Blog Archives
I can tell that it is cherry season
Posted by doggonedmysteries
If you look at the picture above, you can’t see it, but off to the left beyond the edge of the picture is a cherry tree. From the size of it, we believe it to be at least one hundred years old. The cherries are ripe now.
How can I tell without going up to the tree to look at them? Every single gosh darned bird around has brought cherries to my yard to picnic on them. I’ve found cherry bits and pits in the waterfall, on the furniture, and in the bird bath. Need I tell you about the color of the bird poop that’s also everywhere?
I can’t wait for cherry season to end. I’m tired of scrubbing the white yard furniture….
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Cherry, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Home and Garden, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Post A Day, Post A Day 2011, Writer, Writing
Writer at work do not disturb!
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I have that sign hanging on my desk but it doesn’t seem to succeed in keeping interruptions at bay.
So far this week I haven’t had a chance to really sit down and do any writing. I’m hoping that today I’ll get some time. If I’m lucky DH will go take a nap in the afternoon, the dogs will snooze in their favorite places, and other than running up and down the steps to do laundry I’ll be able to write.
I’m working on three books at once. In all three, I’m trying to add more description, some dialogue, and move the story along without boring my readers to tears. We’ll see what happens. I can do this IF I have no interruptions.
Last night, I’d no sooner started to work than DH came back downstairs after a couple of hours. DH likes to talk to me when he does this. I was getting into a roll but he bounced me out of it. He doesn’t get the homemaker by day, writer by night picture.
I want to write. I thinking of duct taping DH to his bed. Mwahahaha!
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, Post A Day, Post A Day 2011, Writer, Writing
A mish mash of things
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Thanks to DH’s best friend R, we are a few items lighter over at the house. He also fixed a downspout while he was there. One less item on our fixit list we need to do.
I hope all you fathers had a good father’s day. It doesn’t feel as though sixteen years have passed since my father died. I think when you lose someone you love so very much the years never add up in your heart. It always seems like yesterday.
Off to DH’s neurologist appointment today. I’m still not sure what I think of her yet. Although since she changed DH’s antidepressant, he says he feels better than he did on the old one.
Little Max, our new black Koi is getting quite competitive for the food. He’s growing well.
I hope you all have a good day.
Posted in Misc
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, Post A Day, Post A Day 2011, Writer, Writing
Brain farts or TMI?
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I am tired of not being able ‘to think of the word.’ I find myself stuttering in the middle of a conversation as my brain gropes for a word. It’s driving me crazy. DH and G are kind enough to let me to substitute, “whatever or whoever the heck it is” for the word that my brain is struggling to find in its thesaurus.
Is it too much information to sort through or brain farts? Let me digest that a moment. Oh, yeah wrong end.
Do you struggle to find words?
Posted in Misc, 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, Post A Day, Post A Day 2011, Writer, Writing
Clearing out the junk at home too
Posted by doggonedmysteries
There’s spillover from working at the MIL’s house. I cleaned out my closet today and loaded a thirty-gallon garbage bag with clothes to go to Goodwill. I have more to do but it’s a good start. Even DH caught the bug and began to sort through his clothes, bagging what he doesn’t wear anymore.
This could be a good thing. It could mean the beginning of decluttering my own home. I have many ideas as to what can go. A few of them aren’t making DH very happy but since he isn’t the one who has to clean he hasn’t much say. Mwahahaha!
He’s coming over to the house on Sunday to sort through tools and has instructions to keep in mind all the things he can no longer do. Don’t bring home anything you only think you ‘might’ use.
In a couple of weeks there’s going to be one heck of a sale, everything must go. What doesn’t go will be hauled away.
Posted in Misc
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, Post A Day, Post A Day 2011, Writer, Writing
It’s a frog!
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Last year we lost all of our bullfrogs to traffic or wanderlust on their parts. We’ve only ever had bullfrogs, since bullfrog tadpoles were all we could get. This year my favorite pond guy had native green frog tadpoles. I bought a dozen and I’m thinking of going back for more since we lost four.
I had a wonderful surprise when I went out to feed the fish this evening. At least one of our remaining eight tadpoles has turned into a frog. He is no bigger than a dime. I’m looking forward to more and I hope they make noise this summer.
Posted in my garden
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, Pond, Ponds, Post A Day, Post A Day 2011, Writer, Writing
Miracle at the MIL’s
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Wow! We worked our tails off at the MIL’s house today and I think we might have the house cleared of all garbage and recyclables within the next two weeks. Then we can list a two-day sale on Craig’s list and possibly have the house empty and ready for the painters immediately after that.
Back in November, we began to work over there knowing the MIL would probably not be coming home. At the time, we thought the nursing home would take the house. When the MIL died in March, she beat them out of it. That left it completely up to us to clear everything out and sell it.
I thought we’d never get it done. However, as of now we are getting very close to the end of the tunnel. We can soon begin doing the cosmetics and repairs we need to do to sell the house. The day we hang the for sale sign up is the day I crack open a bottle of champagne and celebrate with my helpers.
Posted in Misc
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, Post A Day, Post A Day 2011, Writer, Writing
Internalization, externalization, and the land of the clichéd expressions
Posted by doggonedmysteries
According to the Encarta dictionary—Internalization: to deal with an emotion or conflict by thinking about it rather than expressing it openly.
My critiquing partners have often complained that I need to have my characters internalize more. I have trouble writing internalized emotions. This is something I’m trying to improve. It isn’t easy. I find that I often fall into the land of the clichéd expressions.
One doesn’t want to fall into this land. They kick and bite you. While writing an emotional scene, it sometimes takes using a clichéd expression so your writing flow doesn’t freeze. That way you can continue writing without wracking your brain for some sort of analogy.
I have Word set to catch clichés. When my computer screams at me for using a clichéd expression, I turn the phrase to a different color, which makes it easy to spot later, and I continue to write. Then when I get to the rewrites, I have to change them.
Externalization: to express ideas or feelings in some visible or perceptible way in order to communicate them to somebody else.
This is much easier to do and I use it more often than internalization. I need to reach a happy medium.
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, Post A Day, Post A Day 2011, Writer, Writing
Our entertainment
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Our TrueBlood episode or two an evening marathon ended last night. Now we have to wait another year for the fourth season to come out, dang it. I have to giggle that I got DH so hooked on the series. Since I read the Charlaine Harris books, I know where it’s going, and much to DH’s frustration, I won’t tell him. He could read the books but he can’t see well enough to do so. Poor guy will have to wait.
G and I finally got to the new Pirates of the Caribbean Movie yesterday afternoon. We had the theater to ourselves and had a great time. There’s nothing quite as nice as a school day matinée.
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Charlaine Harris, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Post A Day, Post A Day 2011, Sookie Stackhouse, True Blood, Writer, Writing
Icky Poo!
Posted by doggonedmysteries
My gag reflex worked overtime yesterday as we threw out home canned goods left to rot in the MIL’s cellar since the mid 1970’s. I’m not kidding there were dates on the canning jar lids. Can you say EWWWWWWWW? Poor G’s gag reflex got a workout too. I owe my dear friend BIG TIME for all her help and I’ve told her that repeatedly.
There’s plenty more jars to empty and then there’s all that homemade wine we have to empty out of bottles and throw them away. ERG! I dread that job. Those wines were nasty way back in the 70’s when the FIL made them.
Chuck showed up and found a problem with what we thought would be a simple spray foam, insulation job. (SIGH) Nothing in this house ever seems to go easily. I can’t wait to get out from under it. Hmm, wasn’t that what the wicked witch said when Dorothy’s house landed on her?
Wednesday and another day of icky poo stuff will get here far too soon for me.
Posted in Misc
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, Post A Day, Post A Day 2011, Writer, Writing
Wait, he is hurrying as fast as he can
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Someone rang our doorbell at eight in the morning yesterday. Since I’d only gone to bed two hours before that I didn’t hear it. Most importantly, it seems that people don’t understand that it takes DH some time to get to the door especially if he’s upstairs. He’s no Speedy Gonzalez, due to his MS the man moves at a turtle’s pace.
By the time DH got to the door, the bell ringer was long gone. How much sense does it take to realize that we are home when both our cars are in the driveway? Is patience in such short supply that the person had to rush off? Nothing ticks DH off more than to rush to the door only to find the person gone. Mind you, his rushing is similar to a snail on crack but that can’t be helped.
I hate to think I have to post a sign saying, ‘person answering the door is slow…please have patience.’
Posted in MS related
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, Post A Day, Post A Day 2011, Writer, Writing
Mall kiosk psychos
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I amazed myself yesterday. I asked G to go clothes shopping with me. Coldwater Creek was having a half price sale. The jeans, capris, and slacks I bought there for the conference fit so well that I couldn’t resist the sale. I came home with two more pair of capris that are so comfortable I could live in them all summer. Gina bought one pair.
They are very helpful in the store but I really hate walking through the mall to get there. I have a question for everyone out there.
Do I have a sign on my forehead that says ‘come on drive me crazy’? What is it about me that attracts all those psycho mall demo-sales people? I do everything I can to NOT make eye contact with them and yet they literally grab me when I go anywhere near one of those little kiosks. No matter how many times I say, “No, I’m not interested” they still try to slather me with their crap. I tell them I’m allergic and they insist I can’t be allergic to their stuff. Hey, I lied but it did me no good. She grabbed my arm in a vise-like grip and slathered the whateveritistheyareselling on the inside of my wrist.
“Lady, for today only $39.99. See how nice it works on your skin?”
I looked at my right wrist then looked at my unmolested left wrist and I saw no difference. “Sorry Skippy too rich for my blood.” I hate using crap on my skin and for $39.99, for a teensy bottle it’d better be made of freaking gold.
Posted in Misc
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, Post A Day, Post A Day 2011, Writer, Writing


