Ever So Helpful

"Hmmm, I wonder how I get this thing to move....."

"Not quite what I had in mind, but OK."

Floundering

First, THANK YOU for all the kind comments about Kaia.  While I may not respond to them directly, please know that I read every one and greatly appreciate every comment.  I don't respond because.....I just can't.  It is always hard to open a heart that has been repeatedly damaged by grief, but kaia was a huge, vivid spirit that would not allow for anything less.  Now, I am having a hard time saying goodbye to her and I just can't talk about it.  

As for why she died, we still don't know.  The preliminary pathology report said that she was healthy in every way except for a great deal of fluid and blood in her lungs from pulmonary embolism.   We are waiting on the histology report to explain WHY and HOW she had pulmonary emboli.  All I can do is speculate at this point and the most likely speculations are that she died from a snake bite or a rare thing that sometimes happens to super fit, athletic dogs that (for unknown reasons) have a sudden drop in blood sodium levels.  I don't entirely understand that one, but it occasionally happens in hunting and sled dogs after exertion.  Kaia had just been racing after chipmunks with her best friend, Ian, ran into the pond to cool off, which she did all the time, and died.

When I have better answers, I will let you know.  The vet's office is now telling me it may be 3-4 weeks before I get the histology back to answer those questions.  Since I have spent the past 20 years working in a histology lab and I know damn well it does not take 3-4 weeks, this is just adding to me stress.  

That is all I can manage about Kaia right now so let's move on before I have to just give up completely.

***

I lost my new job because of the COVID mess.  I could easily get another histology job, but it would mean selling my farm and moving, which I do not want to do.  I am also really burned out on Histology and our broken healthcare system so I want to try something different so I am trying to set up an online shop to sell some of my artwork.  Etsy is an option, but their fees are very high and many artists say they no longer have good results with it.  I am trying to set up a page on my blog and am floundering around trying to figure that out.  You may see some odd posts pop up as a result.  

I did have a plan in mind and then Kaia.......this is why I loathe the word "plan".  

I have set up a facebook page, which you can find here if you are so inclined: https://www.facebook.com/The-Dancing-Donkey-104011334727955

Just liking and sharing the page could be a big help to me.  I am also on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/thedancingdonkey/.

I trying to set something up on the blog though, because I want all of you to have first dibs on anything I make.  You guys have all become part of the Dancing Donkey family and who else do you hit up to buy your stuff when the shit hits the fan?   

***

I floundered my way through this post.  I hope it is comprehensible and I hope you understand that all this comes from the heart....a broken that I am trying to hold together the only way an old farm woman knows how - with duct tape, baling twine, grit, work and forcing myself forward because the animals still need to be fed, the fields still need to be mowed, the hay still needs to be stacked.  The sun still comes up every day.

TheDancingDonkey Art - test page

Shattered

Kaia

6/20/2019-7/22/2020

My beloved Kaia died very suddenly and unexpectedly on Wednesday afternoon taking a huge chunk of my heart and soul with her.  She brought nothing but joy, exuberance and love into the world.  I don't think I will ever be able to fill the void she leaves.

We have taken her to Cornell for a necropsy to try to find out why she left us so soon, but it won't bring her back.

First Dibs

So...I know I have been a blog failure lately.  I have so much to write, but the words just keep swirling.  I have been working on a lot of art projects and it seems like I can only manage one type of creative expression at a time so all the words are going into things like this....(They do say a picture is worth a thousand words.  Daisy Donkey was made from wildflowers that I gathered and dried)

Or these, which I will be taking to the local Farmer's Market when they are finished (unless someone here would like one).  Dried wildflowers from my farm set in resin.

I'll have better pictures once I finish them completely.

I am planning on offering all of these things on an Etsy shop, but I wanted to offer them here first if there is interest.  I want all my blog friends to get first dibs😁

I have a bunch of the donkey "seedlings" that could be customized in a variety of ways or I can put a finish coat on them so they can be displayed as they are.  They can be set in frames, made into wall hangings, set into a larger picture, etc.  

If anyone is interested in any of these pieces, get in touch.  You can reach me at aerissana@gmail.com

 ***

 

I've also done some portraits, which have already gone on to their forever homes....

Photo of Magpie, a Windsprite puppy...

I did this for practice because white is really hard.  Not sure I am really happy with it, but I learned a lot. It was made from wool from FB's sheep, wood shavings from a spoon carving I attempted, wild flowers and some of Qilin's shed out hair:)  It is going to Ann Firestone at Save Your Ass Longear Rescue as I stole the picture of her cute puppy to practice on😄.  

A random Windsprite

And a few commissioned pieces....

Let me know if there is something you would like me to try.

Random Review