Inspirational Quote of the Week

“That however small the chance might be of striking lucky, the chance was there.”

~Roald Dahl~

I believe in luck. Mom does too. She buys lottery tickets, picks up lucky pennies, sails through amber traffic lights, and goes with her gut on life decisions. Most days she just feels lucky to be where she is, how she is, and who she is.

That said, she is waiting patiently (NOT patiently) for her ideas to gel, her stories to develop, and the right piece to end up in the right hands at the right time. THAT will be a lucky day.

My luckiest day was when I was rescued from the kill-shelter in Georgia,

At the shelter with my puppies. They got adopted. I was left behind.

and my other luckiest day was when Mom found me at a Saturday rescue event at PetSmart.

My Gotcha Day. Home sweet home at last…

At my forever home, I am lucky every day. I don’t eat the lottery tickets, even when they fall on the floor. I lick lucky pennies, even though they are named “Filthy.” I sail through amber traffic lights since I have no choice and go with my gut on life decisions, mostly because my brain is so tiny.

Chances to be lucky are always there, just like Roald Dahl says. When Mom is cooking, my lucky day is when I get some FloorFood. Lots and lots of times she says, “Don’t lick the floor.” and, “Stop slurping like a weirdo.” and “Oops! Come and lick this up, please.”

Yeah. I thought so…. #floorfood

My new coat was a lucky find, since there is a crazy cold snap in my neighborhood, and I have been shivering a lot on my walks. I am warm and cozy in my new sherpa-lined coat.

I am lucky that Mom takes me for road trips to lots of pretty and fun parks near our house

and also she takes me lots of other places too. Covid taught us about curbside pickups and drive through foods. So much fun! Plus sometimes there are PupCups and ice cream cones. But even when all I get is the bottom of the coffee cup or the smell of the oatmeal, I am lucky to be along for the ride and not waiting alone at home.

Inspirational Quote of the Week

“Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success.”

~Henry Ford~

We love Henry Ford. Without him, let’s face it, there would be no road trips. We’re happy he got ready and made things happen.

Drive thru breakfast at BigDonald’s.

I believe in being ready. When food falls on the floor, I am always ready to get it. FloorFood is my favorite flavor. On a good day, if I’m in position, I will catch it in the air before it lands. *sigh*

I am ready for Santa to come and bring me some surprises.

I am pretty sure I’m not on the Naughty List this year, although some people might see it differently.

When it comes to her writing work, Mom should be on her own Naughty List. Just saying.

She claims to be ready for Christmas though, and the new year – maybe a resolution about writing. And she’s ready for StoryStorm which is an idea challenge that she does every January. 30 new story ideas in 31 days.

We both have a good feeling about Christmas and an even better feeling about 2022. I mean, look at all those 2’s. Two is Mom’s lucky number. I’m pretty sure it’s also my lucky number, because I don’t even know what numbers are. But I’m ready to learn…

Learning…

Five Word Friday

Mom sent in a story last week for an Above the Slush submission opportunity from one of her Author Newsletters. These are five of the words from that story.

6. Bake – Stories need time to cook up, just like cakes. That is Mom’s excuse, I mean – reason for working on a story and then not working on it and then working on it again and then stopping again. It’s cooking. And when it’s ready it’s ready.

91. Bowl – Mom puts globs of dog food into my bowl four times a day. I am not allowed to eat a lot at once, but I am also not allowed to get hungry. Sometimes, I lick every drop and my bowl is shiny. Other times, I leave some behind for later.

Saving a little piece for later…

Mom says, “Nice eating.” and “Good girl.” and “Really, though? Who’s going to clean up this mess?”

40. Dripping – I do not like dripping. It happens to me in the tub when Mom gives me a bath.

And when she forces me to walk in the rain.

Dripping is not a good look for me…

8. Book – I would like to say that Mom works hard toward the elusive Book 2, but ummm – no. She wishes hard and works a little bit. Apparently, around here – if it’s not fun, it’s not done. She has fun writing. There’s no pressure, so if something comes of it, it’ll be a wonderful surprise. For me, a wonderful surprise is when a treat pops out of my treat ball.

25. Coffeemaker – The coffeemaker is an important member of our household.

Almost as important as the Robot Vacuum. (We love that guy.) Reading or writing are pretty much impossible without some coffee nearby. I get to share the coffee sometimes, but my portion is just a drip drop at the bottom of the cup.

Way at the bottom of the cup.

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.

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

This month, Mom is challenging herself to get a story ready to submit somewhere. Our five words are from one of the stories that made the cut as a possibility.

Cloud – When clouds come and cover the sun, they interfere with my street naps.

Mom is always happy when the sun goes behind a cloud because then I get up and start walking. When the sun comes back, I hit the deck again.

Garden – Mom has a whole garden of stories and poems inside her computer. The challenge is to sort through them and pick a good one. Sometimes in a garden, the flowers die off. That happens with stories, too. Mom doesn’t want to submit a dud.

No duds here…

Popped – Last week, I had surgery to remove a bump from my chest. I had a bunch of staples in there to hold the cut together. The vet told Mom not to let me jump around. Mom and I both knew that was just crazy talk. As soon as I got home, I popped up onto the chair and have popped up and down all over the place ever since.

Mom did waste spend $70 on a ramp, but I only use it when she tells me to.

Puddles – I like puddles. Even though I dread bath day – leaving drippy, soapy, sloppy puddles everywhere almost makes it worth the torture.

Sky – Since we live on top of a hill, we look at the sky a lot. I mostly look for sunshine. Mom sees planets, stars, sunrises,

storms,

rainbows,

and sometimes, planets and the space station. Plus we always need a reminder about where we should be reaching.

 

Five Word Friday

Today’s five words are from Mom’s June Challenge story, which she barely finished a couple of days ago. #junechallenge Yes, it’s the middle of July.

16. Bumblebee – Even though Mom is afraid of bees, she wrote a story about one. Sometimes, she tells me a bumblebee is going to sting my face off. I dare you, Bee.

4. Swing – I never miss a chance to show my baby swing picture. Now that I am older and fatter… I mean more dignified (and more stubborn), I will NOT let Mom squish me into the swing anymore. Sometimes you just have to put your paw down.

22. Colors – Mom never plans her stories before she starts writing them. She just jumps in and types and follows the characters, hoping they will grow and change and get more colorful as the plot develops.

Sometimes, she doesn’t plan what I’m going to wear. She just picks random things and puts them on me. Then I end up wearing so many colors, I look like a hobo clown.

It’s not polite to stare…

8. Froze – In the winter, everything around me froze,

This guy…

but I stayed toasty warm.

95. Flowers – Like flowers, story ideas start out as tiny seeds. If they get the right attention, they grow into something awesome. Flowers in my neighborhood look amazing.

Certainly too amazing to harbor bumblebees that will sting my face off. I hope…

Bring it on, Bee.

 

 

Inspirational Quote of the Week

“There is almost no such thing as ready. There is only now.”

Hugh Laurie

In case Mom’s weekly writing challenge isn’t challenging enough this month, her writing group named LindaVijiConnieLaurieJenandOtherJen is also having a June Challenge. Everybody in the group is working on a new (or old) story and posting new versions each week for everybody to look at and share about. Ready or not!

Mom had a new story already started with 2 pathetic sentences. Two sentences! It sat there and sat there till the challenge. Now it is getting attention and making progress. It’s pretty lame, but it’s getting better.

Speaking of lame- I sniffed this gigantic, weird mushroom outside this weekend. I checked underneath it to see if any sprites or fairies lived there. They do not. It’s just a big, nasty mushroom – serving no purpose.

Mom thinks my street naps serve no purpose, but I say street naps warm me up.

Ditto my sidewalk naps,

grass naps,

and naps under cars.

I think learning new tricks serves no purpose, but Mom says tricks help my tiny brain stay sharp.

I smell Cheerios! How does this thing work?

So I bowl,

play Tic-Tac-Toe,

and ring my bell for cookies.

I guess purpose is relative. In Mom’s stories, her characters have to have purpose. So do their actions. Maybe they should take a street nap…

 

 

 

Five Word Friday

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.

 

Inspirational Quote of the Week

“Write like nobody’s watching because – nobody’s watching.”
~Dan Brown~

Nobody is ever watching when Mom works on a story. She watches the words come onto the screen and she tells them to herself out loud and then she plays around with them till they make a story. Nobody’s watching. Except me.

When she finishes her stories, her online critique friends will look at them and tell ideas to make them better. But even they don’t watch. They say what they say and Mom decides what to do in the end. Nobody’s watching. Except me.

All day long and for some of the night, too, I watch.

Sometimes, Mom says I am a creeper or a stalker.

Who? Me?

The truth is – SHE is the creeper. Now that we are quarantined and doing our part to stay home and flatten the curve, Mom has become obsessed with me.

She takes me for walks around the neighborhood,

homeschools me with my IQ Puzzle,

I smell Cheerios!

teaches me tricks,

Knock them down??? But you just put them up!

practices my skills with me,

Face-and-Paw-Bowling. Who needs a bowling ball?

and barely ever gives me a chance to breathe.

I for one will be more than happy when coronavirus goes away and Mom can get back to being busy and I can get back to nobody watching – except me.