Inspirational Quote of the Week

“Between the pages of a book is a lovely place to be.”

~anonymous~

Not a lot of writing has been accomplished around here lately. Mom reads instead. Blog posts, web sites, her Kindle,

and she listens on Audible sometimes too, and calls that reading. The jury is out on that one.

I do not actually know how to read without help, but Mom let me look at the pictures in a book about one of our therapy dog friends.

Dog books are my favorites. Mom rarely reads dog books, in case she’s afraid the dog will die in the story. This wasn’t that kind of book.  

Unlike Mom, I never slack off on my jobs and responsibilities around the house. I watch for danger

(or the Amazon truck),

control the traffic,

Worst speed bump ever

help with the housework,

and make sure none of our drive-thru/curbside car food goes to waste.

We’re hoping that next week, Mom can get back to writing. She has an idea for a new piece to start, but she’s still mind-writing it instead of buckling down to work. I guess mind-writing is writing like Audible is reading.

Five Word Friday

Today’s 5 words are from an old story that Mom started working on recently. As always when she read it, she said out loud to herself, “Such a cute story.” And, “How can I make it better?” And, “Stop running so close to the….

…water dish. Ugh.” Then she said naughty words and, “I should buy stock in paper towels.” Then she called me the name, “Mental Case.” #rude

Friends – I have many dog friends at my apartment complex. They like to sniff me, and most of the time I turn to stone with fear or hide behind Mom for protection. Occasionally, I come out and sniff my friends. *shiver* Mom tells me I was brave and gives me a treat.

Jacket – I have a lot of jackets, sweaters, jammies, and t-shirts. I wear them all year round for cold protection, sun protection, and apparently filth protection in case I accidentally (on purpose) lie down in trash, dumpster spillage, or bird poop.

School – Mom says school visits are always fun and full of surprises.

She hasn’t been to any lately because of lockdown and the pandemic. Whenever book #2 comes out, the first thing she will do is schedule an author visit. I have been to school with Mom a bunch of times.

I liked the kids petting me, the teacher talking about me, and Mom letting me show off some of my tricks. But the absolute best part of school is named Lunchboxes. Oh boy – do they smell good.

Third – I am Mom’s 3^rd doggie in her adult life. Before me there were Sandi and Smoki. I am the first doggie that Mom chose and trained and lived with all by herself. The elusive book #2 will really be Mom’s 3^rd book if we count her e-book, which we do although it may or may not still be available on the platform that e-published it.

Halloween – Mom does not love Halloween at all. She has written one Halloween story in her life, and it isn’t one of her favorites. She says it’s PTSD from spending 35 Halloweens with 8- and 9-year-olds. #gofigure I love Halloween.

Inspirational Quote of the Week

“You have to finish things – that’s what you learn by finishing things.”

~Neil Gaiman~

Finishing things is good. Mom FINALLY finished one of her half-stories last week. Soon, her writing group named LindaJenVijiLauriandOtherJen will read it and say things about it. Then suddenly, the story will not be finished anymore, and Mom will work on it again. And again. And again.

When I am finished with things, I. Am. Finished.

I am finished going to the vet for a tummy ache. Now I eat my special, yummy, chicken stew foods, and I will never go back there again. #shotshurt

After a few minutes, I am finished trying to get treats out of my treat ball. Mom helps me with the last one or two. Again. And again.

I am finished with early wake-ups. I need my beauty sleep.

I love the sun. But when I’m finished, I’m finished.

On a warm, sunny day, I finish my walks with a street nap

or a street squiggle.

Mom tries and tries to get things going again, but when I am finished, I. Am. Finished.

I’m finished out here. Let me in.

So hopefully, Mom will start and finish and restart and refinish lots more stories till eventually the right one gets to the right place at the right time. Then she’ll be finished. Till she starts a new one again.

And again.

And again.

“Finished last will always be better than did not finish, which always trumps did not start.” ~Unknown~

Five Word Friday

Today’s Five words are from yet another half-story from Mom’s never-ending collection of unfinished stories. We kinda like this one, so it may have a chance at seeing the end.

16. Rudolph – No. Not that Rudolph. Picking a character name is important for a story. That character will be in the author’s head for a long time, so the name should mean something. Mom was named after her grandma. I was named Cupcake because I am so sweet.

Me being sweet on my Gotcha Day.

4. Trim – Some characters need a lot of adornment. They get trimmed and decorated with traits and quirks. That helps them work. Sometimes, when I used to do therapy work, Mom thought I looked like a plain potato, so she trimmed and dressed me up to be different. It made me fancy. It made the old soldiers laugh.  

51. Wrinkled – If Mom wrote on paper instead of computer-typing, LOTS of papers would end up wrinkled and tossed in the garbage pail. I am an expert on wrinkling. I can’t help it. Warm clothes are so cozy and comfy. It’s tough to resist.

20. Famous – It’s rare that a picture book could make an author famous. I mean Cat in the Hat, Goodnight Moon, Where the Wild Things Are, and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus don’t come along every day. Even though Mom is nowhere near famous, I have had a moment or two in the sun.

8. Useful – Beds are useful. I use mine sometimes.

Inspirational Quote of the Week

“Writing gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.”

~Mason Cooley~

Mom and I have stayed home a lot in the past year. It has been a good thing in some ways and a bad thing in other ways – for both of us.

On the upside, staying home means I got to nap a lot

and watch TV with Mom

and nap a lot. (Yup. I said it twice.)

On the downside, staying home means she did a bunch of homeschooling,

practice,

and brain work with me, so I didn’t turn into a piece of furniture or a potato.

On the upside, staying home means Mom (should have) had plenty of time to write stories and read picture books. (Nope. I didn’t say either one twice.)

On the downside, staying home means actual experiences, people-watching, eavesdropping on kids’ conversations, and observing the world was a no-go.

 

Also, bookstores and libraries gave Mom the virus-germ-heebie-jeebies.

So reading picture books is basically non-existent, and writing is at a minimum around here. Happily, Mom has an idea list, that she started in StoryStorm and continues as always. She has a few half-finished stories waiting for her attention and a few finished pieces waiting for revision. She also has nothing but time. So here’s hoping Mom gets more than 15 minutes of writing done each day. She keeps telling herself that writers write, so she needs to take her own advice. Or at the very least, paws crossed that she doesn’t turn into a piece of furniture or a potato.  

Potato Dog – Don’t let this happen to you!

 

Five Word Friday

Mom’s latest half-story has these 5 words to play with.

Water – I don’t like water. I don’t like to drink it. I don’t like to step in it. And I REALLY don’t like Bath Day. That is way too much water in way too many of the wrong places.

 

Door – Mom is always waiting for the right door to open for her writing work. It did once, but it’s been stubborn since. When it eventually opens again, she will blast through it without looking back. I never step through a door without some hesitation. Mom says I have door-phobia. I always make sure things are safe for us out there. Sometimes the hesitation ends in disaster – like when my tail got caught in the door and a piece fell off! 

 

Snuggly – When it’s snowy and cold and windy outside, I get snuggly in my bed.

Or in Mom’s bed.

Or on the couch.

 

Or the chair.

Those are sometimes good writing days for Mom, but sometimes, she wastes the day getting snuggly with me (and watching way too much TV). 

Night – We do not like night. Mom and I don’t like the dark at all. Ditto for the moon, coyotes, shadows, sunset, owls, fireflies, and moths. We are all about sunrise, morning, sunshine, and light.

Mom has a few stories about being afraid of the dark and getting over fear of the night, but writing them never helped her reality at all.  

Blanket – Winter and summer, I am a blanket-loving doggie. I doze on them, in them, and under them. Move over, Linus van Pelt. You are not the only one with a legendary security blanket. 

 

 

Heads Up!

This is not my usual blog post, but I wanted to give everyone a heads up about an exciting event.

This Sunday, November 1, 2020 a video Mom made of me will air on the TV show America’s Funniest Videos. ME! ON TV! Yay! It’s about time!

The show is on ABC at 7:00pm. I hope I don’t get edited out. I think I will be fabulous. Move over Lassie. Step aside, Clifford the Big Red Dog. Outta my way, Benji. This is happening. #callmehollywood #nopawtographsplease #wherestheredcarpet

 

 

 

Inspirational Quote of the Week

“Whatever pool of possibility stands before you, jump in!”

~Marianne Williamson~

Mom jumped in and submitted a few stories in the past few weeks. We didn’t hear back yet, but things inside the wheels and gears (whatever) of the computer stand no chance at all.

With things out in the world of books, there’s a chance that something will A. be good enough, B. get into the right hands, and C. land in the right place at the right time. If none of those things happen, we are no worse off than before, and Mom will feel like she’s a writer because writers take those chances all the time.

Win or lose, we will smile through and keep on hoping. And jumping.

Mom doesn’t like when I jump from high places. She says it gives her 6 strokes and 4 heart attacks every time. But when she plops me up on top of a rock, it’s awful tempting to make a jump for it.

Ditto when I leap onto a bench. Jumping is fun.

When Mom calls me I will jump and run every time. That is not my fault. It’s what she taught me.

Once on my walk I tried to jump up and catch a bird. I have also jumped up to try and catch a butterfly, a helicopter, and a hot air balloon flying over my house. If (When) it doesn’t happen, I am no worse off than before.

So, win or lose, I smile through and keep on hoping. And jumping.

“Those who don’t jump will never fly”

~Unknown~

 

 

Vote for me! — UPDATE

Some of you may have watched the show TMZ on TV and already know that I didn’t win the final Best in Show video competition. I am happy to have the consolation prize for finalists which is $500. Woot!

Today, Mom and I went shopping at Petco to spend some of my winnings. I got a new hoodie, a teddy bear, a cookie shaped like an ice cream cone, and some chicken flavored toothpaste. Yup. That’s worth $500. I’m sure Mom wouldn’t embezzle any of my money….. But just in case, I’m keeping an eye open for a new iPad, shiny new boots, or anything cashmere.

 

 

 

 

Hi Blogville friends!

Hollywood has finally recognized me for the talented doggie that I am. I’m a finalist in the TMZ Best in Show Challenge. If you have a minute (It actually takes less than a minute), click the link, pop onto the website, and vote for me! Thanks!

 

Click here to vote for Cupcake! Ballerina Doggie.

 

Inspirational Quote of the Week

 

When I was first adopted, I walked forward, backward, sideways, and upside down. I zigged and zagged and wiggled and waggled. I pulled and pushed and jumped and got in the way. Mom said, “Here is your forever home.” and “You’re my new doggie.” and “This psycho mutt is trying to kill me!”

Zigging and zagging…

Then I went to obedience school so I could learn how to walk nicely on my leash. After 10 weeks of studying, I was a perfect walker with the best manners.

Well, maybe not perfect… It took a few more weeks before I stopped trying to chase cars, but eventually, I did.

Walking forward is a great skill to have. Looking forward is also a great skill to have. Mom and I do both. A lot.

There is a time to walk back, though. When Mom works on a story, she tries to keep it moving forward. Each day, she takes her characters a little further through the plot. Sometimes she knows exactly where the story is going. Sometimes, she is straight-up flying blind. But forward she goes day after day. When she gets to the end of the story, then it’s time to look back.

First the story gets to sleep for a while inside the computer.

Sleep is important for stories and for busy puppers…

After a week or two, Mom looks back and starts revising and editing the story. She goes back over it 9,000 times. She reads it out loud, makes changes, takes stuff out, adds stuff in, and moves stuff around. Sometimes she sends it to her critique group, sometimes to Rate Your Story. Sometimes she says, “I’m finished fussing with this thing.” And she starts a new story to do the same stuff all over again. Forward and back. Forward and back. This psycho-human is trying to kill me!