Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Okay, so I look for something to resize my photos in a photo editor thingy....  I wish my new camera was compatible with my old photo software.  We tried everything to get it to match on the Windows XP, but finally had to ditch it.  I've got two new versions of photo editing, but I can't get them to work for me....very frustrating!

Oh Judi, I am so sorry to hear of your lovely Tigger     I think sometimes the vets get overly optomistic and they are only human...sometimes they make mistakes.

I'm glad you were able to have closure with Tigger.  I've done the same with all my pets, special places and ceremonies for them to be buried.  I think it definitely helps. 

Sending you massive hugs  :hug:

Well I made counter number 38!     I'll agree with Shelli, I'm on high speed DSL, and I'm surprised at how slowly some of the pictures are taking to load.  With my  computer, if it takes too long, I just get a stupid box with a red x in it 

Shelli, when you say to save your digital pics at 72 dpi ...does this mean when you download the pic from the camera?  Or is there a setting on my camera I should be finding??

:clap:  :clap:  :dance: WELL DONE!!! WHOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!  :dance:  :clap:  :clap:

You should be VERY proud, and no need to be bashful about it either!  Way to go!!!!  :hug:

:clap: What fun ideas for windup mechanisms!!  I'd love to see the poodle with the butterfly on its tail.  I've got a wonderful friend who adores poodles (has 3 of them, and I used to groom them when there were 5).  I'm sure Nita would love something like that!! 

...why does that not surprise me? 

Chrissie we'd actually lived in Guatemala, and spent a lot of time observing them at the zoo.  When we relocated to Oregon, we went to an Exotic Animal show, and found a breeder, and began serious discussions.  I picked Leslie's brains that day over coati husbandry!    And at the end of the day, we got placed on a waiting list that took 18 months before she was born....so no, she wasn't a whim purchase. 

Although the breeder needs to be fully licensed through the USDA, and inspected, the owners/buyers do not need to be licensed.  We have always carefully maintained Amanda's original purchase papers, and I photocopied it so we could have a copy in the glove compartment at all times.  Coatis are NOT allowed into California, and we were warned that the Wildlife people would destroy her if they could get their mitts on her....even though they are native to a neighboring state, go figure     Also, since they are native to Arizona, I believe it was 5 days of travel time to get through the state, but you have to be 'just passing through', not actually living there.  She's always had her vaccinations, both dog and cat, but not the rabies.  There's no federally tested vaccine for it, and we worried that she could contract the disease via the vaccine.

Well done everyone!  I think the important thing is not to get too wrapped up in it, but just try to make an effort to be better.

This week, I hopped on my scales all hopeful....  nope, I'm not doing that again.  I'd lost 1% bodyfat, but stayed at the same weight.  That means I'm shifting things about, and losing the fat...but its not showing in the numbers...so I'm not setting myself up for that again.  The scales go back under the cupboard until I've definitely lost weight, and can simply see it for myself. 

All week I've stuck to my healthier eating, including making packed lunches/dinners if I know we won't be at home.  Its a bit of a pill, but I much prefer that to being stuck eating out, and eating unhealthy.  I've also been faithful to my balance ball routines, but I know I need to add my Bowflex...sigh, whatever happened to just running about, playing all day?    Kids just seem to burn calories no matter what...I sure miss that metabolism!

Dilu ....perpetual 2 year old....yep.....at least I can put our perpetual 2 year old in her cage......    Yep!  We think the exact same when someone's having troubles with their toddlers...  at least Amanda's got a cage she can go into time out for until she finally gets her nap, or squares up temperment wise.  :hug:

Lifespan...the 'experts' figure anything over 8 is old age.  Although they've sorta been kept as pets since at least the 1950s, no one seem to be keeping track.  Along the lines of a cat or small/medium sized dog.  I know she's all ready much older than the wild ones.  The oldest zoo specimens we'd heard of were 14, and then a friend in the UK said she'd read of one that reached 17.

:hug: You're doing it because your work is beautiful, and stands a good chance of winning too     I know how hard it is, and how intimdating when you see fellow TTer's work, but if you're happy with, and especially if you think the pics have captured your bear/or critter to a T...then GO FOR IT!!!     It will be up to what the judges like.

Some of the pictures I got back from Wal Mart were very nice indeed, others they didn't seem to fit into the picture as well (bits lopped off here and there) and others, well they didn't look overly nice, but all in all...I think they developed better than they do in store!  I think I'll be looking at Winkflash for my next batch of digital developing, though.

:hug: Awwwwhhhhh :hug:   "Thank you for the kind comments",  says Amanda, "Now fork over the mini marshmellows, and no one gets hurt!"   

Actually, she was a good little coati as we came in tonight from a long day away.  She was all excited to see us, even more excited over her marshmellows, and then settled down for her nap.     Tiring work being excited, you know!

:clap:  Wonderful!!!!  :clap:  I just got my Wal Mart piccies tonight, and wondered how yours came out, Nancy.

Awwwwhhhhh...that is one very very well loved bear!   

Well I found some Liqutex paints today, and a whole set in metallic!!!  They were at Jo Ann's.  However, I now have more questions than I started with ....

Judi~ help!  When I looked, there were the basic Liqutex, then there was flat matte Liqutex, some medium viscosity, and a high professional      I had no idea what viscosity, or any of the rest of it, so I thought I'd best keep my mitts off this trip, and ask.   Which would be most suitable for the ultrasuede/mohair?  Or should I just take a stab and hope for the best? 

Oh, and you don't want me going near oil paints ....don't ask... it wasn't pretty    right up there with watercolours 

Hmmmm...so there are acrylics, and then there are acrylics     How do you heat set?  Do you use a hair dryer??

I can see lots of practice in my future 

Amanda thanks you for the kind comments!   Yes, she can be a  :twisted: child one second and a little    the next....very much like having a permanent 2 year old.  For years hubby and I would watch 2 and 3 year olds have temper tantrums in the grocery stores and just look at each other "Remind you of anyone?"     She'd go through the same thing of having a total hissy fit if she was too tired and needed a nap ~ and yet refused point blank to take one!      

Sue Ann, yep, they are a member of the Procynidae family...same as raccoons.  One HUGE bonus is that they're diurnal, not nocturnal like the coons.  Come twilight, she's ready to tuck in, and if you're slow to turn out the light, you get some serious power sighs.

I had to go back and relook at my hair in the pic!  I'm actually a blonde, but I bet my hair picked up some red highlights from the shirt...my sis is a strawberry blonde, so maybe I was just showing different colours that day.  Better than the funky green I used to get in the summertime from swimming! 

Heather, we've stuck with Amanda through thick and thin, and not the least of our worries has been finding a vet qualified enough to take care of her.  We had a brilliant one when we lived on the Oregon coast, Doc Bauman, he was phenomenal...then we had to move back here  and I haven't found a decent one since. 

I do worry about all the ones that get sold as pets.  So many people think they can let them roam about the house unsupervised.  Well you can, but there's a good chance your coati will come to serious harm, and you can kiss off having a house.  A raccoon is curious, a coati is flat out destructive.  Think the cartoon Tazmanian Devil, and you've got it!

Oh good!  I was going to ask if I could use acrylics, as I have a whole boxload of them....

Righto!  So its off to practice dry brushing on scraps....

Oh yes, we've had an eclectus female as well...so fully know what you mean about parrots     They are fun, though! 

Glad you enjoyed reading about Amanda....the lifespan...they figure roughly anything over 8 years is well, old!

I've been limping along with Sharpies (and now I read that they can bleed or turn purple  ) and an artist brand of marker that was supposed to be great for blending.  Well, it is if I apply it to a piece of muslin first, and then use it as a 'dry wash' to my fur. 

I want to be able to shade my toes, paws and noses, but I don't want the blunt clown type colouring.  I want to be able to blend the colours so it looks more natural.  What do you recommend?

:clap: Whoohooo!!!!  :hug:  I simply cannot thank you enough for these pics!  I'll be sure to store them so I can use them as reference.  I have to admit, I was amazed at how much lint builds up in the bobbin case 

I forgot to mention her diet...coatis are omnivores.  Over the years, we've always kept dry cat food and dry cereals like Chex or Frosted Wheat squares in her cage as a staple.  I tried dog food for years, and monkey chow as well to no avail.  To that, she gets various fruits and veggies such as cucumber, zuchini, melons, corn on the cob, radishes, lettuce, just about anything we would eat, she'd give a try. 

Although she can eat meat, and does love chicken, she's not a big meat eater.  In fact, other than chicken, and not much of that either, she only nibbles on mussels.  She'd rather have bread, or even better the pumpkin pie, complete with whipped creme please!  Her all time favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, and she traditionally gets a plateful of whatever we get. 

Amanda's all time favorite, handsdown food is marshmellows.  We learned early on that it had to be mini marshmellows, as the dear child would try to bolt the big ones     A coati choking on a whole marshmellow is not pretty. 

And lastly, she's always weighed 10 lbs throughout her life...although during her 'twilight' years she's seriously gained weight.  So she's roughly the size of a housecat.  Kitty, our birman was her companion for many years.  No, not the same cage, but they shared the same room til Kitty passed away. 

Nowadays, her diet is mushier, consisting of canned Pasta roni, and the occasional pressure cooked sweet potato.  She still delights in various veggies so still gets cucumbers and corn on the cob when I can find it.

Just for fun...and mostly to see if I can get the pics on here.... I wanted to share pictures of Amanda, our pet coati. 

Okay, the top two pictures were taken when we lived a long time ago (in a land, far far away  ) in Florence, Oregon.  Lucky us!  We lived at the beach    But I digress... the top pic, Amanda is a little spazzed because her favorite event used to be to enthusiastically bound up and walk on every man made object she could get ahold of....the National Conservation people used to have their bridges and railings thoroughly tested.  She's spazzing because eyesight is not a forte with coatis ...and she's just noticed its a long way down with water underneath her. 

Coatis are NOT good pets, just for the record.  You can oooh, and awwhhhhh, and says she's cute...which she is, but they are incredibly destructive, and not for the feint of heart.  If you truly want a pet...get a dog or cat, they've been domesticated for much much longer.  The second photo where it looks like she's going to eat my face is a good illustration of why they are not overly good pets....those teeth.  Actually, I'm blowing in her face, and she's 'eating' the air, just like many dogs do.  I wanted the photo to show off her teeth...I'm also about only 24 in that pic,  so I don't look that young anymore!  Amanda's canines were not like any other mammal I've ever seen.  They were triangular, and serrated on the edges for ripping into gourds.  They also slice through flesh, and clothing faster than you can say 'spit' and hubby and I were a big supporter of Band-Aides for awhile.  Its not like she'd always intentionally bite (although we did go through those issues too), but if a tooth snagged, her solution was to twist her head to unsnag it...too bad, so sad your finger might've been in the way  .  And yes, we did have the vet remove them at age 3 for safety concerns.   Her claws, for the record, are trimmed.  They're longer than the usual dog claws, and get trimmed every 2 weeks.

We've owned her since she was 4 1/2 weeks old.  She was bottlefed for 4 1/2 months.  Actually she weaned herself...first food was Fruit Loops ...so funny how a mother remembers     Anyhoo...coatis are pack animals, but only consisting of females, with a matriarch in the lead.  Males are kicked out of the pack at age one, and only a single male is allowed around during breeding season.  Otherwise, the males lead solitary lives.  As babies, they can take food from any member of the pack...they are the little darlings.  As they turn one year, and the new babies are born, they get the snot beat out of them, and they become the bottom of the heap.  In domestic terms, this means hubby has always been treated as a second class citizen, even though I did everything to discourage this.  It also means despite my best efforts to socialize her, that she's not really that social, and became very clannish as she got older. 

Now our old lady is 11 1/2 years old!!!     Hard to believe!  The bottom pic was taken just a few weeks ago, while she's at a favorite activity....scratching.  She's all ready older than they live in the wild.  The oldest zoo specimens have lived 14 years, and a friend in the UK said she's seen one report where one lived to be 17 years.  Coatis range from Arizona and New Mexico in the United States, down through Mexico and Central America into South America.  Amanda was bred in Oregon, so no 'wild caught' girlie for us!  She's from a federally licenced breeder. 

Amanda does have a cage that she lives in.  I tried to get the pics on of it, but wasn't able...I think my files are too big.  Its a nice, double level, with her sleeping quarters up top.  Unfortunately, she can't have any plush animals or nice blankies....Amanda eats fabric,  always has, always will, silly goose.  She has Fisher price toys, and especially loves her smaller squeaker toys for cuddling with for bedtime.  When she was younger, she was seriously rough on toys!  Loved to slam them about her cage...the weeble wobble chickie got the worst of her brunt because it always popped back up  :twisted:   Now that she's an older lady, she quietly plays with her squeaky toys instead...and that's if its not naptime, or bedtime.  Sometimes she's not 'all there', forgets where she's at, or seems to have troubles smelling etc, but she is an old lady...so we can't really blame her for that.

Just thought I would share... 

Well done Sophie!!!    I have to say, I found it very easy to navigate, and my french is very rusty, to say the least.  My favorites were "Ugly" and your avatar bear     I got such a giggle out of "Ugly"....sometimes its so refreshing to see such a grumpus bear!   

Those are adorable!!!    I'd want the full set as well....you lucky girl   

  Oh yeah!!    I just used the link to go to the Bears for Sale...and its wonderful!!  Bear collectors will surely be using that! 

I love all the options, but have to admit...I love plain ole Oxygen the best.    Easiest on my eyes, and 'familiar'.

Oh Judi, that's fantastic!!!!!!   :hug: I'm really ever so pleased for you ~ heaven's knows you CERTAINLY deserve that amount for all the hard work and detail you put into your creation. 

Such a shame they don't have a category for these two...perhaps we need to explain to the Teddy bear contest people that this is an oversight for them?  And ask that they broaden the "Friends" category?? 

:dance:  :dance: Way to go, Judi!!!   :hug:  :dance:  :dance: