When the East Goes to the Dogs


There are times in life when you plan and execute, and there are others when you plan and life has a way of taking you on  a completely different path. 

For those who read my previous blog, you know how much I was looking forward to my trip out East with my three boys.  I was looking forward to spending time with them and visiting this beautiful part of our country.  I was also looking forward to being closer to nature and being inspired by its beauty and sheer force.

But, Björn (my 3-year old Finnish Lapphund) decided that we needed to have a staycation instead.  He has been sick since May, when he had a seizure in the middle of the night.  Since then, following several tests, we discovered that his liver enzymes in his blood were abnormal and have since been going down but mostly up.  In late July, Björn stopped eating and thus  our journey with vets and various specialists both here and in Montréal began.  It seems that the scarcity of health care resources in the human world is also present in the veterinary world.  That is why my son Alex and I have been driving back and forth to Montreal to get the help we need.  I must admit that I am extremely impressed by the service and care we are getting  there and I am enjoying their somewhat looser public health measures.  Being able to be with your pet inside, beats spending 2.5 hours in an Orleans parking lot when it is 30 plus degrees outside!  

Björn had a biopsy of his liver and intestine on Tuesday but  it will take a few weeks to get the results.   Thankfully, the enzyme levels in his blood are going down, which means that some of the cocktail of pills he is taking is working to some extent.  

 Bjorn the Finnish Lapphund Laroche

 

And so, our out-of-town vacation went from a 10+ day  trip around  the Maritimes to one night in Montreal.  Albeit short, we had a great time and I am thankful for it. 

On the artistic front, I have not been able to focus a lot of my art. but like everything else in life, all in due time.  Despite the stress and disappointment of recent weeks, I am starting to feel refreshed and inspired.  I have had a lot of fun working on a mailbox for my friend Gisèle and talking to people about some exciting opportunities for the fall.  I have also been playing with acrylic inks and I am trying to see how I can integrate them in my paintings. 

 Painted mailbox by Ottawa-based artist Mireille LarocheMailbox painted by Ottawa-based artist Mireille Laroche

 

One of my watercolour paintings (Golden Sky) was also featured on a Twitter account (@canadapaintings) featuring Canadian paintings and it got over 1,000 likes - I was so stoked!  Given that I use my twitter account for work, I think a lot of people at work discovered my secret passion!

Golden Sky- watercolour painting by Ottawa-based artist Mireille Laroche

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In addition, two of my paintings (I Have Found my Way and Early Rising) were selected by the online gallery Galleria to be in their Chalet Art curated collection.  You can find the collection at https://www.gallea.ca/en/gallery?subject[]=chalet_289

 

I Have Found my Way, original acrylic painting by Ottawa-based artist Mireille Laroche

I hope that you are having a great summer - it is unreal how fast time is flying by.  With fall arriving in a few weeks, I will be back to a more regular schedule for my blog - I have a feeling that this fall will be an exciting one!

P.S. The cover picture was taken in 2015 at Peggy’s Cove.  We had planned a trip to Newfoundland and ended up spending a few days in Halifax due to the inability for our flight to land in St. John’s because of weather. This is one of my favourite pictures of this trip - I was very proud of my timing!


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