Monthly Archives: October 2010
Wet weather wet dogs
Posted by doggonedmysteries
After having a dry summer, it seems that fall is making up for it. We’ve certainly had a lot of rain. It rained all day, all night, and all day again. At least this time it isn’t coming from the same direction as the last storm and the roof isn’t leaking. However, it did get chilly enough to turn the heat on.
It must be the cooler weather. Just when I think I have them figured out, Gavin and Patty change things. The crazy dogs have altered their schedules over the last couple of weeks. Instead of sleeping from seven to two a.m., when they go out for a last call, and then sleeping for the rest of the night, they are now waking at ten and staying up until midnight. From ten to midnight they race around the house playing doggie tag until they drop. Then they want to go out. After that, they zonk and sleep the rest of the night.
Gavin enjoys going out in the rain some days and others he doesn’t want to go unless he must. Today was one of those ‘let me out every five minutes’ days. Even with his short wash and wear coat, I don’t think he dried out until almost three in the morning. Patty on the other hand hates rain and is content to stay indoors until she’s desperate.
Posted in Dog related, Misc, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Rain, weather, Writer, Writing
Exercising the brain while writing
Posted by doggonedmysteries
As you can see by my reading list, I am reading Donald Maass’s book The Fire in Fiction–passion, purpose, and techniques to make YOUR NOVEL GREAT. It is an exhausting and slow read because there are exercises to do at the end of each chapter. No, I don’t mean I have to do calisthenics. I’m talking about doing writing exercises. The brain needs exercise too.
I’ve found that I can do the exercises, have fun doing them, and learn. However, when I’m expected to do this sort of thing in a writer’s conference session, my mind goes completely blank. I figure it’s because it’s daytime at the conference (usually morning and I don’t do mornings well at all) when this asked of me.
Hell, I’m never alert until the sun goes down. Thus, doing the exercises on my schedule seems to work fine. I wonder if I’ll feel the same way when I tackle his Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook. Don’t worry. When I do the exercises, I am using my books and it is helping with the rewrites.
Why do I do this? I have no idea. Mostly I am hoping all this work makes me a better writer so you, my readers, have greater enjoyment.
Tags: Arts, Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Brain, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Donald Maass, Family, Fiction, Fire in Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Reading, The Fire in Fiction: Passion Purpose and Techniques to Make Your Novel Great, Writer, Writers Resources, Writing
A hodgepodge for you today
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Every time I took the dogs out, I picked up small branches and twigs that the wind knocked down. The ceiling is drying out now that the rain is gone. The wind we had all day helped.
Surprisingly most of the danged squirrel’s nest is still securely wedged in the upper branches of the magnolia tree even though that squirrel has been gone for months. She was the first one relocated in our little relocation program.
We ate the little yellow sugar baby watermelon yesterday. The flavor was good but it’s not something I’ll plant again. There were too many seeds and the vines took up too much space for what little we got from them. I do wonder if that little red one out in the garden is going to be ripe before the first frost.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. After many years of fighting the beast, my sister died of metastatic breast to bone cancer at the age of 44. Therefore, ladies, I ask you please remember to do your monthly self-exams and get a mammogram. Gentlemen you can do your part by reminding your wives, daughters, sisters, mothers, aunts, grandmothers…well, you get the idea.
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Breast Cancer, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
After the storm
Posted by doggonedmysteries
With very strong winds gusting and pushing the rain from the south, our roof leaked again. This only happens when conditions are right and conditions were perfect. I cussed the weather and roof and set out the usual buckets. If we could afford it, I’d have that entire roof torn off and redone so it never leaks again.
Since we often have a problem with the power going out in fractious weather, I cooked the bacon for our BLTs early in the afternoon. This time our power stayed on much to our surprise. I told DH it was because for once I was prepared for the worst. I guarantee had I not cooked the bacon for our dinner the power would’ve gone out. I will keep that in mind for future storms.
I see we have some small tree branches down and there are a few plants in the garden that look like an elephant stepped on them. Today is still gray so I’ll wait for clear skies before I go out and clean up the mess. In the meantime, I have buckets to empty, walls to scrub, and more cussing to do.
Posted in Weather related, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Construction and Maintenance, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, weather, Writer, Writing
Doggonedmysteries 
And a big hello to all the spammers out there
Oct 3
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Cue Monty Python’s Spam music. I do enjoy reading some of the atrocious spam comments that come in. I admit, some of them I go ahead and allow just for chits and grins.
However, if you’re going to spam me please don’t go overboard in your praise of my site. I know better. Sugary overdoses of accolade make me want to go on a diet. I may be a gardener, but excessively flowery praise raises my hackles. Believe me when I say that you aren’t nearly as clever as you think you are.
Did you know that Akismet catches you every time? I am silly enough to slip a few of you through the barricades. I only do it for extreme cleverness, a particularly good turn of phrase, or if I am in a silly mood. Don’t depend on my moods.
For those of you that don’t have a web site through WordPress I will elaborate. Akismet is the spam catcher for WordPress and it does a terrific job. Some spam never even makes my spam folder. Those that do get past Akismet I must sort through and delete. I delete 99% but there’s something about that 1% I let through that I can’t resist allowing.
Posted in Misc, Writer, Writing
2 Comments
Tags: Akismet, Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Comment Spam, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, Monty Python, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Spam, WordPress, Writer, Writing