Decision!

Last Friday I was wrestling with the question, to NaNo or not to NaNo.  I offered up my quandry and asked for your advice.  My sincere thanks to all who responded.

As is so often the case, hearing opinions on both side helped me figure out what I really wanted and needed to do.  This is what I came up with:

• I would like to do NaNo.  It would be fun just to be part of it and challenges are very helpful for me.
• It's more important that I stay focused on my WIP until I finish the final polishing and start actively querying.
• None of the projects I have pending are at the "start writing" point.

And a biggie I hadn't really considered:

• November is a ridiculous month to devote to a major writing challenge. (Remember, I admitted last week that the other thing that always sneaks up on me is Christmas.)

So, I've decided not to do NaNo. 

BUT -

I don't seem to be the only one who isn't quite ready for NaNo and/or who can't give up a month in the middle of the holiday season for a writing challenge.  So here's what I propose:

In November, instead of donig NaNo, I'll figure out the details on setting up a writing challenge, which will take place in January - after the holidays, when we need a little spark.    If you're interested, you've got two months to pull that new project together so you're ready to go with the New Year.  We won't be quite as ambitious in our goals as NaNo and if you want to start writing your story before we start, that's fine, too.  This will just be a support and encouragement challenge.  With maybe a little added incentive thrown in (give me time to see what I can come up with).

I'll post the details of the New Year Challenge around the beginning of December and if you're interested, or know someone who might be, perhaps you would help spread the word.

What do you think?  Sound like a plan?




This picture has nothing whatsoever to do with today's post.  I just thought it was funny.


Groaner of the Day:  Two robins were sitting in a tree.

"I'm really hungry," said the first one. "Let's fly down and find some lunch."

They flew down to the ground and found a nice plot of newly plowed ground that was full of worms. They ate and ate and ate till they could eat no more.

"I'm so full, I don't think I can fly back up into the tree," said the first one.

"Let's just lay back here and bask in the warm sun," said the second.

So they plopped down, basking in the sun. No sooner than they had fallen asleep, when a big fat tomcat came by and gobbled them up.

As the cat sat washing his face after his meal, he thought...

"I JUST LOVE BASKIN ROBINS."

Decisions, Decisions

It snuck up on me.  The way Christmas sneaks up on me every year.  Even though I know the date.  Even though I'm surrounded by signs of its coming.  When it gets here, I'm still not ready. 

NaNoWriMo.

I want to do it.  I've planned to do it. 

I thought my current book would be at query stage now and I'd be ready to move on.  But I'm still getting feedback from my beta-readers and crit partner so there's work yet to be done.

And the novel-to-be isn't exactly ready to go.  I've got one story with a plot that's coming together nicely but the characters are still pretty sketchy.  I've got another one with most of the characters ready to go but the plot isn't there.  (No, the two wouldn't merge at all.)  And then there's a decades old 85% complete sci fi I found recently with a decent plot and some characters that are probably worth a total re-write.

NaNo would be good for me.   I've been a bit unfocused in my writing lately and I reponse well to challenges.  But with the prep work I still need to do - I'm a total plotter, not a panster - there's not much chance I can get a 50K complete story done in November.

Do I sign up for NaNo and set myself up for failure?  Or maybe take on a modified challenge, i.e. I will get the plot/character design finished and the first 30K written.  Or do I just pass on the whole thing and work on getting the WIP polished and start querying.

What do you think?  Door number one, two, or three?  If you think I should go for it, which story should I tackle: good plot with sketchy characters, definite characters with unformed plot, or old resurrected sci fi?

Looking for your good advice here.  Help me out.

Groaner of the Day: The Lone Ranger and Tonto walked into a bar and sat down to drink a beer. After a few minutes, a big tall cowboy walked in and said "Who owns the big white horse outside?"

The Lone Ranger said, "I do, Why?"

The cowboy said, "I just thought you'd like to know that your horse is about dead out there."

The Lone Ranger and Tonto rushed outside and sure enough, Silver was down from heat exhaustion.

The Lone Ranger got water and soon Silver was starting to feel a little better but the heat was still oppressive.

The Lone Ranger turns to Tonto and says, "I want you to run around Silver and see if you can create enough of a breeze to help cool him down".

Tonto agrees and begins running circles around Silver. Unable to do anything except wait, the Lone Ranger returns to the bar to finish his drink.

A few minutes later, another cowboy struts into the bar and asks, "Who owns that big white horse outside?

The Lone Ranger says, "I do, what's wrong with him this time?"

The cowboy looks him in the eye and says, "Nothing, but you left your Injun running."

Another Happy Hump Day

Here it is again - another Hump Day.  And here's a little something to boost you over.  Got some chuckles and some aw's and maybe even an eke.

Enjoy.

Odd.  It's usually the ladies room that has the long line.

You said aw.  I know you did.

Remember the cat from last week?  This guy had to come off the same assembly line.

Last week we met the "Significant Otter", this week - the significant result.

I'm not sure what to say about this face.

Now before you scroll down - disclaimer time. 

This is my son and my grandson. 

I am NOT responsibile for their appearance.

I am not a violent person.

But sometimes...you know how aggravating boys can be.

I may have gotten out of hand.

Just a little.

(Okay, they were participating in the local "Zombie Walk" for charity.)

Anything tickle your funny bone or tug a heartstring?


Groaner of the Day: Two brooms were hanging in the closet and after a while they got to know each other so well, they decided to get married.

One broom was, of course, the bride broom, the other the groom broom.

The bride broom looked very beautiful in her white dress.

The groom broom was handsome and suave in his tuxedo.

The wedding was lovely.

After the wedding, at the wedding dinner, the bride-broom leaned over and said to the groom-broom, "I think I am going to have a little broom."

"Impossible!" said the groom broom. "We haven't even swept together!"

A Must Read - Chain of Souls

Special day today.  My friend Maria Zannini's latest, Chain of Souls, is live and waiting for you.  Chain of Souls is Book Two in Maria's Second Chance series and is really a must read. 

Shannon McKee is caught between Michael, the angel from Hell who took her soul, and Liam, the fallen angel she loves. Now Ziva, the Angel of Death, is offering Liam deal. Do the unthinkable and she will get him reinstated into Heaven.  Refuse and she will destroy those he loves, including Shannon. 

This novella is fast paced (I'll admit I read it in one sitting) with fascinating characters and some twists you will not see coming.  A great romance that will have you thinking about the afterlife a whole new way.

Chain of Souls is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords

I also recommend the first book in this series, The Devil to Pay.  Seriously, wouldn't you like to know how Shannon managed to lose her soul and end up caught between two Angels who want her...in every way. 

The Devil to Pay is available on Amazon, B&N, and Smashwords.

And check out Maria's new contest, Mention Chain of Souls and Get Eaten.

It would be great to give Maria a big launch day so if you're thinking about buying Chain of Souls (and why wouldn't you?), do it today. Helping to spread the word would be nice, too.

Groaner of the Day:  An angel went to see St. Peter.

"All I do," the angel said, "is play the harp endlessly, and I'm getting bored."

St. Peter asked, "What would you rather do?"

The angel answered, "I like to dance."

"We don't allow dancing here in heaven," St. Peter said, "but I can see you need a change so I will allow you to take advantage of a once-in-an-eternal-lifetime offer. I will allow you 24 hours leave to return to earth and dance."

"I'm gone," the angel said and in a trice the angel was in California and quickly found a dance hall run by Samuel Frank. Checking the harp and wings, the angel boogied and danced and had a great time until just seconds remained of the leave.

The angel grabbed up the wings and immediately was in heaven again. Returning to St. Peter, the angel said, "I'm back and I am so happy. I'll never feel bored again."

St. Peter said, "That's wonderful, but where is your musical instrument?"

"Oh, no," the angel said, "I left my harp in Sam Frank's Disco."

But I Want To ...

Ellipsis: (plural ellipses; from the Ancient Greek: ἔλλειψις, élleipsis, "omission" or "falling short") is a series of marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word, sentence or whole section from the original text being quoted. An ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in speech, an unfinished thought, or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence (aposiopesis). When placed at the beginning or end of a sentence, the ellipsis can also inspire a feeling of melancholy longing. The ellipsis calls for a slight pause in speech or any other form of text.  {credit Wilipedia}

Our local writing group had a crit session last night, focused on short stories we're writing for a specific project.  I had finished a first draft and offered it up for review.  On the plus side, the story, pacing and characterization were well received.  But I had my hand slapped repeatedly for my overuse of...ellipses.
The problems was in my dialog.  The crit conversations went something like this.

Helpful Critiquer:  "Use a comma here, or even a semicolon."

Me: "Um, okay.  But I don't think that gives me enough of a pause."

HC: "Then use a period.  Break it up into one word sentences to show the emphasis on each word."

Me: "Uh huh, I've used that method.  But I don't want emphasis here.  I want hesitation.  Uncertainty.  In my head I hear it like this: 'I don't think...maybe we shouldn't...are you sure we can do this?'"

HC: "Hmm.  Okay.  I see your point.  But you still can't have this many ellipses.  You need to figure out another way to write it."

Argh!

This isn't a new one for me.  I know I have a tendency to overuse this form of punctuation.  But it gives me exactly the dialog pacing I'm looking for.  Who decided we had to limit the use of ellipses anyway?  Such a nice, harmless little collection of dots to incur such wrath.  I once had a writer friend threaten to pull the ellipses from my WIP and beat me with them.  (You know who you are.  *waves*)

How about you?  Do you have a favorite form of punctuation, or maybe a word or a phrase, that does exactly what you want it to do, so that you tend to overuse it.  Even when the rules say you can't.  How do you work around it?

Special note:  Be sure to visit me on Monday when I'll have a special announcement on an exciting new release.

Have a fabulous...uh...weekend.  *winks*

Groaner of the Day: A young man put himself through law school as a semi-professional prizefighter.  He was actually a very good a boxer and was being urged to stay with it instead of becoming a lawyer.  As he prepared to take the bar exam, he knew it was time to make the big decision but he was havng a terrible time.  He just couldn't decide between boxers or briefs.

Happy Hump Day - Just Plain Silly

Happy Hump Day.  Here's your weekly dose of silliness to get you over that mid-week hump and on the downhill coast to the weekend.

Know what's cool?  When you get an e-mail on Tuesday full of great pictures just begging to be included in a Hump Day post.  Here are a few.  Some will make you laugh.  Some will make you go, "awwww".  Hopefully all will make your day a little brighter.

(You just said, "aw", didn't you?  Come on, admit it.)

(Betcha laughed at this one.)

(Said "aw" again, huh?)

(Oh dear. That's what I look like when I try to run.)

(Yeah, I've felt like this.)

(Can I get a third "aw"?)

Okay, did any of those strike your fancy?

Groaner of the Day:  Something I've never done before - a cartoon groaner:

In the Blink of an Eye

I was sick last week.  Bad cold, touch of flu, whatever.  Felt lousy all week, so I didn't get a lot of work done.  I saved my energy for the important things.  Like football games.

A friend of mine scolded me for dragging myself out to a football game on Thursday (I didn't mention to her I'd already done a game on Tuesday).  And I was out there again on Sunday.  Why?  Well, my elder grandson's newly formed 7th grade Spirit Band (we used to call it Pep Band) played for the first time at the game on Tuesday and my elder granddaughter's 7th grade cheerleader squad was doing their game on Thursday (different schools) and my younger grandson's 5th grade team had their first playoff game on Sunday - he's a linebacker.

But that still doesn't answer why.  As my friend pointed out, the kids would forgive me for missing their games if I was sick.  They truly would.  But I know something at this point in my life I didn't know when my own kids were young.  I understand about "in the blink of an eye" and "it's the little moments" and "building memories". 

If we hadn't been at Tuesday game, we couldn't have offered to bring him home so his dad could leave early to get our younger granddaughter to bed.  And we would have missed this:

"That was so awesome. How did we sound, Nana?  Did we sound okay?"
"You sounded great."
"Really?  Thanks.  And thanks for being there."

If we hadn't been at the Thursday game, we would have missed the opportunity to stay with her for the evening while my son and his wife went out, and I would have missed our "girl talk" at bedtime, about life and love and all those things that are important to a young woman just entering her teens.

If we hadn't been at Sunday's game we would have missed seeing him get his first two quarterback sacks and having him race over to me after the game, helmet in hand, all excited...

"Two sacks! I got two sacks. Did you see them, Nana?"

"Of course, I saw them.  You played great.  I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Nana."



That's my boy - number 21, with his shoulder to the turf.



My younger granddaughter - the only one who wasn't involved in a football game last week - has a choir concert this evening.  I'm really behind on everything, tons of work to do.  Guess where I'll be tonight.

So, what are the things you won't miss, and why?

Groaner of the Day:  There was this guy and he had a girlfriend called Lorraine who was very pretty and he liked her a lot.

One day he went to work to find that a new girl had started. Her name was Clearly and she was absolutely gorgeous. He became quite besotted with her and after a while it became obvious that she was interested in him too.

But this guy was a loyal man and he wouldn't get involved with Clearly while he was still going out with Lorraine.

He decided that there was nothing for it but to break up with her and get it on with the new girl.

He planned several times to tell Lorraine but he couldn't bring himself to do it. One day they went for a walk along the river bank when Lorraine slipped and fell in to the river. The current carried her off and she drowned.

For a moment the guy was devastated.  Then he ran off smiling and singing: "I can see Clearly now Lorraine has gone."

(oh that's so bad)

Crisis of Confidence Going On Over Here

Like most writers, I'm a big reader.  Loved to read as far back as I can remember (and at my age, that's pretty far).  But I never spent a lot of time analyzing how I felt about a book unless it really moved me in some way.  Most of the time, my reaction was I liked it or I didn't like it and that was all.  Now that I'm seriously trying to get published, I pay a lot more attention when I read.  What worked in the story, what didn't, and why. 

A couple weeks ago I attended a book signing.  I wasn't familiar with the author but the ads and all her bookcovers proclaimed she was a "National Bestseller".  The books were listed as "Suspense".  I bought two.  While I was there I also picked up the most recent book from an author whose blog I had started following.  She wasn't a bestseller but the book was number six in a series, so she had to be reasonably successful.

I started with one of the two from the bestseller.  It opened with a great action scene and pulled me right in.  The male and female lead characters (one was a cop) had the usual mild animosity and mistrust that I expected would be overcome later in the story.  The plot started to develop, clues and foreshadowing nicely layered in, then all of a sudden they were in bed.  No build up of sexual tension, almost no internal struggle with the attraction between them, just - bam - they went from dislike/mistrust to wild sex and I can't live with out you.  The abruptness of it destroyed the connection I was developing with the charactors which, in turn, pretty much spoiled the rest of the book for me.

So I moved on to the second book.  Maybe that just wasn't one of her better efforts.  The second book also started out strong.  A little stronger animosity and mistrust between the leads this time (again, one was a cop), good opening action, good hook.  I was really getting into it.  Then - bam - in the middle of a significant plot development the lead characters jump each other in a parking lot and head back to his place.  No build up, no tension, no internal struggle to speak of.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of romance.  I'm a little disappointed if a story doesn't have some romantic element.  And I'm certainly not against sex.  Nothing better than a good steamy love scene.  But it has to fit the characters and the plot.  These felt more like - "Oops, page 33, time for sex." 

I moved on to the third book (the other author).  A little softer tone, slower pace.  Nice character development.  But the story was incredibly weak.  The main plot line was an abduction.  For much of the story the police wandered around searching for suspicious vehicles and canvassing the neighborhood.  There was no interesting detective work, no putting together clues and developing leads.  I know police work is sometimes like that but it doesn't make for very interesting reading.  Finally the author cut to the POV of the abductee.  She wakes up in a dark room, realizes what's happened, frees herself from her bonds in a way that was too simplistic to be believed, and when her captor returns, knocks him over and runs to a conveniently located gas station to call 911.

Oh, come on.

So, what's wrong?  I read three books and picked out what I thought worked and didn't work in each of them.  That's good, right?  That will help me be a better writer, help me not to make the same mistakes. Except...   Author One is a national bestseller and Author Two has a successful series.  So maybe my judgement about what works and what doesn't stinks.

I'm currently polishing a my WIP and getting close to query stage.  I think it looks pretty good.  But now...[see title]

What do you do at times like this?

Groaner of the Day:  (long post, short pun) I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down.

Happy Hump Day Mystery

Happy Hump Day.  And we have a winner for last week's Caption Contest.  Congratulations to Isis Rushdan.  Isis gave us five great captions which gave her five chances to win. 

Today's post is a little goodie I received in an e-mail.  It came with a couple links to verify it's authenticity but, to be honest, I didn't check it out.  One reason is I've caught a nasty bug and I'm so loopy on cold meds, I could barely find my way to my own site.  The other is I don't care. If this is pure fiction, it's still worth reading just to admire the convoluted mind that came up with it.

So without further ado - The Strange Case of Ronald Opus


On March 23, 1994 the medical examiner viewed the body of Ronald Opus and concluded that he died from a shotgun wound to the head.

Mr. Opus had jumped from the top of a 10-story building intending to commit suicide.  He left a note to the effect indicating his despondency. 

As he fell past the ninth floor, his life was interrupted by a shotgun blast passing through a window, which killed him instantly.

Neither the shooter nor the deceased was aware that a safety net had been installed just below the eighth floor level to protect some building workers and that Ronald Opus would not have been able to complete his suicide the way he had planned.

The room on the ninth floor, where the shotgun blast emanated, was occupied by an elderly man and his wife.  They were arguing vigorously and he was threatening her with a shotgun.

The man was so upset that when he pulled the trigger, he completely missed his wife and the pellets went through the window, striking Mr. Opus.

When one intends to kill subject 'A' but kills subject 'B' in the attempt, one is guilty of the murder of subject 'B.'

When confronted with the murder charge, the old man and his wife were both adamant that they thought the shotgun was not loaded.  The old man said it was a long-standing habit to threaten his wife with the unloaded shotgun.  He had no intention to murder her.

Therefore, the killing of Mr. Opus appeared to be an accident; that is, assuming the gun had been accidentally loaded. 

The continuing investigation turned up a witness who saw the old couple's son loading the shotgun about 6 weeks prior to the fatal accident. 

It transpired that the old lady had cut off her son's financial support and the son, knowing the propensity of his father to use the shotgun threateningly, loaded the gun with the expectation that his father would shoot his mother.

Since the loader of the gun was aware of this, he was guilty of the murder even though he didn't actually pull the trigger. 

The case now becomes one of murder on the part of the son for the death of Ronald Opus.

Now for the exquisite twist...

Further investigation revealed that the son was, in fact, Ronald Opus. 

He had become increasingly despondent over the failure of his attempt to engineer his mother's murder.  This led him to jump off the 10 story building on March 23rd, only to be killed by a shotgun blast passing through the ninth story window. 

The son, Ronald Opus, had actually murdered himself.

So the medical examiner closed the case as a suicide.


Did you like it?  Give you any ideas? 

Okay, my box of tissues and I are going back to bed now.  See you on Friday.

Groaner of the Day:  A lady awoke one morning and discovered her dog was not moving. She called her vet who asked her to bring the dog in. After a brief examination, the vet pronounced the dog dead.

"Are you sure?", the distraught woman asked. "He was a great family pet. Isn't there anything else you can do?"

The vet paused for a moment and said, "There is one more thing we can do." He left the room for a moment and came back carrying a large cage with a cat in it. The vet opened the cage door and the cat walked over to the dog. The cat sniffed the dog from head to toe and walked back to the cage. 

"Well, that confirms it." the vet announced. "Your dog is dead."

Satisfied that the vet had done everything he possibly could, the woman sighed, "How much do I owe you?"

That will be $330." the vet replied.

"What?" screamed the woman. "What did you do that cost $330!?"

"Well", the vet replied, "it's $30 for the office visit and $300 for the cat scan."

Some Facts from the PWA

A few facts I picked up at the Writers Police Academy.

Those air tanks firefighters wear are compressed air, not oxygen.  Oxygen is highly flammable - the last thing you want to take into a fire.  But the air tanks are highly pressurize which makes them very dangerous.  One instructor made the comparison of blowing up a balloon and letting it go.




Air tanks ready to go.

 Prisoners prefer cops use their street names in detention (jail, not prison) because they don't want other prisoners to learn their real names.  This is partially to protect their families, partially so others won't give that name the next time they're arrested.

The concrete walls and/or floor in many prison provide a way for prisoners to fashion weapons by shaving or shaping items against the rough surface.  (And yet, many cells are still constructed this way.)


Sgt. Catherine Netter talking about jail cells.

Not all gunshot wounds create an external bleed.  If there is not exit wound, the victim could bleed out internally with very little visible blood. 

Blood evidence usually falls into one or more of the following: 

• Passive - drops, clots, pooling;
• Projected - arterial spurts, cast off splashes; 
• Transfer - smears, wipes, tracks;
• Misc - voids, fly spots.  What's a fly spot?  It occurs when a fly lands in the blood, then lands somewhere else at the scene.  Lots of flies can confuse the scene.



Types of blood splatter.


In gunshot wounds inflicted at close range, it is common to have blood splatter inside the gun barrel.

The K9 officer, Joy, pictured below is trained in Dutch.  This is her native tongue; plus, it makes it difficult for suspects to try to counter her handler's commands.


Joy is the one looking up.

One of the advantages to Bioterroism is cost.  To inflict the same casualty rate using conventional weapons it would cost $2,000, using nuclear weapons - $800, chemical weapons - $600, Anthrax - $1.

Dr. Denene Lofland conducts our session on bioterrorism.

Pepper spray can cause death in certain situations.  Cocaine use causes an elevated heart rate.  Pepper spray also elevates the heart rate.  Using pepper spray to subdue a violent suspect who has previously used cocaine could bring on a fatal heart attack. 

And last but not least - no matter what you see on TV, female detectives and/or crime scene investigators do NOT come to work wearing four inch heels, short skirts, or low cut blouses (no cleavage!).  Forget the long flowing tresses, too.  Hair is worn short or pinned up.  Think slacks with belt loops (need the belt for holster, cuff pouch, etc.), shirts, usually some sort of jacket to cover the weapon, and flat shoes or boots - not slip ons because "you'll run right out of them if you have to chase someone".

That's it for today.  Did you learn anything new?

Come by on Wednesday to learn the winner of last week's Caption Contest.

Groaner of the Day:  Police found a criminal shot to death with exit wounds but no entry wounds. It was determined to be an inside job.

Let's be Honest

Okay, I'll be honest.  I promised a post Friday on more of what I learned at the Writers' Police Academy.  But that means posting it now because I have another commitment in the morning. 

Well, I haven't written it yet.  I had theater tickets this evening - Young Frankenstein, the Muscal.  It was great.  Then I wanted to seen the end of the Tiger-Yankee game.  (I was rooting for the Tigers so that was also great.)  Then I got distracted by this and that, and now it's almost 1:00 AM and I'm too tired to write about the WPA.  So I'm putting off that promised post until Monday, with my apologies.

I will remind you that the Caption Contest from my Wednesday post is still open for entries.  Stop by and play.

My writers' group is doing a public reading at a local bookstore Friday evening.  I'm going to read the poem I wrote when we lost my mother-in-law, Eleanora, last year.  Saturday is the first anniversary of her passing.  I'd like to share it here as well, in her memory.

More Time

I thought we had more time.
The doctors said it would be weeks,
Not days. Not hours.
Not now.

There were things I planned to do.
Take a notebook with me,
Ask her questions about the old days
And write down the answers this time.

She asked me to bring her a card
For her great-grandson's birthday next month,
So she could sign it
Just in case.

I asked her about stuffed pancakes
From Bob Evans.
I could bring her some on Sunday.
She said that would be nice.

I thought there would be warning signs
That would tell us to stay there,
Close beside her,
Holding her hands.

Not a phone call in the night.
Not a stranger's voice
Telling me
She was already gone.

I thought we had more time.

 
Thanks for letting me share.  I'll try to get my act together on my posts before Monday.  Have a great weekend.
 
 
(I think I'll skip the groaner on this one.  I'll find a good on for Monday.)

Hump Day Caption Contest Time

Happy Hump Day.  It's time for another Caption Contest.

I'm playing with the rules a little this week.  Since I love reading your captions, your name will go into the drawing one time for each picture you caption.  One caption, one entry.  Caption all five and you've got five entries. So put on those thinking caps and let's see some great captions.

Captions will be accepted until midnight on Saturday, Oct. 8.  The winner will select a book from a list of at least six titles.  Don't forget to leave your e-mail address.

Here are this week's pictures.

1.

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

Okay, have at it.  Hope this helps you over the hump and you're on an easy coast to the weekend.  See you Friday.

Groaner of the Day: Ten Thousand years ago the first humans came to North America by crossing over from Russia to Alaska. They hadn't actually intended to do this. They got lost and couldn't get their Berings Strait.

Monday With Buster

I fully intended to do a second post on the Writers' Police Academy today.  Not too early though because I was babysitting my son's house first thing this morning, waiting for the construction guys that were doing some work for him.  While I was waiting, I starting worrying about his dog, Buster.

Buster is a crate trained dog.  He spends most of his days sleeping in a large crate while his family is at work and school.  But I thought it would be hard for him sitting in the crate while strangers wandered around his house...so I offered to take him home with me.

It should be simple.  I wanted to spend most of the day on the computer and he's used to sleeping all day; plus, I get a little lonesome in our empty house since we lost our Brandi last July.  My only concern was whether the smells of new "territory" would cause him to do what boy dogs do - so I knew I'd need to keep an eye on him.

One thing I didn't count on.  Buster is used to being in a closed house.  Allergies keep my son's windows closed up most of the year.  I'm a fresh air fiend.  The sounds and smells wafting in from outside had Buster all aquiver.  No much sleeping going on. 

Although our yard is fenced, I know from experience that a dog Buster's size, chasing a squirrel, will go over that fence like a track and field hurdle.  I could put him outside, but only if I went along to keep an eye on him.
 

It was actually kind of nice. A little nippy but with a big mug of hot tea and a library book I've been dying to finish - it made for a pleasant morning. 

 

Except, I didn't get that WPA post written.  So my post today goes to Buster. 

The workmen will be at my son's house for about a week.  Not sure what I'm going to do about tomorrow.

How about you?  Anything sidetrack your day today?

Groaner of the Day:  Dad was a scientist and he was moving the family - parents, kids, even the dog - to a remote cabin to complete his current wildlife study.  It took weeks to get there.  They traveled by plane, by train, by truck, and finally by boat.  It wasn't until they arrived that Mom noticed something had been lost in transit.  Yup, they were up the creek without a poodle.