Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 104

Random Ramblings - December 2017 (FD)

(The photo above shows Lilie stood at the top of our stairs, looking longingly at the front door, waiting for her Daddy).

Many dogs will form a stronger bond with one person in their "pack" over the others. In Lilie's case, this person is Kelly.

She's happy to be with me. In fact, she loves to have both of us nearby. But she absolutely adores her Daddy, and will go to him over me almost every time. Sometimes I can tempt her to me with food - assuming I have some food she wants, and he doesn't have anything edible at all - but most often even food isn't enough to make her pick me over her Daddy.

The photo above is exactly how she is every time he goes out without her. There's a flight of stairs as soon as you come in our door, and she waits at the top of them, looking longingly at the door, ready to race down to it the moment it opens and her Daddy comes home. Then she'll greet him with her best wiggle dance, and often some excited yips.

Sometimes - especially if he's out for a long time - she'll whine a bit as though wondering out loud what's taking him so long, but mostly she waits there in silence. It's the stillest - not to mention quietest - she ever is while awake.

***~~~***

A few months ago, I saw this recipe for Pumpkin, Mushroom, and Spinach Tater Tot Casserole. It sounded tasty, so I decided I wanted to make it.

I originally planned to make it around Halloween, but with the caravan holiday Lilie and I went on with my Mam happening so close to Halloween, I didn't end up doing so.

Then I thought I'd make it for Thanksgiving. We don't celebrate Thanksgiving here - and, if we did, like we have a couple of times over the years, it would be Canadian Thanksgiving, since Kelly's Canadian - but I didn't see why I couldn't make something nice for that date. Except life happened, and I didn't end up making it then either.

Finally, about a week ago, I got around to making it, and learned I was right that it's very tasty. Something to bear in mind if you're looking for more pumpkin recipes ready for next pumpkin season, have some frozen/canned pumpkin to use up, or whatever. Especially if you're looking for vegetarian friendly recipes.

***~~~***

It's my Mam's birthday today.

I've actually been really bad about posting about birthdays on here in the past couple of months, even though there have been several. I used to remember to post about everyone who had a birthday, but lately it's not been happening. I mean, it took me two weeks to post about my own birthday. LOL!

So, while I'm actually remembering to do so, let me take this opportunity to say, "happy birthday," to my Mam, and to anyone reading this who celebrated their birthday in the past couple of months.

***~~~***

We haven't had any more snow yet, unfortunately. I'm crossing my fingers that the next week will involve some snow, but not holding my breath, since I know the chances are slim.

It has been really cold here though. As in, cold enough that I've been wearing fluffy socks most days. Those who have followed me for a long time may remember that I hate having things on my feet, and go barefoot at home, except when the weather gets cold, when I'll wear fluffy socks. Sometimes slippers make an appearance too, but more often than not it's just the socks. Especially since Lilie ate my Cthulhu slippers.

I do have another pair of slippers. They're purple with dogs on them. But the Cthulhu ones were more comfortable, and better at keeping cold toes warm. Mind you, I prefer to just go with the fluffy socks most of the time anyhow. I still wish she hadn't eaten the Cthulhu slippers though.

Anyway, the temperature has been sticking around 5 degrees C (42 degrees F) most of the time - give or take a couple of degrees in either direction - and the wind has been quite strong at times, even on those days when the rain stays away. I don't really mind though. I like the cold weather better than the hot weather, and would much rather the temperatures we've been having to those Kelly's cousin, Holly, says she's been having in Australia.

***~~~***

Want to help raise money for The Dog's Trust?

Hugh is collecting links, and donating money to The Dog's Trust for each link he collects. Isn't that nice?

For more details, or to get involved, check out Hugh's post from yesterday.

#KidLit #Holiday #Book - The Forgotten Angel Now in #Audio! #Christmas #Angels

Left behind in the attic, Holly the Christmas angel sets off to claim her usual place on top of the Christmas tree. But doing this isn’t going to be as easy as it sounds; just finding the right room will be tricky.

Previously only available as an eBook or paperback, "The Forgotten Angel" is now also available as an audiobook, read for you by Jenny Bacon, with Beatrice Turner as the voices of Holly and the children.

Here are the main places where you can buy the book, regardless of the format you'd prefer:

Audible, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

The book also has a page on Goodreads.

#Snow By The #Ocean AKA Lilie The #Westie's First Real Snowfall

When we got the light dusting of snow on December 9th, they had more in Wales. I told my Mam it wasn't fair that Wales was getting better snow now I don't live there any more. She reminded me that I have the ocean practically right outside my window, and that I have that all year round - snow or not.

"That's true," I said. "But I want both... I want snowy beaches!"

Two days later, I got my wish:


OK, so there wasn't loads of snow, but we woke up on that Monday morning (December 11th) to see snow on the beach - as shown in the above photo, taken from our livingroom window - and this scene outside our back window:


Lilie and I headed outside to check it out, dragging Kelly along with us so he could take photos. The snow on the ground was more like icy slush where people had been walking on it and it was having trouble sticking from the rain, but Lilie checked it out anyhow...


It was still snowing a little at this point... Kelly says you can see it a little in this photo of me:


But it was sticking best on the cars and things...


So - since they'd want the snow off their car eventually anyhow, and most of our neighbours are nice enough that I knew they wouldn't mind - I grabbed some snow off one of the neighbours' car roofs...


And made snowballs for Lilie (and for my own enjoyment too). We didn't get a shot of Lilie chasing the snowballs, since Kelly didn't know I was going to throw some for her, so wasn't ready with the camera. But here she is checking out some snow, and eating it:


It did snow a bit more after these shots were taken. I think we got something like an inch in the end. But the snow changed to rain before Kelly got a chance to take more photos, and what we were left with afterwards was icy slush, which I figured you probably didn't want photos of. If I'm wrong, and you did want to see some slush, just look closely at the photos of Lilie above, and you should see some around her paws.

#Furkid Friday: Maizie The #Chinchilla's Letter To #SantaPaws (FD)

Dear Santa Paws,

I've been a really good chinchilla this year.

Well, OK... Mostly.

I mean, there were the things with the Lilie dog, but I was playing with her, not teasing her. Oh, and the other time... She was getting on my nerves keep bothering me and Mollie. Besides, the human caretakers thought it was funny when I smacked her, so it can't have been that bad, can it? Certainly not bad enough to put me on the naughty list or anything like that. If it is, it's not fair, because the Lilie dog was bad much more times than I was, and I'm nice to my chinchilla sister, Mollie, even when she's cranky, which should make up for anything bad I do to the Lilie dog. Not that I have done anything bad to her... Not really. Like I said, I was only playing...

So, since I'm sure I should be on the nice list, I better tell you what I'd like you to bring me this year. Or, rather, what I'd like you to bring for me and Mollie. See, I'm thinking of my adopted sister, which is a nice thing to do. I told you I'm a good chinchilla.

Anyway, we would like some more wooden toys to gnaw on, since they're great for our teeth, and gnawing on things helps give us something to do while we watch TV. Also, Mollie and I both really love oatmeal and chinchilla cookies, so if we could get some of those too, that would be great. Feel free to add anything extra you'd like to... I promise I'll be very grateful if you do. Thanks!

Squeak soon,
Maizie

#KidLit #Book - Home Squeak Home Now In #Audio! #Pets #Gerbils

Moving to a new home can be a scary experience; especially if you’re very small. That’s how it is for Sooty and Scamp; a pair of gerbils chosen by a little boy named Matthew to be the ones to leave the pet shop and their other two brothers to go home with him.

Most people agree that getting a new pet is an exciting experience for any child; or adult, for that matter. But have you ever stopped to wonder how the pet feels during this time? This is the story of two little gerbils, and how they learned to adjust after a little boy took them home. The story is based on the behaviour of a pair of real gerbils, and events are shown from their point of view.

Previously only available in eBook and paperback, my book "Home Squeak Home" is now available in audio too, read for you by Jerry Fischer.

Regardless of which format you'd prefer, here are the main places where you can buy the book:

Audible, Smashwords, CreateSpace, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Chapters-Indigo, iBooks, iTunes, Amazon UK, Amazon US, Amazon Canada, or The Book Depository.

You can also find the book listed on Goodreads.

#Writing Wednesday - December 13th 2017

I had planned to do two more blog tours. One to promote my Magical Chapters Trilogy, and the other to promote my Zeena Dragon Fae series. They've been out as eBooks and paperbacks for a while, of course, but I was going to promote those books as they became available in audio - like I did for my other series books. But I've cancelled the other two tours I was going to do. I will post an announcement when the books are available - like I've been doing for my stand alone stories - but won't be doing the actual blog tours.

The main reason they're cancelled is that delays in production mean we're behind schedule on those particular books. I won't bore you with the details as to what caused the delays. All you need to know is that the delays exist, but production is moving along slowly.

I did consider just delaying the blog tours, but in the end decided to just cancel them completely, because it's easier that way, and I have to think of what's easier for myself sometimes, in order to preserve whatever still remains of my health and sanity - neither of which are in particularly good shape these days, but we won't get in to discussions about that right now.

Besides, the three blog tours I did do - combined with how many times I've mentioned it on here, as well as on Twitter and Facebook - should make it clear that I'm working on getting my backlist of books all available in audio, and it will give people a break from seeing me appear on those other blogs for a while. Maybe they'll be glad to see me back when I actually have something new published? I hope they will, anyhow.

In the meantime, audiobook production continues to move forward - in fact, I'll be posting about two more of my books being available in audio during this next week - and I continue to attempt to get some actual writing time in.

Speaking of writing...

Are you a writer who writes fantasy? Then you may like to take a look at these eight tips for writing a fantasy novel.

On the other hand, if it's mystery you write, you may like to check out these eight tips for writing a mystery novel.

Regardless of the genre your writing usually falls under, if you're struggling to get your muse to visit, try these ways to goose your muse, and you should soon have plenty of ideas to work with.

When you finally get the ideas flowwing, remember that every story needs closure of some kind, so here's a post that lists some different types of closure. Also, this post may help you to determine if your book needs an epilogue.

No matter what you write, or how you plan to end it, if you say you're going to write it tomorrow, make sure you really mean it, and then make sure you follow through. If you feel you can't for some reason, chances are you're probably over thinking it - again.

Last, but certainly not least, be careful of writer burnout. Take care of yourself first!

Of #Holiday Plans And #Snow (FD)

You've probably noticed, but December is almost half over, and the Winter holidays are coming up fast; Hanukkah starts tonight, the Winter Solstice is in a little over a week, and Christmas Day is less than two weeks away now.

We don't celebrate Hanukkah, but we do celebrate both the Winter Solstice and Christmas. As usual, we aren't doing very much to celebrate either of the Winter holidays we celebrate, though we'll at least do something to acknowledge both.

We plan to have something nice to eat to celebrate the Winter Solstice, and make sure we have some nice nibbles - cakes, biscuits, chocolate, oranges, and some savoury nibbles like cheese and crackers and the like - available to have on Christmas Day between phonecalls to various people, and then cook our Christmas dinner on Boxing Day, like we always do. I'll also do the meditation ritual I do for the Winter Solstice, and will spend Christmas eve watching holiday movies and reading Christmasy books, especially since I have a bit of a tradition of watching "Santa Clause - The Movie" and reading "The Bear Father Christmas Forgot" each Christmas Eve (usually while enjoying hot cocoa and some kind of tasty snack). But that's about it for our plans.

No, we aren't spending Christmas with family. We call many of them to say, "Merry Christmas," and have a little chat on the day - those are the above mentioned phonecalls - but we won't actually see any of them. It will just be me, Kelly, Lilie, Joshua, Mollie, and Maizie. This will be Lilie's first Christmas. I wonder what she'll make of it?

Our holiday shopping is done, apart from some of the food items that need to be brought closer to the day, and some of what we're buying for each other (because that's waiting until after the holidays are over). Most importantly, the presents and cards we're sending to various family members and friends - and their pets, in some cases - are brought and either already with them or on their way to their destinations, so there will be no scrambling to get it all done at the last moment for us. That's one benifit to needing to make sure things are posted to people: you tend to make sure it's done in plenty of time to allow for postal delays. At least, I do.

I'm hoping for a white Winter Solstice and Christmas. Or even just one of those. But then, aren't I always?

We did get some snow on Saturday, but we didn't take photos since we weren't awake for most of it coming down, and it didn't settle very well (probably due to everything being damp from recent storms coming in off the sea, and the salt that would have come with that). Still, at least we did get some, along with more storms; there was another big storm Saturday night, with lots of wind and rain. I enjoy a good storm, but would love more snow! Something the universe apparently took note of this year. But I'll tell you more about that another day.

Saturday's snow was Lilie's first snowfall, but - as already mentioned - we missed seeing most of it fall, and it didn't settle well, so she didn't get to see much snow. To be honest, she didn't even appear to notice the snow existed; she showed as little interest in it as she had in the frost when she first encountered that in early November. At least, that's how she was with what we got on Saturday. She was more enthusiastic yesterday (Monday). But - as already mentioned - I'll tell you more about that another day.

How about you? Have you had snow? Also, what are your plans for the holidays? Are you ready for them? How's the shopping going?

Oh, and... Happy Hanukkah if you celebrate it!

All About The Wires

These days I make full use of the option to schedule posts, and very rarely publish a post on the same day I've written it. Most of my posts are written a couple of days in advance. In fact, some of my posts are written about a week before they go live these days, though I will often go in to a post and edit or add something if needed based on the post topic and recent events. I originally started doing this because I had a lot of things in draft that I wanted to get posted, so I was scheduling posts as I wrote them. But I continued doing it because it then means I can have my posts go up at a regular time, giving consistancy to my readers for when to expect content, even if my routine changes. Plus, the links part of my writing posts needs to be done this way, because I collect links throughout the week.

There's another benifit to doing this, and it's one I was reminded of recently. You see, having posts scheduled ahead of time means my posts will still go up, even if I can't get on the computer to write a post, which was the case for several days at the end of November, after Lilie decided that chewing cables was a good idea.

It was actually Kelly's cable she chewed. The one connecting his computer to the modem. The thing is though, I have the ability to do some things - like keep my eMail under control - using my phone and Kindle. Kelly, on the other hand, doesn't own a phone - smart or otherwise - and the only Kindle he owns only connects to the internet to access the Amazon store. So we unplugged my modem cable and atatched it to Kelly's computer, and I made do with doing what I could with my phone and Kindle while we waited for a replacement cable to arrive.

We actually do have extra cables, but none of them are long enough to reach where they need to. At least, none of them were before we brought an extra one while buying one to replace the chewed one. At least now, if Lilie eats the cable again, we do have a spare that can be used. Although, since we changed how the cables are placed, we're hopeful that she actually won't be repeating her cable chewing any time soon.

She did chew on another cable too, but thankfully not for anything important. She chewed the plug off the paper shredder. Luckily for her, the paper shredder hasn't worked properly for a while, and these days I keep it unplugged for safety reasons (it no longer shuts off fully when done shredding a piece of paper). We needed a new shredder anyhow, but still... *sigh*

Maybe I should just employ Lilie as a paper shredder? She seems to love chewing things, after all...

Anyway, add to this the fire department coming to sort out a new fire alarm system, as well as the fact an inspection of the wiring arranged by the landlords to "make sure everything is up to code" revealed that our wiring isn't, which meant the place had to be rewired, so we've had a couple of days when electricians have been here, and even more when we've been waiting for them and they haven't shown up - when we could have been doing stuff online, but didn't want to be in to anything as they'd need to turn off the power to work - and you'll understand why I'm glad there's an option to schedule posts ahead of time, and why I make full use of it.

It may be Winter and cold... Temperatures haven't been much above freezing lately... But apparently the repair work is still going on. I'm not complaining, because I'm glad the landlords are getting the work done. But, as I said, it does make me glad for the option to schedule posts ahead of time, since I can make sure posts are written on days when I know nobody's coming to do anything. At least, I can now we've replaced the cable Lilie chewed. Well, when she'll let me...

Question About #Blog Topics

Quick question for followers of my blog. Well, OK, three questions, if I'm honest. Either way...

*Do I do any regular posts on my blog you especially enjoy and want me to continue?
*Is there anything I've done as a one-off post that you wish I'd make a regular thing?
*Are there any topics you wish I'd expand on, or wish I'd post about more often?

If you could take a few moments to answer in the comments section of this post, I'd be extremely grateful.

Thank you in advance.

Tori

#Furkid Friday: Mollie The #Chinchilla's Letter To #SantaPaws (FD)

Dear Santa Paws,

I've been a very good chinchilla this year. At least, I tried to be. I know I sometimes get cross and upset for what everyone else thinks is no good reason, but I can't help it. Depression sneaks up on you when you least expect it, and it's sometimes hard not to be cranky when you feel sad. But I try... I really do!

You brought me some really great nibbles and wooden toys last Christmas, so if you could do the same this year, that would be great. Remember, Maizie and I especially love wooden toys we can gnaw on, and nibbles like oatmeal and chinchilla cookies, so those are what I'd most like you to bring. Thanks!

Squeak soon,
Mollie