Category Archives: Writer
A simple summer meal
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I’m always looking for quick and tasty summer meals. (Especially things that I can make with leftovers.) One of my favorites is my curry chicken salad. It’s simple because I use left over store-bought rotisserie chicken to make it. I buy those once in while when I know I’ll be too tired to cook when I get home from grocery shopping. With only two of us, we have at least a half a chicken leftover when we’re done.
You have to understand that I seldom measure things when I cook. I can give you the ingredients but you’ll have to make it to your own taste.
Leftover chicken cut up into bite-sized pieces, golden raisins (a handful), chopped celery one or two stalks, 1 small chopped onion, one sweet cherry pepper seeded and chopped, enough Miracle Whip to moisten everything, curry powder to taste (I use approximately 1 ½ to 2 teaspoons.) Mix thoroughly and chill for at least two hours.
Serve on a bed of lettuce with tomato wedges. DH loves this. It’s also good as a sandwich filling.
Posted in Food, hobbies, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Chicken, Chicken salad, Cook, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Food, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Poultry, Writer, Writing
Never cross your muse
Posted by doggonedmysteries
My muse avoids making eye contact. I dust off my keyboard, clean the monitor, and straighten my desk. Then I take some time to dust the living room and vacuum the rugs.
“You ready to help me yet?” I ask as I sit in front of the computer again.
Silence.
“Did I do something to upset you?”
No answer.
“This is about the ad I put in The Mystical Weekly isn’t it?”
“You were looking for applicants for a muse!” She began to sob and scrub her face with a lace handkerchief.
“Yeah, and a unicorn, a troll, and an elf applied. I turned them all down flat. I don’t write fantasy I write mysteries.”
“But, but why the ad? Are you firing me?” A huge tear dripped off her nose. Not attractive.
“I thought about it. You haven’t been around much lately.”
“I have too but you weren’t listening to me. You were too busy.”
“Okay, I admit it. I have been run ragged lately but when I sit down to write you aren’t here. Maybe we need to synchronize our watches.”
“I don’t own a watch. I’m a freaking muse.”
“I was being rhetorical. Would it help if I apologize?”
“It’s a start.”
“I’m sorry.”
Posted in My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Arts, Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, comedy, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Muse, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Ampyra week two
Posted by doggonedmysteries
DH is walking better but as a result is pushing himself harder. It must be a man thing. Is it? Can anyone explain to me why he pushes himself beyond his limits all the time?
Today he mowed the grass. He uses a riding mower or couldn’t do it. The mower decided to up the ante on his energy expenditure by getting a flat tire. I came outside to find him trying to tip the gigantic mower on its side and slide a couple of bricks under it so he could fill the tire. Whoa, whoa there sir just ask me and I’d be glad to help, which I did.
Stubborn man. Heaven knows I love him with all my heart. However, some days ya just wanna kill them don’t ya gals? Sorry guys but it is true. I’m sure you feel the same way about us.
At least he is walking better and so far, (knock on wood) he has no side effects. We hope that continues. I can’t wait to see what his neurologist has to say at his next appointment.
Posted in MS related, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: 4-Aminopyridine, Acorda Therapeutics, Author, Biogen Idec, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Consumer Information, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Energy, Family, Fiction, Home, Lawn and Garden, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Miss Patty hides
Posted by doggonedmysteries
We crate the pups when we aren’t here to supervise during the day. They enjoy getting into things too much to leave them to their own devices. Today I thought Mr. Houdini dog taught baby sister Patty how to open her crate door. It wasn’t so. It seems that DH hadn’t latched her door properly.
DH had gone upstairs for a nap while I was outside working in the gardens. He’d crated the dogs. When I came in Gavin was snoozing in his crate but Patty was nowhere to be found. Then I heard her thunder down the stairs. She zoomed around the corner at the bottom of the steps and about jumped out of her skin to see me standing there.
She dove into her crate and hid in the back. Her guilt was so palpable I thought I’d better go see what she’d been doing upstairs. She hadn’t touched anything in the bathroom. DH had his room’s door closed. The laundry basket waiting to have clothes unloaded had the back room door blocked. That left the bedroom.
Oh yeah, she’d been in there. She had used the bed for a trampoline. Pillows were scattered, some on the floor, and the bedspread was askew.
Posted in Dog related, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Dog, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Recreation, Rescue Dogs, Stairway, Writer, Writing
Hey, Squirrel there’s a contract out on youse
Posted by doggonedmysteries
If you can climb trees and aren’t squeamish about taking out a few squirrels, have I got a job for you. The squirrel pulled a daylight raid on the tomatoes and dared, DARED to nibble on some of my heirloom tomatoes. It didn’t pull them from the vine. No, it chewed a bit here on one and a bit there on another.
I picked all the ripe and almost ripe tomatoes I could find. Later, the danged tree rat left a half eaten half green tomato right where it knew I’d walk just to show me it could get at them any time. I think it’s teaching its children to go after my tomatoes too.
I guess I need to take out a contract on the tree rat and family.
“Hello, is Mr. R. T. Hawk?”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“I need to hire you. I’m having this problem with a squirrel.”
“It’s just the one?”
“Well, not exactly. I think there’s a nest of them.”
“Hmmm, young tree rats are quite tasty…um…er…I mean, I’ll do the job for you on the cheap.”
“Thank you. I hope you can do it before all my tomatoes are gone.”
“No problem.”
Posted in Food, my garden, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Food, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Not as blind as I thought
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Nothing like finding out that the problem you’ve had with seeing, is because your eyes have improved. Here I was expecting to have stronger glasses and I’m getting weaker ones. This is a first for me.
I was also shocked to learn that it’s been four years since I’ve had my eyes checked. I don’t know why, because I normally would go every two years. It could be because I ignored a reminder from them but I don’t remember.
The sticker price of all this was also a surprise and a big ouch. At least I’ll have new glasses. Two pair in fact. I started buying two pair at a time after breaking a pair and the only ones I had to wear until they fixed mine were far too weak. The headaches aren’t worth it.
Posted in Misc, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
At war with tree rats
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Yesterday, my day began as all my days do with coffee, lots of coffee. My third cup I took outside to enjoy the cooler weather we’re having. That’s when I spotted one of my almost ripe Big Boy tomatoes on the ground. Someone had nibbled a good quarter of it and left it there for me to find. I was not happy. The tomato went into the compost bin.
There was no sign of the culprit who had raided my garden. However, I swear I heard giggling coming from the trees. Later, I went out to feed the fish and as I walked under the magnolia tree, a large, mostly green tomato almost beaned me in the head. It too had been nibbled. I looked up to see a squirrel sitting on an upper branch. His face covered with tomato juice from MY TOMATO.
Thus, the war with the tree rats has begun. I took the tomato from the compost bin and the one that had nearly whapped me in the head and baited a Have-a-Hart trap. All tree rats who enter the trap will find themselves relocated to the other side of town. My mother in law doesn’t have a garden.
Posted in Misc, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Friday Photos
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Posted in hobbies, My blog, my garden, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, digital photography, digital photos, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, photo, photograhy, Writer, Writing
Blind as a bat or forget the scratch coat please
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Since the first heat wave hit us this year, I’ve had trouble seeing. Sounds weird doesn’t it? There’s an easy explanation. When I bought my glasses, I had them put the scratch coat on them. Everyone knows how easy it is to scratch your glasses. Right? It was a big mistake. I’d rather have scratches.
You see I take after my father. I sweat. I sweat profusely. When I sweat, my glasses steam up. It seems that when they did that at least once the scratch coat warped and loosened. Then sweat got under it and left a line of discoloration right across the bifocal lens and up the inside quarter of the entire lens. It wasn’t a thin line either and got worse as time went on. I switched to my other pair of glasses.
We had another heat wave. Those glasses also had the scratch coating on them. The results were the same but not as bad as the other pair. However, it is bad enough that I have to struggle to read. EEKS! I love to read. I have to read to write. I’m going crazy with not being able to read.
My eye appointment is Saturday.
Posted in Misc, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Maybe one of these nights I’ll get some non-stop writing in
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Finding a quiet time to write isn’t easy around here. If I sit down to write when DH is taking his afternoon nap invariably both dogs decide it’s time to go out. It’d be nice if I could open the door and let them go out on their own but around here, it isn’t a wise thing to do.
Then there are phone calls and people dropping by. Therefore, I write late at night when the phone is quiet, no one drops by, and the dogs and DH are sound asleep…well, most of time they are. For quite a while, DH was having trouble sleeping and would wander down about an hour after I’d get started on whatever writing I planned to do. There’s no writing when DH wants to talk. It looks as though a new mattress has that problem solved for now.
However, Gavin has decided that he needs an extra out in the wee hours of the morning. Patty, hearing that he has gone out, wants a turn too. Out I schlep with the dogs.
Posted in Dog related, My blog, My books, 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, Writer, Writing
In the garden with DH
Posted by doggonedmysteries
At dinner last night, I told DH that the large cantaloupe has suddenly begun to ripen. “Another day or two and we’ll have some for dessert,” I told him.
Despite the heat, DH came out later to join me in the garden. He climbed onto his mobility scooter and went to check out the melon patch. “That melon sure looks good. It’s much bigger than the other four.”
“I lifted it and it is hefty. I can almost taste it.” I walked alongside him, and pointed out to him which tomato plants were which—Beefsteak, Big Boys, and the heirlooms.
He drove over to the back porch and checked out the potted plum tomatoes. “Think I can pick a few of these for my Mom?”
“Those aren’t ripe enough. I already picked some for her they’re on the kitchen counter. Just the plum tomatoes and the Beefsteak mind you, don’t you dare take my heirlooms.”
“She likes the plum tomatoes the best.”
“Good, that means you can leave the Beefsteak too.”
He laughed. “You are bad.”
“Yeah, but can I help it that I love tomatoes?”
Posted in my garden, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Food, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Some days other things take priority over writing
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I try to write every day. Some days I do more writing than other days. Today was one of those other days. The garden was screaming for a weeding and the weather was cool enough to do it comfortably. I couldn’t wait another day because we are expecting more humid and hot weather tomorrow that will last another week.
Then G came over and we roasted the Ancho and poblano peppers on the grill. We popped them into a plastic bag for fifteen minutes and all but two peeled easily. G went home with half the peppers for her freezer.
Yesterday, I picked two of the heirloom tomatoes and decided to make BLTs for dinner again. I’m so glad I did. Those tomatoes may be ugly looking but the flavor is marvelous. It was so good that as soon as I finished my dinner I ran the second tomato over to G. She had to taste it.
I got there in time for her to serve it with their dinner. Later she phoned to rave about it. I will plant them again next year. There are quite a few on the plant but they aren’t ripe yet. The Big Boy and Beefsteak tomatoes are also beginning to come in I picked two today. DH asked me if there were any plum tomatoes, he could take over to his mother. I brought in a whole basket full for him to choose from and took the rest to G.
Posted in My blog, My books, my garden, Weather related, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Family, Fiction, Food, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
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