Thursday, May 31, 2012

DACHSHUNDS FOREVER UPDATE

Shadow and Duke


**NEWS FLASH:  Since writing this post, the manuscript was completed and sent to my publisher in early August.  It is now awaiting publication!**

Several readers I met at a recent book signing asked about this book, so I promised I would keep them posted.  Therefore, here's my DACHSHUNDS FOREVER update:
Bat impression!

I now have over 95,000 words and still have a few chapters to go! Maybe I should split it into two books--because I don't want to say good-bye to THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES . . .



Piper
There is so much I want to include in this supposed-finale of the series!  I have already written in more of Papa Duke's stories, Sarge's encounter with "Elvis," his long RV trip out west, his take on several of his human family's birthday parties, and his training and mentoring of Duke.

Monday, May 28, 2012

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY, DOXIE LOVERS!

Here's wishing all of you a blessed and enjoyable Memorial Day--never forget those service men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.  I also want to thank those who previously served as well as those who are serving our country now. 

God bless the USA!



Thursday, May 24, 2012

BEHOLD THE DACHSHUND . . .

Everyone knows that I love dachshunds, so I am posting several endearing dachshund pictures today - some of my favorites are below.  Enjoy!

"Am I cute, or what??"


We doxie lovers know this
is a typical action of our
beloved breed!



"Oh, I am SO bored . . . "


Monday, May 21, 2012

WE'RE IN GOOD COMPANY!

Seems we doxie lovers aren't the only ones who love this fabulous breed.  I've gleaned from the internet various ads, magazine covers, decorative items, and famous people who also liked the dachshund.  We're in good company!



Dog food advertisement 1950


1941

General Tire advertisement

SO LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT . . .

Thursday, May 17, 2012

LORD, GRANT ME PATIENCE--BUT HURRY!

The other day I decided to go shopping, something I seldom do.  I am at the point in my life that I don't really NEED anything, but I did want to pick up a summer scarf or two to jazz up a couple of old standby outfits.  I didn't plan to spend much time or money, and I knew what I was looking for.

I arrived at the parking lot of the small shopping center where one of my favorite stores was located.  So far, so good.  I turned down the lane right in front of the store, searching for a parking space close by.  Two women were walking in the middle of the car lane, walking far enough apart that a car could not get around them or go between them--well, not without hitting them, anyway.  And, to top it off, they were strolling along like they were in a meadow somewhere, admiring nature!  They appeared to be about my age.  Oh, they were also headed to the same store, but they obviously weren't planning on getting there within the hour.  So, I had to creep along behind them for a minute or two--which in tech time is an eternity.  They had no idea that a car was even behind them.

Monday, May 14, 2012

ANNIKA'S BIRTHDAY PARTY PICS

As promised, here are a few photos of our granddaughter Annika's eighth birthday party - it was a chef party:

Chef hat and apron she decorated


Hamburger and fries birthday cake
made by mommy

Saturday, May 12, 2012

MOM: IN APPRECIATION

My mom and me when I was three
She's been in a nursing home for five years now, and in assisted living for two years prior to that.  But my mother is still my mother, she knows us, loves us, and in spite of her many health issues now, is beloved by God, who watches over her every moment.  In spite of her sometimes-difficult demeanor, the staff at her skilled nursing facility are professional and treat her well.

I've posted several times on her birthdays and on previous Mother's Days, but I want to discuss something different about her this time.  Her mind is not as sharp as it once was (well, whose is, right?), and she sometimes says something out of the blue that is odd.  She might ask about someone that we haven't seen in years, or asks why she is in the nursing home, like she's forgotten.  It is painful to hear that, bringing home the realization that life is definitely time sensitive.

With great-granddaughters
When my father died in 2000, he suffered for a couple of weeks before the Lord saw fit to take him home.  Society has tried to address suffering over the ages, especially when it hasn't been able to come up with an appropriate reason (according to man, anyway) as to why God allows suffering.  Oh, I'm not here to say that I have the ultimate answer, but I have thought about suffering, especially when witnessing loved ones in pain, illness, and heartache.

I know the Lord is preparing our family for eventually being willing to let Mom go to Him.  Sometimes He takes people in an accident, in sleep, etc., with no warning.  At other times, people suffer through the pain of terminal illness, and it can take years.  How do we make sense of it?

My brother Steve, Mom, and me
Sometimes we can't, at least not down here.  As a Christian, I do know that God makes sense.  While I don't always understand why certain things happen, I do know that God loves me and has a reason for everything in my life--and in the lives of all Christians.  It's a matter of trust, actually; do I trust Him enough to accept what He allows to come into my life?  Do I love Him enough to realize that He sees the entire picture down here, while I just see my little corner of it?


With Bethany and Holly,
her granddaughters
My mother has had a full life.  She's in a holding pattern now, certainly.  All we can do for her is love her, visit her, bring her some little trinket that she can still use, and pray for her.  We do that.  Is it difficult?  Of course, and we will visit her later, wish her a wonderful Mother's Day, and try to make her feel special, as she most surely is.  When all is said and done, she was a good mother and grandmother.  So many memories come flooding back as I write this post--how big a part she has played in my life.  Many of you have already lost your mothers, and your memories will no doubt carry you through a Mother's Day without your mother here to see, talk to, or do something for.

I am fortunate to have my mother nearby, even if she is only a shell of the full person she once was.  I am thankful, appreciative, and misty-eyed that I still have the opportunity to tell her that I love her, and I will. 

Mom, Annika, Bethany, Alexa
For now, however, I cherish the moments with her, remind her of old memories that cause her to smile, and tell her about her grandchildren and great grandchildren who live hours away.  We keep her supplied with current photos so she can enjoy them in absentia.

I love you, Mom.  Thank you for everything you've done for me.  It's my turn now to do things for you.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Friday, May 11, 2012

FOR ANNIKA: HAPPY EIGHTH BIRTHDAY!


Today marks our oldest granddaughter's eighth birthday!  I want to wish Annika a wonderful birthday, and I couldn't wait to do so.  She has grown into such a sweet, loving, and beautiful young lady in only eight years.  How is that possible??

Annika has quite a sense of humor, too.  In fact, if someone comes up behind her and scares her out of a year's growth, she thinks that is so funny!  And I've been impressed by her ability at a young age to "get" it when we'd joke with her or use puns.  She's always loved shoes, and our family enjoys her "Annika-isms," like this statement she made when she was three:  "Mom, I'm just a shoe junkie." 
A tradition in their family, Annika's bed was decorated to the hilt after she went to sleep last night, and was greeted with the sight below the first thing this morning:
Wait til you wake up
and see this!
"What in the world??"


Monday, May 7, 2012

DACHSHUNDS FOREVER: ALMOST FINISHED!

People have been asking about my WIP (work in progress), entitled DACHSHUNDS FOREVER, the third book in THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES series.  As of today, I have 80,000 words, or 243 pages. 

When will I be finished with it, you ask?  Soon--very soon.  I have about six chapters to go, but for those who don't write, or for those who do write but stick closely to a detailed outline, that's not my method of writing at all.  I begin with a basic outline of sorts--more like notes, divided into chapters, with notes about what I hope to cover in each.  Since this book will be the third one in the series, I'm already well acquainted with the main characters.  Oh, new supporting characters are added in this book, of course.  There's also traveling involved, and since the tale is told from Sarge's viewpoint, readers might find his thoughts on the places he visits and the people he comes in contact with very interesting, humorous, and especially insightful for a dog :).


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