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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
The house of cleaning horrors
Posted by doggonedmysteries
This old house seems to breed dust. I could vacuum, mop, and dust every day and I don’t think it would make much of a difference. I kid you not. I dust off the coffee table, and I swear, ten minutes later, you can write your name in it again. Vacuum the rug and a split second later you can see the dog hair rise out of the pile like Neptune from the sea.
Dust bunnies procreate faster than real ones. Then they mushroom from teensy baby dust bunnies to killer rogues in no time. I have to beat them into submission. I saw the dogs running from one the other day.
The ceiling fans grow a coat of fur more rapidly than a shaved poodle. It’s downright scary. I’m also constantly cleaning cobwebs from the ceiling and corners and yet they stay one jump ahead of me.
Muddy paw prints on the kitchen floor are nothing compared to the tracked in salt at the front door. Cleaning up that mess takes more elbow grease than what would fill a deep fry vat at Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Posted in Misc, 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, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, 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
Blame Delaney
Posted by doggonedmysteries
A couple of years ago, my hard drive crashed. (I’m so glad I back up my books daily.) I had a program on the old hard drive that did some of the things that Fotosketcher does. I lost it. It was no where to be found. I’d used it to do the portrait of Gavin that I use as my avatar. I’d done a gorgeous portrait of my neighbor’s daughter in a water color effect.
I tried many photo programs but hadn’t found one that did the things I wanted. Then Delaney did a post on Fotosketcher.
I have a new addiction. I blame Delaney. Yes, it’s all her fault. She tempted me to try it and now I am completely addicted.
I love Fotosketcher! I’ve played with it so often that I think most of my best photos have copies in water color, oil, pencil, and whatever else I can tweak it into doing. I’m driving DH crazy. Yep, I tell him it’s all Delaney’s fault.
Today I was guilty of addicting someone else to the program.
I wonder if I can find a chapter of Fotosketcher addicts anonymous.
Posted in hobbies
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, photograhy, Writer, Writing
How to be a writer
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Write a paragraph. Delete what you’ve written. Write some more. Two paragraphs, three, maybe a whole page. Read them, scream, delete and rewrite them.
Bang head on desk. Get some sudden inspiration and write six pages. Spell and grammar check them. Read them and feel a thrill that they make sense.
Write a paragraph. Delete what you’ve written. Dig deep inside you. Find additional inspiration and write five or six more pages.
Life interrupts.
Write a paragraph. Bang head on desk…
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, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Garbled messages
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Our answering machine is doing its level best to die. It’s not as though it gets a lot of use, but today it proved it is on the way out. When a person’s voice sounds worse than Donald Duck’s it’s time to get a new answering machine. A doctor’s secretary left a message and I think I understood one word in four. It’s a good thing DH heard the message earlier and had already called them back.
We use the standard message that comes with the machine. There have been times where I was tempted to put some not so very nice messages on there. ‘If you’re trying to sell me something I don’t want or need, hang up.’ ‘If you’ve at one time or another screwed us over, kiss my a$$.’ ‘If you are a credit card company trying to get us to try your card at a new low rate, up yours, we don’t want it.’ Those are the more tame ones I would’ve recorded.
What is the out-going message on your machine? Is it the machine standard one or have you recorded a ‘special’ message?
Posted in Misc
Tags: Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, comedy, Craft of writing, Crafts, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
The pups are mud bugs and some very bad poetry
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Holy cow is our yard a muddy mess and it’s not even spring yet. All day Gavin and Patty blissfully played in the mud each time they went out. When they came in, they looked like two mud wrestlers. Patty took great joy in paw painting Dear Hubby’s jeans and shirt. Gavin preferred to paw paint me. They are mud bugs.
My laundry basket runneth over. Yea, though they run rampant through the yard and gardens, they fear no mud puddle. For they know they can track a goodly supply of muck onto the kitchen floor. Surely Mom’s wrath will follow, or at least, a toweling at the door. Dad sits by in a muddle, paw printed from toe to neck. Both dogs make a leap for his lap, oh no. He yells, “What the heck?”
There’s mud on the walls three feet above the dogs. How it got there, they aren’t telling. I can’t blame them, because Dad was yelling. Muddy paws wiped all day and the mop and bucket have gone astray.
Two exhausted dogs sleep. Snores from crates emanate. DH is off to bed and I am left to ruminate.
Posted in My blog
Tags: Author, Bad poetry, 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
Does anyone make a coffee maker that won’t pee on my counter?
Posted by doggonedmysteries
I love coffee. I love drip coffee makers. However, I have yet to find one that lasts longer than two years. I take care of them. I keep them clean. I follow all instructions. Nevertheless, before I know it, they become senile and start peeing on the counter.
In 37 years, I’ve gone through a multitude of coffee makers. One decided I worked it too hard and in protest shot its on/off switch across the kitchen, nearly hitting G in the head, and then ceased working. That one was the only one that didn’t hang around long enough to pee on the counter.
I have owned every name brand coffee maker out there and not one of them has remained housebroken. I’ve had cheap coffee makers; middle range priced ones, and a couple of expensive ones.
I’m tired of wiping up puddles on my kitchen counter. It’s worse than having an 8 week old puppy. At least as they get older they learn not to wet the floor.
Do coffeemakers mark their territory? Do they perhaps have weak bladders?
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, Food, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Musing on my muse
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Her voice made me jump out of my reverie. “I’m back.”
Once my heart settled back into its normal rhythm, I grumped at her. “It’s about time. I’ve been struggling here.”
“Hey, don’t blame me. You’re the writer.” My muse flounced over to a nearby chair and sprawled into it.
“Yes, but you’re my muse. You’re supposed to be here to give me inspiration.”
“Inspiration, shminpiration I have my own needs.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know.” She stretched out her left hand and checked out her fingernails.
“No, if you don’t tell me. I don’t know.”
“I need space. I need my privacy. I need love too.”
“A likely story.” I turned back to my computer.
She stood and tapped me on the shoulder. “I’m serious here. Why don’t you believe me?”
“Because you only disappear when I’ve written my characters into corners that’s why.”
“So don’t do it.”
With that exasperating bit of news, I shoved my chair away from the desk. “Pray tell, how is that possible?”
“Write literary fiction. Give up on the mysteries.”
I picked up my phone. “Is there someone I can call to have you replaced?”
“Now, is that nice? After all I’ve done for you.”
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, Muse, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
The week in review
Posted by doggonedmysteries
This has been a long week. Very cold weather and now today, more snow. Dang, we were just getting to see some grass peek through the last dumping of snow we got. The furnace has been working overtime keeping the house warm. Eeks! We have frigid weather and another inch or two of snow predicted for this weekend. Take note people, with this surge in cold weather stocks in long underwear companies should rocket. Hurry up spring!
Meanwhile back at the pond, the waterfall is frozen but the fountains are running. We need a few days above freezing to thaw the filters and the waterfall. There’s no ice on the pond, due to the cattle trough heater, but leaves clogged the basket on top of the pump, thus the frozen filters. It took me two hours to get the fountains flowing. Ah, wet hands and frigid weather, what a lovely combination.
Gavin and Patty are as sick of snow as we are. Neither one wants to be outside long. Our normally quiet dog barked when she saw some people outside today. It seems that Patty has taken to complaining to the neighbors about the weather.
DH had a bad week. We’re hoping next week will be a better one for him. He’s going to skip his Avonex dose on Monday. We’ll see how that goes.
Here’s hoping for warmer days, melted snow, and DH feeling better.
Posted in Dog related, 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, Home, Humor, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pet humor, Pets, Pond, Ponds, Rescue Dogs, Snow, weather, Writer, Writing
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