Many of our hobbies and other projects that aren’t associated with the projects we are doing for clients have been put on hold.  With one project always ending and another beginning we sometimes do not have a whole lot of time sewing new garments, updating wereenact.net, traveling to historic locations and going to events.  These have been placed on hold since they do take a lot of time and most of our summer has been spent doing projects for our clients and not a whole lot of personal projects.

Outline of Projects:

Wedding Album: back in June we were invited to attend a friend’s wedding to not only support the bride and her family but also take photographs and create a wedding album.  We’ve taken photographs of events but never really for someone else.  This produced a lot of pressure which was good for us to experience.  By the time the album was completed we realized  that becoming a wedding photographer is definitely one profession we can mark off the list.  We have much greater respect for that job then we’ve had in the past.

Commissioner Candidate Website: this is a new website that is current in the works that Jennifer is currently working on.  My main job in this was actually doing the technical side of the project.  This consisted in creating a new domain name and loading Wordpress into a new database.  The job should be completed pretty soon.

Cover for booklet: I was assigned this way back in early July and just received the images in which I was to design the cover just last week.  The cover should be done no later then the end of this month.  That only gives me two and half weeks to look over all the photographs and create a brilliant cover.

WWII Event Coordinator: my experience in the reenacting world has been very limited to being a spectator and researcher. With that said I know what it takes to get the correct clothing and gear to adequately portray the period. I may or may not know as much as those who’ve been in the hobby for more than 10 years but taking part in living history and reenacting forms have prepared me for a simple statement.  “Living Historians will know if an event has been truly thought out or just planned in a month in advance”.  No pressure there…

The director of Circle of Angels has an interest in history but she also is focusing on the benefits that reenacting produces for young adults, which is mentoring.  She hopes bringing an event like this to our community will  not bring our community together but join communities.  There is not a whole lot of living history happening because so many of the organizations like JefPat, and the Historical Society do not have the funding to organize an event.  Our hopes are that we can unite them with the living history community to bring in more history and community events in our area.  The biggest events that currently happen are concerts, Celtic Festival and the County fair.  The Celtic Festival being one of the more successful event.

Hunter’s Hope: this is probably one of the most inspirational projects we are taking part.  Currently a six year old is battling cancer within our church community.  His family is financially not doing so well so our community is helping his family by planning a dinner in hopes to gain some money to help with the expenses the family currently faces.  We currently are designing the tickets and since we had very limited time this week to do a flyer for the event it was given to someone else to create.

Silent Auction: we did this way back in October but since the event has not actually taken place the committee down at CAWL still needs to decide which of our four designs they would like to use.  After they decide which poster to use and we edit the corrects they want done, this project has not officially been completed.

After his death I started looking at the book that I borrowed from the library to help me raise this little guy. I saw that there were so many parasites and disease that go after kittens. That from 1 day to 3 months there lives are in danger. Even if we did something different the same result may have occurred.

SHERLOCKS STORY
We figured he was 3 days old when we found him.  He did well until he was 20 days old.  Then on his 20th day he began starting to get diarrhea which was on Friday.  He hardly was moving and would not drink his milk.  I read that if kittens start having diarrhea they were at high risk of getting dehydrated and take them to the vet immediately because they could die.  I took him to a near by vet that had emergency hours. They told me start feeding him wet kitten food and give him either warm water/ kitten milk. As well as start treating him for worms by giving him a D-worm every other week.

By three days (Monday) he started getting blood in his waste so I called our normal vet who had a free time that day.  He was still active and meowing.  He was even climbing the bars in his crate. The vet told us to not worry since he was still active and taking in his food. She told us to continue doing what we were doing.  Add a tube of bacteria to give him three days in a row and then give it to him every other day. That she would call us that Wednesday to check on him.

On Tuesday night he woke my sister up at 4AM.  She said he was active and made a mess which she cleaned up.  But was moving and drinked his water like usual.  We decided to give him a couple of more hours to sleep since he had a bad night because by his 3 week we started checking him every 6 to 8 hours because he seemed to be sleeping longer.

On Wednesday between 9-10AM the vet called to check on him.  I told her he was sleeping because that night he had a bad night and everything seemed well. He was not dehydrated and was still going well.

We had not check on him since 9AM and decided to check on him at 11 AM he was snoring and was not moving. We called our vet back and told her what was going on.  She asked if he was still bleeding and what color his gums were. I told her yes he was still bleeding but not as much and his gums were light pink to white.  She told me to take him to the emergency vet hospital in another county.  We got there by 12PM.

They put him in the back and said that he has a 95 temperature was dehydrated and his blood sugar was low.  They put him in an heater to get him warm and fed him sugar water to get him hydrated.  Gave him a 50 to 50 chance but said the odds were not in his favor. Within 2 to 3 hours he was dead.

At the end we hope his story save some lives and prepares others for the journey ahead.  Even though the journal was difficult we would not traded for the world because we know we tried our hardest.  But wish someone would warn us so that we were more prepared. But even if someone did it would of still been hard to say good bye…

WARNINGS
1. Try to not speed their growth take your time raising them. Enjoy every moment you have with them because before you know it they will be all grown up or end up dieing. Have a good reference to make notes what each cycle or age will bring so you can keep up with their schedule.
2. Between 1 day to 3 months are the critical times of a kittens life. This is there weaker moments because they can get parasites, virus and other diseases that can cause death.
3. Between 3 weeks to 6 months from when they begin to walk to becoming independent they are endangered of chocking, falls, drowning, electric, water and other accidents.  It is important to continue keeping them in a soft and safe place from these dangers.
4. Keep them in a safe and warm spot during their early life. From 1 day to 4 weeks they are unable to maintain their own body heat and relieve themselves. They only begin to do so between 4 to 6 weeks.
5. Do not give them cows or other animals milk. It is harmful to kittens and cats. We first went to a vet to see what we would need and received the first dose of kitten formula.
6. Do not starve the cat to train it to eat out of a dish bowel. I am guilty of starting one day doing this but decided against it. They need nutrients and doing this could dehydrate them. Introduce the process during one of your feeding times.
7. Do not give them tuna fish. Complete Kitten Care by Amy D. Shojai advices that to much tuna fish can harm them. Plus the smell of tuna fish is to powerful for them.
8. Take your kitten to the vet when he/she begins to have diarrhea this dehydrates them. Kittens can easily get dehydrated.  Beware that diarrhea could be caused by a disease, parasite or virus hiding in their heart, stomach and/or liver that vet can not find within the stool.

REFERENCES:
1. Complete Kitten Care by Amy D. Shojai
2. The Common Sense book of Kitten and Cat Care by Harry Miller
3. Cat: The Complete Guide by Claire Bessant

CONDOLENCES:
All my sincere wishes to you after losing your pet/family member. They keep us happy and loved as we love them in return. God gave them to us for a short period of time in order to teach us about compassion and love. My Weimaraner is sad now that I told him about your cat. He likes to stalk our cat and act like a bully. But when it comes down to it… he loves her. She’s old and has tumor problems. She probably won’t be around too much longer. I show her as much love as possible. And so does my Weimy. God bless you. I’m sorry for your loss… KS from Facebook

Oh, I am so sorry about the kitten.  Kitties graces our lives. It is hard to lose them. RV a friend

May your pet live on in your memories and bring you peace. With Deepest Sympathy. AA Veterinary Emergency Clinic

We always get so attached to the little animals with the greatest needs. A special thanks for your gifts of love and caring for those little animals that cannot care for themselves. A hug for both of you! K from CCHS

In memory of your beloved pet. We want you to know that others are think of you in your time of sorrow.  We are sorry to hear about Sherlock.
C Veterinary Clinic

It started with a co-worker bringing the attention of my boss and the receptionist that we have perhaps a litter of unknown kittens living behind our building and possibly within the woods of the property.  This is unknown since we only could find one kitten and only saw a possible glimpse of the mother cat.  Before taking on the roll of being the kittens new mother we called all the Animal Rescue groups in the county but no one had the staff or volunteer support to take on this responsibility.  Unfortunately without anyone being able to take on this responsibility the kitten’s fate was not looking too good.

After considering all the options I decided that I was the person to take on this responsibility and have received much support from the Animal Rescue group I help out.  Which is a life saving factor since I receive lots of help if anything should go wrong.   This is a life changing event since all  my future projects/vacations stand to a halt for the next two to three weeks of my summer.

For the past five days I’ve learned a considerable amount of information on raising a kitten.  If you are someone or know someone who recently finds themselves in a similar position the following are a few things you need to know.

1. THINK & STOP before you pick any baby animal.  Once you pick it up the mother may not take care of it due to human scent.  WATCH the baby for about an hour from a good distance to see if the mother comes back to retrieve their young.

2. Retrieve the baby only if the mother has not come back to retrieve it.  Carefully pick up the baby and put it into a box.  Once it is in a box call a vet or local animal rescue center to find out what action needs to be made.  Make sure the box supports and gives the animal access to air.

3. Never feed a baby kitten (wild life) milk you buy at the local grocery store.  This can have very negative affects and may lead to death. Always talk to a vet or wildlife specialist before feeding anything to a baby domestic/wild animal.

4. For a baby kitten you have to feed it every 2 to 3 hrs and keep it relatively warm.  You can buy the food at your local vet or pet center.  Part of feeding a kitten you also have to wipe their butt so that they are stimulated to go to the bathroom.  If this is not done they will not go and they will become sick.

5. Take it to a vet to make sure there is nothing wrong with it.  So that it can begin medicine and be treated for any serious illness it may have.

6. For new parents to newborn animals.  Beware that between 1 day to 3 months you are at high risk of losing the kitten from virus, bacteria, parasites and other disease. From 3 weeks to 6 months they are at high risk of choking, falls, drowning and electric accidents.

Sadly Sherlock’s story ended sadly. To read more press
To Continue…..

It has been relatively difficult to gain and find work in the field of graphic and web design.  In order to continue the skills I gained in college  I try to do some sort of graphic, web or photography assignment each month to improve my abilities as a graphic and web designer.  Below are just a few films/books that inspire me to do what I do.  I hope to create some sort of illustration(s) inspired by one of the following.

Twilight Saga: last summer I read all four books and have seen the two that were produced into films.  I have not seen any of the films in a theater atmosphere because I don’t want to spend two hours watching a film and having to deal with the screaming fans in the background. Therefore I rather rent it from the library and watch it as many time as I want. Once as a critic of the film and another time to view the film visually (effects, acting and story line).

I have to say I got more inspiration from the books then from any of the films.  I am not a big fan of the movies , but will watch then to view another person’s perspective on the books.  The positive part of the films are the visual effects and scenic locations.

The Lord of the Rings Saga: I will always be a fan of the books and films of LOTR.  Because of the films I started reading the books and by the time the second or third film came out in theaters I had completed reading the whole series which included the Hobbit.

Out of all the books I’ve read “The Hobbit” at least two times but possible more and have rented “The Hobbit” recorded book version at least twice.  I hope to do some sort of project “painting, illustration or clothing design inspired by this trilogy.

Pirates of the Caribbean: before this movie ever came out back in 2003 I was already a big fan of all things 18th or 17th Century.   That included the clothing, music and history of that period.  By this time I had read and seen my fair share of pirate related books and films.  I’ve done a few portraits of the characters in this film back in 2007 and probably won’t be doing anything relating to the film, but that could change upon the arrival of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

I’ve seen countless version of “Robin Hood” from the animated Disney version to the version done way back in 1938.  So I know the legend like the back of my hand.

I’ve even tried archery a few times, but still need a little practice in aiming the arrow on the bow.  I can pretty much use the bow but my aiming is a little off.  In regards to artwork I may do a few sketches and illustrations inspired by the legend and films.

I may also do a few illustrations inspired by the Legends of King Arthur and other culture around the world.  This may lead to a bit more research.

Last summer I read Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre” this spring I read Emily Bronte’s  “Weathering Heights“.  I would have to say I enjoyed Jane Eyre much more than Weathering Heights.

Before reading the books I’ve seen a few film versions of the books.  Upon reading the books I made sure I had a quiet place to read and wiped any memory I had from the films so that I could read both books with a clear head.  Therefore this summer I hope to do some sort of illustration or painting inspired by Weathering Heights or Jane Eyre.  Have not quit figure out which one to do.

I’ve tried and seem to always fail when trying to read any one of Miss Jane Austen’s books.  I’ve tried and tried and just can’t seem to go around the way Miss Austen writes. Anything I’ve created or will create will be inspired from the films rather the books.

I hope to create some sort of illustration or photographic image based on the films this summer, but we will see how much I can get done away from the number of volunteered and hopefully paid positions I gain this summer.  Some of these projects may have to wait considering all volunteer or paid projects are more important then any artwork done during my free time.

My Theory: it is largely dependent on the material you post and if there is a large percentage of people googling or searching for the material.  Good example is that there are about 100 people a day googling BBC’s Robin Hood.  How do I know this? I posted just an image of the show and gained roughly 100 readers a day reading my reenacting blog.

Objective: to gain at least one hundred viewers in two weeks.
Hypothesis: I will gain roughly 100 new readers simply by posting images of people, things, places, interests, activities and art.
If successful: I will use the techniques I learned to improve the other four blogs I maintain and teach other organization I volunteer some of what I’ve learn.

I often do not write about new website I build, but this site is one that I am really proud of since it is one I build without any fancy background or coding  techniques.  Until very recently I  felt the more cool effects and coding you used in building a website meant a website was more attractive to a user.  Well this proves a very different point.  This website is as affective with the simple layout and text as if I had built it using some sort of template and high tech coding.  So simplicity is sometimes better.

Another key point in designing any website is know your audience.  Upon finding Reenactors Newrecruits most people by this time may feel a little overwhelmed and frustrated.  I know I was when trying to find reenacting group to join.  This website takes them to the websites they can find information on finding a group or event without all the advertising and confusing text of other websites.  It takes you to the step by step process of finding an organization within the reenacting community.   Further more it also takes you to a community of experts whom you could contact for further information on the hobby and answers your most frequent asked questions.  I hope this website is helpful to a lot of people who are interested in pursuing the hobby in the future.

Gaining new projects sometime can be a challenge but once it is gained it is well worth the effort.  I’ve been volunteering my time taking care of the cats at CAWLs and recently got their attention in doing a few flyers for them.  The first flyer I’ve created is for a fundraiser CAWLs is planning to have in October.  This is one of several posters I’ve produced using the information I was given.  Below are a few simple ones that will reduce the amount of ink that it will take to print the one above.   I hope that this will be the start of more projects to come.  

While trying to find a parking space in Washington D.C or any other city in the world you can sometime spot a photographic opportunity.  Sometime you will get the gumption to stop and take the shot and sometime you won’t.  I did not have that much gumption that day since what was holding me back was the crowds and I had to just face the reality that I would have to have some luck to find the spot again.  Luckily I was able to find one of the few photographic spots I spotted while finding a parking spot during one of the craziest times to visit Washington D.C.  

It was during the Cherry Blossom festival and it did not help that it was Easter weekend and everyone and his mother were taking off to enjoy the blossoms.  It was at this very well known landmark that I had spotted a wide arrangement of color and textures.  So I made it one of my missions that day to walk to that location.  I had also spotted a tulip garden but could not find the location since it was one that I never had spotted in the past.  Who knew Washington D.C had a tulip garden.  The following images were taken around the Smithsonian Castle.  

Close up of corner garden.

Tulips & Cherry Blossoms

Tulip’s view of the castle.

It was Easter weekend of the Cherry Blossom festival in Washington D.C and it was pact. Weather wise was warm at the high of 75 – 78 degrees.   Everyone appeared to be out and enjoying the sights and museums.  You could not have asked for a more perfect Thursday.   With children off from school and a few college students off on spring break people were out enjoying the blossoms.  

It took an hour to find parking but it was worth the journey because the blossoms were at their full peak.    The journey started at the Jefferson Memorial then the mini group I was in made our way to the Smithsonian Castle where we spend several minutes resting our toes.

Journeying back to the car was fun since the traffic and the amount of people did not change and appeared to be increasing as the day wore on.  As we were walking by the Washington Monument and bagpiper was serenading a young girl at a traffic stop.  We enjoyed his music at a distance and when the music war off we walked our way past the Jefferson Monument back to our car.  The day could not have ended in such a perfect way.  As we left Washington D.C people were still making their way to Washington D.C to see the blossoms.  

Blossom uprooting themselves

Blossoms by a window

Blossoms close and personal.

If you would like to learn more about the Cherry Blossoms and about the Cherry Blossom Festival held in Washington D.C visit http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/

Last weekend there were a few early flowers blossoming but not half as many as there are this week due to the light rain storms of mid week.  Unfortunately for this weekend old man winter isn’t giving up the fight and shows up with 30 degree weather, but hopefully towards the end or middle of April the nice warm weather will be here to stay.  Luckily no snow storms are in the future for Atlantic region states and staying more Northern and Western.   Mean while I have seeds to plant (inside) and sewing projects to do.  As the season progresses I hope to achieve more in my art, graphics, sewing and photography.  I will post most of my artwork within my portfolio but will post a few things here.

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Forwarding to April 8th, 2010

Washington D.C and Maryland had record high temperatures all week from upper 70s all the way up to the low 90s.  It was great weather to walk around and take photographs of the flowers that decided to pop up from the rain storms of late March.

Lucky Tulips – whom have not been eaten by the mice & moles.

Image taken on April 8th

Flower from a Dogwood tree 

Surviving Red-bud tree

One of many purple flowers

Another purple flower

White little flowers