-smacking enjoyment - almost as much as she liked a good belly rub or back scratch. And true to the porcine stereotype, her mud hole was a source of great pleasure to her. Now when I walk by the barnyard, and see the mudbathing spot that she carefully constructed to hold water, I feel a pang of sadness that I won't see the muddy venus rising out of it again.

She died quietly sometime during the night of November 29th. I think my husband, who fed and talked to her every day of her eight years, and nursed her with water three times a day in her last month, will miss her the most. She brought joy to many, including total strangers who would pull off the road to watch her standing serenely out in her barnyard, her innocent eyes gazing back with friendly curiosity.

(Photo of Jewely with angelic tranformation copyright 2008 by Eliza K.S.)

More Comix

Gee this is turning into the Eliza Comic Blog!

Eliza's Post-Thanksgiving Comic

I have to post these wonderful comics by my genius daughter!

Ragged Edge Coffee House Opening

These are 100 cards that will be featured in show called Affinity for the Infinitesimal at the Ragged Edge Coffee House (http://www.raggededgecoffeehs.com) in Gettysburg PA. The opening is Friday 11-07-08 from 7-9PM. The show will also include 100 small works by Nanette Hatzes. Each piece is 2.5x3.5 inches - the standard size for an ACEO (Art Card Editions and Originals - often sold on ebay). The works are for sale at the coffee house and will be available for sale online when the installation is taken down in early December. Thanks for looking and please email me with any questions!



Here is a link to the whole set (if you don't want to sit through the slideshow:
Flickr Set

Almost a Teen

Uncle Eliza's Guide to Being Perfect

by Eliza K. S.

Be cool, be awesome, be attractive, be you.

Hi, my name is Eliza, and I'm going to tell you how to be perfect. Don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect, but I try to think I am and make other people think so too. You see, it's impossible to be literally perfect, but you can still be awesome and virtually perfect. But you don't want to hear this, do you? You want to be (almost) perfect, don't you? Of course you do! If not, why are you still here? So, without further ado;

The basics of being perfect

Admit and accept

You have flaws. Deal with it. Knowing you have flaws is the first step to fixing them. Accepting is more important than admitting, but they're both very important when trying to solve any problem. Accepting something is believing it with all (or at least most) of your brain. This is crucial! If you skip this step, nothing will get done. Having a problem and not accepting it is called denial. Denial is bad. Admitting something is getting to the point where you can tell other people, even if it's just one or two people that you really trust. This is good because if you don't admit something, no one can help you, so you're alone, just you and your problem at some classy, romantic, candle lit restaurant. No matter how much trouble you have getting a date, you don't want that.

Believe

You can be awesome, you can be smart, you can be talented, and you need to know it. If you don't believe, you'll be more likely to fail.

Watch the 'tude

A good attitude is a very good thing to have when trying to be happy with yourself and fix problems.

Instead of saying “I'm fat and ugly” someone with a good and positive attitude might say “I'm overweight, but I can deal with that. I don't think I'm very good-looking, so I should try to focus on positive aspects of my appearance, and try to fix whatever negative ones I can.”

Work on it

If you've managed the first three steps, that's great, but just that won't magically solve all your problems. You have to work on them, one or two at time, until you've gotten them all. As much as you may wish you could snap your fingers and be done with it, it won't happen.

To be continued in Part 2.....

photo courtesy of sideshowmom at morguefile.com

Sushi Pocket - Altered Bag

I won this cute little mini-backpack at work. It had a logo on the front, so it begged to be altered. It's pretty cool with mini pockets inside and lots of ways to hang it.

My Altered Purse

I just got this great bag at a thrift store and of course HAD to alter it! All that black was crying for adornment...and I may not be done yet. I mean, come on - how about beads? Felt? Assorted baubles? The little owl is part of my new logo at www.veganjewelry.com. Brett said " are owls peaceful? are they vegan?" Well, whatever their personal values, they sure are CUTE!

Schrodinger's Letter

So here I sit with the notification from Adams County Arts Council about whether I got into the juried exhibition. Is it like Schrodinger's cat? Is there both acceptance and rejection contained within, only solidifying into an answer when I, the observer, open and read? Well, whatever. The painting of Sara was accepted! The cat lives!

10/3/08. The cat not only lives, but this painting won Honorable Mention at the show. Better than kittens!

The Best Video on YouTube

IMHO

Our Brooklyn Trip

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver (in Wordle)

First Five Days

So far so good. One drawing every day in January.

Field Kit

I love little bags and portable things. Here is my latest field kit (that I actually carry in my bag everywhere) that I sewed from a piece of felt. It has pencils (regular and mechanical), watercolor pencils, watercolor brushes (regular and fillable), sharpener, erasers (regular and click), a ruler, white charcoal and 2 pigma pens of different thicknesses.