Vacuum Cleaners

I hate my vacuum cleaner!! It's only a couple years old and worked pretty good when it was new but now I could pick up more dirt with my tongue! Gale told me to buy a new one next time I get to town. I refuse to pay 2, 3, or 4 hundred dollars or more for one of the darn things. I had a Kirby MANY years ago and it didn't do much better besides being so loud you couldn't hear yourself think in the next room!
It would be nice to do some furniture re-arranging but I don't have a lot of heart because the house is 'staged' to show potential buyers. Oh, I'll think of something to do with it.
To be honest, all this constant rain is coming close to getting the best of my normally good nature.
Come one sun!!

Rain, Rain, go Away

I had to re-seed spinach, lettuce, arugula and plant more tomatoes because of the cold weather. The potatoes are up at least.
 Sure tired of the rain. It came down so hard a couple times that is scared poor Cleo. Of course she is afraid of her shadow! Thunder and jet planes don't make her very happy either.
Our oldest granddaughter graduated from 8th grade tonight. Hard to believe!

Work for Beavers

The huge dam at the old culvert washed out and there is a hole in the one nearest the house. The beavers will have their job cut out for them if they plan to rebuild them and of course we hope they will. The water is still high and rushing like a sonofagun and this little Cleo is fascinated by the bubbles. She cavorts and runs and leans so fa over the bank I am terrified she will fall in again. I really have to watch her and keep calling her back.
The bull moose came back and laid down in the meadow as I was making this entry. I called Luke and his tribe to come down and see it. He got some really good pictures of it.
Anadee was up yesterday and kept hoping to see a moose. She should have been here today!

More Moose

We were looking out the kitchen window after coming home from our granddaughter's softball game and low and behold, a cow moose was in the meadow. She walked right over to the end of the farthest bridge and acted like she was going to walk across it before deciding that probably wasn't a great idea and turned around.
Today, we were standing at another window watching the rain come down and four white-tail bucks wandered up from the creek, moseyed along the fence like they were in a parade, across the driveway and back into the woods on the other side.
I had to move Cleo's food dish into the kitchen because the washing machine scared her.We just received a new shipment of books and she nearly turned inside out when she went to go out the front door and saw the boxes stacked outside on the porch.  It was rather comical but sometimes I wonder how many frights her poor little heart can take.
 

Moose on the Loose

I had just crawled in bed and opened my book when Gale called out that there was a moose laying down in the meadow. I scrambled out to take a look and sure enough, you could just make hm out. It was definitely a 'he' because there were two long antlers on the top of his head. Gale said, "It's just a small bull." I grabbed the camera and snuk out the office door to the edge of the house. I tried a couple settings to get a good shot but only one turned out even part way decent. After the second snap, the moose must have seen the flash...or me...and stood up. I thought half the mountain had moved! That bull was absolutely ENORMOUS and crossed the meadow in three strides. He seemed confused about which way he wanted to go and wandered back and forth a couple times before melting into the woods. I sure wouldn't want to meet up with him on one of my meandering through the forest! 

Keeping up with Cleo

    After taking a walk, Gypsy likes to lay in the creek and cool off but this time of year it is more like a raging river than a docile creek! Anyway, Gypsy found a safe little eddy but Cleo wanted a drink and didn't like the spot where Gypsy had stirred up the mud. I mentioned to Gale how cold it would be to jump into that swift water to rescue Cleo and wouldn't you know, she fell in! Naturally I didn't hesitate to go after her. Fortunately she had dropped into a deep hole rather than the horrendous current. Her eyes were quite large but otherwise unscathed.
   Then the little rascal got curious and decided to go out on the middle bridge directly over the worst part of the current! I called her back a couple times but she insisted upon going back out to watch the bubbles so I had to put up a child barrier gate at the entrance to the first bridge to stop her!
   We went to Boise over the weekend and stopped at a service station along the way where we had stopped on a previous trip to let the girls out. However, this time a backhoe came clanging and banging around a corner, scaring Cleo half to death. She jerked the extendo-leash out of my hand and took off across the parking lot with the handle of the leash bouncing along behind her, fueling her terror, and ONTO the main highway. In hot pursuit, I didn't pay any attention to traffic but had eyes only for Cleo. I handed off Gypsy's leash to Gale on my way past him and charged after poor little Cleo. She stopped on the center line. When I had her safely in my arms I looked up and cars were stopped in both lanes waiting for us!
   SO, at Michelle's house is a very large swimming pool. Once again, Cleo is frightened by a man who dropped a box somewhere in her vicinity. It made quite a loud noise and she shot across the patio and ACROSS the pool without even looking where she was going. Thank goodness the pool cover was on or she would have been swimming again!
   Then yesterday, Gypsy and Cleo had their hair appointments. Gypsy is always so calm and sweet...nothing seems to bother her except cows of course. I arrived a bit early to pick them up but peeked in the window first to make sure neither one of them was still on the table. Unfortunately, Cleo was and being the observant little creature she is, she spotted me and put up such a crying, squirming fuss Shirley could do nothing more with her. So, she still has long hairs on her nose...but she's still cute.
   I bought some tomato, pepper, strawberry and squash plants yesterday. Now all we need is some decent weather to be able to plant them. We sure had a storm last night...a real dandy. Then it froze again by morning.

Cold Mornings and Writing

Twenty seven degrees again with heavy frost. The corn plants are totally done for but there is plenty of time to re-seed them. I should have listened to my husband when he told me not to be in too big of a rush to plant. The garlic is thriving though.
It seems like were are rising earlier and earlier not by desire or design but by Cleo! With the days getting lighter at an earlier hour, even though she is buried under the covers, she must sense the the sun is up and therefore she must be, too. I don't really mind but Gale tends to grouse a bit.
He made pancakes for me this morning for Mother's Day. It's funny how much better they taste when he does them!
He is on chapter twenty seven and having a real time trying to decide who is going to do what to whom. It is quite a phenomenon the way our muses will lead us down story lane. Sometimes it gets ahead of us and then it's a matter of going back and inserting a bunch of detail, or even changing a scene or two to make the whole thing work. He doesn't know whether to have the wife ride to the Indian Agency to find her husband or not because her son has disappeared, however her daughter is already out searching for him. I think she should stay home and wait for her husband to return and let him go look.
I am having an equally difficult time deciding if there is something hidden in the root cellar or not and if there is...what it would be!
Ahh, the life of a witter. We have been invited to do another signing at Borders in June!

Moose and Other Wildlings

Gale saw a moose walk across the meadow this morning. We watched for a while hoping it would re-appear but no luck. Yesterday, we had fun watching two coyotes running and cavorting around in the meadow. Of course the mule deer and whitetail are regular visitors and take turns at the salt blocks. At least two of the five mulies are bucks.
It is always interesting to hear the grouse drumming because they sound like our neighbor trying to start his  recalcitrant tractor. Most of them have quit but there is still one persistent guy out there, though his beat is getting weaker.
We had snow on the ground this morning though it rapidly melted...so much for our tender corn plants. I will have to re-seed at a later, safer date.

Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Bear

That bear has been harassing my son's poor pigs for several nights. Fortunately, the critter seemed more intent upon the pigs food rather than the pigs for food. My son finally caught the beast and if it doesn't have a friend in the neighborhood, the pigs will live the life of Riley until fair time.
The best news for us is that Cleo will finally find some rest for her worried mind. Besides smelling the bear's nightly visits, she has been making several trips a day checking on the 'scat' in the driveway. Maybe we should have moved it but it would have taken a large shovel. Anyway, that bear scent was driving her crazy and her shrill little voice was a growing disturbance for us. Even Gypsy was beginning to look at her like she'd gone psycho.
I planted potatoes on my birthday and with all the rain we've had the garden should be happy.

For the Birds

Cotton pickin' robins over did their cheer this morning. I don't think the worms are even out at 4 but those chirruping little choristers were and  must have contacted all their buddies to serenade us. We leave our bedroom windows open to listen to the creek or we wouldn't have heard them so clearly. Naturally, they woke little Cleo who had to go out and investigate the ruckus and conned Gypsy into getting up, too.  Eventually, the birds shut up and I got the pups settled back in bed and we all slept in so it was all good.
The people came to look at out place yesterday after we got home from signing the documents for our land purchase. Wouldn't that be nice if this sold right away? We'd be singing along with the robins!

Tuckered Out

Gypsy and Cleo roused us from sleep in the middle of the night, both of them yapping like cheap chorus girls. This morning they rekindled their efforts to get our attention. We wandered around outside and found a huge pile of bear 'scat', and a bird feeder that had been recently filled was torn to smithereens. Thank goodness we took our son's advice and didn't put our garbage out last night for pick up this morning! The bear had paid a visit to his plantation the night before.
We've been scurrying around like rabid chipmunks tidying things up, mowing the lawn, washing windows, etc. because a real estate agent from Spokane is showing our house this afternoon. We are also signing the final papers today to purchase the twenty acres overlooking the Columbia. Big day for us.

Planting Time

We got the garden tilled up and planted a bunch of goodies yesterday and today. I sure hope it isn't too early but just can't wait to work in the dirt. There are a lot more things to plant but this is a start. The real kicker is to be finished with writing when summer arrives so we can be outside enjoying the warm weather instead of  sitting at a computer all day.

Another Day in the Neighborhood

The weather has been absolutely beautiful for the past week. It's hard to stay inside in front of a computer. Both of us are trying desperately to finish the novels we are working on in order to take advantage of the up-coming summer days.
The corn and garlic is growing and there are many more goodies to plant. We were grateful for the high fence around the garden when a doe and her yearling fawn strolled past it.
The creek is still high and one of the beaver dams washed out but the others seem to be holding.
I baked chocolate chip cookies and the house smells so good it's too bad no one came to see it today...they would have bought it just for the fragrance!

Dog Gone

We took our pups for a long walk and when we returned went down to the creek so Gypsy could lay in the water, as is her custom, and Cleo could get a drink. The water is REALLY high and the currant is extremely swift this time of year so I was watching them closely. Gypsy found a safe eddy to take a dip but Cleo was having trouble reaching the water from the high bank. It was only a second after I mentioned to Gale that I didn't look forward to jumping into that cold water to rescue her if she fell in that SHE FELL IN. Naturally, I was there in a nano-second to pull her out and am definitely grateful that it was more like a hole she slipped into rather than the rushing water. Did she learn her lesson? I don't think so because she ran right out on the bridge, stretching her neck over the side to watch the bubbles. I had to put a gate up to stop her.

CATaclysm

Torpedo, the cat, loves to instigate Gypsy and Cleo into chasing him so that was nothing unusual this morning, except that at the same moment he was making a mad dash through the kitchen, I opened the door under the sink. He crashed into it head first and looked like a cartoon accordion before he unfolded his fur and took off again. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, it was sooo funny, but I felt awfully sorry for him, too. Of course he was not injured.
I also discovered why our hot tub water is green...YUK! It all started because I had a bad cold and got in there with Vicks on my throat. That situation will be rectified immediately!

No Show

Our Realtor called to let us know another Realtor wanted to show our house yesterday between 12:30 and 2 but didn't want us to be home when they arrived so Gale and I made ourselves scarce. We were waiting at Luke's house so we could watch for when they came and left. By 1:45 no one had arrived so we came home. Bummer. Nope, no one ever showed.
On the brighter side, we sure got a lot of small jobs done sooner rather than later, like burning the trash, cleaning the Hut and the back porch, etc.

No Garlic

My son said his garlic is coming up but there is no sign of mine yet and I'm not too happy about it. I planted four varieties last fall. The seeds I planted in the house are growing like crazy and I'm not sure what to do with them. It's too early to put them in the garden.
We now have a nice For Sale sign at our driveway. If someone will come along and buy our place we will be able to move to our new property that has a milder climate.
My youngest son bought three little pigs for the kids to raise for 4H. The little critters (pigs) are soooo cute I can't imagine anyone EATING them.
Gale is on page 225 of the Amulet and I'm on 98 of my new story. I contacted Grey Dog Press about Saving Terrene Glebe. He said he would be interested in a few months. We might have it published through iUniverse by then or at least decide to go that route...we'll see.

Anxious

Sunshine today! We went to town yesterday for Gale's physical therapy on his shoulder but I got to have lunch with a friend while he was occupied. I also bought a few more vegetable seeds and am sooo anxious to get them in the ground!
The problem is that it has been so darn cold. The cantaloupe and corn I started in the little peat thingies are sprouting so that just antagonizes me further.
Gypsy and Cleo have a bed under my desk where they curl up during the day while I work on the computer. Every now and then I hear a strange grrrr or uhf uhf from Gypsy. I never knew before she came along that dogs dream, and she can be quite vocal about them! It sounds so cute.

Sad New

Luke called yesterday. His dog, Snoopy, finally passed away. That is such sad news. Snoopy was nearly fifteen years old, quite an achievement for a large dog. Lexi grew up with him and felt really bad. It doesn't matter that we all knew he had cancer and couldn't live much longer. He was a good dog.
To make matters worse, Lexi's little gray cat had crawled up in the engine of Luke's truck so when he started it up to take Snoopy in to have him cremated, the cat got caught in the fan belt. Luke eventually freed the poor little thing but it took off. So he doesn't know if it will be okay or went someplace to die. He said it was covered with blood and smelled really bad. What a rotten day for Luke.
Closer to home and more pitiful than sad, my little Cleo has developed a terror for the dishwasher. When it's running, she hides in the office and cries for me to come to her, then shivers with fright until she eventually goes to sleep on my lap. If I take her to the kitchen and offer her a treat she ignores it and tries to get away. In fact lately, if the clothes dryer is running she won't eat from her food dish. That was a puppy thing she had gotten over until a few weeks ago when a jar dropped out of the cupboard next to her bowl.

Nothing New

Not a great deal going on around here. We've seen several coyotes and deer in the meadow but no sign of beaver yet. The weather has been so wet and cold neither one of us want to go outside and my poor little dogs sure miss their walks.
We had a delightful visit with Dave Gordon, the author of 'Hangin' with Jack', which I highly recommend to anyone interested in spirituality.
Gale wants his literary cowboy's to have a mug of beer instead of a shot of whiskey, as is always portrayed in the movies, but we can't seem to find out when beer was first served in early west bars. I think he's just going with it anyway because beer was around, especially after the railroad reached the west coast.

Wild Life

What fun! We watched two beautiful coyotes on the trail of two deer that gave them the slip. The deer vanished into the woods but the coyotes wandered out into our meadow. Gypsy and Cleo saw us staring out the window so they had to charge out to keep an eye on things. However, when Cleo realized what we were looking at she made tracks for the door.
The Mallard pair should be building a nest soon. When they're not paddling around on the pond, we see them flying overhead making a bee-line for the water.
The mule deer have been visiting the salt block in the meadow the last several days, too. They are so huge! They really show up with a little snow in the background. The patch is gradually shrinking.
I was visiting Jimbosfrontporch blog site and saw he has invented some new crochet hooks...really unusual...too back I don't crochet because these things look interesting. The regular ones are beautifully handcrafted things! 

Feeling like a Computer Guru

After three days of battling this computer to download my illustrations I succeeded today! The darn thing would take one but not the next or would say one was saved when it wasn't. Whew! Then I couldn't find the cruiser stick where 'Saving Terrene Glebe' is stored. I called the printer in Colville and they said it is still there, thank goodness.
Gale is putting up a good fight with the miserable cold I shared with him but has had a couple crummy days.  He's been putting in some long hours on the 'Ghost Dance' sequel, too, and is now about half way through.
We stepped into our hot tub just before it started to hail today. That was okay...we were wet anyway and the water is warm but when the thunder began to rumble, we figured it was time to head for higher, drier ground. Seemed rather odd to have hail and thunder at the same time.

The Curse of Computers and Other News

Yesterday, I finished all the illustrations but now have to figure out how to get them into the manuscript on the computer. After successfully importing a drawing to my computer then sending it to a file where I could cut and paste it into  Saving Terrene Glebe, I have been unable to duplicate the process.  In fact, even my camera is rebelling. It will take a photo on all settings except 'auto'.
Gale is not feeling super. That awful cold I fought for about three weeks is getting the upper hand on him. His shoulder still gives him fits, too, although it seems to feel better right after a physical therapy session. They are doing some electrical impulse thing rather than exercises.
Both of us are struggling with our writing. Gale hits a wall every other day while I have been dead in the water for over a week...mostly because of being preoccupied with getting Saving Terrene Glebe ready for publication.
We have signed the papers to purchase 20 acres down in the valley overlooking Lake Roosevelt! Our house is back on the market and as soon as it sells we will build down there.
There were 7 mule deer in the meadow this morning. It's so nice to see wildlife coming around again.

 

The Pits

Gale is coming down with a cold while mine keeps hanging on. Physical therapy is helping his shoulder so that's a plus.
I spent most of today trying to figure out why my computer won't continue numbering pages beyond 45. I've tried everything, gone to the on-line help desk and called everyone I know and still don't have a solution and that's the pits.
On a happy note, Cleo has learned to come back to bed after she gets up in the morning (if it's before six.)and the snow is melting faster and faster. Gypsy and Cleo sure enjoy chasing each other around the yard now that most of the grass is exposed. Although Gypsy does love the snow and will seek out a patch to rub her face in.
Oh, and I rode my bicycle today for the first time in ages! 

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

While serving on jury duty, I met a very nice lady. She and her husband invited us to their place on the Kettle River yesterday for a yummy dinner. Sue raises sheep, and a couple llamas, that she sheers then weaves the wool into yarn.Fascinating process!
It was rather humbling to visit with these two extremely intelligent people! They're both chemists of one sort or another besides having other degrees and talents like building their own home.
The also have a beautiful dog named Max that is the absolute image of the dog in my new story! What a shock to see a character come to life! He's supposed to be part Irish Setter and Husky but that's up for debate.
Today, I put 'Ghost Dance' on Craigs list. We'll see what happens with that.

Just Ducky

A pair of Mallard ducks have returned to our pond for the fourth year in a row! They sure have a battle ahead of them with all the predators lurking in the woods.  We tried raising a couple domestic ducks a few years ago...Aff and Lack...but unfortunately, one day after they got big and started spending more time on the pond, all we could find was a few feathers. The chickens...Elvis and Priscilla... had a better survival rate...after a night hawk or owl tried to make off with one, we found them a safer home. Of course, Elvis probably wound up in the new owners soup kettle unless they truly enjoyed his early morning serenades. He was a handsome rooster.
We watched a coyote stroll across the meadow this morning. I don't care what anyone says, they are lovely creatures.
A couple days ago there was a passel of turkeys in our yard...so many we couldn't count them. They sure are destructive buggers.
Did I mention the two bobcats we say a while back? One was in the meadow and the other next to our garden fence, both on the same day.
Unless Gypsy and Cleo happen to be looking out the window, they remain pretty oblivious of what critter is passing through.

Stumped Cat

Gypsy was on my lap this morning even though she must weigh a ton, looked out the window then suddenly went berserk. She jumped down, ran to the window and yapped like there was no tomorrow. Cleo ran in circles while adding her shrill little voice to the ruckus. Gale and I looked out to see what had them so excited and saw a black cat sitting in the brush on the bank by our driveway.
I opened the door and told Gypsy to 'go get it'! Cleo led the charge. Gale and I watched, thinking the cat would run off but it didn't budge. It isn't that we hate cats but the ones that come around want to pick a fight with Torpedo and he usually comes out on the short end. After watching for a couple minutes, I decided to chase it away myself.
Imagine my chagrin to find the black cat was actually a black stump!
Darn dogs should have known better.

More Good News

Gale reminded me that he has seen a pair of Mallard duck on our pond several times. Today we saw our first Robin! This is the earliest they have come back. Spring has truly arrived even though there are still patches of snow...it's melting fast!
It was fun to see Gypsy and Cleo today,running and cavorting on what lawn is exposed. They have had cabin fever but until the last couple days, the road has been too muddy to take them for a walk. We did a while back and both of them came back a real mess.
I've had to re-write half my new story...that's the way it goes sometimes.  Gale is making good progress with The Amulet, especially since he directed the story away from the Sematuse.

Feeling Miserable

I haven't wanted to complain but the last few days have really been a bummer. A sinus infection turned into a nasty cold even though I was taking antibiotics for the infection. My throat has been too sore to swallow and my voice dropped about three octaves! Last night was the worst...congestion, caoughing and headache contributing to the mix plus this drumming in my ear that gets worse during stressful times. Waaaah. Don't I sound like a baby?! The good news is, I feel measurably better today! The sun is shinning and Cleo let me sleep in a half-hour this morning.
Gale is still going to physical therapy for his shoulder. It gets pretty sore for a day or so after but hopefully is doing some good.
I sent a copy of 'Ghost Dance' off to Michael Bowen with the Inlander per their request. It would be great if he writes a review for it.

Little Wrestlers

We watched our seven year old granddaughter wrestle again yesterday. Since there aren't many girls involved in that sport, she is paired with boys and although she puts up a good fight, she has not won a match yet. (This is her first year) Our step-grandson, who is 11 and very small for his age, has won several bouts. I was amazed they start those kids at 5 years old but its fun to watch those little guys go through all their moves.
All the new snow we got has melted...thank goodness...and we have sunshine today which should send even more down the creek. 

Watching Animal Planet

Today Cleo was sitting in the front room watching animal planet when all of a sudden she started barking and bouncing around like someone was trying to invade our house. Naturally, Gypsy had to chime in. I told them to go outside but Gypsy acted confused about what Cleo was so excited about and kept looking out the window while Cleo danced around in the living room. Finally I went to see what was on TV. Cleo confirmed that is was the lions on the screen that had her all worked up.
She was so funny because she would crab walk closer to the television set, bark and run. She took up a safe position on an arm of the couch and watched for a while but decided it was her duty to chase those big cats out of the house and did her best to frighten them with her shrill little voice.
Ultimately, I had to lure her into our office to distract her until the program was over.
Who says dogs don't watch TV?

Winter Again

 It looks like we set out our deck furniture a little too soon. We woke up to nearly 3 inches of new snow this morning! Hopefully, the rain will melt it quickly.
I have finished Saving Terrene Glebe and we are now discussing the publishing aspect but will need to figure out how to number the pages first. For some reason, my computer won't go beyond 55 or 56! I have tried everything but to no avail. It's pretty frustrating to tell a machine to do something and have it refuse. How do you reprimand a computer?
Gale is going to physical therapy for his shoulder. Sure hope it gets better.

Conclusion of Duty

Yesterday was the final day of jury duty for me. Although it was concerning a dreadful accident, I met a couple very nice ladies that will hopefully become good friends. I won't miss the long drive over the pass through the snow!
It's time get back to writing now but after discussing the plot of my new story with Gale, it appears there are a lot of changes to be made in what has already been written. Phooey. He had the pleasure of reminding me of some advice I gave him some time ago. In my story, there was a considerable amount of time that is necessary to to have pass and I was stumped about what to write for that period and keep it interesting. He laughed at me and subsequently so did I when he said, "You don't have to write about it just say the time passed!" Boy, that was simple! He also advised me to drop the title until the story is finished...so The Cat in the Window is no more. For now it will be called my new story.
A Chinese Crested won the world's ugliest dog contest...again. My Cleo is NOT ugly...she is simply adorable contrary to what Gale insists. I think he has no appreciation of the slightly unusual.

Jury Duty

Holy cow! I haven't had time to pet my dogs since we got back from Boise! They're letting me know about it, too! It is good to be missed, though. The worst of it is that I bought some new dog food for them and they don't like it even a little and I have promised them I would go back to the kind they like but haven't had a chance to get to the store! Why?
JURY DUTY! That means traveling to Republic...102 miles round trip...leaving home around 7:30am and returning anywhere from 6 to 7 pm. The jury is off now until Monday but Gale had an appointment in Spokane today and we have only one vehicle so it won't be until tomorrow that I get a chance to shop for my pets! Even then Saturday is packed.
Two of our grandkids have wrestling matches in Chewelah at 10:00a.m. and we are guest speakers for a library fundraiser in Colville at 2:30 p.m. We'll get 'er done though and Gypsy and Cleo will eat good tomorrow evening...poor babies.
As far as writing, Gale continues to fuss about being stuck on the sequel. He doesn't lack for words, just content. You can only ramble for so long and pretty soon even the computer starts throwing things at you.
My writing has been on hold for two weeks, now. Before I can get re-started, there is more research to be done.  Ahh the life of an author!

Forgot the Fox

This is getting to be a habit...forgetting. While having dinner at the Shore Lodge in Boise, we looked out the window at the ice and snow covered lake and saw a FOX walk by  right below our window. I'm talking about the four legged kind.

Been Gone

We just returned from a trip to Boise to see our baby granddaughter. She is nine months old and so cute, of course.
In McCall, we stayed at the Shore Lodge for our 28th anniversary. Beautiful accommodations but the food isn't great and they don't allow pets. I had made reservations for Gypsy and Cleo with McCall Pet Services but when we got there they were not only closed they were out of business! Boy did we hustle to find a room for them. Donelly Vet and Pet Boarding, 11 miles from McCall, stayed open after hours for us to get there.
It was a little chilly in Boise so it was a little hard on Cleo..and me because I sat outside with her so she could get a little exercise and potty. On the other hand, we went on a little drive with Grant and Michelle and stopped at a taco stand. There was a little snow there and Gypsy LAID in it! She loves the cold. Poor little Cleo sat on my lap and shivered. That little stand served some tasty burritos, too.
On the way home, we stopped in Lewiston for gasoline and it was 65 degrees! It felt like summer!
Our snow has melted considerably since we left last week but still has a ways to go before it's all gone.

Indecision

Gale has written two scenarios for one of his characters and can't decide whether to kill him off or let him live. You would think it was a matter of life and death for a real person for Pete's sake! It's actually quite entertaining for me to listen to him fuss and fume.
I have finally figured out that Cleo prefers to be told what to do rather than shown. She has always put up a hissy fit when I lift her off my lap but if I tell her to get down she does it with not argument!
Gypsy has been making routine trips to our burn pile and dragging back nasty scraps of 'crap'. I haven't a clue what she finds alluring about burned up boxes and paper...there is absolutely nothing that could be considered food in there...but she has been dragging chunks of gunck to the back porch. She knows better than to drag icky stuff inside but Cleo thinks they're a national treasure worthy of safekeeping and has no compunctions about stashing them in the house.
I would rather pick up harmless refuse than continuously cleaning up paw prints left by that darn cat.
 

Where did Time Go

I looked at the calender and couldn't believe it is Sunday! I have been working hard on Cat in the Window trying to find information on Boyds and Deadman Creek. Gale found a book at the K.F. Historical Center that had a little so I have had to run with it.
Gale on the other hand has been moaning about having to kill off one of his characters. He doesn't really want to but the story just kind of headed that way. Now he's trying to figure out a way to save him. You would think it was a real person the way he was moping around for the last couple days.
Sure has been pretty weather around here for this time of year.
Gypsy got into the burn pile yesterday and came in wearing a terrible stink. Good thing she has an appointment with her hairdresser on Wednesday.

History of Deadman Creek

Gale had a Dr.'s appointment today to see what's wrong with his shoulder. It has given him the fits since he fell skiing several weeks ago. While in town, he picked up a book called Kettle River Country in hopes that I can find more information about Deadman Creek. There was an old stage route through here and a school house. What I needed to know was dates. Also, need history of Boyds and the bridges or ferry's crossing the Columbia. My story, Cat in the Window will have a little history in it if I can find what I need.

Search for History

I have been trying to find some historical information on Boyds, an old stage route that went up Deadman Creek to Republic and when there was a school up here. Not an easy chore. This is all information that is important for my new novel, Cat in the Window. Part of the story takes place in 2010 and the other part is in 1910. It's about an author who gets writers block, moves to the mountains and realizes that the story she sees on her computer might be her own but 100 years earlier. Oh, and there is a mysterious white cat that plays an important part in the whole thing.

Dogs and Dragons

Now that I finished Saving Terrene Glebe I have to learn to draw some illustrations of a dragon and a couple animals or find someone who can do it for next to nothing.
My youngest son's old dog, Snoopy, had surgery on Monday for testicular cancer. I had to take Snoopy in because my son was at work. It is so sad when your pets get old or sick. Hopefully, Snoopy with have a little more time left and feel more comfortable with those swollen balls gone. He had 30 some stitches.
We went to town today and came home to jets doing real low flyovers. They are deafeningly loud. Usually both Gypsy and Cleo come running to great us but today only Gypsy came to the door. I called and called Cleo and was almost in a panic before I noticed our bedroom door had not been securely shut when we left. When I went in there and called, Cleo crawled our from under the bed, trembling like she was terrified.
All the bedding was in a pile which indicated that Gypsy had made herself at home on the bed.

Bobcats

Gale looked out our kitchen window this morning and saw a bobcat at the far end of our bridge that crosses the creek. I managed to get a photo of it. Maybe five minutes later, he came into our office and looked out the french doors and saw ANOTHER bobcat by our new garden spot! It slipped away before I could get a picture of it.
Maybe they are what Gypsy gets all excited about during the night.

A call from Cancun

I was pleased to be able to use my dishwasher today for the first time in over five years! To think it sat there all this time with nothing but a plugged drain. Gale stood in the kitchen for a while just listening to it run.
My friend Anadee called from Cancun this morning. She is having a wonderful time and keeps insisting that I start flying. I doubt that will happen. I prefer to vacation on a ship.
Gale is on chapter 17 of The Amulet. He says something big or disastrous has to happen but won't let me in on what' coming. What I do hear is a lot of mumbling and grumbling about not knowing what to do next.
I am doing the corrections, etc. on Saving Terrene Glebe. That's not nearly as much fun as writing the story! I am most anxious to get back to Cat in the Window. That should be a suspenseful story.

Dishwasher and Stray Cat

We went to Spokane Wednesday planning to get a new dishwasher. Mine has not worked for at least five years. Because more money was spent in another area that we hadn't anticipated, I opted out of purchasing the dishwasher. We decided to take out the one we had and put in some shelves. Gale was in the process of pulling it out but decided to ask our son for help. After a short discussion, it was determined that the drain from the washer was plugged. Our son took everything apart, Gale cleaned it and the dishwasher was re-installed. Now it works! Good thing we didn't buy a new one!
During the night, there was a stray cat making some weird noises as Tom cats are prone to do. Nothing gets Gypsy more upset than cows and cats so she was up a couple times making sure we knew about it. Naturally, Cleo slept like a baby. It's usually she, who keeps me awake.

Jealous dog

I am pretty upset with Gypsy. She peed on the bedroom carpet this morning! I can only assume that is her way of letting me know she is still not happy with Cleo.
Gale has set aside work on The Amulet to do his part with Saving Terrene Glebe. I have started yet another novel titled Cat in the Window. It will be more of a suspense story with a little Sci-fi twist. I a really excited about it since I have been waiting three years to write it!

New story

I have started a new story called. Cat in the Window. I'm really into it and hope it goes as good as I imagine!
Gale is reading the first draft of Saving Terrene Glebe. It's going to be a trick to go from this new story back to that one when he has made his contributions to it and blend it all together. It never occurred to us that we would be working on more than one book at a time...now we will have THREE! He has put The Amulet on hold to work with Saving Terrene Glebe.
Gypsy and Cleo have been very co-operative the last few mornings in that they will go back to bed for 30 minutes or so after they make their potty runs around 6 a.m. It's nice to sleep in once in a while.

Defining Words

I have spent the last two days making sure the definitions for all the scientific words and mythological characters in my book are correct. It is my hope that Saving Terrene Glebe will not only be entertaining but slightly educational. If there was a chance that a reader would develop an interest in biology or heighten their awareness of how destructive humans are toward our planet, then I have accomplished my goal. The translation of the title is...Saving Earth Land. The name of every person, place, or thing is real and relates to something scientific or mythological.
Gale is struggling with The Amulet. He finally finished chapter sixteen but says the story is getting more difficult the farther he gets into it. A writer has to continually come up with stuff that will be interesting. He now sits across the room waiting for an epiphany. We will probably have a long discussion when I close this entry.

Cool Cat and Cofffee

It is quite common to see Cleo stand over a heat vent  in the kitchen when the furnace is on. The heat blowing her long hair makes her look like a little puppy angel. It was a surprise to find Torpedo, our indolent cat, sprawled over a vent behind the couch! He didn't give any indication that he knew I was looking at him and probably wouldn't have cared, he had pried a lazy eye open to see.
On another note, I do not recommend purchasing cheap coffee! After a week of enduring a nauseous tummy, it occurred to me that the gurgling and subsequent bathroom trips begins after drinking a couple cups of 'Western Family' brew, which we started using about 7 days ago! It takes some of us a little longer than others to connect the dots but that can of grind is headed for the deep six! 

Heart to Heart

My best friend called Saturday to tell me her mom was at the emergency room in Colville. I went right away to sit with her while the Dr.'s fussed over their patient. She was admitted that night then sent the next day to Sacred Heart in Spokane. I sure hope she will be okay. Heart and high blood pressure problems are frightening to say the least.
Cleo has woke me up at 5:30 the last two mornings but obediently stayed in bed until six...with a little encouragement from me! Gypsy has had her share of waking us, too...even earlier. It turns out that my son, who lives quite near, has been leaving for work at four in the morning for the last week, including Saturday. The sound obviously wakes her and she gets up to check it out, which in turn wakes me up.
Aw, life with dogs. Gale is quick to remind me how cute they are.

The Grindstone of Writing

Gale is on Chapter 16 of The Amulet. Every day or so he complains about having written himself into a corner. I tell him to just write himself back out! He likes to use the excuse that if a character doesn't know what he is going to do next, how can he?  According to Gale, the most difficult character to write is Standing Wolf. Don't ask me why...I think he's a cool dude with all kinds of powers at his command if someone would just use their imagination! He has the amulet for Pete's sake and that big wolf likes him and his mother, Bent Grass, is a 'seer'.
I have offered various suggestions...only when asked by the way...and Gale has seemed appreciative. That doesn't mean he uses them!
Meanwhile, I plug away on Saving Terrene Glebe.

Gypsy on top, Cleo below

Forgot the Good Stuff

How could I forget to talk about last Saturday?! Borders Bookstore in Spokane invited us to a book signing event along with five other local authors...among them was Patrick McManus! We have been a great fan of his for over 28 years and have all of his hilarious books, so it was a real honor to meet him get a photo taken with him.
It turned out that a small publisher in Spokane heard about the upcoming event and asked to have his authors attend also. Though it really cut into our book sales, it was great to meet them! We exchanged e-mail addresses and books with several so we have a nice selection of reading material for a while.
It would have been fun to go to a movie after we finished up at 5 but I was anxious to get home to my dogs. One of the grandkids checked on them in the afternoon but I hate to be away from them any longer than necessary.

Barking Night

Around 3A.M.(as in the morning when it's still dark and nobody in their right mind wants to be awake) Gypsy decided to take a jaunt out side. She had chosen to snooze on the rocking chair in our bedroom, instead of her bed, so when she propelled herself off her semi-mobile perch, the chair predictably banged into the wall. That's what woke me. Her incessant barking for the next 20 minutes kept me awake. Gale finally took my cue, some comment I made about 'his' dog being a pain in the butt, and got up to call her in. I'm almost positive I heard a few unkind expletives along with her name. She sweetly curled up in her proper sleeping location and proceeded to snore...really.
Cleo promptly woke up and decided she needed to make a potty run. Thank meant, when she hurtled back through the door, yours truly had to drag her bones out of bed to help 'her' dog back into bed...cold paws and all.
Not to be outdone, Torpedo wandered past the bedroom door and yowled. Fortunately for him he kept it short. Neither Gale or I lay claim to the cat.
The upside is that everyone eventually settle down and we got to sleep until the unheard of 7 bells!  Not so bad after a barking night.

Snow in the Mountains

We had a dandy snow storm for a few hours this morning and accumulated at least two more inches, giving all the old stuff a fresh new look.  I am surprised there was so much left on the ground after so many warm days. Cleo woke up this morning at 5! She promptly trotted outside to do her 'duty' so I can't complain.  When you have to go you have to go! Naturally Gypsy got up at the same time but obediently went back to bed. When Cleo returned, she sweetly curled up next to me and went to sleep; after planting her four tiny cold paws in the middle of my back! She is a heat seeking missile.

Ugh! More frustrations.

Will I ever learn to do Facebook or Twitter? They looked pretty simple but my poor brain can't seem to figure them out. Just when I think I have it something goes goofy. A friend on Facebook said something abut the challenge of using these things will keep our minds healthy...they might if you don't go nuts first!

New Avenues

I signed up with Twitter today. There might be a better opportunity to draw someones attention to Ghost Dance through that medium. Naturally we hope to sell more books but if some producer got their hands on it, maybe they would see its potential for a movie. You can't say I don't dream big.

Back to the Grindstone

Gale is back to 'work' today. I hear a lot of groans and grumbling from his side of our 'office'. He's been having a problem remembering the descriptions of the horses and who is riding them. I keep reminding him to make notes. Of course, even if he does it's doubtful he could find them...you should see his desk. There are sticky notes hanging around like flypaper on nearly every smooth surface. We don't talk much while we are writing except to ask about the spelling of a word or if we are searching for a particular one that eludes our mind.
He's also a little grumpy today because his shoulder is bothering him since his fall nearly 3 weeks ago. Naturally he won't go to the doctor. He's afraid he'll have to go through the same surgery I had last year...the sissy. Truth is, I don't blame him and wouldn't want to do it again! I have assured him that there are alternatives but I don't think he believes me.
Cleo promptly woke me this morning by pummeling my tummy with all four paws. It's amazing how much strength that little dog has! There is no snooze button either. Gypsy would sleep and let us sleep all day if it were up to her...well, until feeding time.

Here are my two pups. The left photo is Cleo showing her underside. To the right is Cleo right-side-up. Below is Gypsy getting aquianted with baby Cleo.

Whole New World

I found a new button on my blog site that took me to other people's blogs! Now to those of you who do this all the time, that would be no great discovery but this is a whole new world for me. I hope some of you find a button that brings you to my site and enjoy some of the silly things that go on around our house. Most of the antics are performed by Gypsy, Cleo, or Torpedo-the-cat but occasionally my husband gets in the act.

Still Learning

After a week of trial and error, I don't feel any closer to knowing how to do links to other blogs or setting up a new web page. I supposedly have several 'friends' on Facebook but don't really know how to talk to them there...thought I did but....
Computers have to be the most frustrating invention of all time.
For instance how do you find a blog to follow? And how do you link that blog with your own? Yipes!
Guess for now I'll just concentrate on writing books.

Tragedy in Haiti

I was awake a lot during the night thinking about Dr.Gupta and all the help he is providing in Haiti.It seems like the pharmaceutical companies could or should be required to donate medicine to those poor people and all the fat cats on Wall Street and CEOs getting multimillion dollar bonuses and the big gas companies should be required to donate huge amounts instead of rich people like Clinton and stupid Bush begging the poor people of America to give more and more! 

Dogs in the Dark

I awoke around 2:40 this morning to the sound of Gypsy going out her doggy door.  After listening for about  20 minutes for the 'slap' of her return, I became concerned. She rarely goes out in the night and never for more than a couple minutes. There are preditors wandering around out there in the dark and she would be easy prey a hungry cougar, even though dog is not their favorite food. Sooo, I got up, went outside...the temperature was hovering around 30* which is quite mild for this time of year...and called and called. As I was coming back to the door in near panic, Gale, whom I had rudely awakened, informed me that he had let Gypsy in through our office door. We have too many doors in our house! Naturally, Cleo had to get up to see what was going and nearly got quashed under Gale's foot. He wobbled like a weeble for a split second while she darted for safety and he found a safe place to step. I gathered Cleo up, directed Gypsy to her bed and everyone got back to sleep until the little alarm clock went off at 6. You would think she could have slept in at least 30 minutes!

Learning new stuff

The last two days all I have done is try to learn Wordpress. I am so frustrated!

Dogs and Avatar

Wow! We went to see Avatar in Spokane yesterday. That is the most incredible movie I have ever seen! I didn't want to leave when it was over.
 Cleo has an uncanny knack of knowing when it's six o'clock and despite getting to bed late has no regard for those who would like to sleep in. She bounced out of bed and out the door to do her duty then charged back into the bedroom to serenade us until we got up. Gypsy was trying to be curtious, as usuall, but the 'kid' won't take no for an answer.
It felt cold today even though the snow is melting so we went out to sit in the hot tub. Gypsy began barking at something (we live in the woods so it could be anything) and Cleo heard a strange noise so she came running over to hide,shivering, behind the tub. Since she only has hair on the top half of her body...her underside is as bare as a baby's bottom...she can't take too much cold. So I had to crawl out of the warm water and carry her inside...and I was naked as a jay bird!
Gale is making great progress with the Ghost Dance sequal. He ust finished chapter 12. Standing Wolf, who has been tracking Sam after Sam stole the amulet, has lost the trail. He is at the mouth of the Kettle River talking to the Indians who come from all over to fish those waters.
There is a real balance between giving suggestions about where the story should go and intruding on his thoughts. I have to wait until he writes himself into a corner and asks for a hand out.

What a day

Cleo, my Chinese Crested Hairy Hairless one-year old dog, woke me at 5:45a.m. She has been staying in bed until at least 6. Of course she sleeps next to me! We took her and Gypsy, our 7seven-year old of undertermind origin which we call a Himalayan Herd dog, in to town with us this morning. Gypsy loves to ride and Cleo hates to stay home if you get my drift.
We went X-country skiing and Gale took a nasty fall and injured his shoulder. Not only was he concerned about the prospect of needing the same surgery I had but it has inhibited his typing ability. It appears now that it wasn't as serious as we first thougt.
We also got word today that our brother-in-law had a heart attack a few days ago but is okay now.
Then tonight our oldest son, Dan, wanted me to help him hook up his new laptop with AT&T. Not a good idea...and after 2 -1/2 hours I think he is convinced to take my suggestion to go with Wild Blue. Gale said he would take me to the movie Avatar in Spokane tomorrow if he could watch basketball tonight. I am not very enthused over the game so helping Dan was a wonderful 'out' for me.