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
Mom has been writing a story a week with Susanna Hill’s Mix ‘N’ Match Mini Challenge. Today’s five words come from her first three stories.
Ball – I don’t care for the toys named Ball. They have a habit of rolling under the couch and then I have to wait for Mom to finish mumbling and get the yardstick and roll them back out. I prefer stuffed animals. They are much friendlier. Plus sometimes they look a little like me.
Birthday – I am 13. I have celebrated 10 birthdays since I was adopted. UPDATE: IT IS NOT MY ACTUAL BIRTHDAY TILL SEPTEMBER (DARN IT), SO THANK YOU FOR ALL THE HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES, BUT I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT BIRTHDAYS IN GENERAL RIGHT HERE. MEANWHILE, IF THERE’S ANYTHING WITH WHIPPED CREAM IN THE FRIDGE, I WOULDN’T MIND SLURPING SOME. JUST SAYING.
Mom and I love birthdays because there is cake. Sometimes there are hats and balloons, but I do NOT love them as much as cake. Because…. cake.
Downpour – In a downpour, I wear my raincoat.
I used to be afraid of the rain, then I was afraid of my raincoat. Now I am afraid of wet grass. And puddles. I am not afraid of mud.
Yay!
Mom writes lots of stories that involve fears of many kinds. I wonder why.
Delicious – Including the five senses is a good way to draw readers into a story. What things look like, feel like, smell like, sound like, and taste like show the audience what is going on in ways they can understand.
I like tasting things – treats, cheese, faces, cookies,
kibbles, chicken, cigar butts, acorns,
the floor, and my paws which may or may not be made of candy.
Dust bunny – FYI – Dust-Bunnies do not look like bunnies at all.
THIS is a bunny!
Around here, they are constructed mostly from my hair. Maybe they should be called Dust-Doggies.
Today we’re celebrating five words from Mom’s June story. Truth be told, the story isn’t finished yet, but we grabbed five words anyway. We’re sure it’ll be finished in six more days… Wait. What? SIX MORE DAYS??!!?? Blerg.
16. Turkeys – My turkey toy is one of my favorite shaking toys. When I get it going just right, the turkey kicks me in the head over and over. *sigh* Good times…
72. Blankets – I love blankets. Whether I am on them, in them, under them, or near them, they make me happy.
Mom is happy when she is on the ball, in the zone, under a deadline, or near the surprise ending. She’s all of those things right about now.
4. Music – Mom taught me to dance so I could make people laugh when we go to work at the VA and the library. I don’t even need music! Just chicken…
#dancetillyoureblurry
88. Storybooks – Writing storybooks is Mom’s favorite hobby. She always wishes she can get another book or eBook published. But no matter what happens, she writes them anyway. She can’t help it. When I do therapy work at the library, kids read storybooks to me.
Even if the books are about cats, I listen politely to them anyway.
649. Selfie – Last week was National Selfie Day. Taking a selfie is tough for me because… well… paws. Thank goodness Mom helps me so I can be like the cool kids.
#nofilter #iwokeuplikethis
Today, I picked out 5 words from one of Mom’s old stories that she’s working on again. She’s making it new. And better. And shorter. And better…
6. Pets – Mom has always had pets – even before me. (What a shocker that life didn’t begin with me, #amiright ) She grew up with a Myna bird that talked, a couple of other birds off and on, tropical fish, baby turtles, and of course doggies always.
Sandy
Smoki
92. Basement – Mom got a score back from a story she had rated. She said her score was “in the basement” which is confusing because our house doesn’t have a basement – unless you count where Mom parks the car. It’s just as well. I am already afraid of the parking garage, the fire extinguisher, the elevator, the trash room, and the hallway. I do NOT need a basement to worry about on top of all that.
Yikes! A mirror dog on the ceiling! I’m pretty sure he’s trying to kill me….
14. Grass – When I am not taking a street nap or a sidewalk nap,
I will sometimes lie in the grass for a change of pace.
That said, if the grass is damp for any reason – rain, dew, sprinklers – I will not step in it. Mom says, “Come on, weirdo.” and “I don’t like it either.” and “You can’t walk the tightrope forever.” But yes I can…
#curbwalker
27. Crab – When she was a 3rd grade teacher, Mom had hermit crabs, fiddler crabs, newts, goldfish, mealworms, a turtle, sea monkeys. hamsters, tadpoles, butterflies, frogs, ants, and a parakeet in her classroom at one time or another. Once when I was sleepy, Mom called me the name of Crabby, so in a way, she STILL has a crab.
#sideeye
8. Sweat – Whenever Mom is working on a new story or waiting to hear about something she submitted, she says she is “sweating it out.” I don’t think she knows from sweating while she’s typing and talking to herself in the nice cool house. I know sweating better than she does. I do it through my paws and my mouth. I do it when I’m hot and I do it when I’m nervous. And sometimes, I do it for no reason at all….
Have a warm, cozy Christmas and a peaceful New Year filled with happiness, health, love, and licks!
Today, Mom and I are counting down about poetry.
My Countdown
3. Words – Mom has lots of special words for me. Some of them are “leave it,” “stop it,” and “get down.”
Aren’t they sweet? I’m pretty sure they all mean I’m being a good girl. Other special words are, “wanna come?” “treat,” and “car.” Mom and I really understand each other.
Huh??
6. Names – I have a LOT of names besides Cupcake. Some of them are “WhatInTheWorld,” “DoYouWantASpankin?” “Naughty,” and “Stubborn.”
16. Funny – Sometimes I am hilarious. I’m sneaky, playful, and mischievous. I know Mom loves all of that. Most of the time she says, “That’s not funny anymore.” But I’m pretty sure she doesn’t mean that the way it sounds. I am a riot.
Mom’s Countdown
3. Words – Poems have lots of special words. They rhyme, they sing, and they rock and roll. That’s what makes poetry poetry.
Rock and what…?
26. Names – Mom has been working on some poems this week. Sometimes she changes the titles over and over to make them more fun and unusual. She also changes other things in the poems to make them more poetic and sillier. Silly is a good thing in a poem. And in a doggie.
9. Funny – Funny poems are Mom’s favorite kind. The best ones are a little funny along the way, with a crazy twist at the end. No twist. No good.
Help..
Mom is visiting two new places this week. She will speak at two schools that she’s never visited before. She has packed up her bag of supplies and box of goodies.
I smell gum…
At school, she will talk and listen and read and ask and answer questions.
Somehow, she already knows it will be fun.
At home, I’ll be sad and lonely and possibly a little scared to be by myself. I will check out the window, listen by the door, bark at shadows and phantom sounds, and take 562 naps.
Somehow, I already know it will NOT be fun.
Soon, Mom and I will be moving to a new place. She’ll be packing up bags and boxes and moving men will come and go a lot. I will try not to be afraid, but just in case, my safety crate is here.
This will be our little balcony.
And this will be our little dog park.
Somehow, we both already know this will be a TON of fun.
Today we are counting down things we believe.
Things Mom Believes
35. Writing is a tough job. Being a teacher was a tough job, too. And so is being a college supervisor…. The bottom line is – I guess all jobs are tough. That’s why they’re called work and not a party.
THIS is a party!
2. Book 2 and/or e-Book 2 will happen eventually. Learning her craft, writing a lot, reading a lot, and submitting sometimes is what writers do. Getting rejected a lot is also what writers do. So, Mom is doing what writers do. Mission accomplished.
16. Author visits are fun. Mom has 2 school visits scheduled in the next few weeks. She believes they are one of the best parts of being an author. She will talk, read, ask and answer questions, and play games. Author visits are not my favorite.
…bye… SERIOUSLY??
Things I Believe
6. Watching The Puppy Bowl is a tough job.
I am sure I could’ve made a hundred touchdowns, spiked the ball, the pig, the monkey, and the rubber chicken, and done the victory dance like crazy. If only I could figure out how to get inside the TV.
Hullo…?
21. Read to a Pet Night will happen eventually. All I need to do is look cute, wait for Mom to get ready,
be a good girl on my ParkIt Mat, and soon the kids will come and read to me.
Mission accomplished.
3. Snow is fun. I like walking and running in the snow, as long as it doesn’t touch my belly. Sometimes the snow gets crazy and blows my ears out like wings and makes my eyes get all squinchy. Slightly less fun, but aside from street nap weather, snow is my next favorite.
“Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don’t see any.”
~Orson Scott Card~
Story ideas. Aargh. This month is all about ideas for Mom on account of StoryStorm. She was hoping to have 30 ideas by the 30th, and she is pretty flush with 39 so far. Way ahead of the game.
Still she continues to read the StoryStorm posts every morning and she adds an idea or two to her list, depending on what the post says to do.
Probably about 5 or 6 of the ideas on the list will turn into something. Maybe it will be exactly the something we need to finally see Book 2 or e-Book 2. Paws crossed.
It’s not only humans who walk past ideas every day. Just this morning, I walked past a McDonald’s bag that might’ve had a piece of burger in it.
A stick that fell in the storm.
And a cat waiting to kill me while he was hiding under a car.
Mom said, “No litter-burgers.” and “That’s not a stick. It’s half of a tree.”
and “Don’t even think about it.” Also, “Why do I take you anywhere?” She says that one a lot.
I’m ready…
So if that Orson Card guy is right, I still have 997 ideas to walk past today. I’d better get back out there and get busy! Maybe I’ll catch a little nap first….
Seven years ago, Mom almost passed me up at the pet rescue event where I was waiting. She said, “She’s too tiny.”
Her old dog, Smoki, was a German Shepherd mix,
and before Smoki there was Sandy, a Golden Retriever mix.
She didn’t know what to do with such a teeny tiny dog like me. When I finally willed her to choose me, she thought I’d need a set of doggie stairs to get on the bed. That was before she saw that I could fly. I’m small, but mighty.
Since then, Mom has faced down my teeny tiny feet,
my teeny tiny belly,
and my teeny tiny brain.
Mom will be facing down another teeny tiny dilemma, soon. She’s invited to read to a couple of classes at a local school for Dr. Seuss‘s birthday – Read Across America Day.
I can’t read, but I’ll celebrate my own way.
The dilemma is that the children she’ll be reading to are teeny tiny pre-k kids. They’re small, but mighty.
Mom’s print book, Keep Your Ear on the Ball is way over their heads – more for 2nd-4th graders.
Her e-book, What If I Don’t? is slightly over their heads – more for kindergarten-2nd graders.
So she headed off to the bookstore. She sat in the cafe and read and read and read.
When her chai latte was finished, she went back to the shelves and read some more.
She’s very happy with her choices: Duck, Duck, Dinosaur for the teeniest of the teeny tiny kids
and My Dog’s a Chicken for the less teeny of the teeny tiny kids.
She giggled when she read them and said, “These are short and sweet.” and “This will be super fun.” and “Why are you hiding under the bed?”
Cupcake Speaks 