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Wanderer at Rest: Joey, ninja pig
Published
12 years agoon
Wanderer at rest
By Jamie Balke Explorebigsky.com Columnist
In order to write this column, I must first make a confession. I own an albino guinea pig. I assure you, it’s far less creepy than it sounds.
Long story short – after moving around a lot after college, I desperately wanted to get a dog when I settled in Bozeman three years ago. Thwarted by the rental policy of my first place, I decided to find an alternative pet. It wasn’t long before a friend had a lead on a guinea pig and I was driving to Yellowstone to retrieve him.
Thus it was that Joey the guinea pig made his way into my life, doubling the number of slightly cantankerous, spazzy beings residing in the apartment.
Joey has had a predominately healthy and seemingly happy existence since his move to Bozeman. He does a great deal of jumping about, squeaking and rattling the bars of his cage with the full force of his grip and teeth to demand carrots. There have, however, been a couple of occasions for Joey to visit the vet.
The first was shortly after I got him, when he tweaked his back. I came home one day to find the poor little dude limping around, so I made a vet appointment. While he didn’t like being x-rayed, Joey did develop a taste for painkillers. The vet prescribed a liquid analgesic for his back pain, and the first time I squirted it down Joey’s mouth, I had to hold him down. Subsequent days, I had to pry the syringe out of his mouth.
Joey eventually recovered to his awesomely peculiar self, but he recently had another occasion for medical intervention. This time, I set up an appointment after noticing that his eye looked weird. The vet prescribed some drops, which at first didn’t seem so bad.
However, as soon as Joey wised up to the implications of being wrapped like a papoose in a towel, he became an expert eye-drop avoider. With uncanny timing and ninja-like speed, he dodged and weaved away from the medicinal liquid. After a week of fighting that battle, I followed up with the vet, as the condition was not resolved. She advised me to come in for a different medication.
I arrived and had approximately the following conversation with the person at the front desk.
“Jamie Balke here, to pick up medicine for my guinea pig.”
“No problem,” she replied, “you will simply apply this ointment to the affected area.”
“His eyeball is the affected area,” I replied, voice hushed with disbelief and fear, “You want me to apply an ointment to his eyeball?”
She did. The last few days have been what I shall generously describe as an adventure in rodent medicine. I have tried everything I can think of to get the goop to smear on his tiny red eye. He is disinclined to cooperate, so we find ourselves at an impasse.
When I came to Montana, I never could have envisioned trying to maneuver ointment into a small animal’s eyeball. If you would be so kind as to think speedy, agile thoughts on my behalf, I would appreciate it.
Jamie Balke moved to Bozeman in the fall of 2009. She can generally be found behind the cover of a book, meandering down a trail or desperately trying not to kill houseplants.
Megan Paulson is the Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Outlaw Partners.
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We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
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We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
$170.
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14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
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Trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Waypoint in Town Center. Participation is free, food and beverages available.
Event Details
Trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Waypoint in Town Center. Participation is free, food and beverages available.
Time
(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location
The Waypoint
50 Ousel Falls Rd