Blog Archives
Dang, they had to take that picture didn’t they?
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Geez, by now they were forgetting about me taking home all that loot from the PW conference raffle. However, they’ll be looking for the lynching rope once again when they read the PW newsletter. Yeah, it seems that there’s a darned picture of me in there with all the swag.
I should’ve ducked faster. I do not like to have my picture taken even under the best of circumstances. I don’t photograph well, never have.
I’m already saving for next year’s conference. Our annual basket donations are in preparation I have a few items for one basket set aside. Nope, I won’t tell you. You’ll have to attend the conference to find out.
Until then, happy writing everyone!
Posted in My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Pennwriters, Writer, Writing
Keep the readers satisfied
Posted by doggonedmysteries
A story needs a beginning, middle, and an end. Without all three, it isn’t a story.
Beginnings flow like a river with easy to navigate deep pools and rapids that make the pulse pound. Beginnings can introduce your characters to your readers. They can give your readers a time and place. Most of all, beginnings hook them.
Middles are a writer’s bane. Screw up the middle of the story and you lose your audience. You will often hear writers complain about a sagging middle. That dull, lifeless section comes between the brilliant opening and the smashing end. Middles need to move the story forward, excite the readers enough to keep them turning pages, and they add tension. Middles must sparkle as bright as the beginning and drive onward to the end. This is not easy.
An ending wraps things up with a nice bow. Whether it is the solving of a crime, the saving of the world or the success of a relationship, it satisfies the reader. Keep the readers satisfied and they will keep coming back.
Posted in My blog, My books, 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
Caterpillars and butterflies
Posted by doggonedmysteries
When I was quite young, my father gave me his well-worn, dog-eared butterfly book. I have very little that was his so the book is highly treasured by me. We loved looking up caterpillars and butterflies when we saw them.
Tonight, I discovered that my bronze fennel has several caterpillars snacking on it. I grabbed the book, looked them up, and they are swallowtail butterfly caterpillars. I won’t kill them. Swallowtails are such lovely butterflies. I hope the little guys hang around long enough to change into their winged beauty. Who needs fennel when you have swallowtails to look at?
This week we’ve had a few days of much needed rain. South of us, they had quite a bit of flooding. We were lucky here. My garden is happy and I’m happy because I haven’t had to water.
The first sugar baby watermelon is almost ready to pick. I can’t wait! DH’s hand is the one holding the cucumber in the pictures from yesterday’s post. A few curious people asked whose hand it was. The cucumber measured 9 inches long with the wide end having a circumference the same measurement.
Posted in My blog, my garden, Weather related, 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
Picture post
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Posted in My blog, 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, Pond, Ponds, Writer, Writing
I need to de-clutter and organize
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Whatever happened to freestanding storage shelves? It seems that they are hard to find. I checked the two big name home improvement stores. One seemed to have no idea what I wanted, and the other had them but the prices gave me a slight case of sticker shock. It’s been many years since I bought any. They used to be cheap.
Now that I’m over the sticker shock, I will probably go buy them. I need two types, one an enclosed storage shelf unit and the other and open one. My back porch needs organization and de-cluttering. There’s entirely too much stuff sitting on the floor in the middle of it. We have one set of shelves out there now but that isn’t enough.
I figure if I put two more shelving units out there, that I might actually find the floor. I can see it now with everything organized and on shelves. The mixed in junk finally tossed into the garbage. Wow, I won’t know how to act.
Maybe once I do that I will continue and organize the entire house. Whom am I kidding? Only if Jackie volunteers to come help me, will that ever happen. Hey, Jackie I saw you duck behind your desk…
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, Writer, Writing
Too much information
Posted by doggonedmysteries
A local plastic surgeon is advertising a new liposuction. “We can remove your belly fat and use it to enlarge your butt and enhance your breasts.”
Now, the truth be told, I’d love to have some belly fat removed. It’s always been a trouble spot for me. However, even though I have no ass, I have no desire to have my fat removed from one place and added to another. Besides, since I’ve never had an ass (I’ve known several asses in my lifetime but we won’t go there) I wouldn’t know how to act, dress, or sit on one. I’m used to my flat ass. I’m betting it would seem oh so weird having new fat back there. Would I have to learn how to walk all over again? Would I bounce out of a chair if I flopped in it? I have so many questions.
That brings us to the other part of the body they will inject the fat. I’d rather have a reduction in the boob zone than an enhancement. Mine aren’t overlarge but why not have my boobs reduced so in another decade or two they aren’t pointing at the ground? Little boobs stay perky.
Posted in Misc, My blog, Writer, Writing
Tags: 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, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Life is down to simple pleasures
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Thanks to BP, the cost of fish, shellfish, and heating oil will skyrocket this year. Don’t you believe that they won’t pass the costs on to us. Tighten your belts is what they will tell us. Honey, if my belt were any tighter my backbone would meet my belly button.
We don’t go out and we seldom buy anything other than necessities and a DVD or two. We only buy the DVDs because DH can’t sit in a theater.
Our vehicles are over ten years old. We don’t drive anywhere other than to do the crucial things in life.
Our dogs are overdue on their shots, which is one thing I hope to rectify the end of this month. Both of them could use a check up and I will make that appointment sometime next week.
Life is down to simple pleasures and keeping spending to a minimum. Instead of traveling, we enjoy our backyard—weather permitting. Tonight was lovely since we had rain today and the temperature dropped to very comfortable.
I am growing vegetables and melons for the first time in years. Other than a few tomato plants and some herbs the last several years, I haven’t grown anything edible. Now I have tomatoes, a variety of peppers, and two types of squash, watermelons, cantaloupes, and cucumbers.
Posted in Misc, My blog, my garden, 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, tighten your belts, Writer, Writing
It’s going to be a while before he lives down this one
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Casper has a boo-boo. For those of you that don’t know, Casper is my white van that, because of all its electrical quirks, it seems as though it has a ghost, thus the name.
DH had another ambulance run emergency with his mother and came home to get my van in case they released her he could drive her home. (She is home now.) His mother can’t climb into his truck so he has to use my van. On the way to the hospital, he had a minor fender bender when the driver in front of him slammed on her brakes. The other vehicle was a large SUV and she had no damage at all.
However, my van had damage. I am not a happy camper. Gentlemen, if you drive your wife’s car for any reason, do so with great care because I’ve got to tell you, it’s going to be a while before he lives down this one. Well, it will take at least until it is repaired and then some.
I guarantee you he’ll hear the words ‘drive carefully’ every time he drives my van from now on.
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
Days of record-breaking triple-digit temperatures
Posted by doggonedmysteries
We need rain. We haven’t had any for weeks. The heat is making my garden produce like crazy. However, it wouldn’t be doing that if I didn’t water every day.
So far, I’ve harvested nine banana peppers, five Hungarian sweets, a large patty pan squash, and one lovely cucumber that I shared with G. I’m keeping my eye on two sugar baby watermelons that are growing rapidly. I’m also hoping that two won’t be all I get from the vines.
We finally have a couple of tiny cantaloupes going and the tomato plants are loaded with green tomatoes. The tomato plants in the back garden are taller than I am.
I have two very AC spoiled dogs. They only want to go out when they absolutely have to go. I can’t say that I blame them this heat has been miserable. DH, the dogs, and I have stayed indoors as much as possible. I hate this because I normally spend my summer outside as much as possible.
When they coined the saying, “the South shall rise again,” I don’t think this is what they meant. This heat can go back down south where it came from.
Posted in My blog, my garden, Weather related, Writer, Writing
Tags: Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Dogs, Family, Fiction, Food, Gardening, Gardens, Home, Life, Love, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
It’s a racket I tell ya.
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Their stock is up. Their profits are way up. They are making money hand over fist. I can tell you the why of it too. They now cover fewer drugs, they routinely deny drugs to patients, and they raised the co-pay at least 15%. Can’t help but make a profit when you gouge more and spend less.
The Chairman and CEO, age 55, makes a whopping $1,300,000 yearly salary. I’m betting that if he needs a drug for some illness, he doesn’t have to worry about how to pay for it. The President and COO, Age 56, makes a tidy $810,872 a year. He doesn’t worry either. The SVP Finance and CFO, Age 52, makes $548,560 a year, another one who has no worries about where he’d find the money to pay for a prescription.
Yowza, if we had that sort of money coming in each year we wouldn’t worry either. Ampyra is a new drug. It is a costly drug. Why would they want to nick their profit margin a bit? They live well. They have no worries. Why bother helping out the little guy?
DH’s neurologists want him on Ampyra. It’s a quality of life thing. DH struggles to walk every day. Some days he walks better than other days. However, now it is summer and the heat (especially the record-breaking heat we’re having) makes him worse. Guaranteed, if Mr. Chairman and CEO with the $1,300,000 yearly salary had the same problem, he’d get Ampyra tomorrow.
Posted in MS related, Writer, Writing
Tags: Ampyra, Author, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Healthcare, Home, Life, Love, Medical insurance lies, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, prescription programs, Profit margins, Writer, Writing
Ampyra approved then taken away
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Well this sucks big time. We were told by a certain health plan that DH was approved for Ampyra and today we got a letter from the same people telling us that he is not approved. You know what, I hate making phone calls. In spite of this, someone has some ‘splaining to do.
Phones are going to be ringing and when I’m finished, I’m betting a few ears will be too. Angry doesn’t describe how I feel right now. I won’t tolerate this sort of treatment. I will fight tooth and nail for DH. No one EVER pulls the rug out from under my loved ones like that. I don’t care whom it is I have to run to ground I will get results.
DH has always said, “Don’t get the Irish Indian mad she will go on the warpath.”
I am past mad and well down the road to infuriated. If I have to go all the way to the top of the company, I will do that. I can make waves, big ones. I am a writer.
Posted in MS related, Writer, Writing
Tags: Ampyra, Author, Beads, Bones, books, Books on writing, Bull Terriers, Care giving, Caregiver, Coffee, Craft of writing, Dead, Disability, Doggoned, Family, Fiction, Healthcare, Home, Life, Love, Medical insurance lies, MS, Multiple Sclerosis, Murder, Mysteries, Mystery, Novel writing, Writer, Writing
Updates and a Happy Birthday wish
Posted by doggonedmysteries
Record heat here today and it was far from pleasant. Normally I enjoy summer but we’ve had two major heat waves already and it’s barely into July. We are going to have more records broken this week according to the weather reports. If I wanted to live in the south I would, but I don’t.
My neighbor finished painting the shed today and it looks brand new. All is painted except for the doors, which we told him to leave alone. DH wants to straighten out some dents that he put in them and then we’ll paint them.
Happy Birthday Chuck! Hope you have a nice birthday, Sweetie! Our dear old friend Chuckles has tacked on another year today.
On a gardening note: I found three little watermelons on the vines today. The cucumbers are getting larger another week or two and I might have some in a salad. I harvested more banana peppers. There are a few nice patty pan squash coming along, finally. No cantaloupes yet, the one or two I thought we might have died teensy. I’m guessing they weren’t properly pollinated could be because the male and female flowers were out of sync but they seem to be blooming together now. I hope that means we will have fruit to enjoy. There are now dozens of green tomatoes on the tomato plants, yippee!
Posted in Misc, My blog, 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
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