Blog Archives
The trespasser
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Gavin and Patty jockeyed for the best position at the kitchen window. They wanted to see and bark at the dark stranger in the yard. He ignored them.
Gavin barked, “My yard!”
Patty yodeled, “Get out. You don’t belong there.”
Gavin ran to the back door and rang the sleigh bells like a street corner Santa on speed. “Let me at him.”
Patty leapt upon the radiator. “Why I oughta…”
“Quiet you two. Enough!” I dragged Patty off the radiator and backed Gavin away from the bells. “One more peep out of you and you’ll kennel up until you cool down.”
DH yelled down the stairs, “What the heck is with them?”
“Woo, Woo, Woof!”
“That’s it. Kennels.”
They retreated to their crates and I closed the doors behind them. Then I went to the bottom of the stairs to thank DH for the ruckus.
“You had to mention there was a big old crow in the yard using words they know didn’t you?”
“What?”
“You said, ‘look, outside, and yard’ and you used an excited tone. They ran to look outside and saw the damned crow.”
“Oh. Sorry about that.”
{Sigh} Is there such a thing as a quiet day?
Posted in Dog related, Misc, 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
They keep us laughing.
Posted by doggonedmysteries
If it weren’t for the dogs, I do think we wouldn’t laugh half as much as we do. If dogs had day planners, harass Gavin every minute today was in bold print in Patty’s. She didn’t give him one second’s peace at all. It might have something to do with the improvement of the weather.
DH said that she started early this morning. She enticed Gavin into bully runs and teased him by hucklebutting on the couch with the bone of contention in her mouth. (The bone from the pictures below.)
When I came down, Patty went into her mine, mine, mine it’s mine dance. At one point, after leaping about on the couch with the bone, she shook her head. The bone flew out of her mouth, and landed on the coffee table with a crash. The pups know that things on the coffee table are out of bounds. She stared at the bone willing it to move.
DH figured we’d get a few minutes of quiet. He was wrong. By that time, Gavin had enough of Patty playing queen of the hill. He walked over to the table, delicately lifted the bone, took it to his crate, and closed the crate door behind himself. We didn’t know he could do that.
Posted in Dog related, Misc, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
I see flowers starting to grow
Posted by doggonedmysteries
The yard is almost void of snow. A stroll around the gardens revealed numerous spring flowers trying to push through the mulch. I can’t wait for them to bloom.
Both the dogs were past silly with this noticeable change in the weather. They don’t care that March came in like a lamb they’re happy it’s getting warmer and the snow is leaving. They leapt about the yard in wild abandon.
The birds were also letting us know that the weather was improving. I haven’t heard so much birdsong in months. What a joy it was.
DH was in a jollier mood. I even took two walks, one with each dog. It was nice to get out.
We’re looking forward to this weekend and the predicted temperatures of the mid fifties with sun, lots of sun.
Posted in Dog related, Misc, My blog, my garden, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
They say a picture is worth a thousand words…
Posted by doggonedmysteries
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- Mine! {Sigh, baby sisters are a pain}
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- I said gimme!
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- Gimme
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- I want his
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- Bone chewing time
Gavin can be so tolerant…
Posted in Dog related, Misc, 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
Westminster Dog Show nights
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Every February we spend two nights watching the Westminster Dog Show. When I used to show our BTs, I dreamed of showing one our dogs there one day. Well, life oftentimes changes things as ours has. We’ll never have a dog entered at Westminster because we no longer show dogs. However, we can enjoy making our picks, competing with each other on which dogs will win, and watch the best of the best make it to the Best in Show ring.
I drive DH crazy because I pick an average 3 out of 4 winners in each group. (Dang I should’ve wagered money on this with him.) This year I picked all four ribbon winners in the Non-sporting group in the correct order. In addition, I managed to pick 3 out of 4 for the rest of the groups. For the last several years, I’ve picked the Best in Show winner too. I knew Elliot Weiss would pick the Scottie, Sadie. She was flawless, and once a terrier person, always a terrier person. I must add here that the Best in Show group, in its entirety, was breath taking.
When I first met him (oh, so many) years ago, Elliot was a professional handler. Malcolm had managed to make it to terrier group. Professionals, handle most of the terrier breeds, with the exception of some BTs and a very few others. When I entered the ring, I saw many handlers who, in the dog show world, were legendary and who was it in front of me in line? Elliot. He was very nice. He saw that I was nervous and gave me a few encouraging words. We didn’t win, but it certainly was exciting for me, a mere mortal, to compete in the same ring with all those renowned handlers.
Posted in Dog related, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, dog shows, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Pets, Rescue Dogs, Westminster Dog Show, Writer, Writing
Even dogs get cabin fever
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Neither Patty nor Gavin enjoy trudging through the deep snow outside. Therefore, they’ve begun to romp inside more than usual with DH and me taking the brunt of their zest. They run around like maniacs and use us as bumpers when they make turns. Either that or they leap onto our laps leaving black and blue paw prints behind.
Gavin had quieted down and had stretched out alongside me in my chair. He likes an afternoon nap. Patty was still looking for mischief. First, she poked his paw with her nose as she walked by. Then she walked past again and nosed his chest. The third time by she poked him in the nose a couple of times. I must say Gavin tried mightily to ignore her.
She, who is not to be ignored, wanted to play. She went and stood by DH’s chair and studied Gavin for a few minutes. Gavin was trying to doze. He even faked it by closing his eyes tight. However, I could feel his body tense as he sensed her scrutiny.
Patty walked past us and went into the kitchen. A few seconds later, she bounded back into the living room and pounced on both of us. Gavin shot out of the chair, bully runs and hucklebutts ensued. I can’t wait until they can burn off some energy outside.
Posted in Dog related, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Rescue Dogs, Snow, Writer, Writing
Yuck, no more white stuff please
Posted by doggonedmysteries
What can I say? When this winter is finally over, I won’t want to see anything white for many months. Maybe I’ll dye Gavin green for March.
Never mind, knowing the people in this area I think I’d get tired of hearing, “Hey lady you’ve got a green dog.”
“Ya think?”
How about neon pink? He has to go for his shots and our vet has a great sense of humor. Can you see me walking a neon pink Gavin into his office?
“Hi A. Do you think that Gavin’s allergies might be getting worse?”
He’d take one look at neon pink Gavin and fall on the floor laughing.
Would Patty get jealous and want her white parts tinted too?
If I had some food coloring in the house, I’d go air brush the darned snow. A yard full of rainbow colors would certainly look more cheerful.
On second thought, knowing my dogs, all that color would track inside the house and what a lovely mess I’d have to clean up. I guess I’ll live with the plain old white snow.
I wrote this in the wee hours of the morning as usual. It’s now late in the afternoon and we are in blizzard conditions. From the looks of things outside, we may be inside for a month!
Go ahead Lee, if you are reading this, LAUGH your A$$ off.
I can’t find my van or DH’s pick up in the driveway, and I’m going to have to dig a path in the yard for the dogs.
Posted in Weather related, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, 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, Snow, Writer, Writing
Finally decided on a paint color for the kitchen…
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I’ve wanted to paint the kitchen forever. I’ve waffled over this repeatedly. One after another, paint sample cards have hung on the wall above the cabinets where I can see them from my desk. Some were too dark, others too light, then one day a few months ago, G gave me a couple of cards she’d brought home for her own use and had used to choose her colors.
I narrowed my choices down to two colors. Behr paint’s Delicious Melon and Luminary both extremely close but it was the darker of the two that seems to work best. Luminary was my choice. It draws on the floor tile color, it’s light enough to be cheerful, and it has a nice warmth to it.
This will be my spring project. Once I can open the windows I’ll go buy the paint. Painting anything in this house takes on a comedic shape. Two Bull Terriers, a ladder, drop cloth, paint rollers, and fresh paint are disasters waiting to happen. It’s good thing the wall color will be similar to the floor.
That sounds weird, similar to the floor. I’m telling you it will look nice. The cabinets are a medium stain on birch and the counter top is forest green. The floor is a pale peach tone with small accent tiles of green. The back splash is white. The paint will make the cabinets pop and it will brighten an ugly paneled kitchen. When I do it this spring, I’ll post before and after pictures.
We are not responsible for the paneling it was here when we moved in. I’d tear it down but then that would mean hiring someone in to put up dry wall and take down the nasty drop ceiling. We can’t afford that.
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Dog humor, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pets, Writer, Writing
Word choices
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I can’t tell you how often I will fuss over word choices. A first draft is rife with bad choices. My verbs are feeble and lackluster. The descriptions are hackneyed and drab.
“It’s boring, boring, BORING!” I scream as I read over a new page. “I can do better.”
I believe my delete and backspace keys will wear out long before any of the other keys on my keyboard.
Dear Hubby and Gavin are used to this and don’t bat an eye. Patty will often dive for her crate but that’s how she is.
I go over each word, dredging for something better, brighter, and stronger. No wonder it takes me so long to write. I want my readers to feel the textures, hear the sounds, see, even taste and smell what my character sees, tastes and smells. I want to yank you into the story, suspend your disbelief, and entertain you.
Have patience with me. It’s my greatest hope that you will feel satisfied and entertained when you finish one of them. If I can do that, and make you want more, I will be content.
Posted in My blog, My books, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Gavin doesn’t do well with change
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Poor Gavin. He’s very confused. Our kitchen is the coldest room in the house. Gavin’s crate has been in the kitchen since he arrived here at the age of eight weeks. He’s now eight years old. I moved his crate to the living room tonight. With the dreadfully cold weather we’ve had lately, he’s been fussing at night in his crate trying to cover himself with his bedding.
I did some rearranging of furniture a few hours ago and his crate is now next to Patty’s. (Oh, yeah this has also confused her a bit.) When I moved Gavin’s crate, he was busy getting a belly tickle from DH so he really didn’t notice. When DH finished, I showed Gavin where his crate was. I did, honestly I did. Gavin even went in and out of it several times.
Then we let Patty out of her crate so she could see the change too. She thought it was a funny joke. She quickly pounced on, and teased Gavin. Then she did a silly huckle butt on the couch. All this wound Gavin up and he raced back and forth from living room to kitchen. They took a while to settle down.
When I told them to kennel up, Gavin ran to the kitchen and looked for his crate, and looked for his crate, and stood in the middle of the floor looking puzzled. I showed him his crate, again. It’s going to take a while for him to get used to this. In the meantime, I might need to go looking for a dog psychologist.
Posted in Dog related, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, 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, Writing
Time to trim the toenails
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Tonight I noticed that both of the pups sound like tap dancers when they walk. Tomorrow I’ll have to get sneaky and begin the process of trimming their claws. Patty is very good about letting us trim her claws. Gavin, on the other hand, is not. Trimming Gavin’s claws is a long, slow process.
Patty will stay on her back on the couch and remain as still as a seat cushion while I snip away at her claws. On occasion, she will pull a paw back but she does so without any conviction.
We have to sneak up on Gavin to do his. Most of the time, I manage to snip a claw or two when he’s snoozing with me on my chair. It only works if he is on his back, then he’s fairly easy pickings. I never can trim more than two at a time though. By the second snip of the clippers, 65 pounds of white dog rockets from the chair. He has his limits and I’d better have a cookie ready or I won’t get him in that position again.
You can almost see Patty rolling her eyes at him.
Posted in Dog related, 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
Dreaming of spring on a cold night
Posted by doggonedmysteries
We had some sunshine today and the temperature inched above 40 degrees. Gavin and Patty made full use of the yard, dashing about and pretending it was warm.
2 a.m., I took the dogs for their last out of the night. It’s getting danged cold out there. I’m tired of the cold, of being stuck in the house, gray and dreary days. I don’t want to wear a heavy coat, a hat, and gloves. The dogs are tired of it too. Both were quick going about their business.
I want warm nights where I can sit out by the pond listening to the crickets and frogs sing in chorus. I dream of digging in the gardens, the scent of flowers, and the sound of song birds.
I can tell the dogs want spring too. I can see the dreams of dozing in a patch of sun warmed grass in their eyes.
I heard a tiny snatch of a songbird’s song this morning. Tulips and daffodils are pushing through the mulch. Can spring be far behind?
Posted in Dog related, Misc, Weather related, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pond, Ponds, Spring, Writer, Writing
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