Anticipation

Carmella has been restless the past few days almost as if something exciting is on its way. I hope it's not just anxiety but instead really is a sign of something good to come!

She has been insatiable; wanting constant attention even when she is being petted currently. I don't know how much more attention you can give than that!

Yesterday and today she has been trying to chew my shoe just about every time I enter the kitchen, and when I let her get up onto the bed with me while I'm watching TV she does not want to lie down and be calm. She restlessly stands up and changes positions multiple times, starts chewing on my hands, licking the bottom of my feet, and finally jumps off the bed onto the floor where she immediately finds a sock and tries her best to chew a hole in it in record time. I had to put the muzzle on her earlier today because she was really out of control with her gnawing on my hands. I swear sometimes I think she must have ADHD!

This month I have been very broke so I'm trying to make sure she does not destroy my clothes at all cost because I can't afford to replace any right now. I am still hoping for some sales in my Etsy shop before the month of December is over. I've even decided to offer US Priority shipping on purchases of $50.00 or more between now and Christmas, not to mention I will gladly gift-wrap anything purchased if the customer would like.

Come on, "make my day"! It would be a shame to just let these items expire one by one when they could be making someone happy on Christmas morning. I am sure that whomever you're shopping for will enjoy something from my Etsy store. Luckily not all my work looks the same, so if something you see is not your style then you are very likely to find another piece that will be.

I've been a little conservative this month about re-listing things because the object is to bring more money in than you spend on fees, LOL.

It will be a great relief when I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel with Carmella's vet bill.

Holding my breath that nothing more goes wrong with her that will cost more money, I notice a few small patches of missing fur on the front of her neck. Oh, no! The areas have not gotten worse within the past week, but I am concerned that the area looks to have black particles near the base of the hair right at the skin. At first I just thought her collar was rubbing there but now I'm not so sure. I doubt that would cause black little specks at the base of the hair. I'll have to take some pictures of this close-up when there's enough good lighting. Maybe somebody will know what it is.

My son's visit was great and we had a good time although it was too short. I got to meet his new girlfriend and (I might add) that she is a Syskel and Ebert Two Thumbs UP!!! Very kind, down-to-earth, pretty, compassionate (she works as a personal assistant/companion for a woman with Down's Syndrome), she paints, and she loves dogs. She's also stable and has career goals (unlike his former girlfriend). Quinn, if you're reading this, quick, marry her! LOL.

I showed her Flickr on my computer and told her about Etsy and how easy it is to open up an online store, and she sounded interested in doing that. She'd heard of Etsy before and was interested in learning more about Flickr. She has a dog that she's taken some great pictures of that looks like it's part Australian Shepherd and part Blue Heeler, and maybe a little English Setter, and the pictures she took after she'd come back from the Stone Mountain Game Ranch were absolutely greeting card material! She had one showing a fawn licking her face, and another in which a Donkey was doing its best to bite someone's face, its giant blocky teeth grinning into the camera.

She and the woman whom she was spending the day with loved Carmella, and captivated, walked over to the gate leading to the kitchen, reached over and petted her for quite awhile. Carmella was so excited about all the attention she could hardly contain herself. Her tail was wagging so hard she nearly knocked herself off her feet.

I've noticed lately that when Carmella's lying down in certain positions the force of her right front leg jerking causes her left, back leg to jerk. If you catch this on the Carmella-cam it looks quite funny, as though her legs are taking off without her. When she's lying down another way the jerking is barely perceptible even in the leg it's actually in.

I don't know if this has any significance or not but she's been shedding like crazy! She wasn't shedding over the summer and it seems to have caused a delayed reaction. All of my clothes are covered with short, light brown hairs, and it's all over my blanket, and even comes off in my hand while I'm petting her. I bought a lint roller and have used about half of it up in just a few days. Pretty soon there will be enough hair to send to some spinner to make yarn from. To look at her you wouldn't think she would have that much fur or that she'd be bald by now, but in fact quite the contrary; her hair is very healthy-looking, shiny, soft, and she seems to have plenty of it for a short-haired dog. I guess feeding her Iams does make a difference, because the former dog I had when I fed her the cheaper stuff didn't look anywhere near as robust and healthy as Carmella does. There's something also about her muscle tone that really shows she's in great shape, and she has real bounce in her step. I really think she would be great at some dog food commercials!


If any of you have just recently started reading look back for comparison to the posts from July and August at the pictures of her then and you'll see what a dramatic change there has been! Be sure to remember to share Carmella's story with your vets.

http://Giftbearer.etsy.com