Blog Archives
I’m no sugar and spice girl.
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I’m not a girly girl. I never have been, never will be. Proof of that hit me yesterday when my neighbor’s son came to the gate and told me he’d found a bunch of worms for the Koi. I let him in, we went over to the pond, and I asked him if he wanted to feed the fish. Nope, he didn’t want to handle the worms. He handed me the large plastic drink cup in which he had them contained. I giggled. I couldn’t help myself. I was trying to figure out how he’d picked up the worms without handling them.
I was always a tom boy. I started fishing as soon as I was able to hold a fishing pole. If we went fishing with Grandpa or my Father, we had to bait our own hooks. Worms don’t bother me. I remember chasing a cousin or two with a nice big night crawler.
I remember when the boys in school would try to scare me with a snake or a mouse and I didn’t scream and run. Instead, I’d squeal, “Oh, how cute! Can I hold it?” Picture their disappointed little faces.
When I came in from playing outside, much to my mother’s chagrin, I was as filthy as all the neighborhood boys were. Dad thought it was a hoot.
Have a happy and safe 4th of July!
Posted in Misc, my garden, 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, Fish, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Koi, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Skunky? Here are some odor removal formulas.
Posted by doggonedmysteries
My friend in OK sent me her skunk out formula. Her Husband is a cop and she’s mentioned in the past that this formula also gets rid of that decaying dead body odor…
1 lb box baking soda, 16 oz hydrogen peroxide, 3/4 cup gentle shampoo, 1/4 cup liquid dish soap like dawn or joy. Mix and use immediately. Something in it evaporates off so you can’t mix it and store it.
MJ sent me her formula which is white vinegar and peroxide for those who are sensitive to shampoos and/or Dawn dish soap.
Then there is a commercial product put out by the people who make Nature’s Miracle, Nature’s Miracle Skunk Odor remover and it’s available at most retail pet stores.
By the way, Nature’s Miracle is great for getting rid of blood stains, and pet odors and stains.
Posted in Dog related, Misc, 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
A skunk by any other name still stinks
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Mr. Skunk, Mr. Polecat, or (my mother’s favorite name for the darned things), Mr. Sachet Kitty is back.
Somewhere out there he’d let loose and the stench drifted into the house. EW! Dear Hubby and I both jumped up from our chairs, he ran to close the front door (short run of three steps), and I dashed to the back of the house to close the back door. Out came the pet odor deodorizing spray and I lit some incense.
At least Mr. Skunk hadn’t let loose because of our dogs or me being outside. Last time it was too close a call for me. Our only hope is that he moves on—which I doubt will happen, or a car hits him—hopefully on the far side of the neighborhood. I know that sounds nasty but I don’t want him back in my yard again. I have two dogs that have no fear when it comes to chasing a strange critter.
My neighbor’s Standard Poodle would also chase it down. I’m certain she’d not enjoy having a stinky dog leap into her bed. Surprise Mom!
Then there are the two tiny dogs next door the smaller of the two has no fear either. Little Demonica…er Angelica is less than half the skunk’s size but has the temperament of a Doberman when it comes to protecting what’s hers. This includes anything she can see from her yard including my yard, the alley, and the street out front.
Which reminds me, just in case one these dogs meets Mr. Skunk, I’ll have to E-mail a friend of mine for her skunk out formula.
Posted in Dog related, Misc
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
I can’t find my cell phone
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I hate cell phones. In an earlier post I wrote about not wanting to be connected twenty four seven. Today it’s more about the size of the darned things.
Now I’ve lost my billfold and many smaller items in the depths of my purse, but today Dear Hubby lost his cell phone in his pants. Yep, that’s what I said—in his pants.
The disembodied voice came from upstairs. “Honey, I can’t find my cell phone. Will you look around down there and see if you can find it?”
“Sure.” I also checked outside because he had mowed the grass. “I don’t see it anywhere. Did you try calling the number?” Yes, we’ve been through this before. It’s easier to call the cell phone number than it is to tear up the house looking for the damned thing.
My disconsolate DH walked downstairs, picked up the cordless phone, and called his cell phone number.
From somewhere upstairs we could hear it ring.
“At least you didn’t lose it out in the yard.”
He glared at me and went upstairs. A few minutes later I hear, “I can’t find it.”
I climbed the steps. He’s sitting on the bed looking puzzled.
“Dial it again.”
He does. I hear the phone’s distinctive ring coming from the foot of the bed where his recently discarded jeans were in a heap.
I picked them up. Yep, they were ringing. “Found it!”
“But I looked there.”
He had but he hadn’t checked the end of the belt that hung inside the pants.
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, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Raising the stakes in our writing
Posted by doggonedmysteries
How do we do that? Gee, I’m glad you asked.
We give our protagonist a problem at every turn. It can be a small problem such as a flat tire, or BIG problem such as what to do about that dead body in the middle of the living room.
Cliffhangers, don’t we all love those? End your chapters with one that will ensure your readers keep turning the pages.
There’s the old time honored ticking clock where our protagonist must solve a big problem within a set time frame or there will be dire consequences. Think about all those suspense movies that you enjoy, they have a deadline.
Keep raising the tension, releasing it, and raising it again. You can even do that with the scenery. Is it night? Foggy? Is your hero heading into a mudslide? You get the idea.
Make your readers’ hearts pound. Put your protagonist into so much danger that they catch themselves holding their breath.
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, Writer, Writing
Do not try this at home…
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Don’t you love when you hear that? You know some danged fool will try IT, whatever IT is. Are some people hard wired to do dumb stuff? Other humans wouldn’t dream of doing those ‘don’t try this at home’ stunts because they have some common sense.
Ah, there’s the rub. Where has it gone? What has happened to common sense, horse sense, practicality, plain old good judgment? Is it old fashioned? Is it out of style? Has it gone the way of good manners and respect for your fellow man or woman?
Today, on my way to Borders, I watched some young fellows of about twelve years of age riding their bikes. They were playing a deadly game of tag with cars and trucks out on a major thoroughfare. Then there were the skateboarding guys who were weaving around cars in the busy parking lot—I almost ran one over when he darted out in front of me. Hey Mom, was that your kid out there? I bet he doesn’t pull those stunts anywhere near home because you’d kill him.
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, 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
I added a new page
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Check out my newly added page ‘The Bull Pen’ I’ve begun to put some pictures of Gavin and Patty there. As I take new ones I’ll add those too.
I’d love to get some pictures of them jumping through their Hula Hoops but that’s up to Dear Hubby. I need him to take them while I put the pups through their paces and since the weather is getting hot he is seldom outside.
We’ll try doing a little begging. Speaking of that, maybe we can get him to snap some pictures of Patty doing her famous stick ’em up routine while we’re at it.
Later, we might add some pics of our God Puppy, Charlie and our Bulldog friends, Brutus and Diamond.
Posted in Dog related
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
The dogs are turning into AC sissies
Posted by doggonedmysteries
With his MS, Dear Hubby needs to have the air conditioning on as soon as the temperatures begin to climb into the eighties and the humidity begins. The dogs don’t need it. However, Patty and Gavin have decided that they LOVE being cool and comfy. No, these dogs aren’t spoiled…much. When it’s hot outside, they don’t want to stay out in the yard with me, they want to be inside with DH.
If it is humid and hot, they won’t go out unless they HAVE TO GO. It’s not as though they have heavy, long, or thick coats. These two have short coats. You would think I was dragging them to their deaths to watch them. Patty will make a circuit or two around the yard and then she’ll stand at the back door begging me to take her back into the cool. Gavin is worse. He’ll go out into the yard as few steps as possible to squat and pee. Why lift a leg when to find something to lift it on would mean walking across the yard.
DH’s need for AC has turned these two dogs into sissies.
“What do you mean go out there in the heat? We might melt!”
Wimps.
Posted in Dog related, 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
Books, an addiction, or a love affair with words?
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I recently purged my library of paperback books. I kept my favorites, books I hope to get autographed one day, and my autographed copies. I gave away a large number of books. I still have tons. What’s a book nut to do? I love books.
Is there a book lovers anonymous? I can picture this now. I sit down with my fellow book addicts and slug back coffee after coffee, while listening to others tell their tales of addiction. Then it’s my turn to stand up.
“Hello my name is M and I’m a book addict.”
“Hi, M!”
I can’t go to a conference and come home without books. I can’t walk into a book store and leave without buying at least one book. I devour books, sometimes reading two in a day. I’m so far ahead of our local library’s newest acquisitions they should ask me what’s new.
I take pleasure in a great turn of phrase, an imaginative simile, a good joke, a skillful mystery, a story that paints a vivid picture with words. Maybe it’s not an addiction to books but a love affair with words.
Posted in 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, Writer, Writing
Big city wild critters
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Wild critters wander this big city at night. At least they do around my neighborhood. Tonight I had a skunk trot along behind me as I walked into my back porch. You’d better believe I closed the door quick. He was within two feet of me. I’m so glad he didn’t spook and spray. That would not have been fun. The dogs would’ve barked at me for days. Dear Hubby would’ve laughed his assets off while handing me tomato juice and a bucket. I would’ve been mad as hell because I’m wearing my best jeans.
A couple of weeks ago a neighbor had to kill an opossum who had somehow managed to get his teeth stuck in the wire fencing that’s beside their house. The critter was truly stuck. He didn’t want to kill it but there was no way he could free it easily. As it was, he had to cut the fencing to get the critter off it.
We’ve seen deer, raccoons, and hawks of all sorts, tons of rabbits and squirrels, ducks, Canadian geese, wild turkeys and even a pheasant or two near our home. DH says that when he was a child they had foxes roaming about. I think the only wild critter we haven’t seen in our neighborhood is a bear. We are NOT out in the country. We are smack dab in the center of Pennsylvania’s third largest city.
Posted in Misc
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, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
Evolving into a water creature
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I may be a Pisces but I don’t want to turn into a fish. When I woke up today, I thought I saw the beginnings of webs growing between my toes. I checked myself in the mirror for fear I may have some rudimentary gills erupting too. Is that moss covering my north side? Am I growing mold? Scifi or Darwin? You decide. All I know is, I want at least a week straight of sunny weather.
Since April, we’ve had 43 days of rain. Yes, I said 43 days of rain. It’s no wonder my yard is a swamp. When we actually do have a day of sun everybody stops, looks at the sky, and wonders if we should make a sacrifice to Ra. I forget what does the sky look like without clouds?
Farmers around here are worried that we are getting too much rain. I know if we had more sun I might have more green tomatoes on my plants but with all the rain a lot of the blossoms have dropped off the plants. I’m glad that some tomatoes had time to set, but at this sunless rate, they may never ripen.
Posted in Misc, My blog, my garden
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, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Writer, Writing
No nip, tuck, Lasik, or Botox for me
Posted by doggonedmysteries
It seems that most of the commercials on TV are to promote remedies for growing older. Some are surgical and others for make up to cover up. What’s so gosh darned wrong with showing your age? There’s beauty in those crows feet and laugh lines. There’s experience behind them, joys and sorrows that only come with growing older.
Yeah, without my glasses I’m as blind as a bat. I know several people who have had Lasik done and of them only one who didn’t have any problems afterwards. I think I’ll keep my glasses. Sure, I could have a tummy tuck, my boobs made perky, and lift my face but I’m happy with me as I am.
Botox my forehead? No thanks. I’ll keep my wrinkles. I’ve earned them. I want to be able move my eyebrows and show some expression. You can’t do a Groucho Marks imitation if you can’t move your eyebrows. Egads, I’ve seen those Botoxed faces and frankly, they scare the hell out of me. Shades of the Stepford Wives. I don’t want to be a Pod Person.
Tags: Author, 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, Writer, Writing
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