I'm about to hit the road to travel from Louisiana to Texas (for one day) and then north towards MD. Not sure if the stress is exacerbating the Lyme or what but I'm starting to feel horrible.
It started four days ago when I was feverish and achy. I slept for almost an entire day which I haven't done in long, long time. Yesterday I vomited several times and today the headaches have started again accompanied by extreme nausea.
I've taken Ibuprofen once today and it didn't help with the headache or aches at all. I'm just crawling out of my skin.
Lyme Disease - My New Normal
It's official - I have Lyme disease. I can't even remember making the post before this one on Nov. 10. This is my new normal. My brain is fried from these little spirochetes.
Life is not much easier now than it was before I had a diagnosis. The hospital gave me two weeks of antibiotics but since I'm a traveler (and a poor one at that) with no insurance (aside from Medicaid which isn't useful outside of the state you live in) finding a doctor to follow up with has been a headache. I admit, I felt pretty good after I made it through the antibiotics but in the past few days I find myself revisiting some of the early symptoms that I initially ignored. Thankfully I'll be back in MD in couple weeks and can go see my regular doctor and start testing for coinfections as well as treating the Lyme itself again.
See, I was familiar with Lyme in dogs but never in people. I have never met someone who told me they had Lyme disease. But guess what? It's WAY more common than any of us think.
I will apologize again for the pictures I am about to post but I feel it's important to get it out there. Maybe someone else will realize they are sicker than they think and get treatment before they end up where I am now.
Around week 2 of the Maryland Renaissance Festival I pulled a tick off my thigh. Little did I know that was not the only tick on me or that the one that caused the Lyme was likely so small I wouldn't have seen it anyhow. Let alone the fact that it attached somewhere in my groin/ pubis area - an area that when at a Renfest is not often in a mirror. Showers are, for me, a generally hurried and fast procedure when I'm using a public shower house. I'm also prone to bizarre bruises that I don't know how or what caused them so when I saw this on myself I assumed it was a bruise. That I had run into a corner of a table or counter. It didn't hurt really. The skin was weirdly sensitive but not overly painful or itchy.
I ignored it mostly. I did ask a couple of other ladies who I happened to run into in the restroom at faire what they thought. Thank the beejeezus that the Rennie community is an open bunch. No one ever blinked an eye that I was essentially showing them my crotch. This picture really doesn't show how dark the rash was, or how big it got. It looked like a giant bruise that eventually wrapped around my hip.
But then other symptoms started. I was very tired all the time. I felt like I had the flu and since the flu was running through our community by then I just figured I was sick like everyone else. How wrong I was. I was having neck and shoulder pain that I attributed to fever and my van being unlevel so I moved my bed from the dinette to the upper pull out to have more room. I was still achy.
I started having urinary incontinence which I attributed to having to use public porta-potties. I have a tendency to hold my urine until I HAVE to go. No longer was this an option. By the time I knew I had to pee, I had to GO RIGHT THEN.
I was having major shifts in my personality, tolerance of other people and my ability to follow conversations. I am now snapping at people when I don't mean to. Even my cats have been snapped at and I love them more than anything.
The left side of my face started randomly being puffy which I attributed to either sleeping mostly on that side and waking up puffy and then to a bug or spider bite. It would randomly tingle.
I was having severe headaches that I attributed to being dehydrated.
My spine, hips and knees were in terrible pain which I attributed to getting old, falling out of the van and the amount of walking I do at faire.
I was more clumsy than usual. I even fell out of my van causing a bruise to my leg that is still there today (after nearly 4 months)
My anxiety and panic attacks were happening more frequently which I wrote off to the engine troubles.
I ignored all of these symptoms because between working the weekends at MDRF, not having readily available transportation, being stressed about my van not running and having to get to Louisiana for LARF (which started 2 weeks after MDRF ended) - I had enough on my plate. Add in my intense dislike for doctors and you have a very nice host for Lyme to run rampant.
The last week of MDRF and the two weeks prior to LARF (Louisiana Renaissance Festival) were very hard. I barely had the energy to pick my head up let alone do anything else. The drive down here was miserably uncomfortable. Once we got into LA I had to hit the ground running because I was already behind schedule and had to meet my new boss and get work straightened out for the 7 week run of that festival.
The day we got here I was out on site for about two hours when my entire face went tingly and then the left side simply stopped working. Half of my face was paralyzed! It went away until three days later when it stopped working as well as most of the muscles in my face. I couldn't squint my eyes or scrinch up my face at all. I worked Saturday at faire and immediately went to the hospital.
My first trip to the ER was to North Oaks hospital. The doctor came in, sat down and started asking me questions but quickly turn his attention to my friend's belt buckle which was clearly more fascinating than my health problems. The doctor never dd a physical exam. In fact he asked me if my lymph nodes were swollen and told me to check them myself and let him know. He then looked in my throat from two feet away and promptly diagnosed me with Pharyngitis (even though a sore throat wasn't one of my many complaints) and generalized anxiety disorder. Gave me a prescription for Cephalexin and Ativan and sent me on my way.
So - I worked Sunday and was too tired to deal with going to another hospital Sunday night but went first thing Monday morning to St. Tammany Parish hospital. They drew blood and gave me an injection of Depo Medrol (which I had a horrible allergic reaction to), prescribed some pain killers, a nausea med, and 2 weeks of Doxycycline and told me my Lyme tests wouldn't be back for 2 weeks. I was supposed to follow up with my regular doc to have another Lyme test drawn to compare the results but as I said - I'm out of my home state and dirt poor plus extremely busy so I have yet to do that.
What the hospital didn't warn me about was what's called a Herxheimer Reaction. Which is where the bacteria being killed off release a bunch of endotoxins into the body which increases the symptoms. It broke both my brain and my body. I was herxing so horribly that I was hallucinating my recently deceased cat, Gobie. To the point of nearly swearing that he was real. I hallucinated friends speaking badly about me and went into a full blown, hyperventilating panic attack. I also started breaking out in a huge rash that covered 90% of my body. Add that to the fact that the antibiotics made me extremely pukey and life was pretty daned miserable for a bunch of hours every time I took a pill.
I just got access to my blood results online a few days ago and what do you know? I have Lyme disease. Not only do I have Lyme but I tested positive for 8 of 10 bands (you only need to test positive for 5 for a clinical diagnosis)
At least now I know. You can bet that as soon as I get home I am making a doctor appointment to have blood drawn to test my levels and to check for coinfections. I'm also looking into way I can help with Lyme education, treatment and prevention as I wouldn't wish this disease on my worst enemy.
Here's hoping 2016 is better than 2015 was because this has been one miserable year in my world.
Life is not much easier now than it was before I had a diagnosis. The hospital gave me two weeks of antibiotics but since I'm a traveler (and a poor one at that) with no insurance (aside from Medicaid which isn't useful outside of the state you live in) finding a doctor to follow up with has been a headache. I admit, I felt pretty good after I made it through the antibiotics but in the past few days I find myself revisiting some of the early symptoms that I initially ignored. Thankfully I'll be back in MD in couple weeks and can go see my regular doctor and start testing for coinfections as well as treating the Lyme itself again.
See, I was familiar with Lyme in dogs but never in people. I have never met someone who told me they had Lyme disease. But guess what? It's WAY more common than any of us think.
I will apologize again for the pictures I am about to post but I feel it's important to get it out there. Maybe someone else will realize they are sicker than they think and get treatment before they end up where I am now.
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| Black Legged ticks are the ticks that cause Lyme disease and coinfections. Lone Star ticks have their own problems. |
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| A classic Erythema Migrans bullseye rash. A sure sign of Lyme infection |
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| My Erythema Migrans - looking nothing like the classic rash. |
But then other symptoms started. I was very tired all the time. I felt like I had the flu and since the flu was running through our community by then I just figured I was sick like everyone else. How wrong I was. I was having neck and shoulder pain that I attributed to fever and my van being unlevel so I moved my bed from the dinette to the upper pull out to have more room. I was still achy.
I started having urinary incontinence which I attributed to having to use public porta-potties. I have a tendency to hold my urine until I HAVE to go. No longer was this an option. By the time I knew I had to pee, I had to GO RIGHT THEN.
I was having major shifts in my personality, tolerance of other people and my ability to follow conversations. I am now snapping at people when I don't mean to. Even my cats have been snapped at and I love them more than anything.
The left side of my face started randomly being puffy which I attributed to either sleeping mostly on that side and waking up puffy and then to a bug or spider bite. It would randomly tingle.
I was having severe headaches that I attributed to being dehydrated.
My spine, hips and knees were in terrible pain which I attributed to getting old, falling out of the van and the amount of walking I do at faire.
I was more clumsy than usual. I even fell out of my van causing a bruise to my leg that is still there today (after nearly 4 months)
My anxiety and panic attacks were happening more frequently which I wrote off to the engine troubles.
I ignored all of these symptoms because between working the weekends at MDRF, not having readily available transportation, being stressed about my van not running and having to get to Louisiana for LARF (which started 2 weeks after MDRF ended) - I had enough on my plate. Add in my intense dislike for doctors and you have a very nice host for Lyme to run rampant.
The last week of MDRF and the two weeks prior to LARF (Louisiana Renaissance Festival) were very hard. I barely had the energy to pick my head up let alone do anything else. The drive down here was miserably uncomfortable. Once we got into LA I had to hit the ground running because I was already behind schedule and had to meet my new boss and get work straightened out for the 7 week run of that festival.
The day we got here I was out on site for about two hours when my entire face went tingly and then the left side simply stopped working. Half of my face was paralyzed! It went away until three days later when it stopped working as well as most of the muscles in my face. I couldn't squint my eyes or scrinch up my face at all. I worked Saturday at faire and immediately went to the hospital.
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| Left - how I looked when I went to the hospital the first time. Lots of facial edema. The right is two days after I started antibiotics. |
So - I worked Sunday and was too tired to deal with going to another hospital Sunday night but went first thing Monday morning to St. Tammany Parish hospital. They drew blood and gave me an injection of Depo Medrol (which I had a horrible allergic reaction to), prescribed some pain killers, a nausea med, and 2 weeks of Doxycycline and told me my Lyme tests wouldn't be back for 2 weeks. I was supposed to follow up with my regular doc to have another Lyme test drawn to compare the results but as I said - I'm out of my home state and dirt poor plus extremely busy so I have yet to do that.
What the hospital didn't warn me about was what's called a Herxheimer Reaction. Which is where the bacteria being killed off release a bunch of endotoxins into the body which increases the symptoms. It broke both my brain and my body. I was herxing so horribly that I was hallucinating my recently deceased cat, Gobie. To the point of nearly swearing that he was real. I hallucinated friends speaking badly about me and went into a full blown, hyperventilating panic attack. I also started breaking out in a huge rash that covered 90% of my body. Add that to the fact that the antibiotics made me extremely pukey and life was pretty daned miserable for a bunch of hours every time I took a pill.
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| Herxheimer Reaction rash. It spread everywhere - neck, face, legs, elbows... |
Here's hoping 2016 is better than 2015 was because this has been one miserable year in my world.
What is Wrong With Me?
That's rhetorical - sort of. It's been a while since I've updated and there are many reasons for that. The major two being The Inn itself and my health.
The Inn Carburetor Saga is a story for another time because I had to leave my house in MD while I traveled down to Louisiana for their renaissance festival. It is a very long story and much less important than the other half of what's going on, namely my poor health.
I'm making this post as a sort of warning that I will soon be posting pictures of what is happening to me. Only one is really worth the warning and not really that bad except that it's my groin. I'll start those posts tomorrow since I'll have to backtrack in time a bit. I'm going to be posting this for my own records as well as in hope that someone else might benefit from my experience.
I'm currently waiting on my bloodwork results from my second emergency room visit in three days. The Er managed to narrow down my choices to Lyme Disease or Lupus. Based on what I've been reading my bets are on Lyme.
The Inn Carburetor Saga is a story for another time because I had to leave my house in MD while I traveled down to Louisiana for their renaissance festival. It is a very long story and much less important than the other half of what's going on, namely my poor health.
I'm making this post as a sort of warning that I will soon be posting pictures of what is happening to me. Only one is really worth the warning and not really that bad except that it's my groin. I'll start those posts tomorrow since I'll have to backtrack in time a bit. I'm going to be posting this for my own records as well as in hope that someone else might benefit from my experience.
I'm currently waiting on my bloodwork results from my second emergency room visit in three days. The Er managed to narrow down my choices to Lyme Disease or Lupus. Based on what I've been reading my bets are on Lyme.
Belated Wayward Pussy Wednesday
This picture made me think of one of him when he was just a bitty baby so I put the two side by side. Dandy at 5 weeks and Dandy at 5 years:
After Faire Party with The Rogues
Hey MD/ DC/ VA friends - come on out and join us for a few hours of fun, dancing, terrific people and awesome music.
Join us at the American Legion Hall right down the street from faire (1905 Crownsville Rd, Annapolis, MD 21401) for an after-party hosted by The Rogues and DragonSong Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are $15. We are offering a $5 Discount for anyone wearing their Rogues tartan or showing a MDRF PARTICIPANT pass making those tickets $10.
Join us at the American Legion Hall right down the street from faire (1905 Crownsville Rd, Annapolis, MD 21401) for an after-party hosted by The Rogues and DragonSong Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are $15. We are offering a $5 Discount for anyone wearing their Rogues tartan or showing a MDRF PARTICIPANT pass making those tickets $10.
Over The Hump
We're fast approaching the beginning of week 6 (of 9) of the Maryland Renaissance Festival. So far this season we've had a really hot weekend, a rained out day (where we are still open but only to amuse ourselves really) and an iffy weekend where rain was forecast but then didn't happen to attendance was low and slow. This weekend looks to be a fully rained out mess. Hurricane Joaquin is hanging out down south and pulling steady rains over Maryland. The forecast is that it will continue through the weekend, although the chance of rain seems to go down every time I look. I don't see us escaping without a weekend full of rain.
I still haven't had new pictures taken. I need to seek someone out to do that for me on the next nice weekend. My hair has grown out quite a bit from last years chop job.
I have managed to get sick. This week has been miserable. First, I slept weird on Monday night and my neck has been screaming at me since. Today is the first day I've woken up and could move without being in extreme pain. Second, I have a respiratory infection. Pretty sure that's from breathing in so much dust at MDRF. This year the dust seems like it's worse than it has been in years past. I really just want to stay in bed but it's Friday and I need to head over the the shop to clean up last weeks dust. At least with the rain I won't have to worry about that this week. Hell, I may only work half days both days if it continues to piss rain.
News at the Inn:
I moved my bed to the upstairs attic which means the dinette is now a table again. I'm digging the change. I'm hoping that once I feel better I'll sleep better in the upstairs bed. The cats are finally starting (after about 5 days) to explore the new bed and all of the space. Dandy is, of course, sleeping up there with me but the other cats still are unsure of it all. Even Dot who had made the smaller attic her domain isn't spending much time up there with the new bed.
I'll be in a mad rush to fix my carburetor as soon as MDRF ends. I took a job managing a booth at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. I'm looking forward to working through December. After that it depends on the weather where I end up. I want to come back north and either go to mom's in DE or come back to friends in MD in time for Christmas.
I still haven't had new pictures taken. I need to seek someone out to do that for me on the next nice weekend. My hair has grown out quite a bit from last years chop job.
I have managed to get sick. This week has been miserable. First, I slept weird on Monday night and my neck has been screaming at me since. Today is the first day I've woken up and could move without being in extreme pain. Second, I have a respiratory infection. Pretty sure that's from breathing in so much dust at MDRF. This year the dust seems like it's worse than it has been in years past. I really just want to stay in bed but it's Friday and I need to head over the the shop to clean up last weeks dust. At least with the rain I won't have to worry about that this week. Hell, I may only work half days both days if it continues to piss rain.
News at the Inn:
I moved my bed to the upstairs attic which means the dinette is now a table again. I'm digging the change. I'm hoping that once I feel better I'll sleep better in the upstairs bed. The cats are finally starting (after about 5 days) to explore the new bed and all of the space. Dandy is, of course, sleeping up there with me but the other cats still are unsure of it all. Even Dot who had made the smaller attic her domain isn't spending much time up there with the new bed.
I'll be in a mad rush to fix my carburetor as soon as MDRF ends. I took a job managing a booth at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. I'm looking forward to working through December. After that it depends on the weather where I end up. I want to come back north and either go to mom's in DE or come back to friends in MD in time for Christmas.
Onward!
The seasons are changing fast here in Maryland. The air is whispering of Autumn already with cool nights and daytime temps in the 80's. We're three weeks into MDRF with only 6 more to go.
Last winter I went to my mom's in Delaware to spend some time with her and catch up on life in general. This year I'm heading south to the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. Last night I secured a gig working for a hair accessory booth. The pay isn't fabulous but it's better than no pay. I love this little festival, too. It's very cute (unless it rains and the lake in the middle overflows).
I still have to replace my carburetor before I leave MD which is some of the reason I was looking to work through the winter. That repair is going to cost me quite a bit of my saved funds from MDRF.
The cats are well and I am well - mostly. I get a bit antisocial when working festivals because it's a lot of energy to sit and small talk with people all day. It takes me a while to recharge.
Last winter I went to my mom's in Delaware to spend some time with her and catch up on life in general. This year I'm heading south to the Louisiana Renaissance Festival. Last night I secured a gig working for a hair accessory booth. The pay isn't fabulous but it's better than no pay. I love this little festival, too. It's very cute (unless it rains and the lake in the middle overflows).
I still have to replace my carburetor before I leave MD which is some of the reason I was looking to work through the winter. That repair is going to cost me quite a bit of my saved funds from MDRF.
The cats are well and I am well - mostly. I get a bit antisocial when working festivals because it's a lot of energy to sit and small talk with people all day. It takes me a while to recharge.
Wayward Pussy Wednesday Series
Dover Comic Con 2015
On Saturday the 8th my friend, Steve, and I headed out to the Dover Comic Con. I've known Steve for a lot of years through my time working at horror conventions though we've never really had a chance to hang out so when he invited me I was super stoked to go. I've never been to a Comic con but have always wanted to go see what they are all about. Plus, who can pass up a chance to play dress up?
I decided to dress up as Maggie Greene (Steve chose Rick Grimes) from The Walking Dead since a couple weeks before the con a few folks told me I look like her (it's only the hair really) but it seemed like an easy enough costume to pull together, requiring only a trip to the thrift store and a minimal purchase online.
The world of all things comic con is extremely alien to me. I had no idea who the majority of folks were dressed up as but the time and detail they put into their cosplay costumes was amazing. The people were friends, the weather was good and a fun time was had by all (except maybe the person who had to leave in an ambulance - I hope they are okay)
I'm of a mind that there should be more local events like this. Never have I seen so many teenagers gathered in one place with nary a cell phone in hand (unless they were snapping a picture)
Steve and I were approached quite a few times to take pictures with folks but I could only find a few of them online:
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| Lauren Cohan as Maggie Greene in The Walking Dead |
The world of all things comic con is extremely alien to me. I had no idea who the majority of folks were dressed up as but the time and detail they put into their cosplay costumes was amazing. The people were friends, the weather was good and a fun time was had by all (except maybe the person who had to leave in an ambulance - I hope they are okay)
I'm of a mind that there should be more local events like this. Never have I seen so many teenagers gathered in one place with nary a cell phone in hand (unless they were snapping a picture)
Steve and I were approached quite a few times to take pictures with folks but I could only find a few of them online:
Dandy Debacle
As any of the regular readers here know I started my journey on the road with 6 cats three years ago. This past spring I lost two of my fuzzy friends to different illnesses three weeks apart. The passing of Gobie and Cuda has left me rather overprotective of my remaining kitties.
When we traveled from DE to MD in mid-May of this year I started noticing that Dandy was losing weight. Dandy is the youngest of my cats and he's also the favorite - the one I am most bonded to and who is most bonded to me. While the other cats seem to merely tolerate me, (because I can offer food, water and occasional scritches) Dandy seeks out affection and reassurance from me constantly. He is a momma's boy and I love that about him. His weight loss sent me into a panic. I was terribly worried that he was also beginning to show signs of hyperthyroid disease (which is what Cuda passed from) and I was scared that I was about to start the process of losing a third cat in nearly as many months.
I am at the end of my off-season for work which means I am scraping the bottom of my bank account. I knew a veterinary visit was going to cost a small fortune and I simply didn't have it in the bank. In steps a wonderful angel friend who, knowing what this cat means to me, sent me the funds to have him checked out. Blessed are the angels in out lives who are willing to give a helping hand when we need one. I would do just about anything for my furry friends. There have been many times where I have gone hungry to ensure that they had food and clean litter. Yes, I know that sounds crazy. I am a crazy cat lady.
Dandy grew up very socialized since he came from a rescue program at a veterinary hospital that I worked at. He was never meant to stay with me as I was just a foster home while he weaned. He came into the hospitals care at around two weeks old. He is a bottle baby and originally was in the care of another veterinary worker who was inexperienced in such intense care. She called me one day to ask me to come to her house and look at the kittens because they didn't seem right. She was correct, they were nearly starving to death because she was attempting to wean them at 4 weeks with no bottle supplement. One of those kittens did pass. Dandy tried to pass twice but after some mouth to mouth resuscitation and a bottle or two he pulled through. From the day I breathed that little baby back to life, he was mine to care for. I was also in the process of losing my first cat, Pike, to diabetes and old age so I decided that Dandy would stay with me. He got his name because I just kept chanting to him that he, "would be fine and dandy".
But I digress - he loved going to the vet hospital. For some reason veterinary workers always have a soft spot for orange cats. I think it's because they are usually very even tempered and Dandy is no exception there. They cooed and cuddled him. Giving him lots of hugs and kisses. He was rolling around on the exam table happy as could be and then they did it - they took his temperature. From the second that thermometer went into his little butt he was a different cat. Grumbling and unhappy. When the doc came in and pulled his skin up to see if he was dehydrated he actually turned to bite the doc. I was shocked, this cats has never bitten anyone out of anger, just play biting.
The doc and I talked and decided to run a set of blood panels to check everything including his heart and thyroid as well as get some urine for a unrinalysis. Off to the back Dandy went where they took the blood and had to do a cystocentensis (using a needle through the abdomen to get into the bladder) to get urine. When they brought him back to me he definitely had his grumpy face on and his tail was tucked between his legs. Poor little guy. He was so stressed by the entire ordeal that he developed a fever and slept the rest of the night.
We got his test results back the next day and it turns out he's fine. Perfectly healthy. The doc said to check his weight again in a month and if he's lost more then we'll consider x-rays and other tests at that point but she didn't feel it was anything worth getting upset about. Perhaps because we spent the winter in DE (where it gets extremely cold) rather than TX (where it gets mildly cold) he put some extra winter weight on and was just shedding those pounds. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is all that is going on. For now I have my boy and I have the peace of mind that he is okay and that's good enough for me.
When we traveled from DE to MD in mid-May of this year I started noticing that Dandy was losing weight. Dandy is the youngest of my cats and he's also the favorite - the one I am most bonded to and who is most bonded to me. While the other cats seem to merely tolerate me, (because I can offer food, water and occasional scritches) Dandy seeks out affection and reassurance from me constantly. He is a momma's boy and I love that about him. His weight loss sent me into a panic. I was terribly worried that he was also beginning to show signs of hyperthyroid disease (which is what Cuda passed from) and I was scared that I was about to start the process of losing a third cat in nearly as many months.
I am at the end of my off-season for work which means I am scraping the bottom of my bank account. I knew a veterinary visit was going to cost a small fortune and I simply didn't have it in the bank. In steps a wonderful angel friend who, knowing what this cat means to me, sent me the funds to have him checked out. Blessed are the angels in out lives who are willing to give a helping hand when we need one. I would do just about anything for my furry friends. There have been many times where I have gone hungry to ensure that they had food and clean litter. Yes, I know that sounds crazy. I am a crazy cat lady.
Dandy grew up very socialized since he came from a rescue program at a veterinary hospital that I worked at. He was never meant to stay with me as I was just a foster home while he weaned. He came into the hospitals care at around two weeks old. He is a bottle baby and originally was in the care of another veterinary worker who was inexperienced in such intense care. She called me one day to ask me to come to her house and look at the kittens because they didn't seem right. She was correct, they were nearly starving to death because she was attempting to wean them at 4 weeks with no bottle supplement. One of those kittens did pass. Dandy tried to pass twice but after some mouth to mouth resuscitation and a bottle or two he pulled through. From the day I breathed that little baby back to life, he was mine to care for. I was also in the process of losing my first cat, Pike, to diabetes and old age so I decided that Dandy would stay with me. He got his name because I just kept chanting to him that he, "would be fine and dandy".
But I digress - he loved going to the vet hospital. For some reason veterinary workers always have a soft spot for orange cats. I think it's because they are usually very even tempered and Dandy is no exception there. They cooed and cuddled him. Giving him lots of hugs and kisses. He was rolling around on the exam table happy as could be and then they did it - they took his temperature. From the second that thermometer went into his little butt he was a different cat. Grumbling and unhappy. When the doc came in and pulled his skin up to see if he was dehydrated he actually turned to bite the doc. I was shocked, this cats has never bitten anyone out of anger, just play biting.
The doc and I talked and decided to run a set of blood panels to check everything including his heart and thyroid as well as get some urine for a unrinalysis. Off to the back Dandy went where they took the blood and had to do a cystocentensis (using a needle through the abdomen to get into the bladder) to get urine. When they brought him back to me he definitely had his grumpy face on and his tail was tucked between his legs. Poor little guy. He was so stressed by the entire ordeal that he developed a fever and slept the rest of the night.
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| Poor passed out pussycat |
MDRF is Coming!
Exactly two weeks from today I will be moving to a new yard for the next three months. That's right, it's time once again for the Maryland Renaissance Festival!
I'm so glad to have the privilege of once again caming on-site. Last year was hard traveling back and forth between Odenton to Crownsville. Stacy was nice enough to lend me her vehicle to make the drives but leaving her without a vehicle is a scary idea now that there are two wee ones in the house. This year I won't have to worry so much about it and I'll hopefully be able to score some work during the week which will help with wintering costs.
Looking forward to seeing old friends and making some new ones!
I'm so glad to have the privilege of once again caming on-site. Last year was hard traveling back and forth between Odenton to Crownsville. Stacy was nice enough to lend me her vehicle to make the drives but leaving her without a vehicle is a scary idea now that there are two wee ones in the house. This year I won't have to worry so much about it and I'll hopefully be able to score some work during the week which will help with wintering costs.
Looking forward to seeing old friends and making some new ones!
Bagpipes, Punk and Bellydances
This past weekend was a whirlwind of activity.
Friday night The Rogues played a gig in Virginia at John Strongbows Tavern. This was out second gig in this venue and it is always a terrific time. We were joined by a fabulous fiddle player which has been sorely missed on our stage as well as a lovely bellydancer (who is also a great friend and our current landlord) Kashira Ahlam.
Saturday brought more bagpipes but in a very different way. I headed out to Baltimore's Power Plant Live to see Dropkick Murphys. You just can't beat a Murphys show for $11. I ended up on stage (as always) during Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced and it was one of the better shows of their I've attended. I saw them this past March at another venue where tickets were $50 and the show wasn't nearly as good.
This was one of the best nights out in a long time. 4 people commented that I look like Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan) from The Walking Dead. I never thought about i but I'm glad those people brought it up since I will be attending the Dover Comic Con the first weekend in August - now I have a cosplay costume to work on.
Sunday brought about the Amustela Studios Dedication Hafla (hafla is an Arabic word meaning a party or social gathering) where Kashira Ahlam as well as other dancers performed in the theme of dedication. It was a lovely time full of amazing dances. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such beautiful and talented friends and artists.
All in all it was a busy, fulfilling, and ache causing weekend. I am still physically sore from the Dropkick Murphys show but I'll get over it.
Friday night The Rogues played a gig in Virginia at John Strongbows Tavern. This was out second gig in this venue and it is always a terrific time. We were joined by a fabulous fiddle player which has been sorely missed on our stage as well as a lovely bellydancer (who is also a great friend and our current landlord) Kashira Ahlam.
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| Myself and Kashira Ahlam |
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| The Rogues - Kyle, Ewan, Eddie and Randy Photo by Wayne David |
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| Myself, Jenny B and Stacy |
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| My Tweet sends me to the BIG SCREEN on stage! |
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| It was a packed show! Photo by Jenny B |
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| Us on the far left on stage during Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced. Photo by Stacy |
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| My view from behind Tim Brennan on stage |
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| My take home swag from being on stage! Darosa an Brennan picks! |
This was one of the best nights out in a long time. 4 people commented that I look like Maggie Greene (Lauren Cohan) from The Walking Dead. I never thought about i but I'm glad those people brought it up since I will be attending the Dover Comic Con the first weekend in August - now I have a cosplay costume to work on.
Sunday brought about the Amustela Studios Dedication Hafla (hafla is an Arabic word meaning a party or social gathering) where Kashira Ahlam as well as other dancers performed in the theme of dedication. It was a lovely time full of amazing dances. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such beautiful and talented friends and artists.
All in all it was a busy, fulfilling, and ache causing weekend. I am still physically sore from the Dropkick Murphys show but I'll get over it.
Gipsy Dharma Boots
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Black Over The Knee High Leather Boots |
While I'd love to just drop the money on a pair, being on a renaissance pay budget just simply doesn't allow for it. Thankfully the company does quite a few giveaways but I have never been lucky enough to win. Maybe one day, or maybe I'd get lucky enough to get a review copy because these would look fabulous under my new Rogues tartan arisaid this season.
In Memoriam Cuda
On May 18 she stopped purring. Cuda had the most wonderfully loud purr for such a dainty kitty. She also stopped responding to touch. These were signs to me that it was time to let her go.
Cuda came into my life 10 years ago. Someone at one of the hospitals I worked for found her abandoned under their porch and so I fostered and then fully adopted her. She was shy - VERY shy. So shy, in fact, that it took her nearly 5 years to allow me to pet her and even then I had to be laying down in bed before she would approach. In the past 5 years she grew to be a rather social kitty but still spent a lot of time in hiding. She loved to be patted on her butt with anything you could pat her with.
Gobie was one of her best freinds in the house and I have no doubt that his death caused her illness to spiral out of control. I think her depression in the three weeks he was gone just got the best of her as she completely stopped eating and started dropping weight at an incredible rate. She wouldn't drink either and so was extremely dehydrated.
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| Cuda (left) Gobie (right) |
Outlandish Geillis Duncan Cape
The Outlander series is such a hit right now. I, too, have been watching to see how the novels play out for TV. In episodes 3 and 10 Geillis Duncan wears this wonderful wool cape that I absolutely fell in love with so I set out to make one of my very own.
I have minimal felting experience - I've made two pieces of flat felt, two felt flowers and one nuno felted scarf before undertaking this process. With a pretty picture in my head I ordered the wool I wanted.
I ordered Gotland wool in both locks and roving - a pound and a half combined. The color is such a pretty grey with white, black and silver mixed it.
I spent a lot of time (5 hours) laying out the wool and the fringe. The above picture is after hand felting for several hours which I had to do the next day because I ran out of daylight to work.
The nearly finished cloak drying outside. All that is left to do is add the ties to keep it closed. It is extremely wet in this picture so the locks look all skinny - they really aren't. I got just enough texture and was able to make my cloak a bit longer than the one Geillis wears. I could have shrunk it more but I like this size. It's 78 x 30 inches when laid out flat.
WOOHOO! Success! It turned out just how I pictured it in my head and I'm super happy and proud that I made this. I can't wait to show it off in the Fall.
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| Geillis Duncan on the right wearing THE cape. |
WOOHOO! Success! It turned out just how I pictured it in my head and I'm super happy and proud that I made this. I can't wait to show it off in the Fall.
In Memoriam Gobie
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| Always a sound sleeper |
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| Gobie and Tadpole snuggling |
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| His favorite sleeping position |
Outlander and New Garb
Once I saw this capelet in episode 3 and then again in episode 10 I decided I simply had to have it. I can not, however, find any information about the thing online. But from my exceptionally untrained eye it looks to be wet felted from raw wool fleece. I have since decided to make an Outlander inspired cape (mine will likely be longer). I ordered a pound and a half of grey Gotland sheep wool with a pound of that being uncarded curly locks and the other 8 ounces in carded wool. I'm so excited for the project and IF it turns out like I hope it will I am planning to make several more to sell. Selling price will likely be around $240 shipped since wool isn't cheap and the time it takes to make a large wet felted piece of clothing is immense.
In other renaissance garb news - I am having a custom cotehardie made from a wonderful Etsy seller. This will simplify my garb so much when it comes to working for The Rogues AND it will match The Rogues tartan wonderfully. This is made by the fabulous Melinda from Camelot's Closet. Melinda has been super helpful in getting me the correct size and color to match the tartan as well as being the most reasonably priced custom clothier for this type of dress that I could find during my extensive internet searching. $57 shipped for a custom dress made in the USA. If you are not as tall as me yours wouldn't even cost that much but since I need a dress to fit a 5'9" body mine was a little more costly. The dress is 100% cotton (she also offers linen as an option) and will be great for covering my tattoos without roasting me during the summer festivals. You can see this outfit in person by coming out to the Virginia Renaissance Festival the weekends of May 30 - 31 and June 6 - 7 where I will be selling merchandise for The Rogues.
Now I just need new renaissance shoes and I will be all set for faire!
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| Custom cotehardie |
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| The Rogues tartan |
The Road to 40
I haven't updated here recently. I'm still kickin'!
After the Maryland Renaissance Festival ended I gathered myself up and headed to Delaware to spend some time with my mom. I've been here since November.
Not much to write about being here. Delaware life is slow. There's not much to do here unless you want to gamble at the casinos but it's nice hanging with my mom and helping her out with some things.
I turn 40 in two days. I just can't believe that. I'm not feeling stressed or sad about the new number mostly because I don't FEEL 40. Tonight it looks like we'll be heading out the the MD Live Casino to celebrate my b-day. Hopefully a good time will be had by all.
I'll be spending some time in VA for the VA Renaissance Festival working for The Rogues as well as maybe the PA faire working for a different vendor.
I'll try to be better at updating here, it's just hard when there's not much to write about.
After the Maryland Renaissance Festival ended I gathered myself up and headed to Delaware to spend some time with my mom. I've been here since November.
Not much to write about being here. Delaware life is slow. There's not much to do here unless you want to gamble at the casinos but it's nice hanging with my mom and helping her out with some things.
I turn 40 in two days. I just can't believe that. I'm not feeling stressed or sad about the new number mostly because I don't FEEL 40. Tonight it looks like we'll be heading out the the MD Live Casino to celebrate my b-day. Hopefully a good time will be had by all.
I'll be spending some time in VA for the VA Renaissance Festival working for The Rogues as well as maybe the PA faire working for a different vendor.
I'll try to be better at updating here, it's just hard when there's not much to write about.
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