The Canvas Project

I received this email today and signed up to participate:

Your art at the world's busiest airport!

Sign up to receive five 3" x3" canvases and a list of 5 use generated
words that you are to interpret onto each canvas. The goal of the
exhibition is to create a visual encyclopedia using mini canvases and
artists from all over the world. At least one of your canvases will be
published in an Art House book and one will be on display at the
worlds busiest airport, The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Airport.

Take part in this project to not only help gain exposure for yourself,
but also to push your creative ideas out. Everyone who signs up and
sends back their work will be included in the book and the
exhibition. We do not jury any of the work. Art House is all about
community and you don't have to be a professional artist to
participate in the exhibition. This project is about being creative
and inspiring yourself and others. We want to bring artists together
and give everyone a chance to show in galleries and other venues
across the country!

Sign up Deadline: April 15th 2009

Postmark Deadline: July 1st 2009

To sign up to participate, visit:

http://www.arthousecoop.com/canvasproject

Advocacy: Help Protect Georgia's Pets from Domestic Abuse

I received this email from American Humane and thought it was worthwhile in sharing. If you live or know of anyone in GA with pets, please forward this info to them:

GA 2009 - Pets in Protective Orders

Help protect Georgia’s pets from domestic abuse

Each year throughout Georgia, domestic violence victims risk their lives to protect their defenseless animals from harm. Research has shown that up to 48 percent of battered women remain in abusive homes out of concern for leaving their pets behind. Yet, sadly, Georgia’s current domestic violence law does not address this issue.

House Bill 429 addresses this issue directly. In an effort to stop abusers from harming or threatening to harm companion animals, the bill encourages judges to include animals in domestic violence protective orders. A protective order is a legal order issued by a court that requires one person to stop harming, stay away from and/or cease contact with another person or, in the case of this bill, that person's pets as well.

We owe it to the countless domestic violence survivors throughout Georgia to get HB 429 passed.

HB 429 is currently in the House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee. Please ask Committee Chair Rich Golick to schedule HB 429 for a hearing and to vote for its passage.

Friday Flowers--Valentine's Day, How Do I Love Thee

I located this"Friday Flowers" comic strip of mine while posting the previous one a few weeks ago. Thought it was apprpro for the month of February and Valentine's Day. The captions read:

(Lucy-dog) Oh, how do I love my mama and daddy this Valentine's Day! Let me count thy ways.....one lick, two licks, three licks....
(Steve) Lucy, stop hogging mama. It's my turn!

Never met a man so jealous of a dog. Never met a dog so jealous of a man. It's great to be Queen!


Steve & I celebrated this Valentine's Day at The Cheesecake Factory eating salads and a "slice". We celebrated with Lucy by adding a new toy to her collection, giving her two raw quails and lots of heavy petting. Her "licks" were never-ending. She's such a happy dog!

25 Random Things about Me

Recently, I listed these "25 Random Things About Me" on Facebook. Thought I'd add some additional info and pictures.

1. The 1st time people visit my home, they come to see me. The 2nd time people visit my home, they come to see my dog, Lucy. She is a wonderful entertainer!

(Lucy modeling mom's handmade jewelry)

2. In 4th grade, I was awarded 1st place in the entire school district for coloring a picture promoting fire safety.

3. I prefer to sweep my house with a broom rather than vacuum. (The best vacuum cleaner I've used is a Shark Roadster Euro-Pro. Inexpensive too.)

4. I have MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity) and suffer with severe migraines for days after being in the presence of perfume/cologne, scented lotions, detergent, air fresheners, hairspray, synthetic chemicals and the like.

5. I love flying kites and always take my Crayola kite on vacation: http://tinyurl.com/c8cdgn

6. The moving company said they'd never packed as many cookbooks as I had. I'm into raw food now. A good, easy cookbook is "Raw Food Made Easy".

7. In 2001, my monoprint entitiled "Mummy Dearest" was awarded 1st place in printmaking at ECC.

Mummy Dearest
copyright Susan Calvert
all rights reserved

8. For the last 8 yrs., I've done laundry in this fashion:

* Add 1 cup (plain) Arm & Hammer baking soda to washer bin
* Place clothes in washer by COLOR
* Fill softener cup with white vinegar
* Wash on hot
* Place a waded up piece of aluminum foil in dryer with clothes

Viola! Clean clothes, no static, less expensive, NO CHEMICALS.

9. I use organic unrefined coconut oil as my body moisturizer and in my hair for a new look. I cook with it too. NO CHEMICALS AGAIN!

10. I like modern, colorful, eclectic furniture from Axi: http://www.axifurniture.com, Shoestring Creations: http://www.shoestringcreations.net/Been_There_Done_That/index.htm and Sticks: http://www.sticks.com.

11. I use my (prescribed) far infrared sauna from High Tech Health weekly to sweat out toxins: http://www.hightechhealth.com.

12. My art has graced the pages of Animal Fair magazine twice: http://www.animalfair.com

13. I studied horticulture at 3 colleges and am a certified Master Gardener from the University of IL Cooperative Extension Service in Kane County, IL. I've physically installed our landscapes at our last 2 homes. I use a Neuton battery-operated mower to cut our lawn. Works great even on our hilly landscape and NO CHEMICAL FUMES! http://www.neutonpower.com

14. I feed my dog only human food. Lucy loves veggies!

15. I am a self-entertaining individual with lots of projects. My favorite project in 2008 was my bathroom renovation: http://tinyurl.com/b8svw6

16. People are surprised at all the produce in my refrigerator, especially when they see the trays of live wheat grass growing. I juice it!

(click on picture & find the wheat grass)

17. I get bored easily. I start one project, another and another. Then I go back to the first project and complete it and so forth with the remaining projects I’ve started. Is this ADD? It drives my husband mad!

18. We open the windows whenever possible to refresh the air. I use essential oils and only organic ones as air fresheners when necessary. Tea Tree oil has anti-bacterial properties that purify the air and kills germs and mold.

19. In 2003, my painting entitled “Shortstop” was awarded 1st place-watercolors at the Contemporary Dog Art Competition held in NYC at Sardi’s Restaurant. The judges were Chris Jussel, past Senior Vice President at Sotheby’s and original host of the PBS television series, “Antique Roadshow”; Dr. Anne Imelda Radice, who serves on the art committee of the American Kennel Club and is past Curator of both the National Gallery of Arts and the U.S. Capitol; and Jane H. Willis, Instructor at New York University and President of the Appraisers Association of America. I'm very proud of this.

(L to R)
Judge Jane H. Willis
Susan Calvert with painting, Shortstop
Judge Chris Jussel

(Award-Winning Plaque)

20. I silly dance daily for a change of scenery. Silly dance = dancing to upbeat music with my dog, Lucy.

21. You will hardly find any processed food in my home. I make most everything from scratch. If you drop in unexpectedly, I’ll only be able to offer you H2O or tea. Once in a while, I indulge with a Green & Black’s Maya Gold chocolate bar. They’re the best!

22. I enjoy going to music concerts, especially at Chastain Amphitheater in Atlanta.

23. My home projects receive many compliments and inspire others to be creative.

24. I love hardware, office supply and art stores. Anything to get/keep me organized!

25. I have spent the last 8 yrs. learning about the effects chemicals have on our health: how the food we eat, products we place on our bodies and breathe affects our health. I have a library in my home on the subject. We are merely living test tubes!

Friday Flowers--Pile High Club

There is something magical about Flair Felt Tip Pens I have always loved since discovering them as a child. I don’t remember what it was but I know I have a real fondness for them. The grip is perfect for my hand, the tips flow smoothly when doodling and they do not have a knock-your-socks-off odor.

I’m a cheap date when it comes to making me happy (though there are times hubby might disagree). I like small, simple stuff--a package of Flair Felt Tip Pen/Markers fits the bill. In fact, when I received my last Staples Reward Certificate, guess what I purchased? For some strange reason, I cannot have too many Flairs, especially with all the nifty colors.

I have been nursing a migraine this week and unable to produce any art. I located my comic strip entitled “Friday Flowers” created with a marker back in 2003.

We were all sick the week I drew this one, especially Lucy. She was having difficulty getting adjusted to a new brand of dog food. Come to find out later she was allergic to corn/grains which would lead me down a road to feeding her human food--will save that for another blog post though.

The caption to my Friday Flowers comic strip above reads:

You’ve heard of the Mile High Club? Well, mama always calls our household the “Pile High” Club!

Dog Treat Recall: PetSmart Voluntarily Recalls Grreat Choice(R) Dog Biscuits

Please forward this to anyone you know with a dog.

PHOENIX, AZ, Jan 20, 2009 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- PetSmart (NASDAQ: PETM) is voluntarily recalling seven of its Grreat Choice(R) Dog Biscuit products that contain peanut paste made by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). PCA is the focus of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation into potential salmonella contamination of peanut butter and paste made at its Blakely, Georgia facility.

Although PetSmart is not aware of any reported cases of illness related to these products, it has removed these products from its store shelves and website and is conducting the recall as a precautionary measure.

The recalled products include only the following types of Grreat Choice Dog Biscuits sold between Aug. 21, 2008 and Jan. 19, 2009:

• Small Assorted 32 oz., UPC 73725702900
• Small/Medium Assorted 4 lb., UPC 73725700601
• Small/Medium Assorted 8 lb., UPC 73725700605
• Small/Medium Assorted 10 lb., UPC 73725702755
• Large Assorted 8 lb., UPC 73725700638
• Extra Large Assorted 8 lb., UPC 73725700779
• Peanut Butter 4 lb., UPC 73725700766

Customers who purchased the recalled dog biscuit products should discontinue use immediately and can return the product to any PetSmart store for a complete refund or exchange. Customers can visit www.petsmartfacts.com for more information or contact PetSmart Customer Service at 1-888-839-9638.

No other products or flavors are included in this recall.

PetSmart, Inc. is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. The company operates more than 1,107 pet stores in the United States and Canada, 132 in-store PetSmart PetsHotels(R) cat and dog boarding facilities, and is a leading online provider of pet supplies and pet care information (www.petsmart.com). PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products; and offers complete pet training, pet grooming, pet boarding, doggie day camp and pet adoption services. Since 1994, PetSmart Charities(R), Inc., an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit animal welfare organization, has funded more than $70 million in grants and programs benefiting animal welfare organizations and, through its in-store pet adoption programs, has helped save the lives of more than 3 million pets.

CUSTOMER INFORMATION AND CONTACTS:
www.petsmartfacts.com
customercare@petsmart.com
1-888-839-9638

NEWS MEDIA CONTACT:
Jennifer Ericsson
PetSmart Media Line (623) 587-2177
mediarelations@ssg.petsmart.com

SOURCE: PetSmart

Marley & Me (The Movie), Part 2

On Christmas Day, Steve and I saw the movie Marley & Me as mentioned in my previous blog post. We thoroughly enjoyed it, having read the book when it debuted. It made our Christmas extra special. Lucy (pictured below) received lots of heavy petting afterward to show our appreciation of her life and love.

Marley is the story of an “untrainable” family dog. I’ve read some highly critical remarks about the movie, mainly from dog trainers complaining about John Grogan, Marley’s master, not training his beloved pooch.

Marley gets into things which makes the movie hilariously funny. Even if you’ve taken your pooch to training, unexpected things occur in our everyday lives with our pets. (keep reading...) Eventually, Grogan does take Marley to puppy training. Wait ‘til you see the scene with the dog trainer. OMG, you are going to die laughing!

Some of the dog training critics stated they did not nor have no upcoming plans to see the movie based on what they believe is wrong with Grogan’s approach to caring for Marley. I happen to disagree with their thinking. In my opinion, the movie is a worthwhile educational tool while being funny at the same time.

Grogan is what I believe to be the “mainstream” American dog owner. Ask several people in your neighborhood who adopted/rescued their dogs as puppies and I bet most had not taken them to puppy obedience school. Most people I've spoken with haven't heard about the benefits of training or they think the dogs already know how to fit into the family or they can teach their pooches themselves or the price is too costly.

Training helps you bond and communicate with your dog. Also, it socializes your dog with other dogs and people. Dogs that bark uncontrollably or snap at people or other dogs have not been properly socialized.

Training or not, all dogs get into “trouble” at one time or another, just like us. My Lucy, who I took to puppy school and is 7 years old, swallowed a used tampon a few months ago. ( I know, TMI! Thank goodness it WAS saturated. If not, it could have expanded on the way down.) It was the FIRST time she ever did that. Fortunately, she puked it up the next day.

Another point worth mentioning is about the movie's ending. (Everyone I've talked to knows this happens in the movie.) Marley lives a long life and has to be put down. It is a tear-jerking moment every pet owner has to endure. I became educated about the process through the movie. The scene was lovingly and humanely handled with Marley drifting away peacefully while in his owner's arms. I took from the movie I will always be present with my dog when it is time for doggy heaven.

Marley lived a good life. He was fortunate to be adopted by a family who did their best to give him a loving home. Much better than living in a shelter or being abused by a family who “hits” their dog. To the critics, I say, “Go see the movie and give Grogan a break”.