Missing Abby

Abby as ring bearer at our wedding in April 2000


MISSING ABBY

She filled our hearts
with sweet brown eyes.
Her soft head
white as a dove
a comfort to touch.

Her absence fills these
melancholy walls
like the stillness
of a black night
without stars.

We can not see her
face yet, in the birds
or the clouds
in our blue river of tears.

It is too soon
to think of her gone.
At least we know
her tender soul
and brave spirit...

...have heaven singing.

-Linda O'Neill

Thank you all so much for your support and kind words these past few days. You have helped us more than you know. xoxo

Abby Louise

Our hearts are broken today...we had to let our sweet girl, Abby go last night. The cortisone helped a little for a couple of days but then she got worse. Yesterday she could hardly sit up and was in pain so James and I could not let her continue to suffer. Our Vet came to the house last night so that Abby could drift peacefully away by her favorite blue chair in the living room.

We are so sad today and miss her more than words can describe. She was the most beautiful, special, sweet dog and we loved her with all of our hearts...and then some.

Thank you all so much for your kind, caring support this past week. It meant so much to both of us...and helped more than you know.

Please keep Abby in your thoughts today and keep her in the light.

Until we meet again, my sweet girl...your papa and I will always love you.

Abby is ailing

Hi all...I haven't felt too much like writing the last couple of days. Abby isn't doing very well. Hasn't really been herself since Friday. The problem is...she is barely standing and isn't walking. She's gone through these periods before...mostly due to renal insufficiency causing hind-end weakness. She has always miraculously bounced back though. James and I doubled her fluids and Sunday she started to feel better. We had just taken Abby to the Vet and all her blood tests came back positive...no big changes. We're thinking at this point it's her arthritis and spine. She's always had issues there as well. Anyway...we decided to try a cortisone shot to see if that helps. It was a hard decision to make because it's very hard on a renal dog's already compromised immune system. It's basically a last resort to see if it helps her to walk again.

Please keep Abby in your thoughts and prayers today...she really needs them. We're hoping that the cortisone kicks in and at least gives her a few more weeks of life. I want my baby to have a few more days of walking around the yard, smelling the grass and the spring air. She is a trooper and is fighting so hard. Bless her little heart.

Happy St. Patrick's!

Being an O'Neill...I couldn't let today go without wishing you all a Happy St. Patty's Day! At this very minute James is down in the kitchen cooking up Colcannon and Irish Soda Bread to bring to our Irish friend's, The Mooney's tonight.

Something you probably didn't know about me too...is that I am a nut about Boston Terriers. I used to have one as a child...named Jiggs. He was the sweetest thing ever (besides Abby of course)...and I have such warm memories of him. This photo is from a great Boston site called
"The Gem Sisters". There are some fabu photos of Boston Terrier sisters; Ruby, Opal and Diamond. This cutie pie above is Ruby.

So let me leave you today with this little Irish blessing...

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

Two new paintings

I felt like I was in a bit of an art slump today...I think because I haven't painted anything for a week since my mom was here. Anyway...I decided to do a couple of small abstracts to get the juices going. Not sure how I feel about these though. James says he likes them...but they are more "primitive" than the last ones. Hmmmmm...could he mean primitive in a primary color way...in composition...or just blech! If you have an opinion...please do let me know. I always welcome constructive criticism to help me change and grow in new directions.

This weekend, I will be working on finishing up the changes on the Border Collie painting...and two still lifes. Hope I have something to show you in a day or two.

Have a fun weekend!

Go on working freely and furiously, and you will make progress" - Paul Gauguin

Abby Miranda

This is the picture that was on last year's label of our homemade "Limoncella". Abby Miranda graced the bottles of "Abby Creek Cellar's" second release. James and I were fortunate enough to get a very coveted recipe for the yummy liqueur from an old gentleman in Italy. It is the best we've ever tasted.

We're working on the next batch now. The first 40 days of aging it are over...now it needs another 40 days after the addition of a few extra ingredients. Then it will be ready for bottling and labeling.

If any of you have a fun idea for our next label (with Abby as the star again of course)...please let me know. If James and I choose your idea...then I will send you a bottle of the lemony lip-licking drink for free...yes, for free! It's perfect for sipping on hot summer nights...cools your toes and warms your heart.

Picnic in the Park

HAD to show you these pics of Abby and my mom. The weather is gorgeous here today so we headed out for a picnic at Chautauqua...a beautiful park near the Flatirons in Boulder.

Abby is feeling much better today. Seems the Deramaxx meds we put her back on last Friday are really helping. Her blood tests came back with low thyroid as well...so that may have contributed to her weak back end. She already takes a thyroid med so we will just increase those to two pills a day.

All in all...my baby is feeling better. These photos make me well up because she looks so happy. Nothing could make ME happier.

We had a great picnic...then Grandma bought Abby a Dairy Queen on the way home. Abby was in doggy bliss!

Sneak Peek

Thought I'd post a sneaky peeky of "Jax" the Border Collie. I'm doing some revisions so I'm not ready to show you the whole painting just yet...soon though.

Hope to take some pictures of mom and Abby later today. The weather is beautiful so we are taking Abby for a spin in her stroller this afternoon. My poor baby is having a really hard time walking lately so send her some good thoughts, k? I may take her in for some laser therapy on her back legs to see if that helps.

TGIF! :)

Mom is coming to town

Mom in the early 50's

I guess you could say, "like mother like daughter" yes? My mom is a big dog nut just like me. She is coming for a week's visit tomorrow from Petaluma, California and of course...will spoil Abby every moment she can. My mom lives in the west part of Petaluma which has beautiful farmland. This allows her to go crazy with animals...so she has two dogs, at least 10 cats and a cow named Lulu. She used to have five dogs at one time and Mo Mo the bird to boot.

My very favorite of all her dogs though was Felicia. "Leesha" as I called her...was a Lab/Doberman mix. She was the sweetest dog in the world...but cunning and smart at the same time. What a vixen! The drawing below is "Leesha"...a mixed media dog drawing I did a long time ago.

Have a good Tuesday!

Dog Human Bond

One of my favorites of Abby Louise

As I was thinking about Gracie today and how much we all mourn her loss...I remembered an article that I read in Time Magazine awhile back. It was about the amazing, mysterious bond between humans and their animals...written by Charles Krauthammer. It touched me very deeply at the time because Abby was very sick and I was so afraid of losing her. At times, I didn't think some people understood my bond with her and why I was so upset.

Anyway...the last paragraph of the article sums it up. I thought I would post it today, again in honor of Miss Gracie Eller. Hope it touches you as well.

"Some will protest that in a world with so much human suffering, it is something between eccentric and obscene to mourn a dog. I think not. After all, it is prefectly normal, indeed, deeply human to be moved when nature presents us with a vision of great beauty. Should we not be moved when it produces a vision - a creature - of the purest sweetness?"

-Charles Krauthammer

Abby Creek Featured!

A big thank you to Jan Dicintio from "Scoutie Girl" who featured some
of my still lifes on her blog today. Jan also makes beautiful handmade handbags in custom-designed fabrics which you can purchase on her website, Daisy Janie. Jan is a fellow dog lover and names her handbags after rescued pooches from the Catahoula Dog Rescue which she supports. Definitely check out Jan's work!

Gracie Eller

"Gracie"

My heart breaks today for my dear friends, Sue and Bob. They had to put their beautiful 11 year old Border Collie, Gracie down last night. It was all very sudden. She had stopped eating a couple of days ago...and then they found out yesterday that she had very progressed liver cancer. Before then...she had shown no signs of illness.

My post today is dedicated to Gracie Eller...a dog with an amazing spirit and a heart of gold. We all loved you and will miss you terribly.