Sunshine Sam’s Honey Bath

Today Sunshine Sam had a prolapsed anus which is when part of the anus slips out of its little designated spot. You can see the pink like bubble on Sam’s butt. It’s very painful.

The best thing to do in this instance is to not panic. He’s going to be OK. A nice warm bath with a little honey in it for 15 minutes sent his little part back where it’s supposed to be. The interesting part is, I got the reverse of the prolapsed anus on film.

In the below one minute excerpt you’ll see Sam’s facial expressions change, his back clinch, his eyes blink, and expressions of this manner.

I’m not a film producer; just a girl with a frog. Sorry for the huge video. However, the moment was too cool to keep to myself.

Sunshine Sam is part of a family of three Australian Green Tree Frogs. He and his siblings are eight years old.

Be safe. Be Authentic.

Faith Magdalene

Something About Van Gogh

I have something to tell you about my dog Van Gogh. I sent him back bc of his behavior. It’s been bad since we moved here. He’s been fighting with ALL the dogs here, and winning, but still starting fights.

He jumped the mailman unprovoked one time.

Scared a little girl

He growled at my caregiver twice, snapped at her and seriously tried to bite her, all in the same day.

Tuesday he ferociously barked at a dog he previously whipped. The owner quickly moved away but that wasn’t good enough for Van Gogh. He began to wrestle hard with me to break free out of his harness. Then a cat popped out of the bushes to run away from the barking and commotion. Once Van Gogh saw the cat he struggled more and was free.

Van Gogh was angry and out of my control. I didn’t know him any more. I haven’t known him for a week. He’s not acting like the dog I adopted. The honeymoon was over!

The behaviors, specifically the aggression is frightening. When he jumped at the mailman there was zero warning at all, none! He looked at him, growled and jumped. Had he not been on a leash the mailman would have been bitten.

When Van Gogh ran away I immediately called the rescue center I got him from and told them to come get him. I knew he was coming back home because early on when we first moved here I began to teach him how to get home by smell, just in case we ever got separated.

After he fought me I put on lavender perfume and went downstairs. There he was! Wild eyed. Not sure if he wanted back on the leash, but he came anyway.

In the past week he’s peed on me, my wheelchairs, the bed. I just can’t do it anymore! He hasn’t been the same since I move here.

Before this happened I stayed in prayer for a week trying to figure out what to do about him. Then Tuesday he went and fought me to get out of and out of his harness! That was the last straw. So, Van Gogh is gone as of Wednesday morning.

I am relieved. I am saddened that it didn’t work out but I’m relieved that it’s over.

Faith Magdalene

Pink Crocs vs Amputee

I’ve been wearing my shoe without that so called prosthetic I hate so much. It seemed to be going just fine. No issues, or so I thought. Lol

As it turns out a well established spider web was in the toe of my pink cross. There was a small piece of cereal in the web, Lucky Charms. I’m not making this up.

I wasn’t sure what to feel. I was horrified, intrigued, humored and humiliated; simultaneously. I’ve decided to go ahead and do what the surgeon said is an alternative to wearing the prosthetic. I’m stuffing my left shoe. All left shoes get stuffed. I am not walking around with a spider housing addition at my stump. It’s wrong.

The little picture in the photo is a very, very old white sketch on top of encaustic art. I melted Crayola wax, slowly and moved it into position. I enjoy encaustic and print making very much.

Faith Magdalene

Wilted African Violet Emotional Uptick of 2024

I prayed, “your daughters need Parenting because this is just a plant. I don’t even want a long break from her over a plant. We need a Father to work with His daughters.”

I am pleased that my very emotional friend and sister has calmed down concerning the African Violet plant. We met over Zoom and handled things very well. I was so grateful! So grateful!

I’ll meet with her again Monday evening and the project we’re working on will be finished. We’ll have done it. The absolute impossible a few years ago!

Unfortunately this plant appears beyond redemption. It’s name will not be called. There will be no resurrection. Lol ๐Ÿ™‚

I don’t know what to do with it. I really don’t. I’ve got some leaves cut in half, some as full leaf propagation. But, some wilted in the moss, some simply didn’t make it after being in the trash. Never in my life have I ever felt so bad about a plant dying. The saga has ended. I’m pretty sure. I think. I hope. Lol

Faith

Delicate Leaves – African Violet Emotional Breakdown of 2024

Dr D asked how I was able to manage the trash three times? Honestly, it was mind bending hard. I went back three times because I felt like I’d failed or like I had something to prove. She said I threw it away to hurt her. I had to get it back.

I got a second text saying despite retrieving the plant, my efforts were not enough. It felt like I’d been punched in the chest. But that was the end of my emotional loan to the situation. It’s a plant. If she needs to go off the deep end over the plant then so be it but I’m jumping off the train. I will not argue over this. No response to texts about this mess.

This friendship isn’t over despite Dr D suggesting it might need to work towards that way. No. It needs a little break while she gets her mind right. He said, she’s going to do it again, then what? I said, yes she is, because unlike me she doesn’t have a PhD every week. This puts me at an advantage in the friendship.

As far as how I got through dealing with the trash, I planned it out. First I dressed for it. I had friends to call. I kept in mind my up coming appointment with my psychiatrist and psychologist on the same day. I have a certified nurses aide daily.

I was well covered to take the risk of going in the trash. I didn’t do it without back up or coping skills. Am I ok? No. But I’m not in hospital crisis. I’m not self harming. Things will calm down with a few art pieces and a few pots of tea.

Faith

To Jorge II, With Love

Remember the brown Dr Martens I was super in love with? I purchased them after someone gave a surprise donation via PayPal?

Well, I had to go back for the black ones ๐Ÿ™‚

These shoes are very amputee friendly. I can dress myself which is huge. I feel so normal and like myself in them. There’s nothing about them that’s been altered to fit that ever changing stump. I now have two really cool shoes that expand just right.

I even got the black shoes nearly half off.

Dr. Martens for the win, again. I swear I want to write him a letter and tell him how his shoes make me feel normal. I wont cause that’s weird, but I’m really happy this style hit the market.

I’m also grateful for fun compression socks ๐Ÿ™‚ Fun compression socks and these shoes? I don’t know what to do with myself!

Faith

Decrystallize Honey With A Coffee Mug Warmer

I found a jar of honey in an old supplies from the pandemic era. It had crystallized.

I didn’t want to go through the trouble of doing the double boiler thing to melt it down and shake it up but I do want it decrystallized. I can’t do the dishwasher method either. That’s where you place the honey in the dishwasher for three cycles and viola, no more crystals. However, I do have a coffee mug warmer, and time.

How it unfolded

  • I kept the lid on the whole time.
  • I saw signs of movement within three minutes.
  • I turned it over several times so it wouldn’t get too hot on a given side.
  • Give it a good shake from time to time.

The full process took about 30 minutes for six ounces of crystallized honey. The honey tastes just like I remember. ๐Ÿ™‚ I know exactly why I buy from this particular beekeeper.

There are two beekeeping families with superior products who keep me coming back.

My wonderful full-time caregiver enjoyed the cinnamon and honey I made for her. Now for lavender and honey, lemon and honey, etc. I purchased a quart and the taste sizes are only one ounce so there’s enough to play with. ๐Ÿ™‚

Well, I’m off to do end of the month tasks. Try not to worry they say. It’ll all work out they say. I’ve got evening care added on two days a week now, due to memory issues and others from long covid. They’re making sure I eat, too.

Faith

Teeth. Punishment. OCD.

I don’t deserve pretty dentures after the way I treated my natural teeth, that’s the way I thought anyway. So when it came time to choose the color of my dentures I didn’t want to choose a pretty white. I was going to choose a coffee drinker white, or a color warranted by someone with obsessive compulsive disorder who could no longer brush her teeth because of issues. So when the dentist asked about color and showed me examples I said I didnโ€™t know. She automatically picked a beautiful color. In shock I said, “Really. I can have that?”

It’s been 8 months since I had teeth. I eat without difficulty, but I didn’t look like myself. My self-esteem tanked. I didn’t know it could go lower, but it has.

I cried when I put in the new dentures today. I couldn’t believe that I look like me again. My lips were full again. And I just naturally smiled again! I couldn’t believe how different I felt about myself by putting in a very pretty pair of teeth that I didn’t even feel I deserved. Yes, I gave them back, but in three weeks time I’ll pick up my first pair of hand crafted dentures with my name in them.

I got the idea to ask for my name in them because a woman who was killed on Forensic Files was helped to be identified by the name in her dentures. No lie.

Soon I’ll start the YouTube classes for speech therapy with dentures.

I’m excited. Best of all, I’ll have my dentures before time to go on my trip.

Happy Faith ๐Ÿ™‚

Better Boundaries This Time Around

You know what? I did better with boundaries and setting limits than I first remembered. I originally looked back at the year with the old CNA and saw how many times I drew the line.

The first thing was how she would shoo me away with the back of her hand. She’d say, “Go! ” and begin to shoo me out of the kitchen area or restroom area, wherever I was. It felt horrible. I asked her to stop but she told me I couldn’t tell her what to do with her hands. I said, when it makes me feel “that way” I absolutely can. I ended up needing to call the supervisor about it.

She began saying very racist things about two different races. It was crazy. I said, how soon you forget the very words used against you. “They’re taking over.” “They’re taking our jobs.” “They’re dirty.” How soon you forget!!

She talked about how she doesn’t eat food from certain people because she feels blacks cleaner than their race. I get tired of that mess!!

It’s insane to inflict on others what we have to endure. When I talked to the supervisor about racial slurs she was mad. Shouldn’t have kept saying it. Hatred has no place in my home! I won’t stand for it.

She told me I can’t tell her what she can say. My answer surprised her. I said. I absolutely can. I can. I did. If vitriol comes out of your mouth you will hear about it. You say horrible things sometimes!

So, thinking back, I didn’t let her run all over me. I tried very hard to keep boundaries with someone who became uninterested in civility.

While there were really good times we had many difficulties, mainly with her mouth. You know what though? It was the mouth of one CNA. I only had one person’s behavior to deal with. I didn’t have CNAs cycling in and out which made the situation manageable, for awhile.

Let me address her walking out on me. That hurt. It also hurt to find out she actually put in a 2 weeks notice and that would have been her last day anyway. She put in a 2 week notice (unknown to me) because I had to report her language. I kept asking her to stop dropping the F-bomb. Why do I need to keep asking? Why are you using that word at work, especially that much? She actually quit bc she didn’t appreciate being asked not to use that word between the hours of 10-3, three days a week.

I guess she couldn’t bring herself to be respectful to others or to love herself enough to not say hateful, racist things about others.

Early on she used to tell me she was going to leave and not come back. I asked her to stop. I don’t think it’s funny. She kept saying it so I told the supervisor. So now she’s gone. I’ve got mixed feelings.

I honestly liked her in the beginning. I still have empathy and sympathy, now with anger.

Faith

You’re Strength Painting. Next Year’s Art Goals.

It took a month instead of two weeks to complete the painting of sunflowers with the Scripture. When the painting was picked up she ordered one for herself. The other person who saw it ordered one. I’ll be doing them on paper. I seriously do not enjoy canvas.

One of my art goals for next year is to increase the amount of art that’s based on Scripture.

I also like the idea of painting my cat, but I’m pretty bad at animals. Maybe I’ll just keep photographing him.

Michael Joseph Austin aka Joe Schmoe, is going to be 15 next year. Honestly, it kind of scares me because I worry about losing him. It’s been 2 years since he had a stroke. His eyesight was affected, other than that he’s the same cat.

There are three goals for the next creative year ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Scripture based art.
  • Painting cats in an outsider art kind of way.
  • Paint butterflies in outsider art kinda way.

I’ve joined a group about butterflies and have seen some absolutely amazing creations. I have to paint them! I’ve also got a book I was given by a good friend.

Those are my new year’s goals.

Gratitude List

  • I’m entirely moved by the varied designs, textures and vivid colors of butterflies.
  • Cookies. Above any other flavor, I love big sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles. A friend brings them sometimes.
  • I enjoy trying new things. My CNA and I laughed so hard at how bad bison steak is. So, so nasty! The texture and taste is a catastrophic collision that may have killed taste buds. Just wow lol. I’m grateful for the ability to laugh and still appreciate the experience due to the laughter, and I’m looking forward to trying other new things. ๐Ÿ™‚

Faith