Who's the Trainer Here?

I find it odd and interesting that Mabel comes running from any area in the house, shop or yard when she hears me adding ice to a cup. Why? Her treats are on top of the fridge. She runs into the kitchen and stares longingly at the top of the fridge, even willingly offering me kisses. (She's usually stingy with those!)

I simply can't resist those eyes (or lips) and she always gets a cookie.

Do you think it's appropriate to add to all those resumes I keep sending out just how easy it is to train me?

Featured Artist Interview

It's been an exciting week bead-wise for me... Good sales, parting with a favorite bead that sold and I'm a featured artist with my lampwork beads team on Etsy, LEST Beads.

It was REALLY hard to part with this bead when she found a new home this week!

You can read the interview here. And while you're there, check out the other fabulous lampwork artists that make up the Lest Beads team!

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I'm in my deep, dark pre-birthday funk. It is a dismal place in my head and I'm so depressed, I'm sleeping a ridiculous number of hours. So don't expect to hear from me until...I'm....45! (It KILLS me! Oh, the drama!)

Somebody Is Seven Today

Mabel & her cousin Huggy

Yep, it's Mabel Lou's birthday. We slept in, had a cuddle on the sofa and she chased squirrels while I fixed her breakfast.

Later, we will hike - hope the rain moves on - and I will fix her a steak dinner.

I spent a bit of time looking at baby pictures...this is the longest I've ever had a dog! These are all from Mabel's first Christmas when my whole family came to visit, including my nephew, Huggy.

Mabel did not like Huggy being on HER sofa (with HIS dad).

This is one of my favorite pictures of my mom: her two grandpups,
new Christmas toys, dog stockings on the mantel and cup of Christmas joe in hand.

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Girl!...and MANY more!

L'Oreal Colorist Shampoo Sucks

L'Oreal Colorist Collection is the WORST SHAMPOO I've ever used. And when I emailed and called customer service to complain, I got the worst customer service ever!

The pricey shampoo (14.99 per 8 oz. bottle) simply doesn't lather. My hair does not feel clean. And the whole color crap concept does not work...it just messed up the tile in my shower.

Customer service wants me to go to the expense - another $5 - to mail the unused product back to them with my original receipt. As I purchased other items on that receipt, I don't want to do that.

So, what else is there to do when a big corporation makes you feel helpless??? Warn everyone on the Internet about the crappy product and their crappier customer service.

Why pay this much money for crappy shampoo when you can buy five times more Pantene for 1/3 of the price? Buyer beware!

I've Got the Blahs

It's been pouring rain for days...along with hail. It's cold and I don't feel like moving much. Add in my fruitless job search, the mountain of tax paperwork I despise having to waste my life on, my impending birthday and my messy house and you get one Creekhiker feeling too overwhelmed to accomplish much.

So, here's another photo from my recent Laguna trip.

Copyright 2009 Holly Dare

One Heart; One World Winners!

The Creekhiker prize goes to Willa of Zoltanszabo. Willa is a watercolor and fabric artist!

The Holly's Folly Prize goes to The Purple Lady's Art and Life. She makes all kinds of stuff and is a nice lady from what I read.

Bittids

Mabel Lou:
Mabel's paw is much better... thanks to those who emailed an interest. We made it five whole days with her bandage. After being housebound for days by rain, we dashed to the creek when the sun came out briefly on Friday around 2. Every creekhiker in these parts did the same. The creek was flooded so I steered Princess Wigglebutt away from the water. But that didn't help. We got so much rain, the gravel was soggy! And then Miss M waded into a puddle.

Back home, I knew she couldn't stay in the bandage. She put up some fuss when I removed it- frequently placing her head between mine and her foot. At one point she pushed me away with her good paw and ripped at the cotton underlining. Deciding all that tugging wasn't getting her anywhere, she gave me the paw again. It's healing nicely and we've started getting her all caught up on shots.

Palm Trees / Laguna Beach. Copyright 2009 Holly Dare.

Laguna:
Superbowl Sunday, I spent the day in Laguna Beach with two artist friends. They painted; I strolled and took a ton of photos. That place is so magical...it just soothes my soul. No color correction on this palm tree photo whatsoever... the sky really is that blue!

Bessie:
My jeep, a/k/a Bessie, is still in the shop. I've gone through three batteries in a year and a half and they are trying to figure out why. I've been without a car so long, I'm starting to feel like Mabel did the summer Bessie was sick for seven days. When I pulled into the driveway with her, Mabel excitedly ran to greet me Bessie. She actually kissed the car!

The Worst Day; The Best Friend

Yesterday was an awful day. I was teaching and, because of the rains this week, I was a bit under-prepared. I just kept avoiding it all week. Finally, Friday night, in the pouring rain, I got out in the shop and packed kits and then loaded up the car. I stood in one of my storage sheds staring into one corner...knowing something was missing...but what? Soaked to my undies and freezing cold, I gave up and went in the house.

Saturday morning, I was all ready to go - just a few minutes late - when I got in the car. And my procrastination hit me square in the forehead. Last Monday, I had noticed the jeep was turning over way too much to crank. I put that on my to do list for next Monday. But yesterday the car wouldn't wait; fully loaded with class supplies and completely dead.

I ran into the shop and called the BFF. She was still in her pjs. The panic gave me an instant upset stomach. I ran into the house.

Back to the shop to unload the car, I placed all supplies on the curb - or so I thought.

We got to class and started setting up and I realized a crucial box never made it into the car. The BFF only asked for my security gate code and left.

The students arrived and, improvising, I taught the class bass-ackwards: last part first. It was then I realized why I stood in the shed, staring into the abyss. I had not packed the colored celophane for making candy roses. Knowing the BFF was on the way back, I improvised again, using sheer ribbon instead. Hey, it worked!

The BFF arrived while I was futzing with roses and simply unpacked that missing box and even set up a late arrival. Finally, I was showing them how to decorate the cookies.

It was then I realized one student had a severe mental deficiancy. I had demoed placing double stick on an acrylic block, attaching the stamp, rolling out the icing, inking the stamp. This student put down her tape and rolled the icing right on top of the block! And FREAKED when it stuck to the icing! Periodically, she would step away from the group and hold her head while walking in very tiny circles! The BFF just took care of this girl, helping her with everything and giving her space when she needed a circular pace.

While I was teaching, the BFF cleaned all my tools and all the tables and even started loading her car. I treated her to burgers and shakes and then she drove me home, exhausted.

As we left warm and sunny Glendale, my hopes of a refreshing walk were dashed. No car to get to the creek and, as the BFF pointed out, there was a dark cloud over Sunland. Outside, it was a good 20 degrees cooler. As we pulled up to the shop gate, to add insult to injury, it started to hail!

We threw everything in the jeep - the closest shelter in the storm and my BFF drove home and back to her life.

I don't know if eveyone has a BFF like mine but there are so many times she has simply wowed me with her kindness. She goes above and beyond on a regular basis. I often joke that if I get into heaven, it will be by default of being her friend. And then I realize, I must have something fantastic in this life or some other to have been gifted a friend like her.

Sad Puppy

Oh, never mind that cute pup wearing the doggie cast - the one that tore her toenail so that it stood straight up while chasing a runny babbit up a rocky peak at the creek yesterday. No, in spite of having a minor surgery last night, she'll be fine.

Her mother, on the other hand, is wondering how the heck she can "stay out the creek for at least a week" and remain a normal, functioning human instead of the sad sack of a puppy she is today!