More Star Students

More Star Students may be found shining brightly at Sookie's stained glass classes . . .

This is Shelley's first leaded panel. What a fabulous job she did on it!! I don't think a professional glass artist could have done any better.


The panel looks wonderful in her studio. Even though Shelley didn't want to have her picture taken, she looks lovely also!! (I had to threaten her with bodily harm to get this shot!!)

This is Tina with her new pride and joy. I must say that I am astounded that a first timer produced this exqusite little Volkswagen. Tina is so focused and precise in her work, you'd never know that this was her first project.

My students, I am so proud of all of them. They sure do keep me humble!!

Carpal Tunnel Surgery Update

Update on Craig's condition . . . from email sent by Craig to friends and family:

I’m scheduled to show-up at the surgery center tomorrow morning (8/16) at 8:30… probably go under the knife at 9:00 or 9:30AM. It should be very straight forward and the actual operation will only last 10 to 15 minutes. I’m expecting to be back home before noon…

I engaged an attorney to represent me with the insurance companies… After the initial interview, it sounds like my insurance company hasn’t been totally up-front and honest. Their discrepancies add up to more than just ignorance. The attorney seems to think that I have a good case for pain and suffering. They think I will probably have to sue or negotiate a settlement with the claimants insurance company to collect my out of pocket expenses for stuff like me getting home, shipping my bike, pain and suffering, etc…

The lawyers will work on a contingency bases and collect a third of the settlement as payment for services rendered. Further, they indicated that my insurance company is responsible for all out of pocket medical expense incured (according to the lawyer) and my insurance company has lead me to believe that the other insurance company is responsible for this coverage. I’m going to let them hash the law out, as I really don’t know.

My goal was to not get attorneys involved, but at this point I have no choice. I’m figuring that the lawyers will get all they possibly can, because that’s how they get paid. This company does nothing but vehicle accidents, so I hope they have they have a clue!

That’s all for now,

Craig (under the knife again) Moore

The surgery went fine. Craig is bouncing back nicely and should be back up to full steam ahead today. It sure will be nice to have all this behind us!

Star Students

Just wanted to show a few photos of works that have been completed to date in my Stained Glass Classes at Images Studio. Keep in mind, these are all beginners!!

Here's Mary Beth's first piece. She framed it in a lovely cherry frame by Northern Hardwoods. STUNNING!


Here is Ron showing off his first panel. It turned out GREAT!! Way to go, Ron!!

Mary Beth is on fire!! Here is her second project. She designed the pattern herself (with a tiny little bit of help) from the Alpha Romeo logo. She framed it in brass and treated the solder lines to match. I am so impressed with how beautifully she's coming along!! You go, girl!























Check back for more updates . . . the fun is just beginning!!

The Patient Patient

Update on Craig's condition . . . from email sent by Craig to friends and family:


I went to the orthopedic surgeon again this morning. The clavicle healing is coming along nicely and we are pleased of this fact. I’m basically on another 3 weeks of light duty… not as light as I have been for the previous 3 weeks but light duty none the less. Mainly I can’t lift things heavier than 15 pounds and not raise my hand overhead. I’m going to start driving again and this is a huge plus for me and Kay…

The decision was made to repair my carpal tunnel through surgery next Thursday the 16th. We knew before the recent testing and it was confirmed by the testing that I have median nerve entrapment in the right wrist (carpal tunnel). This probably has a lot to do with my right hand feeling strange or slightly numb. This procedure should take 14 days for healing and that will put me right at the end of my clavicle light duty as well. It just makes sense to go ahead and do it now, as it alone will require the light duty and related healing time. Do I look forward to it?? Hell no!! But, I (we) believe it’s the best thing to do and I’d might just as well get it all taken
care of now vs. waiting until later.

The decision to remove the plate and screws from my clavicle will be made later. This typically happens 6 months after the initial surgery and many people don’t have the hardware removed at all. If the decision is made to have it removed, I will have to be very careful again for around 6 weeks until the 8 screw holes have a chance to heal. I don’t really see much downside to leaving it alone and orthopedic surgeon didn’t seem to think it would be a huge issue if I were to break the clavicle on the same side again with the hardware in place.

I’m still getting better every day and with the clavicle and carpal tunnel healing I should be out of the woods by the end of September.

That’s all for now,

Craig

Louie the SEGDI Puppy

As some of you already know, we "Puppy Camped" a few Smooth Coated Collie puppies for Southeastern Guide Dogs last year. (You can see them in the photo section to the right of the screen.) In Puppy Camping, we keep the guide dog puppy for two weeks. This serves several purposes. It gives the Puppy Raiser a break from the stresses of raising a guide dog puppy. It gets the puppy used to working for a different handler. It gives us a chance to get an independent evaluation of the puppy. And finally, it gives us an opportunity to trouble shoot any problems the puppy may be having.

Since I am pretty familiar with the behavior of herding breeds, I was asked to Puppy Camp the Smooth Coated Collies who were being raised by the Georgia Puppy Raiser group. Louie is pictured at left. We just recently got word from Southeastern Guide Dogs, Inc. that Louie has been career changed. Seems he liked to chase motorcycles. . . not exactly a desirable trait for a guide dog!

Louie has been placed with an employee of the Dan Marino Foundation, who has an Autistic son. Louie will go to work with her and visit with the kids , one on one. He will then go home with her and be a companion to her Autistic son. When they initially met, Louie was great. They fell in love with him the minute he walked in the door! Louie was placed as a therapy dog.

I want to send a special THANK YOU out to Louie's Puppy Raiser, Jennifer, who did a fantastic job with him. She learned a lot, and always worked so hard to ensure that he turned out well. It warms my heart to know that Louie will be out there helping a lot of people as a direct result of her efforts. NICELY DONE, Jennifer!!