Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 53

#MondayMotivation, #Inspiration, And #Wisdom - #Hygge #Quotes For December 2nd 2019

There must be always remaining in every life, some place for the singing of angels, some place for that which in itself is breathlessly beautiful.
~Howard Thurman

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
~Victor Borge

That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet.
~Emily Dickinson

Allow yourself to enjoy each happy moment in your life.
~Steve Maraboli

To live in harmony with yourself is the most noble achievement.
~Alan Cohen

Laughter is the brush that sweeps away the cobwebs of your heart.
~Mort Walker

I feel very strongly we are spiritual beings in a physical body, and we should make our surroundings as beautiful and soulful as possible.
~Alexandra Stoddard

Friends Of #FurkidFriday: Ani

Hi everyone. This is Lilie the Westie.

I have a friend to introduce you to today that I've been wanting you to meet for a while. She was meant to be one of the first friends I introduced you to, but wasn't because of something Mummy calls, "Technical issues," - whatever that's supposed to mean. Anyway, let's meet her, shall we?

Hi friend, telll everyone what your name is. Also, I happen to know there's some meaning to your name, and I bet there's a bit of a story behind it too, so can you share that with us as well?

First of all, thank you for asking me over, Lilie and Tori!

You're very welcome. It's great to finally have you over for a visit.

My name is Ani… otherwise known as the Small Dog. I was named after Anubis, the Egyptian god who walks between worlds, but because I’m a girl and he’s not, they went with Ani instead.

My two-legs calls me Small Dog. She says it is mainly because I look almost exactly like the dog-before-me, whose name was Echo. Apparently, though, I am only half her size. And I’m not exactly small at all. Mind you, I do my best to convince her that I am a small dog, ‘cause if she thinks I’m all little and fragile, I’ll probably get more treats…

That's a great name! Also, good idea about the treat thing. Don't tell Logan about it though... He's bad enough for finding ways to get more treats already. Anyway, Ani, I know you're a dog, but what breed are you exactly?

She says that, like Echo, I am a Setter/lunatic cross. Hrmph. Echo’s Mum was a pedigree Irish Setter who had a bit of a fling with a roving Scottish Collie on holiday. My Mum, though, was an English Setter and my Dad a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Mum and Dad had a fling too and we don’t know whether they were dumped or escaped, but the two of them were found in a field in Ireland where they had built a den ‘cause Mum was expecting her pups.

I'm glad you and your family were found and rescued. Now, I know you said you're a small dog, but can you describe your appearance fully? I have a photo here, but please describe yourself too, for the benefit of those who can’t see the photo.

Well, ‘gorgeous’ and ‘cute’ come to mind! Only ‘cause lots of two-legses say that.

I’m not a little dog; my back comes about halfway up my two-legses thigh and, if I stretch out, I can pretty much occupy all three seats on the sofa. I have long hair, a feathery tail and feathers on my legs. My fur is black, shiny and wavy, apart from a white bib on my chest. There are white bits on my feet too and some two-legses say it looks like I’ve had my nose in the sherbert, ‘cause my muzzle is white too.

I have long floppy ears that look like setter ears when they are down, but they are quite mobile and look like retriever ears a lot of the time. And big, brown eyes that work like magic for doing the whole puppy-eye thing, even now when my eyebrows have gone grey and I’m getting on a bit.

I'd say everyone who calls you gorgeous is right.



By the way, Ani, what sort of place do you live in? Who do you share it with?

When they first brought me home, we had a big house full of my boys and other dogs and children. But they all grew up and left home, so now I just live with her in a little place of our own. We share it with the fishes in the aquarium…and we have cows over the fence and lots of fields around us, which is cool.

Yeah, that does sound cool. Although, I'm not too sure what a cow is... I've never met one of those. Anyway, what’s your favourite thing to do?

Whatever I’m doing right now! I like walks, and swimming and eating and playing…especially if she gets down on the floor with me and rolls around. And I like going places in the car and exploring with her and the ball guy too.

That all sounds like fun! I'm with you on all those things. So, do you have a favourite toy? If yes, what is it?

That would be The Ball. I have dozens of balls. She filled a Christmas Tree with them for me one year… but although I sometimes get them out of my toy box just to confuse her, there is one One Ball. I’ve had it about three years now and play with it all the time. It stopped bouncing a long time ago when a chunk ‘fell’ out and you can barely tell what colour it used to be now. But I love that ball.

Oh, I totally get that! I'm the same with balls, and that one ball...

Speaking of favourite things, what’s your favourite food?

Hers! Whatever she is eating has to be shared.

But if we are talking my food… chicken. No question. But I am partial to cheese and fish and… okay, Ijust like food.

You sound more like Logan with that one. Although, I have to agree about the chicken and cheese, and the fact their food is always better somehow. By the way, speaking of the humans, what’s the one thing your human does that you love most?

Whatever she is doing… as long as we do it together. Well, almost…

Almost? So, what’s the one thing your human does that you hate most?

… I hate it when she goes out to work. Even though she always comes back. And I don’t like it when she tries to bath me…though that doesn’t always work unless she has reinforcements. Or when she takes me to the vet. Cleans my ears. Tries to cut my nails… Other than that, I like pretty much everything.

That's technically more than one thing, but I'll let you have it. I'm with you on the going places without us thing. Why do they keep doing that? I don't mind the bath and vet part myself though. Although... Yeah, I could do without the ear cleaning and nail trimming. So, I'm with you on some of that, but not all of it.

Anyway, your human is a writer. Has she written anything about you? If yes, can you tell us about it? If no, do you think she will in the future?

Excuse me… she is not the only writer in the house! I have my own book, Notes from a Small Dog: Four Legs on Two! Then there is Laughter Lines: Life from the Tail End. I’m on the cover and most of the poems are about me. Or by me. And I am in almost all her books, one way or another! In the books she and my Ball Guy write together, they changed me into a boy and called me Anu, but it is still me. And there's a new book of poems out with my face on the cover…and all about me! That one is called Doggerel: Life with the Small Dog.

Yes, of course... I should have remembered you write too. I'm glad she includes you so much in her writing. But, tell me, Ani, what do you do while your human writes?

I guard the garden… I have to keep an eye on the cows and protect my airspace from invading pigeons, helicopters and hot air balloons. We get a lot of those. And guard the door against the postman. He doesn’t come often. Then, of course, I have to remind her to eat… and to feed me. And make sure she moves a lot so I bring her the ball to throw every few minutes. And, if she manages to ignore me for a while, I go and open the kitchen cupboard and help myself to treats. She’s still not sure how I do that. Heh!

The rest of the time, I catch up on sleeping…usually on the mat inside the door, where I can be comfy but still have my nose outside. She says its too cold for that now. I think she should just grow some fur.

I agree. I mean, sure, it's not as warm out as it was a little while ago. But they wouldn't have to complain about the cold so much if they had better fur. That's really clever about getting in to your treat cupboard by the way. Anyhow, it sounds like you have a very busy schedule, especially with all those invading birds and balloons and things. So I better let you get back to it. Before I do though, is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?

Just one thing… I’m a rescue dog. A lot of my friends are too. I was lucky…I got taken to my forever home as soon as I was old enough to leave Mum. A lot of dogs are not so lucky, especially if they are old, sick…or black, like me. Black dogs don’t get adopted much. I don’t know why, but she seems to think it is because there are so many bad black dogs in stories and folklore. I just wish more people would think about rescues before going to a breeder.

I'm glad you got lucky, and found a forever home, even though you're a black dog. Also, you'll be glad to know, we've had a few other friends come over who were rescued too, so it seems more people are looking to adopt. I hope that's the case, because I'd love for as many dogs as possible to find happy forever homes like you have, even though I'm not a rescue dog myself.

Anyway, thanks for visiting today, Ani. It was great getting to know more about you, and introduce you to all my other friends. Come back any time.

***~~~***

Author bio

Sue Vincent is a Yorkshire-born writer, currently living in the rural south of England after an unfortunate incident with a map, a pin and a blindfold. She is a director of The Silent Eye, an international school for consciousness studies run on a not-for-profit basis.
She has published a number of books of her own as well as in collaboration with G. Michael Vasey and, most prolifically, with one of her co-directors, Stuart France (otherwise known as the Ball Guy).
She is a painter and photographer and, when she is not throwing balls for the Small Dog by whom she is owned, spends a great deal of her free time researching and visiting the ancient sacred places of Britain.

Links:
Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo Blog: https://scvincent.com/
France and Vincent Website: https://franceandvincent.com/
Silent Eye Website: https://thesilenteye.co.uk/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/scvincent
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/S-C-Vincent/17967259931?ref=hl
Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/pub/sue-vincent/42/604/41b
Amazon Author Page (UK): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sue-Vincent/e/B00F2L730W
Amazon Author Page (US): https://www.amazon.com/Sue-Vincent/e/B00F2L730W
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6551588.Sue_Vincent

Doggerel: Life with the Small Dog

The relationship between Ani, the inimitable Small Dog and her two-legs, first came to light in Notes from a Small Dog: Four Legs on Two. Their poetic adventures continued in Laughter Lines: Life from the Tail End.
In this new collection of poems, their daily life together takes centre stage. From the perfidy of humans who insist on bathing dogs, to the unpunctuality of writers at mealtimes, the relationship between two legs and four is explored in verse.
The Small Dog reveals her continuing fascination with chicken, tennis balls and the compulsion to re-write Shakespeare, while exposing her two legs’ misdemeanours to the world.

Buy your copy today from Amazon UK or Amazon US.

All books can be found via Amazon UK, or Amazon US, and worldwide.

***~~~***

I hope you enjoyed getting to meet my friend, Ani, and learning about her and her "two legs" - as she calls her human. Please share this post around to show them you enjoyed it, or maybe leave them a comment. Better yet, do both!

Oh, and we're always looking for new friends... I love friends! So, if you're a bird, cat, chinchilla, degu, dog, gerbil, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, rat, or other non-human animal, you live with a human who calls themselves a writer or blogger, and you'd like to be featured as a friend of furkid Friday, check out the "Friends Of Furkid Friday" page to find out how. We'd love to hear from you.

Lots of licks,
Lilie

#AmReading + #AmWatching + #AmListening - #Reviews For November 28th 2019

I read for pleasure and that is the moment I learn the most.
~Margaret Atwood

Welcome to this week's weekly media shares and reviews post!

*Disclaimer: no matter what's being reviewed, all opinions in this post are entirely my own, and I reserve the right to have them, regardless of who may or may not share them. Feel free to express your own in the comments, but please respect my right - and the rights of other commenters - to have opinions that might differ from yours, and to express those opinions too.

Also, please remember that I read/watch/listen to things in a variety of genres, and for all ages, so you should make sure you check that the book/movie/show/song is suitable for the intended audience before reading/watching/listening to it, especially if children are involved. I take no responsibility for anything which may happen as a result of failing to do so.

If you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question. Please bear in mind that the format I've reviewed on Goodreads may not be the format I actually read.

Alternatively, if it's a movie or TV show you want to know more about, just click on the title to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Unless otherwise stated, all music videos are via YouTube.

OK, so... Let's see what I've been reading, watching, and listening to, shall we?

This week I read...

The House Beneath the Oak Trees by Faye Belle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I got a copy of this book through the narrator of the audio version, whose work I'm a fan of after having had her narrate some of my own books. Had it not been for her, I wouldn't have even known this book existed. I'm really glad I did learn of its existance and get to read it though. It's an excellent drark gothic story, with a great cast of characters, and an interesting plot full of surprises.

Warned by Katrina Cope
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is another excellent addition to the series, as well as a wonderful story in its own right, which left me chomping at the bit for more. It's a fantastic read, sprinkled with mysteries, threats to overcome, magic, and action, which also lets us see the quieter moments, when we can watch the bonds between the dragons and those they are paired with growing and evolving.
*NOTE: I was given an advanced copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This fact has in no way influenced my opinion of the book, nor the contents of this review.

Abby and Holly Series, Book 3: Secrets of the Trunk by Janice Spina
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This was an excellent read for middle graders, and those who are grown up but still enjoy children's stories - especially fans of paranormal mysteries. The whole series teaches valuable life lessons children should be taught - and even some of us adults could sometimes do with a reminder of - but in a fun way. As with the previous books, this one has a fantastic plot, and a wonderful cast of well-rounded and relatable characters.

As for what I've been watching this week...

I watched two DVDs this week: the final disk of "The Big Bang Theory" season 3, and the first disk of season 4.

I've also been slowly working my way through episodes of "Rugrats" via Amazon Prime on my Kindle, which I couldn't resist doing when I saw it was on there. I had been sticking to just using my Kindle for books, but some evenings I feel like watching something, which is tricky to do when I don't have a laptop, and Lilie and Logan settle better if I take them in the bedroom (they're not allowed in the living room after a certain time, so as to give Joshua and Mollie peace during the time Mollie is most active, and therefore most likely to get barked at by excitable puppies). So, since I have Amazon Prime anyhow, I figured I might as well make use of more than the faster delivery aspects of it, and have been watching episodes of "Rugrats" between reading sessions.

Anyway...

Last, but not least, this week I've been listening to...

The movie "Frozen 2" was released in cinemas last week. I obviously didn't go see it, or there would have been a review for it in the part of this post about things I watched. It's not that I don't want to see it, because I totally do. But I'm waiting for the DVD. In the meantime, one of the Disney YouTube channels was posting the soundtracks for it, so I've listened to some of those. Considering the recent release of the movie, and the fact it's appropriate for the time of year, I thought I'd share one of those soundtracks with you today. Enjoy!

#WriterWednesday - November 27th 2019

I've got a lot of links for you this week. However, it's lucky I didn't sign up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year, because I definitely wouldn't have even been close to hitting any kind of writing goal, unless that goal was either to write very little, or was related to the writing of blog posts. But never mind. If you've been doing NaNoWriMo, I hope you've either already reached your goal, or are on track to do so before
November is out. You still have a couple of days if you need them. But, however many words you ended up writing this month, remember that it all adds up in the end, so don't worry if you don't make it to the 50K, or whatever your personal goal is.

Write a page a day. It will add up.
~Herman Wouk

Whether you've been participating in NaNoWriMo or not, if you're a writer, you'll know how easy it is to get distracted when you're meant to be writing. So, take a look at this quick guide for how to banish distractions and get more writing done.

Of course, you need to find a balance between getting your writing time in, and pushing yourself too hard. I mean, all writers must learn to 'balance' work and play. So, if you've been pushing yourself hard lately, and managing to avoid distractions and everything, but you still aren't meeting your goals, perhaps it's time to re-evaluate those goals. Are your writing goals too ambitious? Because they just might be.

No matter your writing goals, I have 12 mid-week reminders to get you through the rest of your writing. I hope they help, because sometimes you have to keep writing when your finish line seems too far away, and sometimes there are things we give up.

Also, here are some things to tell yourself when you need to write on a bad mental health day, and reminders for anyone writing over the holidays - just in case you need either of those.

In case you didn't know: your ideas are not trash, and neither are you. So don't forget it! Thinking that way is one of the bad writing habits to break.

No matter what bad writing habits you may need to break, don't quit when you're falling behind. Writing any words towards your goal is always better than quitting. If you need to take some time off - either for the holidays, for your own health's sake, or for any other reason - that's fine. But don't give up; don't walk away completely.

Remember: There is someone out there that wants to fall in love with your story and writing, but they can't if you don't write it.
~Avis

Now we've established that, here's a post you may like to read that gives you some tips on how to ground (and hook) readers in your opening scene. Plus, equally important are these dos and don'ts for a satisfying conclusion.

Next, here are some tips for the infamous retelling of an old story - in case you happen to be planning to write one of those, and need them.

By the way, it's up to you whether you write long and edit short, or write short and edit long, but you do need to edit.

Remember though: if you're feeling under pressure from editing software, or when editing in general, only basic grammar rules must be obeyed, and sometimes your own voice matters most.

Often, I get the feeling that the story is really happening somewhere and all I'm doing is trying to work out the best way to tell it.
~Garth Nix

You might want to check out these tips on writing action scenes,, especially if it's something you need to work on, like it is for me.

Regardless of the kinds of scenes that move your story forward, depending on your story's cast of characters, you might also want to take a look at this post about stock characters, and think about how they may or may not fit in to your story.

This series on Jung's archetypes is worth checking out too. Not sure what those are? Here's a brief overview. Now, here's more on the ego quartet, the soul quartet, and the self quartet.

Speaking of your character, does your character suffer from depression? Are you worried it will stop readers from liking or relating to them? Then get some advice on writing that character by checking out this post on how to make an unhappy character "likable".

Finally, don't forget about the responsibility of writing. Oh, and, for the record: I'm always happy to answer questions for anyone wishing to write about a blind character - or anyone wanting to understand blindness more in general - so don't hesitate to get in touch.

2019 A-Z Title Reading Challenge - #AmReading

I signed up for the 2019 A-Z title reading challenge on one of the groups I'm a member of over on Goodreads.

For those not familiar with the challenge, here are the rules:

Read 26 books with titles that begin with the letters of the alphabet.

Examples:
O - Opal
T - The Sun Dwellers or
S - The Sun Dwellers

For the letter "X or Z ", any book title with the letter X or Z in it is acceptable.

If the title contains the word THE or A it can be omitted if you want.

You can sign up anytime, and you can backdate books if you know when you finished it, as long as it was done in the year 2019.

ANY BOOK IS ACCEPTABLE, including graphic novels, novellas, etc.

I've finished the challenge, so here are the books I read for it:

A ~ Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years (Adrian Mole, #4) by Sue Townsend
B ~ Breakfast By The Sea by Jeff Sobel
C ~ Children of the Wise Oak (Children of the Wise Oak, #1) by Oliver J. Tooley
D ~ Dead Weight by Matt Casamassina
E ~ Empowered (Valkyrie Academy Dragon Alliance, #5) by Katrina Cope
F ~ Fairies, Myths, & Magic ~ A Summer Celebration by Colleen M. Chesebro
G ~ Glimpses by Hugh W. Roberts
H ~ Hell Divers (Hell Divers, #1) by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
I ~ Instructions For Falling In Love Again by Lucy Mitchell
J ~ Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson
K ~ Kristine the Youngest (Vampires Through the Centuries, #7) by Barbara G. Tarn
L ~ Lilac Girls (Lilac Girls, #1) by Martha Hall Kelly
M ~ Meridon (Wideacre, #3) by Philippa Gregory
N ~ Nano Z (Nano Z, #1) by Brad Knight
O ~ One Good Knight (Five Hundred Kingdoms, #2) by Mercedes Lackey
P ~ Proven Guilty (The Dresden Files, #8) by Jim Butcher
Q ~ Qualify (The Atlantis Grail, #1) by Vera Nazarian
R ~ Rivalry (War of Nytefall, #3) by Charles E. Yallowitz
S ~ Shaman's Blues (Mae Martin Mysteries #2) by Amber Foxx
T ~ The Trouble With Vampires (Argeneau, #29) by Lynsay Sands
U ~ UKD1 (UK Dark, #1) by Chris Harris
V ~ Valentine Pontifex (Lord Valentine, #3) by Robert Silverberg
W ~ Wolf by Denise M. Main
X ~ X (Kinsey Millhone, #24) by Sue Grafton
Y ~ The Yak Guy Project by C.S. Boyack
Z ~ Zom-B (Zom-B, #1) by Darren Shan

#MondayMotivation, #Inspiration, And #Wisdom - #Quotes For November 25th 2019

The most important thing in life is to stop saying 'I wish' and start saying 'I will.' Consider nothing impossible, then treat possibilities as probabilities.
~Charles Dickens

Every test successfully met is rewarded by some growth in intuitive knowledge, strengthening of character, or initiation into a higher consciousness.
~Paul Brunton

It is the work of a spiritual warrior to tell yourself the truth and to shine a light on the darkness of your past and your inner conflicts.
~Debbie Ford

Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it's always your choice.
~Wayne W. Dyer

Ambition without action is fantasy. Set a goal, write it down and get started. Don't think forever. Don't plan forever. Don't dream forever. Dreaming is not enough without the doing!
~Bryant McGill

The quality of what we do depends on our motivation, which is why we have to learn how to cultivate a compassionate mind.
~Dalai Lama

The universe is not short on wake-up calls. We’re just quick to hit the snooze button.
~Brene Brown

Friends Of #FurkidFriday: Duke

Hi everyone. This is Logan the Cavapoo.

It's my turn to have a friend come to visit. His name is Duke. Are you ready to meet him?

Hey, Duke, how did you get your name? I know the humans have reasons for naming us what they do, so I thought I'd ask.

My parents didn’t name me, I was already named Duke when they picked me up from the shelter. They said if they had gotten to name me, my name would be Hoover, because I inhale food like a vacuum cleaner. My dad’s nickname for me is Duke E. Pants. My mom’s nickname for me is Dukeolos, kind of like my dad’s name, Nicholas.

I don't blame you on the food thing... I love food too! Also, I have nicknames as well, though obviously different ones to yours. Oh, Mummy says she likes the one where your name sounds similar to your Dad's name. Anyway, what species and breed are you?

I’m a dog, though my parents also say I’m part pig. I’m a mix of Boxer, Great Dane, and Lab. No pig. My parents are wrong about that. Though, I wouldn’t mind trying pig food.

Pigs get their own special food? I have to try that! Erm... Sorry... Yes, you were saying you're a mixed breed dog... Right. Can you describe your appearance, so everyone knows what you look like? I know you've sent a photo - and I'll share that in a moment - but please describe yourself too, for the benefit of those who can’t see the photo.

I’m super cute, and I’m really good at using that to my advantage, mostly to get treats. I’m white with lots of black spots, I have one big black spot near my tail that is the perfect “scratch here” spot. I love to be scratched and rubbed there! I also only have three legs because I had to have my front right leg amputated. I get around perfectly fine, but it’s great for getting people in the park to give me treats.

Using your cuteness to get extra treats... I love it! Good for you. Anyway, here's that photo, for those who can see it:


So, Duke, what sort of place do you live in? Who do you share it with?

I live in a house with my mom and dad, my dog brother, and six cat siblings. We have a fenced in backyard that I like to play in with my dog brother. Sometimes I’m naughty and leave the fence without permission, but my parents have done a lot of work on the fence to keep me from doing that, so I’ve been pretty good lately. My grampy says all they need is razor wire, and they could keep inmates in our backyard. I don’t know about that, but I do know that we live really close to lots of fast food restaurants. I can smell them from the backyard. They smell so yummy!

Well, no wonder you want to get out of the yard if you can smell those! We live near lots too, so I know how yummy the food smells. How do the humans expect us to ignore that? Anyway, what’s your favourite thing to do?

Eat!!!! I love food! It’s just so delicious! Sometimes mom takes me to work with her, and I really like that. I don’t know why she isn’t more excited to go to work every day. Whenever I go, people feed me treats and cookies. Once a very nice lady knew I was coming, and she brought me a gigantic bone that was delicious. Then usually someone takes me on a nice long walk. Some of the other people in the building have a lot more keys and cards than Mom does, so they take me on really cool walks to different places. They also sneak me extra treats Mom doesn’t know about. After my walk I usually take a nap in Mom’s office. So going to work is pretty awesome. The other thing I really love is cuddling on the couch with Dad. He lets me lay on top of him, even though I’m big. He’s the person I love the most in the world, so I’m really happy when I’m cuddled up with him.

Eating, exploring, and cuddling... Ah! A dog after my own heart! Although, I like to cuddle with Mummy best. Anyway, do you like to play with toys too? If you do, do you have a favourite toy? If yes, what is it?

I like most of my plush squeaky toys, but my favourite toy is a big plush parrot my parents bought me when we went on vacation last year. It’s nice and big, and I like the sound the squeaker makes.

Oh, yes, the squeaker sound is great, isn't it? The only thing better than a squeaky toy is a tuggy toy, if you ask me, but squeaky toys are awesome! Speaking of things that are awesome, since it's the best thing ever, let's talk about food again, OK? So, Duke, tell me, what’s your favourite food?

Do you really expect me to pick just ONE?!?! I LOVE food. Let’s see, I love cheeseburgers. Sometimes they buy me one when we go for a ride in the car, and I love that. Drive-thrus are so much fun! I’ve stolen a lot of food in my time, so I’ve tried a lot of things. Some of my favourites have been King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (I ate two big packages Mom and Dad had bought for a party), pumpkin pie, pineapple upside down cake, and a hot dog with chili. Oh, peanut butter is another good one! They put that in my Kong sometimes, and I love it.

I totally understand it being hard to choose. I'd have a tough time too. Great choices though... Especially the hotdog and peanut butter. Though I haven't tried a hotdog with chilli on. Even Mummy has peanut butter lots though, and she's good at sharing. I'm training her well, and she does lots of stuff like that, which I love. Hey, Duke, speaking of great things the humans do, what’s the one thing your human does that you love most?

Feed me!!!! Other than that, I love it when they let me sleep in the bed between them, and they both pet me.

You're definitely a dog after my own heart! I'm sure it's not always food and cuddle time though, since they sometimes do things we don't like - no matter how well trained we think they are. So, what’s the one thing your human does that you hate most?

Listen to the vet when he says I need to go on a diet. Dad’s more of a stickler about that, but sometimes Mom tries it too.

Oh, no! I've been told that means treat rationing... I don't like the sound of that! Hope they don't do that often. I also hope mine don't try anything like that. By the way, speaking of your humans, I happen to know your human is a writer/blogger. Has she written anything about you? If yes, can you tell us about it? If no, do you think she will in the future?

My mom has written a few blog posts about me. She wrote about me when they first brought me home to foster me, and when they decided they couldn’t live without me and adopted me. She also writes about me sometimes when I steal food. And she likes to put my pictures on her blog. I’m cute, so I understand why.

Oh, absolutely! I'm glad you get lots of posts about you on her blog, and am sure you get as many nice comments about your photos as me and Lilie do about ours. So, when she's writing those, what do you do?

If Dad is home I cuddle up with him because Mom usually writes at night, and there’s more room in the bed when she’s not in it. If Dad isn’t home, I sit next to Mom on the couch.

Sounds like a great plan. Speaking of plans, Mummy is doing something in the kitchen with food, and I plan to try and get some, so we need to end this. Before we do though, is there anything else you’d like people to know about you?

My first family didn’t take care of me, and I got really sick. They left me at a shelter. The people there were really nice, but it was still kind of scary, and I really wanted my own house to rest and get better in. That shelter got in touch with another shelter, and they found my mom and dad to come get me from the shelter. I had to go to the vet a lot, and I felt really bad for a long time, but I eventually got better. My leg that was amputated was in really bad shape then, too, and I felt a lot better, and could move around a lot more, once they amputated it. Sometimes people tell my parents they think it must be really hard to have a handicapped dog, or to have spent so much time taking care of me when I was sick. It’s not hard for them, though. I’m just like any other dog, I just look a little different. Please don’t feel sorry for dogs who are considered handicapped. We live full and happy lives. If you want a dog to be part of your family I really think you should get one from the shelter, especially if there’s somebody who’s sick or hurt and you’re able to take care of them. It’s really nice to have your own home to get better in, and your own family to love you. They’ll repay you with more love than you can imagine. Also, I love it when people feed me.

I'm sorry your first family didn't take care of you properly, but I'm glad you got better, and found a home where you could get better in comfort and safety, as well as get lots of love and food. I hope lots of other dogs get to be as lucky as you, and that people realize only having three legs doesn't stop dogs being happy and active family members.

***~~~***

Duke's Mom, Danielle, blogs at http://sweetteareads.blogspot.com/, so pop over there and get to know her.

***~~~***

I hope you enjoyed getting to meet Duke, and learning more about him and his human, Danielle. Show them you did by commenting on or sharing this post. Better yet, do both... I'm sure they'd like that. I know I would!

By the way, we're always looking for new friends to get to know better. So, if you're a bird, cat, chinchilla, degu, dog, gerbil, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, rat, or other non-human creature, and you share your life with a human calling themselves a writer - yes, blogging counts - check out the "Friends Of FurkidFriday" page, where you can find out how to have your turn in the spotlight, and meet all the friends we've featured in the past.

Lots of licks,
Logan

#AmReading + #AmWatching + #AmListening - #Reviews For November 21st 2019

I don't believe in the kind of magic in my books. But I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.
~J.K. Rowling

Welcome to the new look weekly media shares and reviews post!

*Disclaimer: no matter what's being reviewed, all opinions in this post are entirely my own, and I reserve the right to have them, regardless of who may or may not share them. Feel free to express your own in the comments, but please respect my right - and the rights of other commenters - to have opinions that might differ from yours, and to express those opinions too.

Also, please remember that I read/watch/listen to things in a variety of genres, and for all ages, so you should make sure you check that the book/movie/show/song is suitable for the intended audience before reading/watching/listening to it, especially if children are involved. I take no responsibility for anything which may happen as a result of failing to do so.

If you want to know more about the book, or the author, click on whichever it is you want to learn more about, and it will take you to the appropriate page on Goodreads. Clicking on my rating should take you to my actual Goodreads review for the book in question. Please bear in mind that the format I've reviewed on Goodreads may not be the format I actually read.

Alternatively, if it's a movie or TV show you want to know more about, just click on the title to go to a page where you can find out more details about the movie or TV show in question; the title links will usually take you to a page on IMDB.

Unless otherwise stated, all music videos are via YouTube.

OK, so... Let's see what I've been reading, watching, and listening to, shall we?

This week I read...

X by Sue Grafton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I haven't read most of the previous books in this series, but do intend to go back and read them all, despite the fact my actual rating is 3.5 stars, and it only got four stars because I rounded up. This is a really slow-paced book, and I sometimes felt like we had way more than we needed of each character's backstory when they first appeared on the scene, to the point I often wished we could just get on with the story already. Other than that though, it was an enjoyable read.

Zom-B by Darren Shan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
The events of the first three quarters of the book were dragged out more than they needed to be, so it took until the last part of the book for the story to really get going, and then it was action-packed and gory. I enjoyed the book enough that I want to know what happens next, but sure hope the other books in the series are more like the last quarter when it comes to plot pacing.

As for what I've been watching this week...

I watched the second disk of season 2 of "The Big Bang Theory" on DVD. I also watched a movie with Kelly, which he'd recorded on the Sky box, because he wanted to watch it. It was one of those I kind of wanted to see too, so it was an ideal oppertunity to watch a movie together. I also decided to make use of the movie and TV show watching part of my Amazon Prime for a change, and watched the first episode of season 1 of "Rugrats" and a Christmas movie, just because I felt like it. Anyway, since both movies were new to me movies, here are what they were, and my reviews for them:

Venom (2018 movie):
This was an enjoyable movie, with plenty of action, and some entertaining moments. Kelly - the bigger action movie fan of the two of us - enjoyed it more than I did, but we definitely both really liked it, and are both glad we watched it. We both agree there was room for improvement, but it was really great, so wouldn't have needed much. When asked, Kelly said he'd give it four and a half stars out of five, but I didn't enjoy it quite as much as him, like I already mentioned. So, I give this movie four out of five stars.

Crown For Christmas (2015 TV movie):
This movie was kind of predictable, as most movies of this type are. But sometimes you need that, especially in a holiday movie. So, if you're the kind of person who enjoys the Hallmark style holiday movies, you'll enjoy this one. I did. My only complaint is that I felt like we missed out on some of the attempts by the heroine to win over the child. But given the length of the movie, and the fact the romance always takes center stage in these kinds of movies, I wasn't entirely surprised by that. Anyway, I give this movie four out of five stars.

Last, but not least, this week I've been listening to...

Actually, not much, if I'm honest. I've listened to a few songs in the mornings, but not been listening to tunes for so long in the mornings during the past week, because I had so much I wanted to catch up on with eMails and things. But I listened to a few country tunes while sorting my breakfast and such, so here's one of them, which even Kelly - not really a country fan - enjoys listening to:

#WriterWednesday - November 20th 2019

I approved the final version of the audio for "Voyage Of The Crimson Sail" from Emma Thorpe a few days ago, so - assuming it sails through ACX's own checks smoothely - my pirate themed adventure story, featuring my own ratty girls, will be available as an audio book in a few weeks time. In theory during the first week of December - just in time for Christmas.

I also got a narrator arranged for the one other book of mine not yet in audio yet. The audio contract for "Puppy Poems And Rodent Rhymes" - one of my pet themed poetry collections - was given to someone over the weekend. So, Suzan K Hennen should now be working on producing that one, which will become available in audio early next year, since we're getting a bit too close to the end of 2019 for it to be done before this year is out. As I've mentioned in the past, I had hoped Carol Weakland, who did my similar title, "Rodent Rhymes And Pussycat Poems" - along with most of my other poetry books - would be narrating this one too. But she unfortunately isn't in a position to do so, hence me spending the past few weeks looking for an alternative narrator, and giving the contract to Suzan a few days ago, since I felt she was the best of those who auditioned for it. I'm sure she'll do a great job, and know she's eager to work on it.

Anyway, nothing else has happened as regards my books and writing during the past week. I've had some great reviews recently from fellow author, Robbie Cheadle, which a couple of other bloggers have been sharing about, and which led to me being featured in Sally's cafe and bookstore a couple of weeks ago - thanks for that, by the way, Robbie and Sally - but I don't have anything more than that to say about my own books and writing, since life stuff - AKA going to a firework display, spending most of the day after it sorting out firework videos, and then having a surprise visitor - has kept me busy, especially when combined with playing and caring for the furkids, and all the other day to day things, so I haven't had any writing time.

There are ideas though. Lots of ideas. I even wandered off during a conversation last week to go write some of them down. Much to the amusement of the person who had sparked the ideas in question.

The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible.
~Vladimir Nabakov

Also, since I've been kept so busy with other things, I'm behind on reading through all the links and articles that appear in my inbox every day, and make up the writerly links parts of these posts, as I'm sure you can understand. But let's see what I've managed to find for you to check out among those I have had time to read this week anyhow, shall we?

First, here are some things all writers struggle with sometimes (even when they won't admit it) and some things you, a writer, might not have heard in a while (but need to).

So, what is the point? Short answer: to keep writing, for whatever reason you write for.

"What if I write when I don't feel like writing and it turns out terrible?" I hear you ask. Does it really matter?

By the way, are you struggling with how much you should write, and how often? Here's a post you should read, which discusses perspectives on daily word count, and reminds you that what works for one writer doesn't always work for another.

Finally, what triggers inspiration in you? Whatever it is, don't try and use it to force ideas, but let it inspire you naturally. Sometimes ideas don't like to be chased too much.

Of #Puppy Cuddles, My Birthday, #Roleplaying Sessions, Dentists, Weather Reports, And The Start Of #Christmas Preparations

The photo above is of me on my computer chair covered with dogs; both Lilie and Logan wanted up in my arms. Yes, I'm under there somewhere. Haha! Kelly took it at the end of October, but I'm only now getting a chance to share it.

That photo is an example of why I often don't get as much computer time as I hope to.

No, I don't mind really. They're just too cute to resist... How can I say, "No," when they want cuddle time with Mummy? The answer is, I can't. So I end up waiting until puppy nap time to attempt to keep up with things on the computer.

Mostly I manage to keep up with things. But, if I'm behind on reading your blog posts at any point, now you know why. *wink*

At least, it's why most of the time. But this past week I got behind on things online for a completely different reason.

As some of you know, it was my birthday last Wednesday.

Speaking of which: before I go on, I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who sent birthday messages, cards, or presents, regardless of how and what you sent. Each one was very much appreciated.

Anyway, I had one surprise in particular the day before my birthday, which is the reason I spent hardly any time online last week, and am still behind on eMails and blog posts at this point, though the fact I was already a bit behind before it happened doesn't help matters, but that's beside the point. Either way...

My Dad came for a visit.

He showed up on our doorstep unexpectedly on Tuesday morning, having arrived in the area the evening before, and was with us - apart from the time he spent at his hotel - until Friday, when he headed back to Wales.

We spent most of the time chatting and roleplaying. On Tuesday and Wednesday we played the Starfinder roleplaying system, which - for those who don't know, but might want to - is a version of Pathfinder (similar to the old Dungeons And Dragon system) set in space. Since there were so few of us, we played two characters each. I played a mechanic and a mystic, and Kelly played an operative and a techno mage. It was fun. On Thursday we started discussing the characters we'll be using for the roleplaying sessions we plan to start in the near future over the internet, like we used to play (something we've been meaning to figure out the details for, but hadn't gotten around to before).

Also, I ended up not cooking for three days. On Tuesday we had Indian food. On Wednesday we had Chinese. On Thursday, Kelly and I had already planned to go to Oscars for my birthday meal in the afternoon, so Dad came too, and paid for the meal for us. Yeah, I know... Not the healthiest of menus, but better than some options out there. Plus, it was nice to have no food prep or cooking, and minimal cleanup afterwards, to do for those few days. The Indian and the food at Oscars was delicious (the food at Oscars always is). The Chinese was good, but not great.

While we were at Oscars, we booked our Christmas dinner with them, so we could make sure a vegan option was set up for me. We knew they'd still have slots at that point, so thought it was a good time to sort it out. It turns out their slots are filling up fast this year, so it's lucky we did book when we did. Anyway, we're all booked in for Monday December 23rd at 1:00pm. "All" being me, Kelly, Lilie, and Logan, if you didn't figure that out.

Anyway, I did have a little birthday cake, but it was just a small piece Kelly got for me from the local bakery, so I didn't share it with anyone. I offered Kelly a bit, but I was eating it at breakfast time when Dad was at his hotel, and didn't think to offer him some afterwards. The only vegan cake Kelly could find at the bakery was chocolate, since they seem to think that's the cake all vegans must want. This is a little unfortunate, because I'm not a fan of chocolate cake, and struggle to eat it for reasons I won't go in to today. But I ate it anyway, even though it took me three days of having a little and then setting it aside to eat one small piece of cake, because it was the only way I could face it, and it was only the fact Kelly had gone to the trouble to find me some vegan cake that I ate it. It wasn't bad for chocolate cake. I just have issues with chocolate cake, and wish there had been a way to have a non-chocolate cake without either paying a fortune to special order one, or making my own. But it's the thought that counts at the end of the day, and at least it was vegan cake I hadn't needed to make myself. Still, if any bakery near me wants to make some vegan cake that's something else, like carrot cake, lemon drizzle cake, or whatever, that would be great. Just saying.

So, that was my three day birthday.

It was nice to see Dad. Even if the unexpectedness of it meant it actually took me a while to realize it was him (a situation not helped by the excitedly yapping puppies who wanted to know who was at the door). But when I learned Kelly, who had been heading out to mail something when he arrived, had just walked past him without realizing it was him too, I felt a bit better about that. Dad found the situation highly amusing, and was still chuckling about it when he left, in case you're curious what he thought of us not realizing it was him at first.

So, I got three birthday cards. Well, technically four, but one of them isn't yet in my posession. I also got money I haven't spent yet, seasons 11 through 13 of NCIS, some unicorn cookie cutters I used to make breaded tofu unicorns for dinner last night, a couple of books, some Pokemon figures, and a new CD player for the bedroom (since my old one's not doing so well any more, so needed replacing; I'd told Dad about it, and that's what I got from him and my Nan, along with the pokemon figures). There's the tickets my Mam got me to see Jason Donovan next year too, of course... Can't forget about those!

I meant to get a photo of the cards, but haven't had a chance. I'll sort that when I can.

In other news:

I had a dentist appointment at the end of October. The day before Halloween, to be exact.

I thought I'd broken a tooth a couple of weeks before when I didn't soak some beans long enough, and frying them resulted in the still kind of hard beans becoming rock hard. It turned out though I'd just dislodged an old filling, which it wouldn't take much to fix, so they offered to try and sort it for me then and there to save me coming back another time.

Despite my history of issues with the area being properly numbed, I agreed, hoping to get it over and done with out of the way, and avoid the four month wait I had last time I needed something done. Then mentally praid the shot would work.

Thankfully, it did. Well, mostly anyhow. The shot to numb the area worked well enough that they were able to do it without more than minor pain for me, and I could tell them I was fine, even if it hurt a bit. It was at least tolerable, and I felt the bit of pain was worth it to get it over with. Well, mostly worth it... Pain is never completely worth it. But I think you know what I mean. The point is, the pain was tolerable, they sorted the filling then and there, and now it's over. So, YAY!

Since I had no other issues with my teeth, they aren't expecting to see me again for another six months. Also YAY! *wink*

I made my next appointment while I was there, since they asked and I figured I might as well. It's for May 1st at 11:20am.

Kelly has a dentist appointment soon too. His is November 26th at 10:00am. He's not been in quite a while, and our dentist has a thing about making you call a few weeks in advance if you haven't been seen in over a year, or he'd have had an earlier appointment. It's a thing they do to try and encourage you not to miss your six month check-ups, I guess. Kind of strange though... I'd have thought not having seen someone in a while would make them want to see you quicker. But whatever.

Not much has really happened apart from that.

The weather's been cold, and often stormy. They got some snow in Wales last week, but we haven't seen anything more than hail, enough rain that we've spent most of the past month under a flood warning, and a lot of wind. If things continue the way they have been though, my chances of a white Christmas - or at least some snow this Winter at some point - are going to be quite high. Since we don't plan to go anywhere for Christmas, I wouldn't mind a bunch of snow at Christmas. Although, I'm sure my brother, Carl, is hoping for the opposite. Not because he doesn't like snow, but because he's going to Wales from Norwich for Christmas, and I'm sure would rather not get stuck somewhere because of the snow. But we live far enough from both areas that it would be fine if it snowed here and not with them. As long as I get some snow though, I don't mind when. I just hope I have better snow than last Winter, since it was the blink and you miss it type snow we got last year. You know... The type that turns to slushy mess by the time it hits the ground, so you can't get to enjoy it, and then it freezes and becomes really bad ice. I hate that kind!

Anyway, as you may have figured out from some of the previous comments in this post - and the last part of the title - we've started thinking about Christmas plans. Well, I mean, it is five weeks to Christmas Eve today, after all, so you should probably start at least thinking about it too, if you haven't already. Just saying. Either way, we've even done a little Christmas shopping, and were able to send my Nan's present back with Dad, to save us posting it to her. We hadn't wrapped it, but he's happy to do that for us, which is nice of him, and saves us needing to worry about it.

For now though, this is all I have to say, since the only other thing that happened over the past couple of weeks was the firework display I posted about last week. Well, and the usual day to day stuff like pet care, chores - which adults even have to do on their birthday, unfortunately - and so on. Since that's the case, I'll end this now, and go sort some eMails, or read some blog posts, or - as will probably end up being the case - a bit of both.