Sunday Pics - Happy Halloween

Bruno and Kitten in the background

Sven is looking out this window in the previous photo

Boat landing/park down the street

Pumpkins at Beth's from down the street the other way

Our pumpkins: The Instigator (center) planning mayhem. The egger-on (left) eager to watch. And the woe-is-me (right) we're all going to die.

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! EAT CANDY! WATCH SCARY MOVIES! AND PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE DEMONIC PUMPKIN PLANNING WORLD DOMINATION :)

 

Sunday pics

 The view outside my window this Sunday morning

My lovely tree is about to bloom which will hide the view of the neighbors across the street and give me a million green leaves instead.

Kitten (we will not discuss his stupid name) at the ripe old age of 14, handsome as ever

Sven and his new buddy, Orion

Sven (8mo.) and his other buddy, Bruno

In other news I'm about three chapters away from finishing my current WIP and I've read 12 books thus far this year. I am currently enjoying Wyntertide by Andrew Caldecott, the second book in a series series that began with Rotherweird and ends with Lost Acre. I will also mention City of Ghosts and Girl A, both of which I ripped through and recommend - City of Ghosts if you like ghosts, and Girl A if you like psychological dramas.

Also still enjoying Avatar and came to a realization in the shower the other day (where many great realizations take place) that the group is going to need Zuko because he completes them. Ang is air, Kitara is water, Tof is earth, and Zuko is fire. Without him they are incomplete and cannot hope to succeed in uniting the four nations.

Yes. These are the things I think of while I'm in the shower. 

I got my second vaccination (no side effects other than a sore arm both times) and come Tuesday will be considered "fully immunized." Hallelujah! Looking forward to visiting my mom in Florida even though it will likely be sweltering hot by the time I go (June). Nevertheless, I can't wait to hang out with my mom whom I haven't seen in over a year!

Finally, the weather is getting warmer, and I'm starting to clean out my gardens. The front garden is half done. I'll need to decide what to plant alongside the perennials. Last year's plants didn't do so well thanks to a late frost so I'm not in any hurry. I would like to try Zinnias again but only if they'll grow like this (as opposed to the sad things I had last year).

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Sunday Pics

Well. I haven't done a Sunday pics in a while so...

I will begin with Sven, my new kitten

I got him in October - let's call him a birthday present to myself - spotting him on Facebook at The Animal House, a local place for pet stuff and adoptions. I'd lost my awesome black cat, Jasper, a while back and here was this little guy showing up on my Feed in need of a home...well let's just say I was down there pretty damn quick. He's still absolutely adorable and I love him to pieces.

Then there's the pawn shop, which has been fairly quiet until last week. Here's a few pics of various places. 

 

Don't you love the creepy dolls? Yeah, me neither, lol.

Last but by no means least is this Cooper's Hawk that came to visit the shop. I took some pics with my phone but couldn't get any decent shots. Luckily, my favorite birder (my son) came by and got some great pics. He has this massive zoom lens, and if you want to see more awesome pics of his, check out my facebook page. I post a lot of the pics he sends me.

 

In other news, I have only read two books this year, which is a bit sad, and watched very little television. We are still watching The Americans and only have a few episodes left til the end. I admit I am very worried for many of the characters. Watched The Dead Don't Die last night which was funny, probably mostly because of who was in it. I have been writing fairly diligently - my current work in progress stands at 50k - querying, and playing too much Scrabble - my average score is 373 and my average word is 24.5, which is pretty good although admittedly Scrabble on line is easier to get higher points than the actual game.

And now, I'm off to kill zombies with my brother :)

 Have a wonderful week and stay well!

Birthdays, Books, and Bruno

A few days ago it was Bruno's 1st birthday...

I took him over to the Animal House in Damariscotta and bought him a rope toy and a pig ear. He was very happy. It's hard to believe that he used to look like this:

Oh, and here's Kitten (yes, that's his name, don't judge), waiting for second breakfast

Meanwhile, I've read two more books

Per Wikipedia: "The Lunar Chronicles is a series of young adult science fiction novels written by American author Marissa Meyer. Each book entails a new take on an old fairy tale, including Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White." Cress is the third book and I highly recommend this series. Great characters, lots of action, romance, and edge of your seat escapes and entanglements. I just started the last book, Winter...

All Systems Red is a completely different book. Per Amazon: "On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is.
But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth." This book (novella, really) was a lot of fun, and if you like scifi and interesting bots I would definitely recommend it. There are more stories, including a full length novel, and I'll be putting the whole series on my list.

In writing news I've been diligently working on revisions for BELL, BLACK, & BRIAR, and have winnowed the list of fixes down to four, some easy, some harder:
* Tabitha needs to mention to Beck that she spoke to her father - this is the easiest, just insert a line somewhere
*Dig deeper into Tabitha and Alice - harder because they're both secondary characters but still important
*Beck needs to worry more over his failing aptitude - more time consuming than anything else as it involves going over every scene with Beck
*Explain how Grainne gained control of Marybeth - I think I know how, I just need to figure out how to insert the information properly

Finally, the weather, which is cold and getting colder. We had flurries last week, and I'm back to layering myself (I should just wear a damn snowsuit), which I despise. The good news is I'll get a break next month when I go visit my mom in Florida :)

So. What are you reading? How's the weather your way? What's the last birthday you celebrated? Yours? Someone else's? Was there cake?

Cats vs Dogs

Change

Cats hate change. For example, you bring cat A to the vet and when you get home cat B suddenly hates cat A. This is because 1: you took cat A away and while you were gone cat B looked everywhere for cat A to no avail. The thing is, cat B knows every single place cat A hides. Every single one. And if B can’t find A then A has disappeared and that it not normal and cat B does not like not normal at all. He’s a cat. Not a human. Oh, and nevermind the fact that B saw A in the awful cat carrier. B might remember what happens when you get in the cat carrier, or, he might not. But it probably won’t occur to him to make the connection because again, he’s a cat, not a human. And then there’s problem #2: you bring cat A home and he does NOT smell like cat A. He smells like cats B has never met and that is NOT good. By this point cat B is highly suspicious of what’s going on. Sure, it looks like cat A but it doesn’t smell like cat A, plus cat A was gone and who is to say this is the same cat A? It could easily be a replica. All of which results in cat B deciding to hate cat A who is not cat A as far as B is concerned.

Now, if you have dogs, dog B will exuberantly greet dog A like its been gone forever, and the two will resume their normal relationship as soon as the excitement wears off.

In other news...20 days til spring :)

A - Z Theme Reveal - DEATH

I already posted this once (on the wrong day, duh), but here it is again for anyone who missed it: My theme for this year's A- Z Blogfest is DEATH (who I really hope is like DEATH in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series), and all things surrounding the subject. It's an uncomfortable subject because I don't any of us are all that keen on dying, but it's good sometimes to talk about uncomfortable things I think.

"I meant," said Ipslore bitterly," What is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?" DEATH thought about it. CATS, He said eventually, CATS ARE NICE

So, what's your theme for A-Z, or are you taking the month off to avoid the madness?

The story of Jim

Warning: this is a cat story so if you don't like cats, feel free to skip this post!

If you do like cats, or a least tolerate them and find them occasionally amusing, let me introduce you to Jim

Jim is one of my three cats and the last one I acquired while still employed at a veterinary clinic in 2012. He arrived  in a cat carrier accompanied by a teary-eyed girl and her boyfriend. The girl said the shelter wasn't taking cats (and they weren't; I called to confirm) and they had to move and the place they were moving into didn't allow cats. If she hadn't been crying I might not have felt so bad but I could tell she really liked her cat and I could see why. He was very handsome (I love black cats). He also had another name but I can't remember what it was. Something stupid.

You can see where this story goes (honestly, it's a good thing I don't work there any more, otherwise I'd probably still have seven, or, God forbid, more) so I'll cut to the chase and fast forward a couple months. Jim is now living in my house, I've lost my job, and we end up at another veterinary clinic because Jim is blocked. For those who don't know what that means, it means he couldn't pee. Not good. I spend some of my savings saving him, because if you don't do something, the cat will die.

Two weeks later it happens again. Savings dwindling. Jim needs special food. Apparently he's stressed (Really, Jim? You're stressed? How about yours truly who saved your ass and now doesn't have a job to support you). Not that I'm surprised. I still had five or six cats then, and he had come from a single cat home. Of course he was stressed! We were probably all stressed.

Thankfully we got through that awful period and between then and now I lost a few cats, bringing me down to the somewhat reasonable number of three cats. Which makes Jim happier.

But here's the thing about Jim. He doesn't even like me. Seriously. He hardly ever purrs for me, and most of the time when I pat him he looks annoyed, like this

Worse yet? He likes my son. A lot. Purrs for him. Gets into his lap. But not me who saved him from who knows what fate, not me who took him to the vet (twice!!!) and spent money I didn't really have to spare, and certainly not me who continues to buy his special (expensive food). Nope, he likes someone else. Anyone else really, just not me.

And that's Jim.

Luckily I have Kitten (speaking of stupid names) to go with him

The boys

Have a fabulous weekend :)

The Burial

 

We buried our very old Jasper cat today, my son and I. He was a few months shy of nineteen years old (the cat, not the son). We were hoping he’d get one more summer. He spent so much of the last happily curled up in a chair on the deck in the sun.

The spot we chose to bury him sat between two small willow trees and my son dug the hole, found some big rocks to mark the grave. I wrapped Jasper in an old sweatshirt with a plush lining, hood over his face.

At some point my son said, “I’ve hit clay. That’s good.” And I wondered, was it? Was it good? Why? Because the clay made a better bed or because the clay indicated an end to digging? I wanted there to be an end. And Jasper didn’t need a very big hole. There wasn’t much left of the sleek black cat he had been.

Hard to believe it in light of the time he was gone for ten days in the dead of winter. No lie. He came home smelling like oil and I decided he must’ve gotten shut up in a garage but, really who knows what happened? It was one of his adventures.

Like the other time he was gone for three whole weeks one summer – no doubt off hunting or basking in some meadow while I called his name frantically every night. I was sure he was gone for good. Three weeks is a long time for a cat to be gone.

But then he came sauntering home, over the stone wall like always, a little leaner maybe, but otherwise in prime shape. Other adventures did not end well like the time he came home without part of his tongue. No clue what happened but he was fortunate he didn’t lose more otherwise he might not have been able to eat properly. Or that awful New Years eve. I was supposed to go out to a party when something horrific happened on the deck. And Jasper was out.

Outside I found blood and tracks that were too big to be a cat. I searched in the dark and the snow, but I did not find Jasper. And I did not go to the party.

I forget when he came home, hours later or maybe even the next morning, but once again, he’d survived another adventure - unscathed.

He probably had all kinds of adventures I knew nothing of, nights beneath the stars, running, chasing, climbing, all the things cats do out in the wild.

He was a lucky cat, I think as my son shovels dirt into the grave. 

I’ll tell you one more thing, about another black cat I had named Jader. After he died (too young, I might add) I had three dreams about him. In the first dream he was alive and well and it was good. In the second dream he was sick or badly injured. And in the final dream he was dead, but his ghost remained to comfort me briefly, telling me it was okay, he was fine.

Agree or disagree?

"Don’t just finish writing a first draft and call it a day." 

Jim in a bag.

Having spoken of revisions before, you can all guess I agree with the above statement. And for that very reason I am taking another break in order to finish revising PEACE & FORGIVENESS. I will be back on June 27th for the Cephalopod Coffee House Book of the Month review and resume my (semi) normal blogging schedule. In the meantime Dianne and I are still looking for submissions for July's First Impressions (see sidebar for FAQs). I also have an availability in July for an author interview. I'll promote your book with pics, blurb, links, and an interview. If you're interested, click on contact me at the top; I'd love to promote someone and hey, why not you?

Monday pics -

This is Miss Mel, aka Little Person (what? Don't your cats have aliases?).

The Sun was the sun shining through the trees on our walk...

 Jonah - a very happy dog!

The leaves were pretty spectacular...

like this

and then this cute Kitten (aka Copernicus Jack) came to greet us when we came back. He loves to do this for some reason and yes, that's his name so don't judge because he used to look like this...

So how was your weekend?

Oh, and don't forget...The Pumpkinfest is coming...

Monday

Well, here we are again. The beginning of the work week for most of us, in which we have 5 whole days before the lovely wonderful much anticipated weekend. I don't know about you but work (that thing I do to pay the bills) is just not my bag baby. Know what I mean? Or are you one of those fortunate people who actually has a job they love?

I did like my job* once. When I first started. But now, almost fifteen years later, the only thing I still love is when kittens and puppies come in (because, hey, who doesn't like kittens and puppies?), and certain animals and their people. For example, there's this nice lady who comes to us who has the two best pets in the entire world. One is a King Charles Spaniel named Ruby, who is just the sweetest, most loving dog I have ever met.

I'm not a huge fan of little dogs, but if Ruby needed a new home I'd jump at the chance of being her new person.The other pet this nice lady has is a Maine Coon cat named Miley, who is equally loving and sweet, and gorgeous to boot. She actually looks a bit like this cat:

But as much as I love animals, I would still prefer to be sitting at my desk every day tapping the keys and creating stories rather than checking people out and trying to explain why they should spay/neuter/vaccinate their pets. To be honest, I'm bored with my job. The funny thing is I never tire of my stories or my characters because there's always a way to make them more exciting or interesting.

So, the question today (which, if you answer in the comments, will gain you entry into the great give away **) is, do you love your job? And if you don't, what would you rather be doing? 


* for those who don't know, I work at an animal hospital

** in which I give away great books like the entire Twilight series, Tad Williams' Otherland series, the first two books in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, a first chapter crit, and Roget's Thesaurus. All you have to do to win is be a follower and comment. 

wednesday - warning: foul language

So I was thinking, about work and how 'it's just not my bag, baby,' if you know what I mean. And it's even less my bag when I have one of those shitty days involving euthanizing (really, though let's just call it what it is: killing) cats that don't want to be killed and fuckwads who bring cats for us to kill as if it was OUR responsibility to solve THEIR problem. I'd go into greater detail but suffice it to say that people who can't manage to vaccinate their cats against rabies generally end up on my shitlist. I mean, c'mon, if you can't do that and spay and neuter, then you have no business owning a cat. And yes, the same holds true for dogs but people tend to take care of their dogs better than their cats.

Anyway *deep breath* I was thinking about my work (which is thankfully not always like that or I'd probably shoot myself in the head) and those awful days and how they spur me, smack me upside the head and remind me why I need to keep writing. Because I do not want to keep playing that game. It isn't fun and it isn't good for my soul.

Lucky for Gus, nice people were looking out for him and although he's still doing time (read: quarantine) in a few months he'll be free and up for adoption. Yeah, I didn't want to end on a completely negative note...

Sunday pics - kitten

kitten (aka copernicus)

stalking kitten

curious kitten

kitten doing the side-step

kitten pretending he knows what he's doing

cute kitten

sleeping kitten