never was a paul, baby

Hate to be the downer on everyone's feed, but Fred baby didn't make it. He went downhill very quickly, and his body was simply shutting down, so there was really nothing that could be done for him. Organ failure was the most likely cause of his condition.

I might not have made the other post if I hadn't convinced myself he would get better (especially as this seems to be turning into a dead pets blog this summer. Meant to post happy pig pictures here, not spread depression around, dammit.) However, I still want to show a few photos from back when he was healthy, how I'd like to remember him.

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crossed fingers for fred-pye

The boy has gone in to stay with the vet for some major treatment, and things don't look good.
Best case scenario is that he has a serious-but-treatable illness. Worst case is one of the many untreatable, unpreventable problems guinea pigs can develop as they get older, and, well, we all know how that ends. I wish I didn't have pigs that were all so close to each other in age. This year could get depressing real fast.

Keep your fingers crossed for me, and for little Fred.

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color me cute. but not *too* cute

Wardrobe:

cardigan: Target

skirt and flats: Charlotte Russe

camisole: old enough that I haven't a clue

sunglasses: Windsor

ring: Gretchen Hind Designs

Makeup:

lipstick: Covergirl 305: hot passion

Camera:

Laura

Guest Starring:

a very angry little Dove

I love all my little critters, but some of them, they are not so photogenic. Case in point: those two pictures were the best we could get of The Dove today. Now, this is a guinea pig with a permanent frown anyway, but add sunlight and the noise of a clicking camera...well, I probably should have expected these squinty, grumpy results. (Especially squinty. Sunlight is a killer on me, too, and I don't even have the excuse of pink-colored eyes.) Sorry, little marshmallow.

Don't want to bore you all with my ramblings about the group social dynamics of guinea pigs, but The Dove is one of those oddballs that doesn't quite fit in. By this I mean that she wants to live with other pigs, but also gets really cranky about it and enjoys making random sneak attacks on the others if they happen to walk by her. Not as dominance battles, either, as she's nowhere near being the dominant female. Just out of pure grouchiness. Sometimes she frolicks happily afterward. There is something deeply wrong with you, The Dove.

(And yes, her name is The Dove. Or sometimes my Dove, or little Dove. Never just "Dove." Don't ask why.)

Apologies for the title; I'm deep into a Daria marathon and can't. stop. quoting.

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h&m fall 2011 lookbook

Just came across H&M's Fall 2011 lookbook today, and am kind of digging it! I'm not thrilled with all of these, but there are a few looks here that have me going DO WANT. All those deep reds and elegant blacks in the middle, paired with the very 90s hair and makeup? Guh.
I mean, look at these two:

Come to me, my affordably-priced lovelies.
On a side note, there was no outfit post this week due to general malaise. I'm sorry to say that, after careful consideration of Dawn's steadily deteriorating health, we decided that it was kindest to have her euthanized. It's a terrible choice to have to make, but I never want to force a pet to live a life of suffering just because I can't let them go. Depressingly, guinea pigs have limited medical options for some conditions. I hope Dawn's happier wherever she is now.

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no saying do svi-dawn-iya

There is a reason why I haven't had any outfit pictures lately, and her name is Dawn.

Dawn is 5 years old, and has lived with us in relatively good health and happiness since she was a baby. Recently, she developed difficult dental problems and can no longer eat on her own, so she's getting hand-fed by syringe until her situation either improves or, which is often the unfortunate outcome with guinea pigs, deteriorates completely. I'm happy to hand-feed her for the rest of her life if necessary, but it is pretty time-consuming since she eats very slowly. Mostly I just end up reading my bloglist or messing around on Polyvore when I'm feeding her, but can't really do anything else.

Sometimes Dawn forgets that she can't eat like the others!

It's also been miserably rainy around here since Sunday (and looking like it's not going to stop for a few more days), so I might not have been able to take great shots, anyway. However, I'll be making time for a shoot soon. I just got this great top in from Ruche and I'm completely in love with it.

Cast Credits (left to right): The Dove, Fizzy, Dawn, Demi, Fred, Nissa

Camera Operator: my sister Laura

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