Moving Forward

This fall has been a very busy time.

Walking across campus,

the air is crisp

and the leaves are gorgeous.

The science building is where I spend a lot of my time these days,

in the study area under the giant monarch made of test tubes,

and in lecture and the lab.

This is the DNA results of last week's experiment.

This week, we extracted DNA from sheep thymus and got to use a centrifuge for the first time.  I will be using this machine A LOT as a vet tech.

It's been a fast semester.

Succcessful DNA extraction.  Interesting?  Yes.  Pretty?  No.

2 Things Challenge: Dry/Boom

The dry high desert wind has helped the flames to demolish whole tracts of land in Colorado so far this year.  And it's only the third day of summer.  These images are from Douglas County.

(I know I posted sunset photos last week, but) I never get tired of cloud watching here.  We've had some great storms come through the last couple of weeks, and the clouds make me think of The Nothing from The Neverending Story.  The lightening flashes and the thunder booms with a loud voice at this altitude.  Sometimes the clouds gather darkly and you can see them coming from miles away,

and sometimes they look like curtains draping over the landscape.

2 Things Challenge: Base/Curl

The sun sets in Castle Rock, Colorado,

and the base of the clouds has a natural curl in it, like roots in the air.

A Time for Tears

Romeo passed away this morning.  He was twelve years old.  He had cancer and we decided it was time to let him go.  The Mobile Vet came to our home and Romeo got to be on his couch with his people when he passed.  Goodbye, sweet little soul.  We are missing you terribly.

2 Things Challenge: Gesture/Costume

Last weekend on April 20th (4/20) there was a rally in Denver to celebrate the passing of Prop 64.

It was a (mostly)** peaceful coming together, a gesture of celebration.

On Sunday the 21st, we checked out the Cannabis Cup.  Until now, it has always been held in Amsterdam, but Prop 64 allowed it to be held in the U.S for the first time.  I think this was the Cheeba Chew mascot, but it was so crowded I couldn't get a clear shot.  (Incidentally, the CBD chew is the only thing that has ever helped me with migraine pain.  It's an edible made specifically for physical pain.)

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**As far as I know there were no fatalities, but there were a few jerks who got violent.  Someone's always got to bring the bad energy.  We had already left by the time it started and heard about it later on the news.  Click HERE for the Denver post article.

Barefoot Under the Cherry Tree

Sometimes, the only way to deal is to let it out in written words.  And to remember the good places you've been.

Barefoot Under the Cherry Tree

I was five states away from you in more ways than one,

Barefoot and under a cherry tree,

Unaware I was already

Teaching myself to compassionately disengage,

When the realization came to me

That your chronic progressive disease

Had progressed enough to leave no doubt

That I had taken on your weakness when I took you;

That I am in it and it is a part of me and who I am, it is mine

Till death do us part,

And I'm not sure I believe that even then

I will ever exist in any form again without

This heavy knowledge I learned from you;

That it lives in the present with us,

Evolving like a third person;

That when you asked me, "Are you sure?"

That I hesitated only a moment and

That hindsight will always make me wish

I had said, "I cannot answer that because I don't know;"

That I will always resent myself for my naiveté

And you for the cost of staying;

That I imagine your disease outlining you in a sickly yellow,

Always between us, wrapping you like a sickly bright yellow gift,

Protecting your most broken part.

2 Things Challenge: Pair/Balance

A pair of volunteers cuddles with a pair of tiny mews.  (Note the tiny kitten sized bottle on the table.)

There's a great balance of younger and older people that come here to love on orphaned animals.

At The Animal Doctor

These are some images from last week's time spent observing what goes on behind the scenes at an exotic animal hospital.  (I'm not going to include captions for all of these pics because I have no idea what any of this equipment is. Yet.)  What I do know is the little gecko was in the little ICU because of respiratory issues and possible depression.  The albino snake was there from a local pet store because she was suffering from intestinal parasites and lack of appetite and had to be tube fed.  And oh boy, does that critical care food for carnivores smell BAD!  I also watched as a little guinea pig was put under and had his teeth cleared of sharp points.  They had to jerry-rig a little g. pig gas mask from a syringe container (last photo).

2 Things Challenge: Coil/Black

COIL/BLACK: images from the vet clinic.

Just Getting Started

*WARNING* Graphic photos of veterinary surgery in this post.

In recent months, I've been doing a lot of observing and shadowing of veterinary technicians at various shelters and animal hospitals in addition to logging A LOT of volunteer hours.  (Hopefully, I'll be in class this coming June.  The program only accepts a maximum of 20 students a semester, wish me luck!) These photos are some of what I've observed so far, in the places that I'm allowed to take my camera.

These were taken at the VCA down the street from me.  Here is Daisy, coming out of her anesthetic.

Little Man is being prepped for dental surgery.

Dr. Deltove takes x-rays.

An EKG machine.

These are intubating tubes, the techs measure each animal for their own tube.

Cleaning canine anal glands is definitely one of the less glamorous chores to this job.

And these were taken at The Animal Doctor.  I'll be there every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the next couple of months.  I'm especially excited about this opportunity; they specialize in exotics and equine veterinary medicine.  More photos to come.

I couldn't take my camera into the surgery room, but I did get to scrub up and watch the whole procedure from inside the room.  The patient was a little fox eared dog named Shelby, who was having bone chips taken out of her knee.

This is Dozer, he just had surgery on his left ACL and was being comforted by a tech as he came to.  He comes back soon to have the other one fixed up.

Does this face remind you of anyone?