with this post i close the door on my latest travel journal. done!
i must say i make my travel journals for my future self. she will be v.v. happy one day. me? i’m just glad to wrap things up.
as you might remember dear wyatt earp moss had a tumor growing on his head, most of which was beneath his fur. i had taken him to an animal hospital here in highland park and was unhappy with the care he received. substandard on so many different levels. i floundered not knowing what to do and finally found a wonderful vet recommended by my friend susan. unfortunately the waiting list for new patients meant i couldn’t get in to have wyatt reevaluated for 2 months. it seemed counterintuitive, but my gut feeling was to WAIT.
it was the right choice. wyatt’s been recovering from his latest surgery for a week now. ALL of the cancer was removed and the prognosis for recovery is good. thankfully his new doc is a skilled surgeon with decades of experience. not only that but i’ve had an opportunity to watch him in action with other patients. he loves people and animals and treats both with the utmost compassion. what a relief! such a difference from the other place and their revolving door approach.
we’ve had one check-up since the surgery and stitches come out in another week. best of all, wyatt is a permanent patient now, which means he’ll be seen promptly and won’t have to be put on a waiting list.
i’ll post a photo of him once his cone comes off and his stitches come out.
You do so much better than I do with my trip journals – the one for the most recent jaunt to the UK is sitting ‘stalled’ in day 3. It has one drawing. My only excuse is that I was staying with non-writer/artist relatives who I haven’t seen in years. I really did want to visit with them and yes, revel in living it. Documenting it can be hard when there’s so much flying at you in the moment. And then, when you get home and try to go back, it loses its magic. And insights – you do lose the insights if you put it off till later. There’s always another trip, but I do regret losing out on the one’s that I’ve missed documenting. Darn if I didn’t need so much sleep…this would not be an issue! 😉
what if you make a nice blurb book instead…you can write on top of the pages when you get the book back – little notes…
i decorated one of my blurbs like that…let’s see, i think it was the one to budapest..
i do understand the feeling of losing it all.
but it’s living inside you even if you didn’t capture it all.
xo
It’s funny you mention that, MAM, because I was thinking “Maybe I should try a Blurb book…” and order two copies. One copy for me, and one for my really wonderful lifelong friend Val whose 70th birthday it was, and whose fab idea it was to make her 70th birthday party a combo “50th and 70th Birthday Party” which was why I went on my trip to the UK in January. The last time I was in England on my birthday, I was 10, and it snowed, and I ran outside and made snow angels (I’d never seen snow before). I was so enamoured of snow, I packed snowballs into my wellies because I thought I’d be able to bring them back to Florida with me. Sadly, snow doesn’t have a long shelf life in wellington boots, even in England in January – I wound up getting flu instead. Ah, memories! Even the memory of the snowy 10th birthday flu is still living on. This milestone birthday was not marked by flu, but by pink paper lanterns, and tulip bouquets, and Downton Abbey tours, and balloon bundles in an English village of a Sunday morning with the church bells pealing….bliss. XO to you, MAM.
Glad to hear that Wyatt is on the mend. You sometimes evaluate the size of the journal you take on your trips. What did you think about this one?
good size – about 5×7, but i prefer a sturdier cover like my swedish travel journal…it just feels so SOLID, and this one a bit floppy as the covers are quite thin…
Wonderful news! It’s such a releif to have a wonderful vet… we have been lucky with our vet, we hit on a good one right away, they too love animals and are brilliant surgeons and you can tell how good they are because in the ten years I have been going to them the staff have hardly changed! All the best for Wyatts continued speedy recovery 🙂
So glad to hear that you were able to find an alternative for Wyatt. There is nothing like having a GOOD place to take your animals (or yourself) for care. Thanks for posting your travel album to Nicaragua. All of us wannabeis are happy to see them!
thanks kate! having GOOD pet care now is such a relief!
So happy to hear you found a caring vet. It makes such a difference.
It just MADE MY DAY that dear Wyatt is now getting excellent vet care and is recuperating well. He’s a precious kitty and you both deserve the best! Thanks as always for posting your latest journal so that we can travel to faraway places vicariously through you.
aw thanks lee. i always love having you guys tag along xo
Life is better when our pets are healthy! So glad Wyatt is doing well!
Super news about your kitty. Think it’s funny that everybody seems to make travel journals just for themselves. I do too. My kids keep trying to figure out how to “monetize” mine. So do my friends. I just keep drawing.
yay wyatt! such good news.
I am so glad your future friend Wyatt has had a good outcome.
Wishes for a speedy recovery for Wyatt. I have been wondering about him and the growth (and didn’t want to ask). I want to thank you for letting all of us know the happy news. So often you don’t get “the end of the story.” (Are you old enough to know that reference?)
The journal is spectacular. Your future self will be delighted with it—and you!
XO
amen!
Glad to hear that Wyatt is doing well with his new doc! I think it’s wonderful that your future self will be delighted with your travel journal, but it’s too bad that your current self isn’t having as much fun and just wants it to be done. I really enjoy seeing the results of your bookmaking, but it kind of makes me sad if the process isn’t the joyful part for you. Or maybe I misunderstood? When I make a travel journal/sketchbook, I do it only for my current self (though I’m sure my future self will be delighted, too). For me, that’s really all there is — the process of the making, not the done part. Maybe it’s different for you, but I’m curious because I’m curious about all creative processes. 🙂
Tina
don’t cry for me argentina…la la la la
love the process but by the time i’m done i’m DONE.
just thought of something else…
there’s an essence that a trip has that is BEYOND the documentation of it. i like to revel in the LIVING of it, the experience. occasionally the documenting feels like a chore. especially towards the end.