Abraham Lincoln's New Salem II - Petersburg, IL

Abstract painting

Finished my second painting over the weekend. I have never tried an abstract painting before, so that is what I did. This is the result. I spread paint over the canvas with a pallet knife. It was fun.

Abraham Lincoln's New Salem I - Petersburg, IL

Books read in 2014

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales, William Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Roads, Earl Swift
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI, Dana Kollmann 
Confessions of a Surgeon, Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.
Lincoln's Grace Robbers, Steve Sheinkin
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long to Fill, Drugmonkey
Beyond the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession, Mark Obmascik
True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders, Dina Di Mambro
Island of Vice: Theodor Roosevelt's Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, Richard Zacks   
Mortal Evidence: The Forensics Behind Nine Shocking Cases, Cyril H. Wecht
Amelia, Nancy Nahra
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman 
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Michale J. Collins, M.D.
Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, Michael J. Collins M.D. 
Dark Dreams: A Legendary FBI Profiler Examines Homicide and the Criminal Mind, Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud 
Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story, Alistair Brownlee & Jonathan Brownlee
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, Carre Otis & Hugo Schwyzer
House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival, Deborah Ball
Trama: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon, Dr. James Cole
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, J.B. West
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant, Scott Haas 
Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous, Jennifer Buhl
Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse, Janice Hudson
You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, Suzanne Hansen
NYPD Confidential: Power and Corruption in the Country's Greatest Police Force, Leonard Levitt 
The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus
Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street, Star #14931
The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Ruhlman
Monica's Story, Andrew Morton
All Too Human: A Political Education, George Stephanopoulos
Flowers in the Attic, V.C. Andrews
Petals on the Wind, V.C. Andrews
If There Be Thorns, V.C., Andrews 
How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder, Mike Gilbert  
Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan, Del Quentin Wilber
Standing Next to History: An Agent's Life Inside The Secret Service, Joseph Petro & Jeffrey Robinson  
Intensive Care, Echo Heron
Condition Critical: The Story of a Nurse Continues, Echo Heron
Cabin Fever: The Sizzling Secrets of an Virgin Air Hostess..., Mandy Smith
Dancing with the Devil: The Windsors and Jimmy Donahue, Christopher Wilson
The Season: A Summer Whirl Through the English Social Season, Sophie Campbell
Joe and Marilyn: Legends in Love, C. David Heymann
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies and the Making of a Medical Examiner, Judy Melinek, M.D.
Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents, Cormac O'Brien
Secret Lives of the First Ladies, Cormac O'Brien
The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren
Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General, Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard
Gone Girl, GIllian Flynn
The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art, Don Thompson

Currently Reading: Julius Caesar, Philip Freeman

Pre-Nationals

mgoblue.com

The #1 ranked University of Michigan women's cross country team ran at Pre-Nationals Saturday at the LaVern GIbson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana. The Wolverines finished in third place with 143 points and a fourth place finish from super sophomore Erin Finn, 20:43.3. Two other Wolverines placed in the top 25; Shannon Osika (23rd - 21:13.8) and Brook Handler (25th - 21:14.7).

Winning Pre-Nationals was Georgetown with 110 points and coming in second was Oregon with 139 points.

The Wolverines will run again this Friday at the EMU Fall Classic in Dexter, Michigan starting at 4 p.m. Then up next will be the Big Ten Championships in Iowa City, IA on November 2.

Painting

I finished this painting of a cardinal a couple of weeks ago. It is my first try at painting since high school. I hope to continue to improve as I go along.

Degenerative Myelopathy

A few months ago, my husband and I noticed something different with our 11 year-old German Shepherd, Blitzkrieg.

Blitz was having difficulty getting up, walking and was wobbly. When we would take him on walks, his back leg nails would scrape on the sidewalk. When he would lean against us, his back end would slide and he would end up sitting down.

I Googled his symptoms and found that he matched everything listed under Degenerative Myelopathy. I told my husband and he found webpages about DM. He agreed with me that it probably was what Blitz had. For the next couple of months, Blitz was still mobile. He was able to go outside, climb steps and walk.

My husband poured a concrete path last week in our backyard. That meant that the dogs couldn't go outside in the backyard to do their business. We had to put them on a leash and take them out front. Blitz was having trouble walking. He couldn't go a couple of steps without his legs giving out. If he wanted to go somewhere, he was crawling or my husband helped guide him holding his back end.

After a couple of days of helping Blitz walk around the house and in the backyard, I made an appointment with our veterinarian. My husband and I wanted the vet to confirm what we already knew. When we took Blitz to see the vet Saturday, he did confirm that Blitz had DM. The vet asked how he is acting at home. Blitz is still active. He is still eating, very alert and still wants to walk everywhere. The vet told us that there is no cure for DM, but some dogs do respond to medication. He gave Blitz two shots at the office and gave us medication for steroids. The vet told us to call him in five days to see if Blitz has responded to it. If there is no improvement, then he said he would talk options with us.

We know what those options will be. Blitz still has ton of energy and is still acting like the dog he always has been. My husband has order a harness for him. The harness is put under him and we can help him walk. He will also be ordering a wheelchair for him. The wheelchair we will be getting for Blitz has stirrups to keep his back legs from dragging. I know Blitz wants to go for a walk, so the wheelchair will help.

We are going to do everything possible for Blitzkrieg. He has been with us since 2003. Only when his quality of life diminishes, that is when we will make the final step. But until then, we will be enjoying everyday with him.

Books read in 2014

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales, William Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Roads, Earl Swift
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI, Dana Kollmann 
Confessions of a Surgeon, Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.
Lincoln's Grace Robbers, Steve Sheinkin
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long to Fill, Drugmonkey
Beyond the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession, Mark Obmascik
True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders, Dina Di Mambro
Island of Vice: Theodor Roosevelt's Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, Richard Zacks   
Mortal Evidence: The Forensics Behind Nine Shocking Cases, Cyril H. Wecht
Amelia, Nancy Nahra
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman 
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Michale J. Collins, M.D.
Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, Michael J. Collins M.D. 
Dark Dreams: A Legendary FBI Profiler Examines Homicide and the Criminal Mind, Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud 
Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story, Alistair Brownlee & Jonathan Brownlee
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, Carre Otis & Hugo Schwyzer
House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival, Deborah Ball
Trama: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon, Dr. James Cole
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, J.B. West
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant, Scott Haas 
Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous, Jennifer Buhl
Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse, Janice Hudson
You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, Suzanne Hansen
NYPD Confidential: Power and Corruption in the Country's Greatest Police Force, Leonard Levitt 
The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus
Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street, Star #14931
The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Ruhlman
Monica's Story, Andrew Morton
All Too Human: A Political Education, George Stephanopoulos
Flowers in the Attic, V.C. Andrews
Petals on the Wind, V.C. Andrews
If There Be Thorns, V.C., Andrews 
How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder, Mike Gilbert  
Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan, Del Quentin Wilber
Standing Next to History: An Agent's Life Inside The Secret Service, Joseph Petro & Jeffrey Robinson  
Intensive Care, Echo Heron
Condition Critical: The Story of a Nurse Continues, Echo Heron
Cabin Fever: The Sizzling Secrets of an Virgin Air Hostess..., Mandy Smith
Dancing with the Devil: The Windsors and Jimmy Donahue, Christopher Wilson
The Season: A Summer Whirl Through the English Social Season, Sophie Campbell
Joe and Marilyn: Legends in Love, C. David Heymann
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies and the Making of a Medical Examiner, Judy Melinek, M.D.
Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents, Cormac O'Brien
Secret Lives of the First Ladies, Cormac O'Brien
The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren
Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General, Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard
Gone Girl, GIllian Flynn
 
Currently Reading: The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art, Don Thompson

Geisha oil pastel

Finished another drawing last week. The medium I used was oil pastel.

I love Geisha art, photos and their culture, so I found geisha prints online and used it as my inspiration. I do like what I created. I did shade just a little of the kimono near the obijime. I didn't shade anywhere else because none of the early Japanese prints of geisha are shaded.

Oak Ridge Cemetery III - Springfield, IL

Books read in 2014

Death's Acre: Inside the Legendary Forensic Lab the Body Farm Where the Dead do Tell Tales, William Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Roads, Earl Swift
Never Suck A Dead Man's Hand: Curious Adventures of a CSI, Dana Kollmann 
Confessions of a Surgeon, Paul A. Ruggieri M.D.
Lincoln's Grace Robbers, Steve Sheinkin
Why Your Prescription Takes So Damn Long to Fill, Drugmonkey
Beyond the Body Farm, Dr. Bill Bass & Jon Jefferson
The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession, Mark Obmascik
True Hollywood Noir: Filmland Mysteries and Murders, Dina Di Mambro
Island of Vice: Theodor Roosevelt's Quest to Clean Up Sin-Loving New York, Richard Zacks   
Mortal Evidence: The Forensics Behind Nine Shocking Cases, Cyril H. Wecht
Amelia, Nancy Nahra
Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures, Robert K. Wittman & John Shiffman 
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Michale J. Collins, M.D.
Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs, Michael J. Collins M.D. 
Dark Dreams: A Legendary FBI Profiler Examines Homicide and the Criminal Mind, Roy Hazelwood & Stephen G. Michaud 
Swim, Bike, Run: Our Triathlon Story, Alistair Brownlee & Jonathan Brownlee
The Stranger Beside Me, Ann Rule
Beauty, Disrupted: The Carre Otis Story, Carre Otis & Hugo Schwyzer
House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder and Survival, Deborah Ball
Trama: My Life as an Emergency Surgeon, Dr. James Cole
Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, J.B. West
Kitchen Confidential, Anthony Bourdain
Back of the House: The Secret Life of a Restaurant, Scott Haas 
Shooting Stars: My Unexpected Life Photographing Hollywood's Most Famous, Jennifer Buhl
Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse, Janice Hudson
You'll Never Nanny in This Town Again: The True Adventures of a Hollywood Nanny, Suzanne Hansen
NYPD Confidential: Power and Corruption in the Country's Greatest Police Force, Leonard Levitt 
The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus
Chicago Cop: Tales from the Street, Star #14931
The Making of a Chef: Mastering Heat at the Culinary Institute of America, Michael Ruhlman
Monica's Story, Andrew Morton
All Too Human: A Political Education, George Stephanopoulos
Flowers in the Attic, V.C. Andrews
Petals on the Wind, V.C. Andrews
If There Be Thorns, V.C., Andrews 
How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder, Mike Gilbert  
Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan, Del Quentin Wilber
Standing Next to History: An Agent's Life Inside The Secret Service, Joseph Petro & Jeffrey Robinson  
Intensive Care, Echo Heron
Condition Critical: The Story of a Nurse Continues, Echo Heron
Cabin Fever: The Sizzling Secrets of an Virgin Air Hostess..., Mandy Smith
Dancing with the Devil: The Windsors and Jimmy Donahue, Christopher Wilson
The Season: A Summer Whirl Through the English Social Season, Sophie Campbell
Joe and Marilyn: Legends in Love, C. David Heymann
Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies and the Making of a Medical Examiner, Judy Melinek, M.D.
Secret Lives of the U.S. Presidents, Cormac O'Brien
Secret Lives of the First Ladies, Cormac O'Brien
The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren
Killing Patton: The Strange Death of World War II's Most Audacious General, Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard

Currently Reading: Gone Girl, GIllian Flynn