#old art but I post cuz I actually Went Fishing

[huzongyu]

Have I ever mentioned that I like to travel alone?

An old man asked me what I was writing when I was sketching by riverside, I tried to search for a waterfall site along this river, only to find out water was too deep up there, there’s no way I can pass without ropes and swimming suits, I might actually die without any professional help, so I went back and sat on a rock, started to do some quick sketches and waited for my pants to get drier (I was wearing my basketball shorts and Nike pro leggings with water hiking boots, I’m ridiculous I know)

“I’m not writing, I’m just drawing.”

“Drawing? Can I see it?”

“Sure, but it’s not really good.”

“Cmon I don’t even know how to write!”

He turned out to be the locals living nearby, he was a hunter living in this mountain for his whole life, I showed him some more sketches like those in the photo, he complimented them, asked me if I saw those big fishes in the river? Can I draw them for him? I said sure but I didn’t see any, then he told me to follow him down there, he’ll show me where they are.

Honestly I was kinda nervous when I was following him, yes I was a former athlete and stronger than average girls, but when it comes to physical strength, men and women still have huge differences, even we both are almost the same size, I believe he can overpower me easily, so I paid extreme attention to the surroundings, just in case I needed to grab a rock and knock him.

Luckily, he was just a really nice old man, while I was struggling to walk on the rocky paths and across the river, he was quick and walked like a feather, patiently waited for me to catch up, in the end I still didn’t see the fish he wanted to show me, I gave up and did another quick environment sketches instead, he was busy running and swimming around and disappeared in few minutes.

When I came back to the parking lot, I found him waiting there, and guess what he brought with him? A box of Krispy Kreme lol That’s really the last thing I’d expect to see in this small village, and that was really a saver cuz I was starving, I grabbed a classic donut with a few ants on it, to thank for his generosity, I ripped one page of the sketches I did that day, gave that to him in return, he accepted and said he’ll cherish it.

I feel that’s the whole point of art, even in its smallest gesture, I can still make some connections through art, in a really subtle but the most honest way I’ve ever known, and I don’t know how to do it in any other way, in life there are always some hidings and calculating in order to survive, so that really matters to me, otherwise sometimes doing art can feel pointless and be an endless struggle.

Anyways, this is just me rambling my thoughts, and share a weird story here, 2021 is almost end and I know I haven’t posted anything for a while, I still don’t have any decent drawings to share, but I hope you enjoy this, and thanks for people who still follow me, wish you guys a happy new year

[fandima-moved-read-pinned]

Aven, all the numbers :)

1- Animated character that was your gay awakening? : I mean my gay awakening was an irl person so I don't know? I can't think of any rn 

2- Grilled cheese or PB&J? : Grilled cheese bc PB&J is gross just peanut butter and jelly are both good on their own but I don't like the way they taste combined 

3- What show/YouTube video(s) do you put on in the background when you when you don’t have anything to watch but you want something on? : Baking videos! Particularly the ones that have no voicover or any voice and you have to turn on the subtitles to know what ingredients they're using bc the words on the screen are in ankther language 

4- Your go-to bar order, if you drink? : chocolate milkshake no alcohol (the only time I've been to a bar that's what I ordered) 

5- What’s your favorite pair of shoes that you own? : My black tennis shoes, but they're really old and worn and I need new ones but I've been telling my parents for god knows how long and they don't give a shit 

6- Top three cuisines? : pfft cuisines I love that word its funny to me just I can't say it out loud without smiling or laughing anyway I guess shrimp fettuccine alfredo, medium rare steak, and fuggin uhhhhhh Danny Kids Cuisines

7- What was your first word as a child (that wasn’t a variation of “Mom” or “Dad”)?: I have no clue, I think my dad once said it was car or cat but they couldn't tell which 

8- What’s a job that you’ve had that people might be surprised to find out you’ve had?: I've never had a job really, I mean I volunteered at the library one summer but I think that's it 

9- Look up. What’s directly across from you? : A large bowl of pancake batter (I'm making pancakes rn) 

10- Do you own any signed books/memorabilia in general?: I've got an Air Force flag signed by the Air Force basketball team from that one time we went to a game. I've also got a really old shirt with the sifnirure of a country singer who I've never heard of (I don't think she made it big) 

11- Preferred way to spend a rainy day? : Drawing. Raining tends to make me want to draw more! Also watching the Great British Baking Show 

12- What do you get on your bagels? What WOULD you get if you had access to anything you wanted?: normally I don't eat bagels. But Nutella and almonds and bananas on a plain bagel is really good! Also does it mean like anything I want on a bagel? Because I will order $1M on a bagel and only eat the bagel and bam I'm rich it said ANYTHING so heck yeah it never said it has to be food 

13- Brunch or midnight snacks?: Ooh brunch! I love brunch. I've never had a midnight snack tho so I can't really say for sure. 

14- Favorite mug you own: my Coffee Mug 

Also say hi to Emrys he's helping me make dinner 

15- What coffee drink would you describe yourself as? : 3% coffee 96% sugar 1% baked beans 

16- Pick a song lyric to describe your current mood (and drop the name and artist!): "I've grown tired of this body" Body by Mother Mother 

17- Fruity or herbal teas? : Fruity I guess? I'm not a big fan of tea, but I've had this watermelon mint tea and added ice and a bunch of sugar and it was pretty good 

18- What’s that one TV show that you’re a little bit embarrassed to watch but you still like nonetheless?:.... Sonic X (it was part of my childhood and I just really like the theme and I like it in general don't judge pls) 

19- That book you were forced to read for class but actually ended up enjoying?: It wasn't a book we read as a glass but I think it was called the dragonfly something I dunno it was a while ago but it was really interesting 

20- Do you match your socks? Nope 

21- Have you ever been horseback riding?: I don't think so? 

22- What was your “phase” when you were younger? (i.e., Mythology Nerd, Horse Girl, Space Geek, etc)- creepypasta everything. Every single thing. 

23- Have you ever been to jail?: nope

24- What’s your opinion on Lazy Susan’s (the spinning tray in the middle of tables)?: I don't have an opinion on them? Is there Lazy Susan discourse I don't know about 

25- Puzzles?: no hate them they can burn 

26- You can only have one juice for the rest of your life, what is it?: Apple juice I suppose? I don't drink much juice (I only really drink water, a little bit of coffee, and milk) 

27- What section do you immediately head for when you walk into a bookstore?: Fiction/Fantasy 

28- What’s one thing you’re trying to learn/relearn in your downtime right now?: I'm trying to start sewing again! 

29- Who’s your go-to musical artist when you’re feeling upbeat?: none, I only listen to music at night and I'm not really upbeat then. 

30- Where could someone find you in a museum?: the exit (sorry I've never really enjoyed myself at museums) 

31- What’s that one outfit in your closet you never get the chance to wear but want to?: None. I don't likem my clothes. All my dresses are too small minus like one. 

32- Rainbows, stars, or sunset colored clouds?: Stars! I rarely get to see them. 

33- If you could own any non-traditional pet (dogs, cats, fish, rodents, etc), what would it be?: Are ferrets rodents? I'd like a ferret I'd name it Malfoy

34- Do you have more art on your walls or more photographs?: Art for sure. I have no photographs on my walls, only my own paintings. 

35- You have to get one meme tattooed on your body, what meme is it and where does it go?: "Yeet" in cursive on my shoulder is area place thing 

36- Pick a superhero sidekick to hang out with: none sorry I don't like superheros 

36- Lakes, rivers, or oceans?: Oceans!!!!!!!!! They're so pretty and blue and filled with fish and pretty and fun to swim in and salty and cold and nice and amazing I love the ocean I miss it 

38- Favorite mid-2000s song: I'm not sure, I don't keep track of when songs were released ;-;

39- How do you dress when you’re home alone?: Just my normal clothes. T-shirt and leggings or shorts. 

40- Where do you sit in the living room (we all have a preferred spot, and you know it)?: The Corner Spot. My my brother keeps stealing it. 

41- Knives or swords?: Knives bc you can cut bread with them 

42- A song you didn’t think you’d enjoy but ended up loving:  Body by Mother Mother. Also Burning Pile. 

43- Pick an old-school Disney Channel Original Movie: None we didn't have Djnsye when I was a kid 

44- Are you a “Quote that relates to the photos” caption-er, an “explanation of where I took the photos” caption-er, or a no caption kinda person when you post pictures online?: Quote that relates to the photos? 

44- Name a classic Vine: Why you got a twelve car garage when you only got FIFTEEN CATS CUZ WE ALL JUST WANNA BE BIG RJCJSTARS 

46- What’s the freezer food that you stock up on when you go to the grocery store?: I don't go to the store but probably ice cream 

47- How do you top your ice cream?: More Ice Cream 

48- Do you like Jello?: it's okay it's a bit odd tho 

49- What’s something that you don’t have a picture of that you wish you did?: the time I slapped a guy in the face multiple times 

50- How are you at climbing trees?: I'm pretty good at it, I climbed trees a lot as a kid and I climbed one a few weeks ago and was like "woah I'm still good at this?" 

[mothraballs]

Sketchbooks From Over The Last Seven Years

I have a box of sketchbooks and random sketches that I’ve been adding to since I was about 12.  Today I went through it all and I decided I’d make a post about it because. idk. why not I guess? So obviously its not every page of every book but like if anyone wants to go through about 7 years of bad sketchbooks and loose sketches and doodles its under the cut. Some nudity

.Going through this sucked a little because like who in the world ever wants to go through their middle school art??? Its hard not to get rid of that stuff because like not only does it suck but it makes me remember middle school and things like anime club and like. ew. But it’s nice to see how much less I suck at this, even if i’m not nearly as talented as I’d like to be. It also makes me sad to think of art i’ve lost, even if it was bad. I don’t have pretty much anything that I did digitally from like age 13-16 because I either deleted it or lost it when a computer broke because i didnt back that up since I didnt think id care but l kinda wish I still had some of that stuff, just like to compare improvement over such a big time period.

 I wanted to find some of my actual finished art to post with this, but I couldn’t find it today, so it’s only sketchbook stuff (but I dont finish a lot of things anyway lol). Maybe I’ll make another post comparing old things I actually finished with new stuff once I can find it because I know it’s around here somewhere anyway heres sketchbooks!!

This is from 7th grade, so I guess I was 12. It’s god fucking awful, complete with drawings of memes (which I will spare u from), slenderman fan art, and a weird message about my middle school bike, which I still have in my garage, being stolen, which it never was. And the brakes do work.

 why

  This one is also from when I was 12, but it’s only about 1/4 of the way full. 

i think i had a mental brakedown here lmao

@douche-mccoosh​ ‘s sexy page

This one was either from 7th-8th grade or just in 8th grade. Idk. Either way I was probably 13 years old. Just a warning: Mlp fan art starts here

1 (ONE) wolf

idk what this is supposed to be honestly

long forgotten OC

This one was also from when I was 13

I had this from age 13-14, I started drawing digitally a LOT more around age 14, so I guess I wasnt rly using my sketchbook as much

this was like straight copied from a piece I saw at an art magnet school I applied to (obviously I didnt get in lmfao) and I really did not understand how dark I needed to make the paper in some spots. And then I never finished it

A pony OC... she was a robot ok

I think I had this one age 14-15. The paper ended up being translucent so I stopped using it early on. Im kinda glad I didn’t fill it up because that actually might be kinda useful to me now

Sweet notes from @lmkno​  

This one wasn’t in the picture on the top bc I found it later. I think I might also be missing like 1 other one too tbh but oh well lol I think I had it when I was 15? really stopped drawing like a lot around this time, I wasn’t doing digital stuff either cuz my computer was broken at the time

This is also about when I stopped throwing away every single thing i drew on a loose piece of paper, so here’s some random sketches from the general timeframe

First sketches of my OCs Vonn, the fish man and Elliot, the girl with pigtails

Some of my art I’ve sorted correlating to the OC’s and the universe they belong in or whatever so here’s some OC’s that sort of came about around that time, some of the pictures are from when I was older though

Ginger

the TV head robot guy was named Seven

the guy with the fuckin,, circle head and weird face is Wolfgang, I still draw him a lot today but ive changed how he looks a  l o t

I had this age 15-16, so like 2014-15. Maybe early 2016? There’s a lot of blank pages and scribbled out things. I 

Wolfgang again

fukkin,,,, gaye ass furry roleplay oc

Sketches on loose paper from the time I think??? I honestly cant tell when all of these are from but they’re gonna go here.

first design of an OC named Eryl

A random D20 character

Eryl

Early drawings of an OC named Lucy Lucy Lucy Lucy Lucy Lucy Lucy Lucy Lucy aka Lucy Ninetimes

Lucy & Wolfgang

And heres more stuff I had sorted by OCs/universe or whatever

main OCs here are Pidgenfinger, with the blue or possibly stylistic black hair, and Chrissy, shes like. A mouse or something

main OCs here are Roland and Ansel, they were like siamese twins and then one of them died at birth and now this guy just has a ghost twin idk it was stupid

Finally we’re at the point that my phone started recognizing faces in my sketchbook. I had this one age 17, i might have started it like right before I turned 17?

Lucy & Wolfgang

Vonn and Elliot on the right side of the page

Pidgenfingersa

Roland & Ansel

Dont Starve fanart on the right

Elliot on the right

Lucy on the bottom left

Vonn & Elliot on this page too

Lucy & Wolfgang, this is dumb but w/e

Von, Elliot, and another OC, Eryl. The lady with horns never got a name

Random Sketches

Lucy

Wolfgang

I got this sketchbook a few months after id turned 18 if i remember correctly 

Lucy, but decapitated

Lucy

Lucy again

Lucy yet again

Lucy!!!!!!!!!!

Wolfgang

(and Lucy)

I got this sketchbok as a gift from my wonderful boyfriend @the-lost-professor​ early january of this year, so technically when I was 18, I’m now 19

Eryl on bottom right

Stuff I did for mermay

some random sketches

My current sketchbok ft. Tsu This one was also a gift from my boyfriend ♥ I got it late June of this year

Wolfgang

Lucy

Wolfgang

Lucy

Wolfgang and Leah, and OC that i made a long ass time go and I dont have the original picture but I redrew her

Wolfgangs and Lucys

Eryl on the left

The last thing I did for mermay, which I technically finished after may ended

Lucy

and the most recent page! With Lucy and Wolfgang on the right

uhhhhhhhhh

im really fucking hungry now and im gonna go eat bye

[coralsgrimes]

Tbh I never thought the fairy 🧚🏼‍♀️💗carrying a heart hidden in the sun was for her for two reasons. Not because he isn’t lame enough to do it, he absolutely is, but because after people started connecting it to her on DL, she went back and changed one of her captions into it. They went to her FB and the original caption was still there and it had no bulianne emojis.

Second, the first time he used the 💗 was actually for some Darklina post in the beginning of July, a few weeks before all the emoji stuff imploded. He reposted a post of them in front of a fountain, added some soundtrack to it and the 💗. I don’t think anyone’s mentioned it anywhere not even on DL probably bc no one was looking for emojis then and they seem to think he hates darklina shipping stuff which he very clearly doesn’t lol. But I never said anything bc the 🦁🧚🏼‍♀️ shit is funny to me lmao. Our lion and fairy couple 💗 if anyone has the time to scour his fan pages for the story and the gazillion threads on DL, they can verify this for themselves.

Also, I get that it’s annoying that people leap to conclusions based off of what they want to see- which seems to be Bulianne living, laughing, loving in London, but I think the reason why so many people go crazy and do mental gymnastics about their location and her pregnancy because he’s just so boring. It’s nonsensical but other than Bulianne what’s even interesting about him anymore. I will say it’s kind of odd to see people get so upset over stuff they make up about them in their minds. If it truly affects you that much, maybe take a step back. Following this shit show should be entertaining but it shouldn’t make you as angry as it seems to be making some. Just my opinion- hope everyone has a good weekend! 💗💗💗

-👑

Not because he isn’t lame enough to do it, he absolutely is… I WANT THIS AS NEW BENNY TAGLINE! Next time something comes up - this!

Sooo I tried to make the emojis timeline but the start seems blurred at best? Like when people started to notice it in the current stories, they went out to revise the old ones and found some more... It’s all questionable per usual. Here's what I have so far, incomplete and messy af but I have no energy to ever finish it xd

The emojis started in mid June with the biggest one or the most well documented one and the ‘official’ beginning was 30 June when fairy queen posted a lion head in her stories. Then we have the sunset lover stories two?? days later. Couple days later Jules is in Italy and livin her best life. Then the Drew character posts the pic of her. On the 17th July Jack unfollowed her on ig and then the next day we have the stories with heart on Bennys sleeve (x.x yesss) and the fairy in the corner. It was from the set of Rise Up. Then on the 20th he posted another pic from the Rise Up set, this time with the ‘Here comes the sun, little darling’ and the 33. It was Jules' birthday. She posts the sunflowers and Here Comes The Sun.

The last time there was a hidden emoji from Ben was 16 August. He posted the following my dreams pic and then posted it to the stories as well but in the stories he added the teeny weeny black heart on his sleeve. Jules went all out four days later on his birthday and prepared a whole ass art installation in his name and the 40 in the snoot. Then she posted the locket fish lips stories with lion and heart emojis on the 17th/18th and my blog came to life! Oh and the it's time around the same time he posted the pic with watch on 11:11??

Annnd just to be clear. I had no idea she changed the caption to include fairy!! This is new xd but what I know is that she used the lion and fairy emojis (over the summer she actually used the mermaid one more) as far back as early 2019. She used the fairy for Montana trip captions. Could not go through her feed further lol. And likkkke why would he put them stupid emojis in there anyways? That's what baffled me for the longest time. Cuz it makes no sense that he would when his go to before were the normal heart emojis, black and white ones mostly and those were clearly noticeable in his stories. So why make them so teensy weensy in their stories? Yeee my shitty opinion is that they were doing it for whatever fucking reason and people were bored and finally someone noticed? And then it went the fuck out of control, and they kinda went onto a break again? Cuz I count the weird shit in March as their first break up lol...

And Beyyn is so boring. Jules brings the entertainment, like without their Hallmark story we would die of boredom. There would be no music without her too!

I will say it’s kind of odd to see people get so upset over stuff they make up about them in their minds - I mean they get upset cuz it’s not as perfect or juicy as they expected? I wish my made up Benny Boy would clean up the spills in my fridge, yet he is jogging in LA instead ;c

Following this shit show should be entertaining but it shouldn’t make you as angry as it seems to be making some - yee and I don't know who is angrier, the Benny Boy antis or his fans who dislike Jules anyways, but must protect his pRIvaCy….

And have a good weekend too muffin! Keep yourself warm this Hallows Eve <3

[arielleyoga-blog1]

Dusty Marie

If you know me, or follow me on instagram, then you know I am the type of dog mom that truly believes she couldn’t possibly love her future human children as much as she loves her pug. 

Dusty and my journey started out a little bumpy: I was 7 days into grieving the sudden and traumatic loss of my 10month old puppy when I came home and found my mom on the couch with this tiny pug face looking out at me. Y’all...most of you probably would have been SO happy. But I was SO heartbroken and in the middle of deep grief...that was NOT what I wanted at that time. I did not bond with her, I didn’t even love her at first, and if I’m being totally honest: I tried to see if we could give her back. But then this little part of me knew I was being horrible and this sweet little baby didn’t know about my loss, it wasn’t her fault. So, I decided to make her as different from Cosette as possible, and bring her by my side as my buddy. I don’t know how or when, but she went from my buddy to my baby, and I mean it when I say I don’t know where my soul begins and where her’s ends. I don’t know what life was before her, and I start to completely sob if I consider that there could be life after her.

For all the joy she brings me, all the joy her sweet face and cute little pug butt brings others: she deserves to feel as good as she can. To be doted upon, to get snuggles and treats, and to live a healthy long life. She has come with a fair share of health issues over her lifetime, and so I have done EXTENSIVE research on things she can take regularly to help with the chronic issues she has, as well as any that may arise as she is about to turn 10.

Just like I take supplements and use Arbonne, just like I give my husband vitamins every day. Just like I personally ensure I’m putting pure things in and on my body: I feel the same for my little girl! 

I find a lot of other dog parents struggle with some of the same issues, or don’t realize something will be an issue later on: and so I wanted to write a post with what Dusty gets every day, and why!

1. RAW FOOD

Now, first let me say she does get 1/4 cup of dry kibble we order through Chewey.com from our vet. But I hated the idea of her on some crap kibble through Science Diet, so I decided to do a lot of digging and find a happy medium. The reason she has the 1/4 cup of the vet prescribed food is because when she was a puppy we discovered her body doesn’t break down fat well: and causes extreme digestive distress, which as a baby made her bleed while she went #2 and THERE IS NOTHING MORE UPSETTING THAN YOUR TINY BABY PUPPY LOOKING AT YOU WITH SAD PUG EYES POOPING BLOOD! So, after speaking with our vet: we put her on this kibble and it helped IMMEDIATELY. She has a VERY sensitive digestive system (someday my husband will figure that out and stop sharing his whipped cream with her lol) and because of that, I make sure what she eats and the supplements she gets with her meals are things that help keep her digestive system functioning properly. (Quick shout out because I care about my pug’s gut health as much as my own and my client’s which is why I think every human needs to do my 28 day detox program!)

I tried companies that like MAKE FOOD FOR YOUR DOG, and I even tried making food myself: but listen, mama works...mama can’t be like having customized meals sent to the house. Plus: some of the stuff used isn’t best for HER. And so, the kibble she has benefitted the most from I get at The Healthy Spot and it’s Primal Pronto. Every time time she’s out I switch flavors. We stick to Chicken or Turkey and Sardine because she had responses to the other ones that were’t favorable: again, she’s sensitive like her mama. But they say to swap each time because it helps their body function better. And I agree!

It wasn’t hard for me to decide on raw food being the majority of her diet: I mean, she’s a dog...they can’t cook unfortunately,  and kibble is human-made. Just like I don’t eat spam or other weird processed stuff: Dusty shouldn’t either! PLUS Primal raw food is free of antibiotics, steroids, preservatives and added hormones AND their stuff is responsibly sourced from sustainable ranchers in the United States, New Zealand, Australia and Europe. 

She has benefited greatly since going on the raw diet: so I highly suggest that to all pet parents.

2. Apple Cider Vinegar

Originally, I started adding just a capful to her breakfast because ACV actually helps dogs when they have diarrhea OR when they’re constipated. Again, always been obsessed with my dog’s gut health! But then I started doing even more research and the benefits are insane: It’s a natural flea and tic repellant, it aids with hot spots, helps arthritis by breaking down calcium deposits that form around older dog’s joints, and literally so much more! 

Dusty, and most pugs, have VERY sensitive skin. And so one thing I didn’t want to do was constantly have to give her little steroid pills or get shots to help with the itching she would experience with seasonal changes or heat waves. Now that she’s 9, the benefits ACV has for joints and a plethora of other issues is what keeps me giving it to her every single morning with her breakfast. And no...she doesn’t mind the. Sweet little Dusty Marie is a pug...she eats so fast I don’t think she can even taste her food! 

3. Goat’s Milk

That sensitive skin, again! It was recommended to me to try goat’s milk to help her with the reactions she kept having on her skin years ago. AND it also turns out, goats milk helps with digestion! Talk about two birds with one stone! Just like with ACV, there are A TON of benefits of Goat’s milk for dogs. Again, I shop regularly at The Healthy Spot: they’re a fantastic store and they have so many locations. We were suggested A+ Answers Goat’s Milk, and used that for a while. THEN! Pronto came out with one and so I tried that one...and she threw up more than she’s ever thrown up in her ENTIRE life. So, Healthy Spot took it back no problem and let me know this probably means she’s allergic to turmeric as that’s the only difference in ingredients. There was a period of time that she was off of goats milk: and the itchy skin returned with a vengeance. I went to get a supplement to help, and upon talking to the staff they urged me to first get her back on the goats milk before spending tons of money on more supplements/powders and the such. And guess what? Within 2 days she was back to normal! So, I make sure we NEVER run out! 

4. Juvinate K9

This I got within the last year because for a few days I noticed her randomly limping, sometimes it was subtle, and a few times it was really dramatic. And I FREAKED OUT! I did hours of online research and found this supplement that she now gets with breakfast and dinner. 

It is a unique supplement for dogs containing the state-of-the-art Ayurvedic extract blend Crominex® 3+  for the support of healthy joints, circulatory support and weight management.  It supports healthy circulation, which is important for the delivery of nutrients throughout the body, and can be an important supplement for overweight dogs, supporting healthy blood glucose and a healthy lipid profile.  The reviews were nothing but positive: and since starting her on Juvinate K9, I haven’t seen her limp more than twice: and it’s been over 6 months!

5. Dope Dog CBD

CBD is ALL the rage now a days, and since I have experienced TONS of benefits from it: why not Dusty!?  There are so many brands out there, but I found Dope Dog to be the highest quality and they’re a company that truly CARES about dogs! Dusty get’s their CBD drops at both meals, and gets their CBD treats when she’s extra cute ;) 

CBD has endless benefits, but as I mentioned above: I got this specifically for the limping. She’s approaching 10 and I plan on her living to 83 human years because I truly cannot even fathom what life would be without her. 

The other benefit of this product: is it is SO clean and high quality you can use it too! Sometimes I throw a little in my Arbonne breakfast smoothie :)

She also gets their treats as rewards when she’s extra good...or when she’s extra cute and I feel guilty cuz I have to leave for clients or a class lol

6. Fish Oil

This is a supplement I haven’t been as consistent about giving her: again, it’s benefits for skin and joints are amazing. And it also is helpful for her circulatory system. I notice her coat instantly benefits when I squeeze a little in her breakfast!  You can 100% go to a pet store and get a fish oil for dogs. OR what I like to do is go to Trader Joes, get their Salmon Oil, pierce a capsule and squeeze it in her food. Sometimes I miss, so never wear a shirt you like because a little fish oil can really mess up your morning. But knowing she’s getting a high quality fish oil with breakfast versus spending MORE on a “dog” fish oil keeps me from getting too upset when I get a little salmon oil on my PJs. 

Let me know if you have any questions! This is what a day in the life of Dusty Marie’s food bowl looks like: Breakfast:

Kibble: dry and Pronto raw

1 capful ACV

1 scoop Juvinate

1 capsule salmon oil

.25 Dope Dog

Dinner:

Kibble: dry and Pronto raw

1 scoop Juvinate

.25 Dope Dog

1/4 ish cup A+ Answers Goat’s Milk 

[furilia]

Strange letters from my father

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Strange letters from my father

I never do paid posts but I’m doing this one for two reasons.  1) Because I was already going to write about this.  Stick with it and you’ll see why in a second, and 2) because the 8th Annual Jame Garfield Miracle is going on and I needed more money to help kids in need and this was a super easy way to do it.  So if you’re reading this, you are helping needy children.  EVERYONE WINS.

So, StoryWorth advertised on my blog this year and I loved it so much I paid full price to buy one for my dad.  Here’s how it works:  StoryWorth emails your family member weekly story prompts in the form of questions.  They reply to the emails and you get to read their amazing family stories that you never knew existed.  Then at the end of the year StoryWorth binds the years worth of stories into a keepsake book.  My dad has been doing it for about six months and the emails I get with his answers are so insane and lovely that I often have to call and ask, “Is that true?”  Stories about my grandparents and great grandparents that I may never have known are now being shared with family.  It is awesome and I highly recommend it because it’s a gift for you and for them.  It’s normally $79 but right now (until 1/31/18) it’s only $59 through this link. 

The stories my father shares are really too good to keep to myself so I’m sharing a few snippets of my favorites here.  You may think they’re strange and terrible but I love and treasure them.  I suppose that’s how family stories work though.  (BTW, Nelda is my mom.  She types the answers as my dad dictates.)

Have you pulled any great pranks?

I was prying something loose one day, and I broke off half the blade of my skinning knife. Stupid! Now the six-inch blade was only three inches long. It was now perfect for prying things loose, but it was also perfect for a practical joke.

We have an electric knife sharpener at the taxidermy shop, and I don’t allow anyone to use it except me. If you’re not paying 100% attention to what you are doing, the high-speed sharpening wheel can throw the blade back at you. Bad news.

I went to my own working area where I hide from the other workers and went to work on my joke. I super glued the tip of my broken knife blade to the inside of my inner right arm. Next I built up the wound area with 2-part epoxy. It’s a product we use in the taxidermy shop like modeling clay to make artificial skin on a mount. I smoothed out the epoxy, texturized it to make it look like my own skin and modeled it to look like that knife is really embedded deep in my arm. I used an airbrush to paint the epoxy area to match my skin. Next I feathered in some white, purple,and red paint to make a realistic cut. Finally I mixed up some blood- red and black paint. I added a little glycerin to give the fake blood a wet glossy look. I poured the blood where it needed to be, and splashed the rest on an old rag that I used to cover the gag.

I staggered into the shop and sat down, not saying a word.

Don was the first to notice the blood. “Holy Crap! What did you do?” Helen came out the office, and I removed the blood-soaked rag to show my work of art. Everyone gathered around me to either gawk or help. Helen hollered out, “Don’t put it out. He’s on blood thinners! He”ll bleed to death!”

No sooner did she say that, Jonathon grabbed the knife and pulled it out. I quickly covered the wound with the bloody rag. I figured the joke was over till Jonathon looked at the knife and screamed, “It broke off in his arm!”

I didn’t get any compliments for my realistic art work. I cleaned up my mess and came back in the shop. I sat down next to Jonathon and asked him if it looked real. He said. “Yeah, I thought it was real……..What are blood thinners?”

What have you changed your mind about over the years?

I use to think that dogs are a man’s best friend, but I’ve changed my mind. Dogs will always forgive you quickly if you ask them to, but they don’t do laundry, they don’t cook, they don’t scratch your back, and they don’t clean house. They are pretty good at doing dishes, as long as you smear left-over gravy over the whole plate.

I use to think that a loving wife would see the humor in that previous paragraph. Dogs will still always forgive you quickly if you ask them to.

I use to think this was funny.

  If you could choose any talents to have, what would they be?

I asked Nelda what this question meant. Any talent? She suggested singing, or playing an instrument , or maybe x-ray vision. X-Ray vision might be cool only if it is selective. Some old fat guy crossing your path of vision could ruin your day. A cute young chick could also ruin my marriage. I’ll stick with my near- sighted astigmatism with floaters.

I already sing beautifully. I have that talent even though no one else thinks so. My ears are so good that in my head the notes sound pitch perfect. Self corrective hearing is what I call it.

I might like the talent to finish everyone’s sentences before they could say it. Unfortunately I hang around a lot of people that don’t make a lot of sense. I’m not going to take credit for a bunch of nonsense.

I would like the talent to communicate with animals. I would like to understand their thoughts. Someday I will.

What is one of your fondest childhood memories?

One of my fondest memories is going perch fishing with my mom. When I was about five years old, I got the fishing bug. I couldn’t get enough fishing. My dad had a farm out at Eola, about twenty miles from home. The whole family would pack up before daylight, and drive out to the farm to work. My dad would usually be on his John Deere tractor. My mom would be either building electric fence or picking rocks out of the field. My sisters would be together hoeing weeds. I, being the baby, stuck with my mom. We would work till noon, and then drive to our neighbor’s pasture to have a picnic lunch. A small dirt tank with green water surrounded by large mesquite trees was one of my favorite places to spread out our homemade quilts, and rest in the shade. We would eat bread, summer sausage, longhorn cheese, and drink Cragmont orange soda water. After lunch, I would get out my cane pole. I always saved some of my lunch to use for bait. Those perch would bite on anything, but bread was my favorite cuz it stayed on my hook the best,

My dad would usually sleep and rest while my mom would watch me fish. She was actually watching a five year old kid making sure I wasn’t gonna fall in the water. The fish would bite as fast as you put the hook in the water. They weren’t very big, but I kept anything that had eyes. I even kept a little turtle. When I caught a water snake, my fishing was over.

Have you ever won anything?

The last year that the famous Sam Lewis put on the World Champion Armadillo Races, I won. Actually, my armadillo won. All I did was get behind Army and stomp and holler and chase him across the finish line. I guess I came in second. I released the armadillo back in the woods, but I kept the silver ring. My daughter Jennifer has the ring (I think).

I probably wouldn’t have given her the ring if it was gold.

What inventions have had the biggest impact on your day-to-day life?

The cube is probably the greatest invention of my lifetime. Before the cube, there was really not much stability in my life. Spheres were the rage when I was growing up. How can one build anything on a sphere? No matter how you slice it, you end up with just a lot of wheels.There was hope for wheels in those days, although someone took the idea too far. The whole world revolved around wheels and anything that could be made with them.  Donuts were one of my favorites. It was like a wheel inside of a wheel. Clever. But look at a really fat donut from the side. It’s a cube. Give the cube the credit due. You eat a donut from the side, don’t you?

Cubes were the true building blocks of the future. The Egyptians knew this. They even made huge cubes all over their back yard. Then they sliced the cubes diagonally, tipped them over so they would rest on their most stable side, and “BAM”! They had yard art that would last for decades. People would ride by, see the yard art, and ask the age-old question, “Do you think that’s a cube cut in half on its axis, or is that cube half buried in the sand. If someone ever invents the wheel, we could build a big bulldozer and find out.”

Ice cubes. How would you like living in this planet without ice cubes. Sure, there’s people up north that don’t appreciate ice like we do, but what if they want to sit down for a while. Up north, chairs don’t grow on trees, but a big cube of ice would make a wonderful chair. You could probably build a house out of ice if you had enough of it laying around. An air-conditioned house. With an ice box.

I really don’t dislike spheres. After all, a sphere is just a well-rounded cube that likes to travel.

I changed my mind. My favorite invention that has changed my life is a 19 volt battery-operated screwdriver with an extra lithium battery. Made by Craftsman.

  How has the country changed during your lifetime?

The country hasn’t changed at all. The cities are all screwed up. I lived in the country when I was a kid, and I live in the same country now. The trees I remember as a kid seemed to be a lot smaller back then. The country roads I use to walk down seem to be a lot shorter when I drive them.

Water skiing, tubing and fishing wasn’t good at all on our local lakes, but I got pretty good at skipping rocks. The trick was to find flat rocks about three inches across. If you could find rocks that were flat on the top and bottom, you were in business. With a little practice, you could get thirty or more skips out of one perfect rock. You could get even more skips if the lakebed wasn’t sandy. When you found that perfect rock, you didn’t squander it. You walked out in the lakebed and retrieved it. Once when I was retrieving one of my dad’s washers (sometimes I used artificials),I found a rowboat. It was a Sears/Roebuck 10 foot aluminum just like the ones in the catalogs. This boat was mine.There wasn’t a drop of water in my new boat, and I started dreaming about all the adventures I would have on Lake Nastywater. (We use to called it Lake Nasworthy, till the water level went down and old tires messed up our rock skipping). I named my boat S.S Minnow. Gilligan’s Island was my favorite after school tv show. I liked Gilligan the best, but Ginger and Mary Ann got a lot better over the years. My Dad enjoyed that show too. I knew he was really gonna get excited when I showed him The Minnow. We walked out on the lake and gazed down on our boat.

“Oh My Gosh! Look! ” Daddy saw my boat. He was excited. He peeled off his sweat stained farmers hat, smiled, sighed, and said something that I couldn”t believe. “There’s my old boat.”

“What! Your boat?”

“Sonny, I lost “The African Queen ” about forty years ago.” I was noodling for yeller cats down here when this was the Middle Concho. You know what noodling is……Catching them with your hands. It wasn’t against the law back in them days. Now, they would throw you in the pokie. I found this big rock right here and knew this was where the big one lived. Right under this rock. Your Uncle Sam, my older brother, was a better swimmer than me ,and he had more experience at catching big fish. Sam jumped in the water, took a deep breath, and went underwater. He came back up about 30 seconds later ,and told me the good news. “There’s a big hole under that rock, and there’s a catfish down in there. His head is as big as a five gallon bucket. As soon as I catch my breath, I’m going for him. My brother, Sam went under. He was down there a long time. He was down too long. I jumped in the water, and found the hole that Sam had entered. I reached in, and found Sam’s legs kicking up a storm. I grabbed his legs and started pulling him out of the hole. It was a struggle,but I pulled him out. We surfaced, and Sam was as white as a sheet. We looked around and couldn’t find “The African Queen”.

We sat up on the rock, Sam caught his breath finally, and told me what happened.”That monster fish was deep in the hole. I was rubbing his belly with both hands. My arms were extended, reaching for his gills. He kept swimming further in the hole. I didn’t realize that the hole was getting tighter, and I was running out of breath. My arms were out in front of me, and I couldn’t push my way out. I was stuck underwater. I was ready to give up when I felt you pulling me out. You saved my life!

We reached down to release our boat from the encrusted mud, and it proved to be a lot lighter than expected. There was no floor in the boat. It had rotted out years ago, but it still held some shared memories for my dad and me.

Uncle Sam and Daddy are both gone now. Maybe they’re floating down the Middle Concho in an old rowboat with a floor in it. Maybe they’re fishing for big yeller cats. They’re not noodling though because Sam promised God that he wouldn’t fish that way anymore.

Do you have any particularly vivid memories of your grandparents?

All of my grandparents were Czech. They didn’t speak English but they were successful farmers. They figured out early in life that to be wealthy, you had to have good discipline. They saved their hard-earned money that they made sharecropping. Then they bought land. They made do with growing their own fruits and vegetables. They raised chickens for eggs and meat. They had cows that they milked daily and butchered their own beef and hogs.They made their own clothes, churned butter, canned produce from the garden, made cheese , flour, cornmeal, and bread.  The only thing easy on the farm was falling to sleep at night.

Butchering hogs in those days was a big deal. There was too much work for one family to do all the work in one day. There would also be too much meat and sausage to cure, smoke, and package. The meat from a three hundred pound hog would go bad before one family could eat it.

When the first cold day would come around, all of the aunts, uncles, and third-generation heathens would meet at my grandparents house with all their butcher knives, tow sacks, hog scrapers, seasonings. We were having a butcher day. There was going to be a lot of work and a lot of fun for everyone except two fat hogs.

The women would build a big hot fire under a wash kettle full of water. The men would get the hogs up out of the mud, and wash them off. The hogs didn’t know what was going on with all this special treatment, but I bet they thought they were family and they were being invited for dinner. Smart pigs.

My uncles would build a sled,and then would position our dinner guest close to it. A shot would ring out and an unhappy but short squeal would alert the second dinner guest that now might be the time to cancel his reservation. The relaxing swine napping on the sled would be given a ride to the kettle area. Tow sacks (burlap bags) were pulled out of the boiling water and spread over a portion of the sleeping porker. The scalding loosens the hair on the pig and a dull butcher knife is used to scrape the hair (root and all) off of the pig.

The whole process is repeated on a new area of the pig until the whole hog is as balded as the top of my head. That pig is also pretty and pink like the top of my head.

Now it’s time to gut the clean “organ donor”. The liver, kidneys, and heart are saved. The small intestines are also saved. It was my job to clean out the green juice out of these long tubes. I liked attaching a garden hose to one end and let the water pressure do the work. My job was taken away from me because of the mess I made all over the porch. I think years later Whamo made a fortune with a toy called a Water Wiggle. I guess I was just ahead of my time on inventions, but my marketing skills had not yet been perfected. Sometimes, poop happens.

The rolls of fat from the hog is collected for later use. The ashes from the fire were shoveled into a tilted wooden trough. Water was poured over the ashes and drained into another container. This was lye. The fat is put in the kettle and rendered down to lard. Some of the lard was saved to cook with. It was poor man’s shortening. Then the belly meat and flanks were cut up (with the skin still attached), and the small pieces were fried in the lard. This was cracklins. You eat them hot with molasses and homemade bread. You now have a lot of lard in the kettle. Dump the lye in with some kind of perfume and boil the devil out of it. Let the whole mess cool down and you got soap. Cut the soap into bars with a butcher knife and let it get cold. It will last forever. I think it has such a long shelf-like cuz no-one wants to use it. It stinks, and it takes your hide off with the dirt. It will cure a young boy from cussin .

Cut up the pork chops,cure the bacon, cure the hams and hocks, and start turning the grinder. It’s “SAUSAGE TIME”.

Those casings that were rescued from me are refilled with seasoned ground pork and tied into links. Hang ’em in the smoke house.

It’s now pretty late, and everybody’s tired. We sample the sausage and clean up the huge mess. I clean the front porch.

I give Babuska (Grandmother) a hug goodbye. I smell like the front porch, but she returns the hug anyway. That was sixty years ago, but I can still smell the aroma of fresh baked poppy seed kolaches from her homemade apron.

I still smell like her front porch.

My dad with his sisters and his mother. Wall, Texas.

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