Started this discussion. Last reply by David McGavock Sep 6, 2011. 1 Reply 0 Likes
Started this discussion. Last reply by Nancy Tue Feb 18, 2010. 5 Replies 0 Likes
Well, well, well,
I haven't posted in a while, being otherwise distracted by life and such, so here is...
I've been painting. A lot. Looking at ways to both up my landscaping game and make my abstracts more accessible and moving. The biggest news, for anyone who might care (and you do or why the hey are you here?), is the loss of my longtime buddy, Watson. Watson succumbed to the hands of the Big Clock about a month ago, and as anyone who has lost a long-time pet can tell, you, it slayed me. That aforementioned clock has done what it does and moved on, and after a couple of weeks of weeping every day, and under the advisement and encouragement of my loved ones, Lee Ann and I began looking for a new companion. It was true that I was talking to myself perhaps a little too much, so empty seemed the house.
We worked with the folks at the Nashville Humane Association and they were wonderful. We placed a long and fee-required online application with the Adopt a Golden rescue; but we were lucky enough to find our new family member, Lemon, at Wags & Walks, a Hermitage, TN based operation before Adoptagolden had even contacted us back.
We met her in person at a Wags adoption fair held at Marble Fox Brewing Company. It was a Saturday morning at noon. Luckily, Lee Ann had already expressed our interest in her and that gave us an edge up when we arrived at precisely noon to find the W&W volunteers and their charges already in the company of a number of hopeful pet-finders. It took about 90 seconds of petting her before I nodded my head to Lee Ann and the lovely young lady who held Lemon's leash and we were on.
The W&W folks are the real deal, and after a consultation with their onsite adoption specialist we took her out to Lee Ann's car, loaded her into the front seat, and drove her home. Today is Tuesday, and we will have had her for 3 weeks come Saturday.
Called "Mama Lemon" by the W&W staff, likely named that by the partner shelter in Florence, Alabama where she was taken after being picked up as a stray, we think Lemon is a good name for her. After all, it was only used by people who cared for her, right? And it also makes available a plethora of nicknames--Lemon Cello, my Lemon Drop, my li'l Lemon Meringue Pie.
She's an excellent addition to Chez Merrique. She likes her crate, excepting for first thing upon awakening, when she howls the song of her people pretty reliably at 3:30-5:00 in the morning. She's smart and she's a great size, weighing in right at 70 pounds at an estimated 4 years old. I took her in for a two week check after becoming concerned with the look of her spay operation scar and the wonderful Dr. Roberts at Belle Meade Animal Hospital added 3 sutre staples to her incision. After a good regimen of the newly prescribed antibiotics and carefulness, I returned her just yesterday for the sutre removal; Dr. Roberts removed the staples and proclaimed her good to go "for normal activity".
It's approaching 1 pm here in Nashville, and she is dozing on the floor at the top of the steps behind me. I'm thinking I'll finish this, get her into my car, Casper (the Friendly Soul), and drive out to Cheatham Dam and Lake. We'll walk out there today instead of just around the blocks surrounding Chez Merrique. I'll paint later. If you want, check out the latest additions at scottmerrick.me.
We're outta here. Gotta practice for future--and soon, I hope--camping!
Okey dokey. It's almost the end of September and I'm pretty good. (Cue the John Prine song).
I want to celebrate the patron's party opening for my painting master Charles Brindley's show at the exclusive private Montgomery Bell Academy this past weekend. I'm so missing his classes, even though with my cushy studio setup and fairly regular painting I'm making progress. Here's my latest finished "lakescape" from my 2nd home in a boat on Marrowbone Lake (don't I wish! What fun it would be to have a docked houseboat there, but it's a Tennessee Managed Fishing Lake, no docks, just rental boats and your own if you have the gear--no gas motors), from a photo I took in early fall of 2023. I'll also share an abstract that I finished this past week. More details at scottmerrick.me.
"morning marrowbone"
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All that said, I'm missing seeing him once a week for a full day of open studio, he having lost his lease at Scarritt-Bennett Center, right across from the school where I taught for 14 years, USN. It's a long story but suffice it to say his scores of students are disappointed in that property's handling of the situation. He's been there for over 10 years, y'all.
Anyway, we've all been looking for locations for class locations, and I gather from our discussions that Charles may be sneaking up on one. Fingers crossed.
The opening was wonderful. There were probably 200 people attending, maybe more, and I got to see many of my fellow students, all of us pretty much in the "older" category, all them creative and filled with life and curiosity and a drive to make. Love all of them. We didn't stay long, but the show runs through March 2, though it's "appointment only" entry. I'll sure as hell make an appointment and go back. There are also a bunch of events that I will be attending. I have an iphone snap I took to share with my pal Rocky that details them. Hope to see some friends and you, if you can make any of them and are interested in the painterly arts. I don't believe rsvp is required for those, but if you read the fine print you'll see that you need an appointment to view the exhibit. I HIGHLY suggest you do so.
That's all for this morning. Rocky just texted me to join him for breakfast at Mama D's in Ashland City and I have to get out of my jammies and into the car. Darn it and yay, I say. Be well.
It's with a heavy heart that I sit down to add a final post celebrating my late best friend's life and passing. Sitting in my study, in a house that's quiet, with silent shrouds of snow on the ground and buildings of the neighborhood outside, I miss him.
Now it's just me. No handsome huge white dog underfoot or begging for treats or whining for a walk, just me. And yes, we have hundreds, possibly thousands of photos of the boy, but I only wish to post one of them here.
Last night I fell asleep on my back with my feet spread wide, savoring the memory of him flopping down, immediately asleep, hugged by my legs. I awoke in the morning in the same position; but, of course, there was no Watson.
Lee Ann and I traveled to Denver for the holidays, returning home on New Years Eve Eve, me in agony with my first bout with gout, Watson somehow not himself. His buddy AJ spent the weekend with us last weekend, while our friends Matt and Anitra did their annual Chattanooga city trip, celebrating their anniversary, and Watson sank into what I can only describe as a deep depression.
His appetite was okay but waned after AJ had left us, and he was continuing what Taylor, another friend who housesat whilst we were in Denver, had described as "drinking lots of water". Friday we took him to the vet, who kept him overnight for IV fluids and diagnosis. We picked him up around noon on Saturday with a good deal of medication and instructions for dealing with rampant diabetes and a super high sugar level. On Tuesday, after MLK Day, we took him back. He had not eaten since Sunday morning, and even then only a cup or so of diabetic formula canned food.
After that? Nothing. He was interested in nothing, receptive but not actively so to petting, drinking water and peeing in the yard, but mostly laying and sleeping. The vet was not optimystic, and we understood that any remediation she might try would only at best prolong the inevitable. He was on track to starve to death.
We sat with him, on the floor in a corner of the small examination room, until he was gone.
I'm tired of crying. I'm crying now. I imagine that will taper off with time, but it's still with me a couple days after losing him. No one can do more than will time. I'm breathing through it, more or less successfully, painting, doing my lower back and shoulder prescribed physical therapies, painting, playing some music, working a large jigsaw puzzle, cleaning the house, and listening to my remarkably escapist Outlander book IV, Drums of Autumn. I also recently downloaded Steam for my PC and a series of Steam-driven Tomb Raider games. I'm tired. I'm sad. But I'm okay. I'm okay, or will be. Here's the picture:
Bye, buddy.
So, I've been working on this for a few months, along with painting, traveling, and recuperating from a near devastating first bout with gout. Here it is:
https://scottmerrick.me |
Yeah, that. Happy Holidays. I agree with Instagram's Rodney D Norman: "...Just enjoy whatever you can, as long as you can." Well said, me guru...
Posted on June 8, 2011 at 9:02am 0 Comments 0 Likes
Hey, all,
As of this moment, according to the ISTE2011 Conference ning, there are 17 days 14 hours 4 minutes and 8 seconds remaining until the conference convenes at the Pennsylvania Conference Center in Philadelphia, PA. My contributions to the event mostly center around the SIGVE Virtual Environments Playground, but I'll also be on two panel presentations, one…
ContinuePosted on May 26, 2011 at 1:05pm 0 Comments 0 Likes
The first edition of ISTE SIGVE's Virtual Education Journal (VEJ) is online and available for your reading pleasure. Please visit http://issuu.com/edovation/docs/1st_vej_may_2011 to read it or pick up on on ISTE Island in Second Life to read within SL.
It's just beautiful! Thanks to Rosie Vojtek and Bob for their tireless work on it! And we'll see you all in Philadelphia June 26-27 for the SIGVE Virtual…
ContinueIf you are representing a commercial entity, please see the specific guidelines on your participation.
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Boy, have I not been here in a while or what! I'm adding updating here to my to-do list for the week. Carry on!
Hi Scott, my name is Leon Avrech in San Jose, Calif. My wife and I visited Nashville and the Opry a few years ago. I am retired. I was a teacher, vice principal, and principal for a total of 37 yrs. in middle school. I have a passion to help new teachers. They will need help!! My book makes their school year so much easier with no surprises. The book "THINK YOU CAN TEACH? A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR NEW MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS" begins on the first day of walking on campus to the end of year principal's evaluation. I am looking for ways to let teachers know about my book. $10 bucks for 37 yrs. experience. Now that's a deal. For a signed book, send $10 check to: CLASSROOM. P.O. BOX 36036 SAN JOSE CA 95158 Any of you reading this have ideas?? Would you please tell your staff, your principal, and head of instruction. We don't want teachers to fail. Checks payable to Leon Avrech. I'll pay tax and shipping.
thanks
Just saw your note on quasi-attending EduBloggerCon. I hope we get a chance to talk a bit - see you Saturday!
Rushton