Art and Hockey

It may sound like an odd combination, but I'd like to think of myself as a well-rounded person.

I was going to the game with a friend who was already in DC and headed over to the National Gallery of Art to kill time before I got out there. I ended up leaving work early, so met him there. By the time we got there, we had only about 10 minutes until they closed.

I suppose I have a very casual attitude about art; why can't it be fun?: I am sure art, like beauty, is in the eye of beholder.

While walking through the East Wing - behold: canvases, each painted a solid block of color, arranged in a grid on a stone wall. To me, this looked like someone wanted to paint the stone wall and wasn't sure which color chip to choose, so they tested all of them.

I generally prefer modern art, like painters Pollack, Kandinsky and O'Keefe, to, say, Van Gogh, Monet and Renoir. My friend likes Dali and Chagall. It is MY opinion that I could have painted much like Chagall in first-grade, but what do I know? This is not to say that I do not appreciate the imagination and work that it takes to create many works of art, they may just not be my preference.

During our brief visit, there was one display I found interesting and clever. Andy Goldsworthy, inspired by the stone buildings in DC designed this permanent fixture on the ground level of the East Building. I really like natural materials and have always been drawn to stone. What makes this even more interesting is that a couple of the domes appear to seamlessly peak under the huge plate-glass windows. I like to see nature harmonized with what, the unnatural(?) as in architecture. This reminded me of a couple of images on the AIA site (while I worked there), of homes that were built to incorporate a large tree. The photo of the house on the left does not illustrate this very well, but is amazing! I'll keep looking for the other images. ...oh, here is more fantastic architecture (gotta love surfing the web!): Hotel Marqués de Riscal.

Generally, I prefer the Hirshorn to NGA, but I'll keep an open mind and keep checking back. At the very least, the Hirshorn makes for an entertaining and lively conversation on a first date!

Oh yeah, and I went to the game: Caps versus Minnesota Wild. Good game; Caps won 4-1

Home Improvements-the hall

Home-project related unintended puns:

"This vacuum really sucks" - J (my kid, who abhors vacuuming)

"Well, I better know which tile I want because once I glue it down, I am stuck with it!" - me, as I was telling my brother about the bathroom.

The second one is related to what I have been doing lately. I have gotten remotivated (thank you Jim) to finish some projects around the house.

I had torn out the carpet (see photo on left; half of tread carpet complete) on the upper level stairs and in the hall; I removed the banister and handrail (and NOT fallen off the hallway ONCE!-Gary was concerned), replaced some drywall (water damage), removed all trim and flat-paneled doors.

Fairly quickly, I put in oak-faced risers on the stairs, oak hardwood flooring in the hall and replaced the doors with six-panel doors with bronze knobs (very unique). A bit later, I put in the mission-style oak newel post. At that time, I also finished the hand and base rails for the hall, but due to severe miscommunication with spawn, they were put out with the trash about 30 seconds before the trash truck came...sooooo......I had to get new and start all over -- it's always something.

As a perfectionist, I sand, I apply sealer, sand, apply....repeat no fewer than two more times...sand, apply polyuerathane, sand, another coat, one more sanding touch-up, then final coat. Then, I have to figure out the railing. I bought black wrought iron pickets to give the railing a more open, modern look compared to the horrible 70s inspired original design. As of today, I have finally measured and settled on a final length. This next week, I'll drop them at an iron shop for cutting. Then, I'll have the joy of precisely drilling holes into the floor, marking the bottom of the railing, and chiseling out the squares for installation. While getting this thing installed is a bit intimidating for me, I know it isn't going to install itself! So...

It has been a bear trying to figure out how the wood around the stair opening should work, what to do with the stairs (finished oak or painted trim? Wooden handrail or wrought iron?)

As of now, the baseboards are all installed, caulked and repainted (three times). Quarter round --prefinished from Bruce Flooring,expensive at $14.95/8 lin. ft, but looks perfect --was glued down (go Gorilla glue!) and carefully braced to avoid nail holes. Today, I repainted each of the four doors (twice) and touched up some of the trim.

Awhile ago, I became distracted by the idea of a mural. Jackson loves it when I paint these crazy things, so talked me into doing something in the hall. To the right, you can see what I have done, thus far. It still needs much work, but I have other priorities, right now.

I expect to have the whole thing (except the mural) finished by week's end. I have a few other photos of the trim that I'll post later. I know you are really excited to see it, but you will just have to wait a bit longer--you can do it!

In case you are curious, below are a few photos of other murals I have done. The one on the left is currently in Jackson's room that is decorated with a southwest theme. It matches a wool kilim pillow cover that he won't keep on his bed. The photo in the center is actually just a small part of his room, as it was decorated before, with a tropical underwater theme. The one on the right is an accent wall I painted in the dining room. I had a rug that matched it very closely. Now, the rug is gone and the wall has been painted with a green suede paint.

My killing spree continues...

My previous post is about my having my dog euthanized.

This morning, as J and I were coming home from breakfast, he said: "It's still alive; it's legs are moving." about the crow that I had barely noticed as we were driving past.

Could I just drive home and leave this animal in agony on the side of the road where someone left it after having had hit it with the car. I cannot imagine how ANYONE could do something like that! I don't care where I am headed, I would stop and do anything I could. If left at the curb, it would be prey to other animals, or die of dehydration, at the very least, in a couple of days.

In this instance, I wrapped the crow, who was struggling slightly while on its back, with some napkins and turn it over. It just sat there, blinking, watching me. It's beak was broken and there was a bit of blood in its mouth. How do you FIX that? I called animal control who was going to send someone out. J got a box from the car, I placed the crow in the box and drove the 1/4 mile home.

What was I doing? I hate crows! They are so annoying and loud; they are nuisance birds. But, looking at its eyes, thinking it must be in terrible pain and frightened.

...anyway, an officer came to my house. He said they would euthanize it since there was no one to take care of it. I said that I would take care of it, if someone could set its beak; he said vets wouldn't since they are classified as "nuisance wildlife". I had rubber gloves near the door (for working with glue and drywall), so held the crow gently, while the officer injected it with a tranquilizer.

It was pretty rough at the very end. But, again, it was the right thing to do for the animal.

No, I cannot save everything/everyone, as I have been told, but I would love to, some day, have some sort of ranch/farm where I do make a difference to some. "Be the change you want to see in the world" -Ghandi ...I cannot agree more.

Goodbye Devon

On January 15, I finally had Devon put down.

I was taking to A about the dogs since I would be going away for the next weekend. I said, "maybe I'll just ask J if I could bring Blossom" then realized I said nothing of Devon; I must have subconsciously made the decision that he would not be here. It was time to do the right thing by my dog, who had lived with us, since he was three months old, for almost 14 years.

Toy Manchesters are very healthy dogs in all aspects, with the exception of their mouths. At this point, Devon had only half of his teeth left, despite the fact that I cleaned his teeth fairly regularly. I even had a set of dental tools to scrape off tarter, which would come of in large chunks.

Last July, J noticed a large red bump on his tongue as they waited in the Saab (convertible) as I ran into the store. As he would pant, you could see a marble-sized lump right in the middle of his tongue! We were on our way down to my parents' house, so I took him to their vet.

The vet suggested we put him under general anesthesia to take a biopsy. If it came back positive, have him simply not wake up. The problem with removing it was that most of his tongue would have to be removed and there is a large vein that runs underneath....

Anyway, none of that matters now. I put it off for 18 months. For the past couple of months, he would wimper if his head was touched. I think his gums were receeding very quickly so he was uncomfortable if not in pain.

I had asked someone go with me who was extremely supportive. I hate being so emotional and out of control in front of people, but I do not think I could have done it alone or with J. My vet was amazing; comforting, supportive and soothing. I know I was doing the right thing (crying now) but it doesn't make it any easier. I kept telling myself "I can still change my mind and not do this, but once that second needle is in, it is too late." I stayed strong, I think, and went through with it all.

To make things even more difficult, I did this in January when the ground was partially frozen. I had to wait to bury him out back because I had to call MissUtility to mark the utility lines. Truly, if it had not been freezing, literally, outside, I would have considered a different solution to having him in the car for six days. But, I did want him buried out back, near where he would lie in the sunshine, legs tucked underneath with his eyes closed.

I think his disappearance has affected Blossom: she howls when we leave, she is extremely happy (more than normal) when we return, she is even more submissive and needy. Like the grieving for me, it will take her time.

With him gone, it is the little funny little things that I notice. The first morning afterwards, I went to take the "dogs" out. Blossom ran out and I stood there a moment, with the door open, waiting for Devon. I almost even called him again; he will never come when called. He liked to lie next to me on my bed, shaking, which drove me nuts. He would be curled up on the dog bed and Jones (the cat) would lick his head; he would grumble, but take it.

I received a couple of suggestions, other than the obvious of just burying him:
Kathy: right after he is put down, straighten his legs. When rigor mortis sets in, you can take him to an Irish pub, stand him in the middle of the table and have a wake.
Mark: right after he is put down, fold his legs under him, as if he is lying down. Then, you can put him in a purse, with his head sticking out, and carry him around like Paris Hilton carries her dog.

I did neither, but appreciate the ideas; thanks guys.

He was a great dog. Yes, he farted, whined and shook like a dryer with sneakers inside. But, he would walk directly beside me without a leash and loved to ride in the convertible, hopping around me as we got in the car. He was a very sweet dog.

I miss you terribly, Dev.