Abby got this for me as a gift when we were in Nebraska City, and it is my favorite thing right now!
How cute is this??
Do you want to see what happens when you untie it and unroll it??
It gets way bigger!
Do you want to see what is inside?
ALL the colors of Sharpies that I own. In order. I am so happy.
THANK YOU ABBY JANE!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! :)
...
Post from one year ago today...
April 4, 2016
Symptoms to Watch for in Your Dog - 5 Stars!
I told Luna her eyebrows were drawn too high. She looked surprised. :D
...
Post from one year ago today...
April 2, 2017
My groomer friend Amy told my daughters, Amanda and Abby, that she would teach them to color dogs. They have been looking forward to this day ever since!
The three of them met today and the rest of us - Kelly, Hannah, Jordan and me - stayed to help and watch. Joy and Luna and Pyro came to be colored, and Tiki stayed to be colored too.
In an amazing show of group restraint, we left the super cute boarding Westie his God-given gorgeous white color. The rest of the dogs though...
Wilson! And heart butt :)
Thank you Amy! We needed a happy event, and this was it.
Amy used dog-safe color and showed the girls how to be careful around their faces, and she made sure all the dogs had fun too.
My favorite picture of the whole afternoon!
As gorgeous as all the dogs are, I cannot get over Pyro. He looks like he stepped off a 1980's Lisa Frank folder! I love his look so much!
I love this picture! Jordan and Tiki, you are too cute!
I still think Luna and Tiki are litter mates :) I think they are discussing how much hair color is the appropriate amount and if it can be overdone. Never!
Joy seemed a bit sad to miss out!
Blue feet!
After Pyro was over having pictures taken, we bought more photo ops from him with treats :)
Dog tired <3
Toski has earned his Champion Dog Trick title! Congratulations Toski!!
Ice formed on the umbrella stand of a table at Blazing Pianos near the west Gentle Doctor location during recent precipitation-y weather. I thought it was so pretty!
We were excited that THIS bar moving into the strip mall was a dueling piano bar - how fun! It was the first of the string of many bars in this bay that we visited. We went because Gentle Doctor's Christmas party was here.
We did have a fun time until one of the piano players sang a song making fun of Dr. Bashara. Russ and I left and have not been back.
It's okay. We don't love bars anyways. But it was such a fun concept, and we try to support the businesses around all three Gentle Doctor locations.
I still walk past there on the way to meetings at Gentle Doctor and will say hi to the Blazing Pianos team if they are out on the patio. They seem like a good group overall, but one bad judgement call can cause me to wander off and not return.
...
Post from one year ago today...
March 30, 2016
A kind coworker sent me this picture of Wuzzy the Cat from her wellness care visit this year.
Because of my allergies, I can no longer see cats on a routine basis (sob), so I missed seeing Wuzzy this year.
Wuzzy and her friend Fuzzy were named after our hairless rats by the Nebraska Humane Society EIGHT YEARS AGO. They were adopted together as kittens.
Fuzzy ran away and has not been found, which is very sad. I still hope she is found some day.
Wuzzy still is with her family and is doing very well.
...
Post from one year ago today...
March 29, 2016
MidWest Vet in Omaha created an amazing continuing education event!
In all my many months of profile picture taking and many years of (very) amatuer dog photography, this is my favorite profile picture by far so far.
Blaze, the huge gorgeous Chow Chow had decided he was okay being acquaintances and had accepted a chewie from me after his exam. When I said his name to get his attention for a picture, I felt like he yelled, "WHAT?" (with a few more colorful words) and you can totally see it in his eyes!
He really was a great sport for everything and is now one of my favorite dogs ever.
To paraphrase Dog Rates, "would hug with caution." :D
...
Post from one year ago today...
March 27, 2016
My husband Russ is a carpenter. Our friend Jeff is as well. Lately they have been doing a lot of joint projects, and they are super pretty. Yes, as a veterinarian, that is all I can tell you about them. Also, when there are animals around, they send me pictures of them.
Here are some pictures from some of their projects this past year...
The descriptions are from Russ!
Beaver Lake - We tore down the old and worn out deck and dock to make something much better.
We got the beautiful glass panels from our friends at City Glass.
We added 200 square feet to the deck and changed everything to composite decking and trim.
The railing is powder coated aluminum with tempered glass.
This house overlooks the lake - bald eagles all over.
We replaced a worn out cedar deck with a new composite deck with aluminum railings.
This is a large two level deck on a new home that ties the back of the house to the sliding door on the side in the basement.
This gorgeous dog is Pepper who escaped his yard and came to visit us.
Read more about Pepper here - PEPPER VISITS THE JOB SITE
Post from one year ago today...
MARCH 24, 2016
HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS ARE OVERRATED
More on "vet techs are super awesome, at least ten times as awesome as you suspect..."
This kitty was nervous to board for the first time, so Erika found him a room of his own with a very high perch!
He said he had a surprisingly lovely time and would board again.
...
Post from one year ago today...
March 23, 2016
Abby's old bedroom upstairs has been a family room for a while, but we had three (awesome!) tiny second hand couches that were falling apart and the paint we let Abby pick out as a two year old.
Joy and Luna offered to help paint. Repeatedly.
The room was a combination of Thinking Chair Pink and Potty Train Purple. I love those names so much. *sigh* Now it is tan, but still beautiful.
The ceiling had been covered in glow in the dark stars from Uncle Bill - a gift when the girls were tiny. Most of the stars were gone - I suspect removed during bedtime boredom. A few were still there though, and still glowed. I noticed when the room was done, Russ had left one star in the corner. I love it so much.
Russ and Amanda painting
Abby painting
We recently added a couch to our main level. Joy and Luna graciously helped set everything up, approximately doubling Russ's work time. Good job dogs!
Our family went to La Casa to celebrate Mom and Dad's 50th anniversary.
Here are some pictures from the night.
Bill and Dave set up a slide show before the evening.
Amanda <3 We came early to help, but it looked like THIS when we got there!
Dave had a life size cutout of Mom and Dad on their wedding day made :)
Dave and Sara's friend decorated as a gift to Mom and Dad - it was so beautiful!
Dad, Mom and Amanda
Dad and Mom
Dave and Bill - Don't tell them I said so but they are absolutely the best brothers anyone could have.
Dave, Bill and Dad
Sharon, Penny and Scott
Abby and Arthur
Hank, Abby, Arthur and Charlie (X2 :))
Abby and Robert
Amanda and Arthur
Olive <3
Everyone...
Arthur loves cheese as much as I do!
Abby <3
Dad and Mom :)
Bill Nelson giving one of the two best toasts I've ever heard.
Dave Nelson giving the other best toast I've ever heard.
The cake!
Henry, Charlie and Robert. This was one of my least blurry pictures of the boys - weird!
Dad and Mom <3
Henry getting a second wind :)
If you want seconds of cake, always ask your Aunt. Yes, always yes :)
Mom and Penny, Bill, Scott and Cara
Arthur and his books
Sara, Dave and Olive
Dave, Sharon and Dad
Henry
Robert and Charlie :)
Dave adjusting the speaker and Dan judging him :D
For the GREAT pictures, talk to this awesome lady!
Liz and Dad
Jada, Christie and Mom
Noah, Mom and Jada
Wine glasses handmade by Christie! <3
I love this plate so much! It is from Schroeders and Morrisons <3
Happy anniversary Mom and Dad! We love you so much!
...
Post from one year ago today...
March 20, 2016
My Mom and Dad, Bob and Betsy Nelson, are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary today!!
Dad and Mom, Oscar and Felix, Photos by Liz
Happy anniversary Mom and Dad!!
Thank you for loving Dave and Bill and me and teaching us and modeling for us relationships and families. Your love has reached our spouses and shaped the next generation - your beautiful grandchildren - and will shape generations to come.
We all love you so much.
Here is to many more years together!
Here is Toski the Corgi's most recent trick. Notice all the steps he learned! Toski, you can serve us waffles any day!
Dr. Chris Byers is a friend and colleague right here in Omaha Nebraska. He is a specialist in emergency and critical care AND a specialist in internal medicine! I appreciate his help on the difficult cases (including our own Luna Lovegood) and his overall expertise and knowledge. Thank you for your post Doctor! I know readers will love it as much as I do!
Guest post from Dr. Chris Byers...
I’m often asked what I’d do if I wasn’t a veterinarian. That’s a hard question to answer given I’ve wanted to be a pet doctor since age 5. My first aspiration was to be a dinosaur veterinarian. Yet not just any dinosaur! I only wanted to work with stegosaurus.
When I finally grasped the concept of extinction, my passion turned skyward. I wanted to be the first veterinarian in space. To my dismay, one of my undergraduate professors at Colorado State University, Dr. Martin Fettman, a board-certified veterinary pathologist, beat me to the punch when he served as Payload Specialist on NASA Space Shuttle Mission STS-58 aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1993.
Nevertheless, the “what if” question has always intrigued me. If I’m being honest, I don’t think I’d work in veterinary or human medicine. I’d work in the music industry. Music has always been a way to calm my soul. As one who was bullied as a child, I frequently found solace in song. I would listen to poignant lyrics, and believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that the words were written just for me. As the saying goes, music is my connection to what the world doesn’t know about me.
What if I could bring my two passions together? Could veterinary medicine and music collide for the greater good of improving animal health? It seems the answer to this unique question may be yes! Veterinarians and researchers are beginning to investigate the effects of music on stress in various animals, including our furry companions. In humans, music therapy reduces pain and anxiety levels. Patients with traumatic brain injuries and those requiring mechanical ventilation may improve more rapidly. Music stimulates the body to change brain activity, immune responses, and hormone systems.
Investigations regarding the benefits of veterinary music therapy are in their infancy. Only a few studies have been performed to date, and results have been relatively mixed. One study demonstrated classical music initially reduced stress in kenneled dogs based on behavioral changes, cortisol levels, and heart rate variability; however, the dogs became accustomed to the music after a day, nullifying the initial positive effects. A subsequent study by the same group of researchers suggested varying musical genres reduced this habituation effect.
Jimi Hendrix once said, “Music is a safe kind of high.” I, for one, am excited to see what the future holds for music therapy in companion animals. Perhaps we will learn song is an essential therapy - a new drug per se - in the care of our furry friends.
Dr. Christopher G. Byers is a practicing small animal specialist who is board-certified in both emergency/critical care and internal medicine. He is also a Certified Veterinary Journalist who publishes a weekly blog for pet owners - CriticalCareDVM.com - with the sole purpose of educating pet parents about the benefits of partnering with board-certified veterinary specialists. He may be found on all major social media at CriticalCareDVM.
...
Post from one year ago today...
March 16, 2016
