Creative Cleansing - Sewing!

I needed to clear my mind today, and decided to busy myself with another project.

I needed to make Comet a new coat :)

He is the boss of the house, and quite spoiled.

See how happy he is with himself?

There is a little 'challenge' for lack of better words in our area, called The 12 Acts of Kindness.

Starting on Dec 1st, it is a challenge to do an act of kindness toward your local rescue group or shelter. Making this coat got me thinking, how fun would it be, to go to pick up your newest addition to your family and show up and have them in a new coat :) So I am going to make several and drop them off around the area.

What is your 'creative cleansing' that gets you rejuvenated to move on to your next project?

Because of Zeus bracelets are in!!!!

In a previous post Because of Zeus I wrote about part of my creative process that involved my cat Zeus who I had to have put to sleep.

I am in the process of starting a Because of Zeus foundation, a non profit, that 25% of all of my jewelry sales will also fund.

Be a supporter and purchase your "Because of Zeus" bracelet today from my site - Just A Tish

Because of Zeus - Personal post

This is a personal post, and I feel necessary.

I am writing this through teary eyes as I think about my dear Zeus.

I had to put my cat Zeus down yesterday. Zeus was a big part of my jewelry making process. He would be in my lap, laying across my beads, or on his pillow next to my work desk always supervising. Where I was,  he was. He was a level of comfort while I worked.  I could reach over and touch him, run my hand across his silky fur, and feel his purrs vibrate back thru my hand. As much as he was a comfort, he worked my nerves -  he was a thief.

He liked to play fetch, that was his favorite game. Anything I would throw he would bring back to me. Gallon milk jug cap rings were his favorite, and running a close second was zip lock baggies.  All my crafty friends may have gasped at this, because I store EVERYTHING in zip lock baggies. There were times I would come home, had forgotten to put my lid on my finished jewelry, and I would find bags of jewelry and beads all over the house. This always happened when I would be working on a piece, I knew I had that bag laying right there. RIGHT THERE!  I would tear up the entire room looking for that bag, because of course that bag had the most crucial component to the design. Eventually I would have to give up the search, and move onto something else. Several days later, it would never fail, Zeus would come trotting in, carrying the bag in his mouth and drop it at my feet, with his tiny little mew he would say - Let's play!

He had this thing about plastic. He LOVED it. Plastic grocery bags was his addiction. He would lay on a corner of a bag, and drag his nose across it. Several times he figured out how to make the bag taunt and he would drag his nose so heavily across the plastic you would hear...squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee......This is my cat.

Oh that damn cat.

I brought Zeus home in 2006, he was a ferel little mess. His head is misshapen, one eye is bigger than the other, and the one eye has a scar on it, causing it to be always milky and always dilated.

Zeus snuggling on my husbands shoulder

He lived for a week under the couch and wouldn't come out. I wondered what I had gotten myself into. When he finally ventured out, he lived on my shoulder, or in the hat of my hoodie. You never knew when he was going to snap,  and when he did it was always very 'tazmanian devilish' A wild flurry of fur, fangs and claws. Myself and many others have been left in the bloody wake of his rampages. Still I couldn't give up hope on him. He was mine, and no one elses. When I would come home from work, he was at the door with the dogs, meowing and pawing at me, so happy to see me. When I would watch TV, he was in my lap, when I was in bed he was under the covers. His purring was loud and honest, because for whatever reason his poor soul was tortured, he was happy in my arms.

Zeus was the inspiration behind several pieces I donated to different causes. This you may remember from a previous post. I made a piece for Safe Haven, a no kill shelter just north of Raleigh. This was for their auction a few years ago. I named it "Basking Tabby" because he was always sunning himself on his pillow while I worked.

And as always, as I am trying to take the shot, he has to be in it. This one was fitting.

He was always trying to get into the light box as I shot my pieces. You know cats, the spotlight is always on them.

A couple of months ago, he became sick, very sick and went downhill so fast, it was mind numbing how he could be raging one day, and thin and sickly the next. Due to issues beyond my control,  I didn't have the money to have him looked at, or to have him treated. He had diabetes. The blood work, the office visits for check ups, the insulin, was too far out of reach. It is maddening, I felt like I had let him down. I couldn't watch him waste away. I knew what had to be done but I didn't want to stress him out with a car ride, and go somewhere he didn't know and put him down. Thank you God there are mobile vets. Yesterday the vet came to the house, and quietly put him to sleep, in my lap.


When I made the payment to vet for her visit, the payment was lower than expected. I had already stopped by the bank and pulled out enough cash for the procedure. For a split second I was happy that I would be getting money back. Then I had a thought. Yes, this is money I could use, but I had this money ear marked for this procedure. There is someone out there who doesn't. I don't want someone to go through what I am going through because of money. Maybe I can help someone else. I told the vet to keep the change. I needed it to be like a trust fund, that she would keep the remaining balance, and when someone came to her, who didn't have enough money, she could use that remaining money to help them. She didn't understand at first, or maybe it appeared that way. She blinked at me. I explained to her how I was feeling. I couldn't help Zeus because it was so much money that was needed, but maybe someone needed just a little bit more to help them over the hump. She hugged me and said thank you. She already knew who she could help. I felt 1000 times lighter with that comment.


I didn't want to stop right there. I want to keep on trying to help others who have pet needs.I have decided that 25% of all of my sales will go to the Because of Zeus fund. This will be my way to pay it forward.  I will set this money aside and use it to donate to vet clinics to help someone who is trying to help their pet, help them have a better life but can't make the commitment due to financial reasons. Keep watch in the upper corner of the blog. There will be a scale as money accumulates, and a listing of the recipients.
 
My hope is that when someone asks, Where did this come from? How can this be? How did I get this help when I needed it? Someone can tell them -  Because of Zeus.

And now for something completely different.........

I have several passions, one you all know is my jewelry, stones, and beads. Then there is the passion that consumes my soul. I have a soft spot for animals, especially rescue/shelter animals. I have 2 dogs and 3 cats and am in the process of adopting yet another dog. He is a hard luck story too. He is young, 6 mo old with a debilitating problem - Ununited Anconeal Process. Surgery is required to correct this problem, and it is expensive. The rescue foundation is willing to waive the adoption fee for me to take him due to the cost of the surgery.

I had a big pity party for myself when I found out the cost of the surgery, and nearly gave up on the idea of adopting due to the cost. A girlfriend of mine kicked me in my pants and told me it can be done - we will have a fun raiser. Hope began to grow again.

So I sucked it up, and put my energies toward fixing 'that dog'. I walk the dogs everyday. That is our quiet time. While walking them earlier this week, I found .50 on the road.



It hit me - all I need is .50 from 2000 people and this will be ok. So the campaign started. .50 from 2000 people "For a Chance to run".

I have put a donation button on my blog, and all proceeds from my jewelry sales from now till the end of June go toward not only his surgery but any money left over goes to a fund to help the next rescue dog who may suffer from this.

I posted on Facebook and Twitter, and it word is being reposted and spread at a mind boggling rate. I got an email this morning from a person in MA, whom I have never met, who wants to send me .50. *I cried when I read it* How AWESOME is that!

This is the sweet boi



me and 'the three' - I only have mobile pics - i am such a bad mom



the partners in crime - Newd and Rose




Here is the interview with the vet about what is going on with 'Chance'

Word has spread like wildfire around Facebook and Twitter bout that dog - Chance or Newd Og and his need for surgery. But what exactly is going on with him?

I have interviewed my vet in Fuquay for more information on this surgery that Newd Og is going to need. I wanted to know more, and I wanted you to know why I am so passionate about this that I am humbling myself asking for help, .50 at a time.

Let's meet Dr. Cotton first.
Dr. Cotton, always with a smile on her face and a kind and gentle hand, can be found at the Fuquay Veterinary Animal Hospital, in Fuquay, NC. Dr. Cotton graduated in 1987 from NC State and has been practicing veterinary medicine for 22 years.

I think people are born to be vets. Everyone I have known who is a vet, or wanted to be a vet has dreamed and worked toward that goal from their earliest memories. So, I asked Dr. Cotton - "Have you always wanted to be a vet? "

Dr. C: No, I didn't want to be a vet until I was about the age of 12. I wanted to be a cowboy before that. (we are kindred spirits!)

Dr. Cottons original practice included farm and small animals. After the birth of her daughter, she made the decision to leave the large/farm animals and concentrate on small animals/household pets.


So Dr. Cotton, with all of your experience, can you tell us, what really is Ununited Anconeal Process? At birth bones are not fused, in humans or animals. These bones over time, grow and fuse. In certain breeds (larger breeds most effected) the anconeal process (elbow) which is part of the ulna (arm bone) does not fuse. If not fused by a specific age this bone will never unite and it will cause pain and disability.

What causes it? Most common causes are genetic defect. It is passed down through the father and mother, making it a heredity trait. Other causes can include improper nutrition or abnormal mechanical stress. Although this is found commonly in the larger breeds, Dr. Cotton has not seen many cases. Diet and exercise play a very important part maintaining your dogs health, well being, and comfort with this condition. Keeping your pet active and trim is very important when dealing with Ununited Anconeal Process.

Is surgery the only option? Is there a form of P.T. that may help to strengthen the muscles that would help? For the best quality of life for the effected pet, surgery, although very expensive, is the only answer. If the elbow is not corrected by either removing the anconeal completely or by attaching it with screws, the joint will eventually fuse with arthritis, limiting the animals range of motion, and putting it in constant pain.

Can the dog be given anything for pain? Yes. There are over the counter human medicines that can be taken by your dog like aspirin or Tylenol. Other human prescriptions such as Ultram will even work. As always, before giving your pet something for pain, make sure you consult with your veterinarian for the proper choice and dosage.

After surgery, what are the recovery percentages? As always there are exceptions to every rule, but for the most part, the surgery is always successful putting recovery at a very high percentage. Depending on the severity of the problem there may be a limp, but nothing that would jeopardize the pets health or be debilitating or painful.

Thank you Dr. Cotton for all your information. This gives me great hope that Chance/Newd Og will have a long, healthy, happy and pain free life.