July Chaos

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July, overall, has felt a bit chaotic.

I adopted a new little rescue dog before the first of the month, but when my neighbor started setting off loud fireworks (prior to the July 4th holiday), it seemed too scary for a new dog in a new home to have to endure (and stay safe).

So, after just three short days with us, little Mojo went back to his foster home for another week, where he could be happy and safe for the Fourth of July holiday.

I had been concerned about the possibility of excessive fireworks in my neighborhood and the timing of this adoption, so we had already discussed this option ahead of time, and I was grateful for it.

So, while my new little boy was back in foster, I made a conté drawing portrait of him to give to his foster dad as a thank you.

His foster dad was very fond of him (having had him for a few months and caring for him following a surgery) and this way Mojo would always be watching over him and his four Chihuahuas.

In The Studio:

Other than that conté drawing, there hasn’t been much more than a few casual sketches.

Life has been a little extra busy, getting aquainted with the new dog and getting him adjusted to our routines.

I’ve been thinking about drawing a lot more than actually doing any drawing lately.

Of course, I hope to get settled into a more productive routine soon. Routine helps me a lot, because routine can keep me on track even when motivation fails me.

So, I really need to work on improving my daily routines so that I make time for regular drawing/painting again.

I made some time this month for a little art related adventure, a trip to the art museum to see an exhibit that I wanted to see.

It was Takashi Murakami‘s Stepping On The Tail Of A Rainbow exhibit, and it was both impressive and so much fun.

A lot of his art is bright and colorful, which makes me happy. And some of it is large in scale, which makes it impressive.

There are commonly elements within the paintings that I can’t even figure out how he made them. And also statues, some in Sterling silver, and some in other materials, that are really cool.

The exhibit is very impressive as a whole, I highly recommend seeing it if you have the chance.

At Home:

While July has been pretty good overall with the dogs, they have definitely been touched by July‘s chaos.

One night, as I was about to turn the light off for bedtime, it became apparent that the new boy probably had to poo again. So I got back up and took them both outside, where minutes later Chihuahua Chloe went off into the bushes and got sprayed by a skunk. Then she got a bath but, honestly, the smell still lingers.

A few evenings later, the new kid suddenly started acting like his ears were super itchy. I couldn’t find anything wrong other than that they were red and a little puffy towards the tips. By morning, I could see a few hives on his head and he was a little puffy around his eyes and mouth, so off we went to the vet.

Apparently he had been bitten or stung by something, but I don’t know what or when it happened. After having to go pick up a second medication because the first wasn’t working, we got it all under control and he’s now all back to normal.

Other than these little hiccups, the dogs are wonderful together. They adore each other, sleep in a pile together, wrestle, play, chase each other, etc. They seem very happy together, which is great medicine for my heart.

I hope that your July has been calm and bright, untouched by chaos!

May you and your dogs (and all those you love) enjoy lovely breezy summer days and cooler evenings full of fireflies and crickets and all the little things that make summer feel magical.

God bless,

Jennifer