Monthly Archives: March 2009
MS and the White House connection
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I’m a hard-core cynic. We’ve heard too many empty promises from politicians, TV and movie stars, and MS organizations.
Empty promises like when they (organizations, stars, and politicians) say they will help us pay for mobility devices and ramps to make our home more accessible, because so far, those have been completely out of pocket expenditures for us. When they say that there are support groups for Dear Hubby, because any we’ve found seem to be for newly diagnosed patients, and those with relapsing remitting MS. He refuses to sit through another ‘I-was-just-diagnosed-and-need-a-shoulder-to-cry-on’ session. It’s not from lack of sympathy on his part; it’s from overload on the subject. We’ve never found one that addresses the long term and secondary progressive MS issues.
When they say there are medications out there, we agree that there are, but again, they are mainly for people with relapsing remitting MS. Sometimes DH feels as though he’s on another planet when it comes to SPMS.
Will the Obamas’ personal connection to MS make a difference? I hope so. What will a White House connection bring to the table? So far, we’ve a promise of a reversal on stem cell research. This does hold promise for DH and others who have MS, especially those who have SPMS and PPMS.
Posted in MS related, My blog
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Accentuate the positive…
Posted by doggonedmysteries
We didn’t hit the lottery this week. One hundred and seventy four million would have been nice. However, the sudden change to an entirely new tax bracket would’ve been mind blowing. (Imagine how popular one becomes when one wins a pot like that.) The phone rings off the hook, friends and relatives you never knew you had, crawl out of the woodwork, or out from under rocks. Makes me glad we didn’t win.
The weather is getting warmer and although we may have one or two more snowstorms sneak in here, spring is just around the corner. Yes, spring! The yard may be all mud but that means the fertilizer will sink in faster and the grass will be greener this summer.
Money is tighter so we’ll be home more. Less driving equals less pollution, this is good. We’ll shop at the farmer’s market more often because it’s closer than the supermarket, which means we’ll keep the local farmers in business.
The price of our electric is going up so that means we’ll turn on fewer lights, evenings will be more romantic by candlelight. This could be very good.
Tags: Author, Beads, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Who is the ghost who did my writing?
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I’m not talking about hiring a ghost writer. I’m talking about reading your manuscript and wondering where in the world did that (paragraph, page, chapter…whatever) come from?
You’ve rolled along on your writing for days, and then you hit a bump that made you stop. You decide to go back and read over what you’ve written. Strange sentences jump out at you. It seems that someone else took over your keyboard and did the typing for you. Your characters are clumsy, their dialogue is stilted, the scenery has lost its luster, and everything that you thought was brilliant looks dull.
Do you stop and fix it? Sometimes if it’s bad enough, you might. Otherwise, it might be better to mark the spots where things took a downhill plunge to fix up later, and push on.
What do I do? I hit the ‘text highlight color’ and highlight everything that is weak. This way I can go back later and easily spot the areas I need to fix. When do I fix them? I fix them on those days where I am having trouble moving forward in the book. I find that if I go back and do my corrections I can often find the insight in my characters or their motivations that I need to continue.
Posted in My blog, My books, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Out of my mind, back in five minutes
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Do you ever have those days where you’d like to hang a sign on your door telling people to go away? I do. Not because I’m mad at people, but because I need to keep my butt installed in my chair and write. I’ve tried the ‘writer at work, do not disturb sign’ and most people think it means everyone else but them.
Worse than neighbors and friends is Dear Hubby. I could hang the damned sign around my neck, add blinking lights, large arrows pointing to it, put obvious (neon orange) earplugs in my ears, and he will still insist on disturbing me. It is difficult enough to sit down and write when I have two dogs bugging me every five minutes to go out, but they’re dogs and they live in the now. What part is it about ‘I’m working’ that the man can’t understand?
Dinner is in the oven, the dogs have been out several times, DH is up for a nap, I’m on a roll…, and, and, and the phone is ringing. Dang, time to hang up the sign.
Out of my mind!
Back in five minutes…
Posted in My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Using your dog’s behaviors in training
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I’ve said before that Gavin was a real handful when we got him at the age of eight weeks. I wasn’t kidding in the least. Mr. Dominate was a nipper, jumper, and hated the word no. He was not a dog for the faint of heart. But then, no Bull Terrier is.
He would jump at me and nip my clothes leaving me with quite the holey wardrobe. I finally hit on a way to funnel his love for jumping into a trick he’d enjoy and would save me buying all new clothing. I bought a Hula-hoop and began to teach him to jump through it when I said ‘hoop’ and would reward him with a treat. He learned it quickly and loved the attention his new trick brought to him. He enjoyed it so much he forgot about nipping.
We’d invite Cleo the standard poodle who lives across the street over to our yard for play dates. We didn’t have a second dog at the time. He taught her how to jump hoops. I had to buy a second Hula-hoop so they didn’t clang into each other trying to jump through the same hoop at the same time. It looked like a circus act.
After Patty arrived, he showed her the ropes and now she does good hoop jumps. Maybe we should take the act on the road…
Posted in Dog related, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Rescue Dogs, Writer
Update on MIL
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Since it was Sunday, my mother-in-law had a break from her rigorous schedule of physical therapy today. Dear Hubby made a special stop at a local restaurant known for its home made ice cream and picked up some for her, raspberry his favorite of their flavors. This woman has a passion for ice cream no matter what time of year so I’m sure the gesture pleased her. Mom was in good spirits but didn’t have much of an appetite so she insisted DH share her treat.
I can’t eat ice cream in the winter time. I find the only time I’m hungry for it is when the mercury climbs above eighty degrees. It certainly wasn’t near that today. Now it’s snowing—DANG IT!
Hope you all had a very good day.
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Rescue Dogs, Snow, Writer, Writing
Spring fever
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I do wish that spring would stop teasing us and stay for more than a day or two. It was almost balmy here for a day and now there’s snow predicted for the next two. It’s just wrong.
My daffodils, crocus, and hyacinths are beginning to poke their little green heads up through the mulch. It makes me oh so ready for the weather to warm, the flowers bloom, to open the windows and let the fresh air in. I yearn for my magnolia tree to bloom and for the scent to drift into the house.
I look forward to days warm enough for me to clean up the yard and gardens and to nights where I can sit by the pond and relax in the moonlight. I want to listen to the waterfall and fountains, the bullfrogs and crickets, the horn of a passing train in the distance.
I’m tired of hearing the furnace running, the radiator pipes cracking and popping, breathing stale air, and feeling shut in. I’m sick of ice, snow, sleet, and cold.
Posted in My blog, my garden, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Koi, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
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