Victoria Zigler's Blog: Zigler News, page 61
August 12, 2019
#MondayMotivation, #Inspiration, And #Wisdom - #Quotes For August 12th 2019
Don’t carry a grudge. While you’re carrying the grudge, the other guy’s out dancing.
~Buddy Hackett
Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.
~Dalai Lama
The root of joy is gratefulness...It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.
~David Steindl-Rast
The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.
~C.G. Jung
Learning is about looking at things differently, making your life a little better everyday.
~Richard Bandler
Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired and success achieved.
~Helen Keller
A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.
~A.A. Milne
August 9, 2019
#FurkidFriday: Logan The #Cavapoo's August 2019 Vet Trip
Hi everyone. This is Logan the Cavapoo.
I went to the vet place again last week. Me and Mummy went in one of those taxi things again.
Daddy and Lilie didn't come with us to the vet place this time around, because Daddy decided to take Lilie someplace else instead. I think they said something about giving her a break from me, but that can't be right. Can it? Either way, that's what happened, and she went to see the big water with Daddy, while me and Mummy went to the vet place. Lilie seemed really happy about that. I'm confused about it, but didn't mind too much, because I had Mummy, and got lots of attention at the vet place, so I guess we were both happy with how the humans decided to do things, even if I don't understand why.
I was a good boy at the vet, and did some walking on my lead when me and Mummy weren't in the taxi thing. I didn't cry at the vet either. Not even when he stuck another of those sharp things in my neck. I just wagged my tail and tried to make friends with everyone I saw, including the vet human. Mummy said that was a good thing, and she hopes I keep behaving like that at the vet. She said something about how it makes things easier for her. Not sure why.
Either way, they weighed me while I was there, and I was, "Basically 6 kilos," apparently. Mummy says that means I wasn't quite 6 kilos, but was so close to it the vet put me down as 6 kilos on my paperwork, because I was more than 5.9, and it was at the point where they rounded up to the nearest whole number. I don't know what that all means, but Mummy says you probably will, and I should tell you that. All I know is, they say I weigh 6 kilos. Why can't they just say that, and not worry about all the round and whole numbers? I'm not good with numbers as it is... That's more Lilie's thing. I don't have the patience for counting. Mummy says maybe when I'm older, but we'll see. Right now, they confuse me, and I'm not interested in getting them straightened out. There are way more fun things to do, after all!
Anyway, the vet gave Mummy some stuff me and Lilie are supposed to have. Not sure what it is, though I heard them talking about worms and fleas for some reason. Don't know what they are either. But there's a lot I don't understand about, so never mind. She didn't give it to us yet though, because the vet said we had to wait a couple of weeks so we could get us on the same schedule. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. The vet and Mummy seemed happy with the plan though, so I guess it's meant to be a good thing. Either way, she says she'll probably give it to us on the weekend.
I get to go back to the vet place on September 26th at 10:45am. Lilie doesn't get to go until November 21st at 10:45am. Well, unless Mummy and Daddy decide we'll all go to my appointment. I know when we get to go back, because Mummy made our appointments last week, while we were there waiting for our taxi to come and get us to take us home.
Lilie got home before we did, and was really happy to see us, even though she had a great time playing on the rocks and by the big water with Daddy. I haven't been as close as that to the big water yet, but she seems to love doing it. Maybe I'll get brave enough to go closer to it soon? We'll see. I mean, it is water, and I'm not a fan of water. Plus, right now the world is still a kind of scary place to me. I'm getting braver about it now though, and starting to feel like I actually want to explore with Lilie.
Not immediately after that vet trip though... I was just too tired to want to do more than nap after that exhausting outing!
Lots of licks,
Logan
I went to the vet place again last week. Me and Mummy went in one of those taxi things again.
Daddy and Lilie didn't come with us to the vet place this time around, because Daddy decided to take Lilie someplace else instead. I think they said something about giving her a break from me, but that can't be right. Can it? Either way, that's what happened, and she went to see the big water with Daddy, while me and Mummy went to the vet place. Lilie seemed really happy about that. I'm confused about it, but didn't mind too much, because I had Mummy, and got lots of attention at the vet place, so I guess we were both happy with how the humans decided to do things, even if I don't understand why.
I was a good boy at the vet, and did some walking on my lead when me and Mummy weren't in the taxi thing. I didn't cry at the vet either. Not even when he stuck another of those sharp things in my neck. I just wagged my tail and tried to make friends with everyone I saw, including the vet human. Mummy said that was a good thing, and she hopes I keep behaving like that at the vet. She said something about how it makes things easier for her. Not sure why.
Either way, they weighed me while I was there, and I was, "Basically 6 kilos," apparently. Mummy says that means I wasn't quite 6 kilos, but was so close to it the vet put me down as 6 kilos on my paperwork, because I was more than 5.9, and it was at the point where they rounded up to the nearest whole number. I don't know what that all means, but Mummy says you probably will, and I should tell you that. All I know is, they say I weigh 6 kilos. Why can't they just say that, and not worry about all the round and whole numbers? I'm not good with numbers as it is... That's more Lilie's thing. I don't have the patience for counting. Mummy says maybe when I'm older, but we'll see. Right now, they confuse me, and I'm not interested in getting them straightened out. There are way more fun things to do, after all!
Anyway, the vet gave Mummy some stuff me and Lilie are supposed to have. Not sure what it is, though I heard them talking about worms and fleas for some reason. Don't know what they are either. But there's a lot I don't understand about, so never mind. She didn't give it to us yet though, because the vet said we had to wait a couple of weeks so we could get us on the same schedule. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. The vet and Mummy seemed happy with the plan though, so I guess it's meant to be a good thing. Either way, she says she'll probably give it to us on the weekend.
I get to go back to the vet place on September 26th at 10:45am. Lilie doesn't get to go until November 21st at 10:45am. Well, unless Mummy and Daddy decide we'll all go to my appointment. I know when we get to go back, because Mummy made our appointments last week, while we were there waiting for our taxi to come and get us to take us home.
Lilie got home before we did, and was really happy to see us, even though she had a great time playing on the rocks and by the big water with Daddy. I haven't been as close as that to the big water yet, but she seems to love doing it. Maybe I'll get brave enough to go closer to it soon? We'll see. I mean, it is water, and I'm not a fan of water. Plus, right now the world is still a kind of scary place to me. I'm getting braver about it now though, and starting to feel like I actually want to explore with Lilie.
Not immediately after that vet trip though... I was just too tired to want to do more than nap after that exhausting outing!
Lots of licks,
Logan
August 8, 2019
#AmReading + #AmWatching - August 8th 2019 #Reviews
Reading is dreaming with open eyes.
~Yoyo
It's time to take a look at what I've been reading and watching during this past week.
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.
Don't forget: I read and watch things across multiple genres, as well as for different age ranges, so you should always check before reading or viewing, to make certain something is suitable for the intended audience, especially when children are involved.
OK...
Here's what I read this week:
Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years by Sue TownsendMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
If you enjoyed the other books in this series, chances are you'll enjoy this one too. It's filled with the same kind of humour as the previous books, and is a great addition to the series. Even if sometimes I wanted to scream at Adrian to grow up and stop whining. Yes, he can be annoying at times, but he's an entertaining character, and reading his diaries hasn't failed to make me laugh yet.
Marked by Katrina CopeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a fantastic introduction to the new series by this author, which has me eager to see what the main books in the series have in store.
Chosen by Katrina CopeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a gripping - and sometimes amusing - read, with fantastic characters, an exciting plot, and excellent descriptions. Perfect for young dragon fans, or dragon lovers of pretty much any age.
*NOTE: I was given a free advanced copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced either my opinion of the book or the contents of this review.
As for what I've been watching:
Though it's technically Sunday I've marked as the day that's meant to be my day to just do whatever I want to, I declared a DVD day on Saturday, and watched the four DVDs that make up season two of the Goosebumps TV series. Watching these is reminding me just how many of the books I still need to read. I'm enjoying the episodes though, which is what matters.
August 7, 2019
#WriterWednesday: August 7th 2019
First of all, Emma Thorpe - the narrator for the audio editions of my Magical Chapters trilogy - was interviewed recently. Her interview went live yesterday, so click here if you want to get to know Emma.
In other news: rewriting progress is still incredibly slow. I can't really blame the weather this week, because it's been in the comfortable range with temperatures, and even quite cool for a while at times. I've just got my priorities all messed up again, and keep getting distracted by other things. Some of them I actually did need to put ahead of the writing, but others could have been told to wait. Except I've gotten out of the habit of making my writing a priority, and am still working on fixing that. It doesn't help that I'm in a part of the story where I need to look things up and check I've got things right, and research is one of those rabbit holes for me, since I find it fascinating and get sucked in. Next thing I know, hours have passed, and I've read all kinds of interesting things, but not done any work on the story. *sigh*
The quotes above - especially the second one - goes for all stages of writing, and the writing life. Writers: we'll never have our lives all together. Let's accept and embrace it.
Anyway, this is what to write about when your brain dries up. Just in case you needed help figuring out what to write about.
Next, here's a great expansion pack post from Story Empire about the stakes characters in your story, and why you need to use the right type of character(s) to make your readers care. Oh, and... Speaking of your characters: check out these tips for avoiding the boring stuff with character descriptions.
Regardless of the kinds of characters you have in your story, make sure you consider threat: what it is, and why your story needs it.
Finally, while earning a living from your writing is never guaranteed, here are some online writing jobs that may make you some money. Writing and publishing books is just one of the ways you can potentially make money with your writing, after all.
In other news: rewriting progress is still incredibly slow. I can't really blame the weather this week, because it's been in the comfortable range with temperatures, and even quite cool for a while at times. I've just got my priorities all messed up again, and keep getting distracted by other things. Some of them I actually did need to put ahead of the writing, but others could have been told to wait. Except I've gotten out of the habit of making my writing a priority, and am still working on fixing that. It doesn't help that I'm in a part of the story where I need to look things up and check I've got things right, and research is one of those rabbit holes for me, since I find it fascinating and get sucked in. Next thing I know, hours have passed, and I've read all kinds of interesting things, but not done any work on the story. *sigh*
Talent is insignificant. I know a lot of talented ruins. Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck, but most of all, endurance.
~James Baldwin
Anyone who says writing is easy isn’t doing it right.
~Amy Joy
The quotes above - especially the second one - goes for all stages of writing, and the writing life. Writers: we'll never have our lives all together. Let's accept and embrace it.
Anyway, this is what to write about when your brain dries up. Just in case you needed help figuring out what to write about.
Next, here's a great expansion pack post from Story Empire about the stakes characters in your story, and why you need to use the right type of character(s) to make your readers care. Oh, and... Speaking of your characters: check out these tips for avoiding the boring stuff with character descriptions.
Regardless of the kinds of characters you have in your story, make sure you consider threat: what it is, and why your story needs it.
Finally, while earning a living from your writing is never guaranteed, here are some online writing jobs that may make you some money. Writing and publishing books is just one of the ways you can potentially make money with your writing, after all.
August 6, 2019
The 90s Tag
This is another one I got from Cat over at The Strawberry Post. You can find her post for it here. As with all the other tags I've done in the past, feel free to join in if you want, but let me know if you do, so I can read your answers.
This one is a 90s tag.
1. Favourite Disney film?
These days it's a tie between Frozen and Moana. But from about that time it would have to be Bambi. My brother and I could literally quote the movie from start to finish. We haven't done it in years, but probably could still do so if we tried. I also loved Lady And The Tramp, Fox And The Hound, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty And The Beast. Still do, actually.
2. Favourite music artist?
My favourite band in the 90s was Boyzone. My favourite solo artist was Jason Donovan, since Ronan Keating wasn't doing anything solo at that point, and he's my absolute favourite. There were very few others I even took enough notice of to recognize them, though I listened to a lot of music, since my Mam had it on a lot. I just never really started paying attention to bands and artists properly until we were heading out of the 90s, and one of the support assistants (teaching assistants) I had started making a concious effort to broaden my musical horizons.
3. Favourite sweets?
Back then it was the pick'n'mix Woolworths used to do. It was like you get in the old sweet shops, where you have scoops of sweets, and the weight of what you have in your bag when you're done scooping sweets decides the price. Getting a bag of that when I went in to town with my Mam on shopping day was one of the biggest highlights of my week. Since Woolworths closed, I haven't been able to have them. Wouldn't eat most of them these days anyhow, but still.
4. Favourite game (board game / school game)?
I didn't join in much with games at school. I joined in better with my Girl Guides group, though most of what we did was crafts, learning survival skills, or learning life skills, rather than actual games (we played some games just for fun, but mostly the games were to teach us the skills in a fun way). Mostly I prefered jigsaw puzzles, or to be quietly colouring, reading, or writing. That or playing tetris, watching TV, or playing on one or the other of my games machines. I also did ballet at one point, as well as Judo and horse riding, and enjoyed those a lot.
5. Favorite McDonald’s ‘Happy Meal’ Toy?
The only thing I loved about McDonalds was the chips (fries) and the toys. They do great milkshakes too. But I did get happy meals for the toys... Didn't know until years later you could just buy the toys separately. Anyway, I had some great toys, but I think my favourite was a plastic kazoo I got one time when I had McDonalds during a trip to London to see my Grandad. Couldn't play it, but I could make noise with it, so thought it was great. I was about six or seven at the time, so this was only just in to the 90s.
6. Favorite Book?
I was already loving any book I could get my hands on by the 90s. As it happened though, it was the early 90s when I first read A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, which I maintain to this day is my favourite book.
7. Favorite Clothing Store?
I hated clothes shopping then, and still do. So I didn't have a favourite. Clothing stores were just annoying places I had to put up with going to from time to time as far as I was concerned. Nothing's changed there.
8. Favorite TV Show?
I had two favourite TV shows, which I used to watch before school. Mrs. Pepperpot and Lampchops Play Along. I know at least one of those isn't actually from the 90s - Lampchop was definitely on reruns, and I can't remember about Mrs. Pepperpot (and don't feel like looking it up) - but I still loved them. My Mam used Lambchop and Mrs. Pepperpot to get me to get ready for school quickly. It's not that I didn't want to go to school, but that I was slow getting moving in the morning. So she bribed me with telling me I could watch those if I got ready quickly enough.
9. What Show Would You Watch After School?
I always watched Blue Peter, Art Attack, and a few others. I actually tried out several of the craft projects from Blue Peter and Art Attack, and used to get the Art Attack magazine... My Dad used to buy it for me when they went shopping every week. Plus, I entered something on Blue Peter where they wanted suggestions for things to put in a time capsule, and I suggested a brailler, because technology was starting to take the place of the old braille machines (I only learned later just how much that was true) and sent in a drawing I'd done of my own red brailler. They liked my suggestion, and I got a Blue Peter badge. I still have the brailler the drawing was based on, but the badge unfortunately got lost over the years. Such a shame... It would have been cool to still have that.
10. What was Your Favorite 90s Game Show?
I didn't really watch them much at that time. Though I'd sometimes watch Countdown with my Nan (Dad's Mother), and Catchphrase with my Mam, so I guess that would make those my favourites.
11. Did You Own A Virtual Pet?
Yes. It was one of the few trends I really wanted to be a part of. So when my Mam found one with a bigger and clearer to see screen, I was thrilled. Even got Micky old enough that I could say he "died" of old age a couple of times. Every single incarnation of my little virtual dog was called Micky. I have no idea why. I'm also not entirely sure why I never then ended up using it for a real pet, since I obviously liked the name a lot. It's not like I haven't had enough of them to have the opportunity to use it. Maybe I just haven't found the right real life Micky yet? Or maybe Micky will forever just be my virtual pet's name? Only time will tell...
12. Favorite Video Game And System To Play On?
You might be surprised to learn this, given that I had sight problems growing up. But I did have sight until my early 20s, and have had several games machines and computers over the years. I had an Atari I used to love playing space invaders on, which my Dad had given my older brother, and he passed on to me when he got his first Nintendo. I also later had both a Playstation and a Nintendo. My favourite was Mario on the Nintendo. I can't remember if Spyro was out in the late 90s or early 2000s, but that was my favourite Playstation game, along with a Casper game we had, Crash Bandicoot, a Rugrats game I had for it, and Bust-A-Move. I also used to love playing tetris on my PC, or on my Dad's gameboy. Plus, Mam would let me play Sonic The Hedgehog on her SEGA sometimes. I know that's more than one system, but I played on them all a lot... Especially the Nintendo and Playstation.
If I had to pick a favourite system though, I actually prefered the Nintendo system. I never upgraded my Playstation, but I did upgrade my Nintendo to first the SNES, and then the GameCube. I also had a Game Boy Advanced, and a Game Boy SP. Once the Pokemon games came out, those were the main things I played. Those and a Tetris Advanced game Kelly got me during the time we lived in Canada (though that happened in 2003). I was rather adicted to tetris, and would play that for hours. Managed to complete the game once too.
13. Weirdest Fashion Trend?
I've never paid attention to fashion. Not back in the 90s, and not now.
14. Favorite Toy?
My absolute favourite toy ever was the doll I got for my second Christmas. His name was Jo-Jo, and I still have him (though he spent some time in the attic). For those who might be new here, you can read about him in this post.
Also, Puppy In My Pocket and Kitty In My Pocket were favourites of mine. Since they were just little animal figurines, you're probably not surprised to hear that. I loved playing with Lego too.
15. Favorite Nickelodeon Show?
Rugrats. Still love that show, and don't care who knows it.
This one is a 90s tag.
1. Favourite Disney film?
These days it's a tie between Frozen and Moana. But from about that time it would have to be Bambi. My brother and I could literally quote the movie from start to finish. We haven't done it in years, but probably could still do so if we tried. I also loved Lady And The Tramp, Fox And The Hound, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty And The Beast. Still do, actually.
2. Favourite music artist?
My favourite band in the 90s was Boyzone. My favourite solo artist was Jason Donovan, since Ronan Keating wasn't doing anything solo at that point, and he's my absolute favourite. There were very few others I even took enough notice of to recognize them, though I listened to a lot of music, since my Mam had it on a lot. I just never really started paying attention to bands and artists properly until we were heading out of the 90s, and one of the support assistants (teaching assistants) I had started making a concious effort to broaden my musical horizons.
3. Favourite sweets?
Back then it was the pick'n'mix Woolworths used to do. It was like you get in the old sweet shops, where you have scoops of sweets, and the weight of what you have in your bag when you're done scooping sweets decides the price. Getting a bag of that when I went in to town with my Mam on shopping day was one of the biggest highlights of my week. Since Woolworths closed, I haven't been able to have them. Wouldn't eat most of them these days anyhow, but still.
4. Favourite game (board game / school game)?
I didn't join in much with games at school. I joined in better with my Girl Guides group, though most of what we did was crafts, learning survival skills, or learning life skills, rather than actual games (we played some games just for fun, but mostly the games were to teach us the skills in a fun way). Mostly I prefered jigsaw puzzles, or to be quietly colouring, reading, or writing. That or playing tetris, watching TV, or playing on one or the other of my games machines. I also did ballet at one point, as well as Judo and horse riding, and enjoyed those a lot.
5. Favorite McDonald’s ‘Happy Meal’ Toy?
The only thing I loved about McDonalds was the chips (fries) and the toys. They do great milkshakes too. But I did get happy meals for the toys... Didn't know until years later you could just buy the toys separately. Anyway, I had some great toys, but I think my favourite was a plastic kazoo I got one time when I had McDonalds during a trip to London to see my Grandad. Couldn't play it, but I could make noise with it, so thought it was great. I was about six or seven at the time, so this was only just in to the 90s.
6. Favorite Book?
I was already loving any book I could get my hands on by the 90s. As it happened though, it was the early 90s when I first read A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, which I maintain to this day is my favourite book.
7. Favorite Clothing Store?
I hated clothes shopping then, and still do. So I didn't have a favourite. Clothing stores were just annoying places I had to put up with going to from time to time as far as I was concerned. Nothing's changed there.
8. Favorite TV Show?
I had two favourite TV shows, which I used to watch before school. Mrs. Pepperpot and Lampchops Play Along. I know at least one of those isn't actually from the 90s - Lampchop was definitely on reruns, and I can't remember about Mrs. Pepperpot (and don't feel like looking it up) - but I still loved them. My Mam used Lambchop and Mrs. Pepperpot to get me to get ready for school quickly. It's not that I didn't want to go to school, but that I was slow getting moving in the morning. So she bribed me with telling me I could watch those if I got ready quickly enough.
9. What Show Would You Watch After School?
I always watched Blue Peter, Art Attack, and a few others. I actually tried out several of the craft projects from Blue Peter and Art Attack, and used to get the Art Attack magazine... My Dad used to buy it for me when they went shopping every week. Plus, I entered something on Blue Peter where they wanted suggestions for things to put in a time capsule, and I suggested a brailler, because technology was starting to take the place of the old braille machines (I only learned later just how much that was true) and sent in a drawing I'd done of my own red brailler. They liked my suggestion, and I got a Blue Peter badge. I still have the brailler the drawing was based on, but the badge unfortunately got lost over the years. Such a shame... It would have been cool to still have that.
10. What was Your Favorite 90s Game Show?
I didn't really watch them much at that time. Though I'd sometimes watch Countdown with my Nan (Dad's Mother), and Catchphrase with my Mam, so I guess that would make those my favourites.
11. Did You Own A Virtual Pet?
Yes. It was one of the few trends I really wanted to be a part of. So when my Mam found one with a bigger and clearer to see screen, I was thrilled. Even got Micky old enough that I could say he "died" of old age a couple of times. Every single incarnation of my little virtual dog was called Micky. I have no idea why. I'm also not entirely sure why I never then ended up using it for a real pet, since I obviously liked the name a lot. It's not like I haven't had enough of them to have the opportunity to use it. Maybe I just haven't found the right real life Micky yet? Or maybe Micky will forever just be my virtual pet's name? Only time will tell...
12. Favorite Video Game And System To Play On?
You might be surprised to learn this, given that I had sight problems growing up. But I did have sight until my early 20s, and have had several games machines and computers over the years. I had an Atari I used to love playing space invaders on, which my Dad had given my older brother, and he passed on to me when he got his first Nintendo. I also later had both a Playstation and a Nintendo. My favourite was Mario on the Nintendo. I can't remember if Spyro was out in the late 90s or early 2000s, but that was my favourite Playstation game, along with a Casper game we had, Crash Bandicoot, a Rugrats game I had for it, and Bust-A-Move. I also used to love playing tetris on my PC, or on my Dad's gameboy. Plus, Mam would let me play Sonic The Hedgehog on her SEGA sometimes. I know that's more than one system, but I played on them all a lot... Especially the Nintendo and Playstation.
If I had to pick a favourite system though, I actually prefered the Nintendo system. I never upgraded my Playstation, but I did upgrade my Nintendo to first the SNES, and then the GameCube. I also had a Game Boy Advanced, and a Game Boy SP. Once the Pokemon games came out, those were the main things I played. Those and a Tetris Advanced game Kelly got me during the time we lived in Canada (though that happened in 2003). I was rather adicted to tetris, and would play that for hours. Managed to complete the game once too.
13. Weirdest Fashion Trend?
I've never paid attention to fashion. Not back in the 90s, and not now.
14. Favorite Toy?
My absolute favourite toy ever was the doll I got for my second Christmas. His name was Jo-Jo, and I still have him (though he spent some time in the attic). For those who might be new here, you can read about him in this post.
Also, Puppy In My Pocket and Kitty In My Pocket were favourites of mine. Since they were just little animal figurines, you're probably not surprised to hear that. I loved playing with Lego too.
15. Favorite Nickelodeon Show?
Rugrats. Still love that show, and don't care who knows it.
August 5, 2019
#MondayMotivation, #Inspiration, And #Wisdom - #Quotes For August 5th 2019
It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.
~J.K. Rowling
Never be so focused on what you're looking for that you overlook the thing you actually find.
~Ann Patchett
Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.
~Dale Carnegie
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
~Winston Churchill
Maybe the journey isn't so much about becoming anything. Maybe it's about unbecoming everything that isn't really you, so you can be who you were meant to be in the first place.
~Unknown
When you're tempted to be upset, ask yourself 'Is this worth giving up my joy?'
~Joel Osteen
It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.
~Paulo Coelho
August 2, 2019
#FurkidFriday: Joshua The #Degu With Some #Photos, And Thoughts On Recent Happenings
Hi everyone. This is Joshua the degu.
Those photos were taken while the Mummy human was playing with the flashy thing at the start of last month. Oh, and that's a Cheerio I'm eating in the photos, by the way. I know you can't tell from the second one, since it's just a closeup. But you might be able to in the first one. I thought I'd mention it though, in case you can't.
Anyway, those dogs are finally letting me get a turn on this thing. About time, don't you think? They haven't let me or Mollie have a turn in ages! I'd complain, but I don't really have much to say anyhow, so I might as well let them get on with it.
We've had some hot weather, and some stormy weather. Mostly it's been OK for me, and I've just been running on my wheel, playing in my sand bath, and doing the other things I do to entertain myself each day. But some of the storms were a bit scary, and some days it was hot enough that even I was glad of the frozen peas the Mummy human handed out to me and my chinchilla sister, Mollie, to cool us down some, and lots of times I was glad of the fan I have near my cage. Last week especially it got hot enough that even I thought it was too hot, and poor Mollie was very miserable. Between the heat, and the big storm, it was a bad week for weather last week, even to me, but it was worse for Mollie, because even what the human caretakers call, "Comfortable temperatures," are too hot for her. Chinchillas just aren't good at dealing with hot weather.
In other news: things have been a bit noisy around here with the little brown and white dog with the floppy ears showing up. Oh, yeah... His name is Logan... Right. Anyway, I'm not sure why the human who did so brought him here, but the humans seemed pleased when he showed up. The Lilie dog mostly seems to be too, except sometimes when he chews on her ear, tries to jump on her head, or takes her stuff. Me and Mollie don't really care, which is lucky, because nobody asked us if we wanted another dog in the house. If you want my opinion though: I'm not sure why they wanted him, but he's not bothering me, so whatever. He's almost as bouncy as the Lilie dog, except the Logan dog doesn't seem to care that me and Mollie exist, which leaves us free to pretend he doesn't either. Actually, the Lilie dog has lost interest in us a little since he showed up too, and only comes to see us every so often, which is nice. We like being left alone. Now, if we can just get them to not bark when we're watching our favourite shows, we might be glad he showed up. At least the Mummy human shuts the gate and keeps both of them out of the living room when evening time comes, so we can watch TV in peace then, even if it's sometimes hard for us to hear our shows over the barking the rest of the time.
Speaking of TV: a really scary show came on one time a couple of weeks ago. I had to squeal for the Mummy human so I could cuddle her fingers for comfort. I felt better after I had the cuddle time and the channel got changed though.
That's all I've got to say today, since I've not really been doing anything different to my usual activities, even though we now have the Logan dog as well as the Lilie dog. That's why I've been letting them take all the posting slots. But I thought I'd check in, so you know I'm doing OK.
Squeak soon,
Joshua
Those photos were taken while the Mummy human was playing with the flashy thing at the start of last month. Oh, and that's a Cheerio I'm eating in the photos, by the way. I know you can't tell from the second one, since it's just a closeup. But you might be able to in the first one. I thought I'd mention it though, in case you can't.
Anyway, those dogs are finally letting me get a turn on this thing. About time, don't you think? They haven't let me or Mollie have a turn in ages! I'd complain, but I don't really have much to say anyhow, so I might as well let them get on with it.
We've had some hot weather, and some stormy weather. Mostly it's been OK for me, and I've just been running on my wheel, playing in my sand bath, and doing the other things I do to entertain myself each day. But some of the storms were a bit scary, and some days it was hot enough that even I was glad of the frozen peas the Mummy human handed out to me and my chinchilla sister, Mollie, to cool us down some, and lots of times I was glad of the fan I have near my cage. Last week especially it got hot enough that even I thought it was too hot, and poor Mollie was very miserable. Between the heat, and the big storm, it was a bad week for weather last week, even to me, but it was worse for Mollie, because even what the human caretakers call, "Comfortable temperatures," are too hot for her. Chinchillas just aren't good at dealing with hot weather.
In other news: things have been a bit noisy around here with the little brown and white dog with the floppy ears showing up. Oh, yeah... His name is Logan... Right. Anyway, I'm not sure why the human who did so brought him here, but the humans seemed pleased when he showed up. The Lilie dog mostly seems to be too, except sometimes when he chews on her ear, tries to jump on her head, or takes her stuff. Me and Mollie don't really care, which is lucky, because nobody asked us if we wanted another dog in the house. If you want my opinion though: I'm not sure why they wanted him, but he's not bothering me, so whatever. He's almost as bouncy as the Lilie dog, except the Logan dog doesn't seem to care that me and Mollie exist, which leaves us free to pretend he doesn't either. Actually, the Lilie dog has lost interest in us a little since he showed up too, and only comes to see us every so often, which is nice. We like being left alone. Now, if we can just get them to not bark when we're watching our favourite shows, we might be glad he showed up. At least the Mummy human shuts the gate and keeps both of them out of the living room when evening time comes, so we can watch TV in peace then, even if it's sometimes hard for us to hear our shows over the barking the rest of the time.
Speaking of TV: a really scary show came on one time a couple of weeks ago. I had to squeal for the Mummy human so I could cuddle her fingers for comfort. I felt better after I had the cuddle time and the channel got changed though.
That's all I've got to say today, since I've not really been doing anything different to my usual activities, even though we now have the Logan dog as well as the Lilie dog. That's why I've been letting them take all the posting slots. But I thought I'd check in, so you know I'm doing OK.
Squeak soon,
Joshua
August 1, 2019
#AmReading + #AmWatching - August 1st 2019 #Reviews
There is no friend as loyal as a book.
~Ernest Hemingway
It's time to take a look at what I've been reading and watching during this past week.
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.
Don't forget: I read and watch things across multiple genres, as well as for different age ranges, so you should always check before reading or viewing, to make certain something is suitable for the intended audience, especially when children are involved.
OK...
Here's what I read this week:
Fortune's Fool by Mercedes LackeyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This wasn't my favourite of this series so far, because I felt the tradition was too easily sent in the direction the characters wanted, taking away some of the potential conflict and tension. Besides that I really enjoyed it though, and I do think it's a nice addition to the series, hence the good rating.
As for what I've been watching:
I watched an episode of Time Team when it was on TV the other day, which I enjoyed (as I usually do). It was an old episode, though I'm pretty sure I haven't seen it before, since I didn't remember it. They had some fantastic Roman and Saxon finds, which were interesting to hear about.
I also watched an episode of Bull when it was on TV the other day. It's a new to me TV show. I thought it was good, but not great. It was interesting how the psychological side of a crime was explored more than it generally is in these kinds of shows. But that was pretty much all it had going for it (besides the actor who plays the main character, since I like him from watching him as Tony in NCIS). Sorry, Michael Weatherly. You're a great actor, and it's nothing to do with your acting skills. But I give this TV show three out of five stars.
That's all. I didn't watch anything else. No movies, and no other TV shows - new to me or otherwise.
July 31, 2019
#WriterWednesday - July 31st 2019
I was hoping by now I'd have the next phase of my story completed, and be able to tell you I'm done with the rewrites. Except extremely hot weather happened. I struggle when it gets much past 20 degrees C, and it hit 30 degrees C. So... Yeah... I took naps instead of working on the stuff I had been when Lilie and Logan were napping, because I couldn't focus anyhow. Then, when it finally cooled down some, I had a huge stack of eMails waiting for my attention, which is what I've been focussing on during the past couple of days. So, though I did make a little progress with my rewrites over the two weeks since I last did one of these kind of writer Wednesday posts, it's not as much as I'd hoped. Still, any progress is good progress. At least I did talk to one of the cover artists I use, and made plans for when he'll be working on the cover. That counts as progress too, right? Now I just need to finish the story...
Anyway, since I had a lot of eMails to go through, I ended up with quite a lot of links to share. So, let's see what I've got for you today, shall we?
First of all, did you know, your favourite book might determine the kinds of stories you're destined to write? Yes, really. At the very least, they'll help you figure out the elements of a story that will capture and hold your interest the best, which is a step in the right direction.
Of course, that doesn't mean you can't look elsewhere for inspiration. After all, "write what you know" is bad writing advice if you take it literally.
On a similar note: here's a word about research, you might want to bear in mind.
Wherever your inspiration and information comes from, this is why a writer should never hold back, and why you shouldn't let fear of people reading your work and seeing you as you really are stop you writing what you want/need to.
Your words will find a way, even if it's not the way you planned, and regardless of when you're at your most creative.
Yes. You will finish that thing. So don't let doubt stop you. Just write one word, and then another word, and then another, and pretty soon you'll have a finished story to show for it.
OK, so maybe you feel like you need a writing break? Fine. Just bear in mind this reason some writers don't like taking breaks from writing, and be careful with shiny new ideas.
So... What if you stop writing and never start again? Well, how you feel about that is up to you. However, if you're considering quitting writing - which I hope you aren't, but it's totally up to you, like I said - please, please, please, don't quit writing because someone says you should. If it's what you really want to do. Fine. But don't let others bully you in to quitting, especially if writing is something that brings you pleasure. If you want to keep writing, protect your writing dream. But whether you write or not should be your choice. Don't let anyone take that choice away from you. I mean, why do people even do that anyway? why do some readers give writers such harsh feedback? And why do people think writing is something that's a waste of time, so push people to quit doing it? Whatever their reasons, don't let them get to you!
I'm going to assume you're going to keep writing. Whatever it takes, right? Just be careful of burnout, and remember that burnout doesn't always feel the way it's 'supposed' to feel, so make sure to practice regular self care. there's so little time, so use yours wisely, and make memories you'll be glad to look back on.
Next, here's a post for those times when you're feeling motivated to write, but too exhausted to create, which is something I've dealt with a lot - especially last year. Only you know if you should just write anyway, if you just need a nap, or if you have other things in your life you need to focus on more than your writing right now. Just bear in mind that putting your writing on hold does not make you weak!
If you still need them, here are some tips for balancing writing with life.
While you're figuring out how to do that, here's a post on how to use a paragraph, another on using similes and metaphors, and one discussing the use of the words that and which, because we could all do with brushing up on basic writing rules sometimes.
Next, here's how to add a time jump to your story, in case you need some tips on doing that.
Also, in case either of these apply for your story, here are some tips to writing factions in fiction, and tips to writing single father characters.
No matter who - or what - is in your story, you might want to check out these tips on avoiding first chapter blunders.
Also, this is why every story needs a sprinkling of fear, and how to make sure there's fear in yours.
Finally, don't forget: today is the last day of the Smashwords Summer/Winter sale. So don't forget to go to my Smashwords author page to find my books, and grab them at 25% off, in whichever format works best for your prefered method of reading eBooks, including mobi for Kindle, and a html format that works with web browsers.
Anyway, since I had a lot of eMails to go through, I ended up with quite a lot of links to share. So, let's see what I've got for you today, shall we?
First of all, did you know, your favourite book might determine the kinds of stories you're destined to write? Yes, really. At the very least, they'll help you figure out the elements of a story that will capture and hold your interest the best, which is a step in the right direction.
Of course, that doesn't mean you can't look elsewhere for inspiration. After all, "write what you know" is bad writing advice if you take it literally.
On a similar note: here's a word about research, you might want to bear in mind.
Wherever your inspiration and information comes from, this is why a writer should never hold back, and why you shouldn't let fear of people reading your work and seeing you as you really are stop you writing what you want/need to.
Your words will find a way, even if it's not the way you planned, and regardless of when you're at your most creative.
Yes. You will finish that thing. So don't let doubt stop you. Just write one word, and then another word, and then another, and pretty soon you'll have a finished story to show for it.
OK, so maybe you feel like you need a writing break? Fine. Just bear in mind this reason some writers don't like taking breaks from writing, and be careful with shiny new ideas.
So... What if you stop writing and never start again? Well, how you feel about that is up to you. However, if you're considering quitting writing - which I hope you aren't, but it's totally up to you, like I said - please, please, please, don't quit writing because someone says you should. If it's what you really want to do. Fine. But don't let others bully you in to quitting, especially if writing is something that brings you pleasure. If you want to keep writing, protect your writing dream. But whether you write or not should be your choice. Don't let anyone take that choice away from you. I mean, why do people even do that anyway? why do some readers give writers such harsh feedback? And why do people think writing is something that's a waste of time, so push people to quit doing it? Whatever their reasons, don't let them get to you!
I'm going to assume you're going to keep writing. Whatever it takes, right? Just be careful of burnout, and remember that burnout doesn't always feel the way it's 'supposed' to feel, so make sure to practice regular self care. there's so little time, so use yours wisely, and make memories you'll be glad to look back on.
Next, here's a post for those times when you're feeling motivated to write, but too exhausted to create, which is something I've dealt with a lot - especially last year. Only you know if you should just write anyway, if you just need a nap, or if you have other things in your life you need to focus on more than your writing right now. Just bear in mind that putting your writing on hold does not make you weak!
If you still need them, here are some tips for balancing writing with life.
While you're figuring out how to do that, here's a post on how to use a paragraph, another on using similes and metaphors, and one discussing the use of the words that and which, because we could all do with brushing up on basic writing rules sometimes.
Next, here's how to add a time jump to your story, in case you need some tips on doing that.
Also, in case either of these apply for your story, here are some tips to writing factions in fiction, and tips to writing single father characters.
No matter who - or what - is in your story, you might want to check out these tips on avoiding first chapter blunders.
Also, this is why every story needs a sprinkling of fear, and how to make sure there's fear in yours.
Finally, don't forget: today is the last day of the Smashwords Summer/Winter sale. So don't forget to go to my Smashwords author page to find my books, and grab them at 25% off, in whichever format works best for your prefered method of reading eBooks, including mobi for Kindle, and a html format that works with web browsers.
July 30, 2019
Random Ramblings - July 30th 2019 Edition
I haven't actually done a proper Tuesday post in a couple of weeks, because I wanted to do that tag I found, and put up the A-Z challenge post too. So this is going to be a post to catch you up on the random goings on from the past few weeks, not necessarily in order.
This post is a relatively long one, so you might want to grab a drink, and maybe a snack too... If you don't already have those things on hand, that is. I'll wait. Just come back and continue reading from this point when you're ready. *wink*
***~~~***
I saw that quote on Twitter a couple of weeks ago. At the time, I had a puppy curled up against each foot, and the first thing I thought when I read that was, "Yeah... And I've got two of them, so that's twice as much happiness."
We won't talk about the times I can see why people say having dogs is like having toddlers, and I understand why some parents - especially those with two or more children - are always so glad when bed time comes. *wink*
We also won't talk about the nights when they really don't want to settle, and I find myself still awake at 2:00am trying everything in an attempt to get them to sleep, which naturally happens most on days when I need to be up early for some reason.
No. Those times don't happen a lot. But, as I said on Facebook recently, if you ever doubt the saying that having dogs is like having toddlers, you should try having mine for a while, especially during the last half an hour or so before bed time. Tired puppies and tired toddlers are both handfuls. I know it's true of toddlers from my times babysitting, and I'm sure you can guess how I know it's true of puppies. I don't mind though. Not really. I love my pups just the way they are. Even if there are times when I'm glad for the arrival of nap time, or when the only clear thought in my exhausted head is, "Please go to sleep, because then I can."
***~~~***
We took Logan to Oscars for his first ever outing. We wanted to show him to them, and thought combining his outing with lunch out would give him a positive association for his first walk, since he's extremely food motivated. I'm glad we did, because he definitely needed a positive association... Poor thing was so scared that he just sat down and cried every time I put him on the ground at first, and it took most of the time we were out to get him to even consider actually walking. We've taken him there since, as well as for other walks, and he's improving. He's still a bit unsure of how this walkies thing works, but he's getting there. At least he'll now walk some when he's put down on the ground, rather than just sitting on the spot I put him on and crying, and only whines a little from time to time (and that's mostly when he starts getting tired). He's even climbed a few of our stairs, though he's only tried going up so far, and hasn't attempted to get himself down them yet (he just waits at the top crying until I come rescue him). He sure tires quickly though... Quicker than Lilie and Kero did at his age... But I think it's the difference in the breed, since Westie's are a hardier breed. It's fine though. When I know he's getting tired, I just keep him in my arms, and he happily watches the world go by, and enjoys the feel of the ocean breeze in his fur.
Anyway, they loved getting to meet Logan at Oscars, as I knew they would. They adore Lilie too. We always have people wanting to come say hi to Lilie whenever we're out and about - which is just fine by her - and now we have two dogs everyone wants to greet. At one point I had someone come over and start petting them, and the person suddenly thought about the fact she hadn't asked if I minded her doing so, and said, "I'm sorry madam, but they're just so cute!" We get a lot of that.
***~~~***
We missed checking out Hastings Pirate Day this year. It was by choice though, and wasn't because of the weather.
We've had a lot of hot weather. This time last week, for example, it was in the high 20s... It got up to 28 degrees C last Tuesday late afternoon, and didn't cool down much that night. It was even hotter on Thursday, and actually reached temperatures above 30 degrees C (I'm told it got up to 34 degrees C here, though thankfully was sleeping during that part of the day). Bearing in mind, those temperatures are the temperatures outside, and our place usually runs a couple of degrees hotter. But, anyway, though we've had some hot days - too many of them, if you ask me - we've also had cooler days, and days somewhere in the middle. We've had some Summer rain showers, and storms of various strengths too.
The Sunday of Hastings Pirate Day was one of the days where it was warm and dry, but not hot. So it would have been a perfect day to be out there enjoying the pirate day events, both from our point of view, and the dogs'. I'm sure those who did go were glad the weather was so perfect.
But Hastings Pirate Day happened two days after Logan's first walk, and we thought it would be too much for him, given how quickly he gets tired, and how confusing the lead concept seems to be to him. Not to mention, the fact just a few people along the seafront on a Friday afternoon was enough to have him frightened, so the huge crowds we get for the pirate day events would be too much so soon. I mean, Hastings currently holds the world record for the most people dressed as pirates in one place, and the numbers listed for the record only include registered pirates, and not the people who come to the area for the events but don't dress up and register themselves. We stay on the edge of the crowds when possible, but even that can be a bit overwhealming at times. Logan is definitely not ready for that. So we skipped it for his sake this year. He should be able to face the crowds better by next year, so hopefully we can all go to at least some of the pirate events next year. It would be too much for even Lilie to do all of it, so we wouldn't even try. Actually, we never tried to go to more than part of the events, even when we were without dogs... There's too much going on to do it all without exhausting yourself. I do hope we can go to part of it next year though, like we've done most years since we moved down here.
We did all go out for a while that day, of course. But not to the pirate events. We just went to enjoy the part of the beach near home for a little while, and then headed back home. We waited until early evening though, so there weren't so many people out and about. We aren't right by where this year's pirate themed events were happening, but we're close enough that there were a lot of people out there during the afternoon. So we waited for the crowds to thin a little before taking the dogs out there.
***~~~***
I worry about the furkids when it get's really hot. Especially Mollie and the dogs, since Joshua handles heat better than the others. Mollie in particular suffers badly on hot days. I did what I could though, and everyone made it through.
One of the things we did was to try setting up some wet towels for the dogs to nap on. It was an idea Kelly had seen on social media, and we thought it was a good one,, so figured we'd try it out. Lilie agreed it was a great idea, and did nap with part of herself on her towel. Logan, however, was having none of it. He's not a fan of getting wet, and didn't think the cooling benifits were a good enough reason to get wet. So he found himself a different napping spot out of the sun... At least he was in a shady spot.
***~~~***
At the end of last week we had an awesome storm, which I think would be classed as a tropical storm. It's what I'm calling it anyhow. It showed up around dinner time on Thursday, and was still going on - though not so violently - through most of Friday and Saturday. There was a lot of rain, and a fair amount of thunder and lightning. Unfortunately, it didn't cool things down much. At least, not until Saturday evening, and even then it was only enough to put temperatures in the comfortable to me range (like 18 degrees C). That's why I think it would be considered a tropical storm: the heat and humidity.
Anyway, I was worried about how Logan would react to it, but either the heat had him too tired to care as much as usual, or Lilie and I are doing a great job of convincing him storms aren't scary. I'm not sure which. Either way, he got a bit agitated initially, but didn't require more than being able to stay close to me and Lilie throughout the night, which was easy enough to arrange, especially from my point of view. He wasn't even bothered about it any more by the time we were dealing with the milder storms of Friday and Saturday... Probably figured he was safe enough, since he survived Thursday night. It likely helped that they were more rain than anything, though there was some thunder and lightning thrown in across those two days (most of the thunder and lightning was Thursday night and early hours of Friday morning though).
***~~~***
Here are a couple of photos of Logan at 14 weeks old:
He's growing up so fast!
Sorry, I don't have new photos of Lilie today. We just snapped those of Logan to show how he's growing.
Logan is now almost 15 and a half weeks old. Can you believe it?
He has another vet appointment this Thursday (August 1st 2019). Hopefully the source of his getting upset last time was frustration at Lilie being on the ground and him not, and he won't get so upset this time, especially now he's starting to accept the lead, and not cry so much when he's down on the ground.
***~~~***
I had asthma clinic on July 18th. I was up for my yearly review, so they wouldn't give me new inhalers if I didn't see the asthma nurse. So I went to see her. It's good for me to be checked from time to time anyhow, and I should have been having yearly reviews all along, so I don't mind. In fact, I was glad to see they were doing what they were meant to... Finally.
My appointment went smoothly. I knew it would. My asthma's been behaving itself since last year, when I got my inhalers back, and they gave me the spacer thingy to help me control my breathing properly when taking them. So, as far as I was concerned, this was merely a necessary formality, and a "just in case" checkup. It did feel good having the asthma nurse tell me she was pleased with how I was doing though, and compliment me on how well I pay attention to what's going on with my body. I didn't tell her I sometimes ignore what my body is telling me. I was too busy enjoying her compliments. Hey, it's not often I get approval from doctors and nurses, after all.
Anyway, I had them weigh me while I was there. My Mam said it looked in the photos taken when we took Logan for his first walk like I might have lost some weight. I had my doubts. I mean, I feel fitter and everything, and did wonder if maybe I'd lost a little. But I've never really had much luck in losing weight, so wasn't counting on it. I figured my asthma clinic appointment was a good time to get a weight update though, especially since I hadn't been weighed in more than six months. Plus, I was curious. So I asked them to weigh me. Turns out I've lost 3 kilos (that's about 6.6 lbs).
***~~~***
For those who like to know: my Makerly box for July contained a cross stitch kit for a bird. I forget which kind of bird it was, though it was something tropical, since that was the theme of the kit.
***~~~***
I wanted to do some baking last week, but it was WAY too hot. So I decided to try something I could do in the microwave.
I made a flapjack, which consisted of oats, coconut milk, maple syrrup, and raisins, so was not just vegetarian friendly, but also vegan friendly. I just threw them all in a bowl, cooked them up in the microwave, and then put most of the mixture in a cake tin to cool. Several hours later - when it was cool enough to do so - I put it in the fridge. After it had set, I removed it from the tin, and put it on a plate. It won't win prizes for anything, least of all presentation, but here's a photo anyhow:
I cut it in to slices - like you would a cake - after the photo was taken.
It was pretty good. Stickier than it should have been (I think I used too much coconut milk) but pretty good, like I said. Especially considering I was just experimenting, and didn't measure quantities or anything. Not to mention the fact it was a microwaved flapjack, rather than one done in the oven. I'd kept some aside for breakfast though - hence only putting most of the mixture in the cake tin - and ate it still slightly warm, and that way was delicious. So, awesome as a breakfast option, but could use some work to make it a good flapjack.
I had better success with the vegan friendly apple-berry cake and banana-peanut cookies I made on Sunday, after the rain had cooled things down here a little, so I could actually do the baking I wanted to do. I think they turned out pretty well. Here are photos, for anyone who wants to see them:
The cake and cookies were both very tasty, if I do say so myself. Since there was nothing in them they couldn't have, I offered Lilie and Logan a bit of each, and they seemed to approve too. I wasn't surprised with Logan, since he eats just about anything, but I took it as a compliment from Lilie, since she's a picky eater.
Brownies were baked on the weekend too. But those were for Kelly, and I didn't take photos.
No. The pups didn't get any of those, because they're chocolate, and dogs aren't allowed chocolate. Just mentioning that, for anyone who might have been concerned. They were disappointed - especially Logan - but soon got over it when they saw I was willing to share my snacks.
***~~~***
My Mam got me a new smoothie maker.
I kept meaning to get one, but not getting around to it. Anyway, she got me one, so now I don't need to. It arrived on Sunday, because she ordered it on Saturday and has Amazon Prime.
I tried it out yesterday (Monday) morning. I made a smoothie involving coconut water, a banana, some raspberries, some blueberries, and a bit of spinach. That last for extra vitamins. It was really tasty, and since the berries and spinach were frozen, lovely and cool.
As an added bonus, I actually drank a decent amount of liquid yesterday morning, because of having the smoothie, which is something I need to work on, since I generally don't drink enough.
***~~~***
If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook - or both - you might already know this, but I've made a big lifestyle choice recently.
After more than a decade of being vegetarian, I've decided to take the next step, and have switched to a vegan diet.
Yeah, that's why I was doing the vegan friendly stuff when I was baking. I wanted to make snacks, rather than buying them. It's cheaper, and makes knowing exactly what's in my food easier. I'm not saying I won't buy the ready-made vegan friendly snacks sometimes. I just want to mostly make my own.
There are a few reasons for my decision to become vegan, including the ethical and environmental ones you'll hear from many people making such a switch. After all, animal product free doesn't always mean cruelty free, and a vegan diet reduces your carbon footprint. But I have other reasons too, like the fact I'm lactos intollerent, so really should have switched out my dairy products to either lactos free or plant based alternatives ages ago, and since cheese was the thing making me reluctant to make the switch to veganism, if I'm going to switch my cheese anyhow, there's nothing holding me back any more. I mean, I used to think the upset stomach I got from eating it was worth it. I no longer feel that way. Especially after I finally won the battle for a hysterectomy. I wanted that for a chance at a better future. How can I celebrate that when I'm also letting my body suffer needlessly just for something that will be gone in a few minutes? I don't want anyone to suffer for what I eat, and that includes myself.
No. This is not a spur of the moment decision. It's something I've been thinking about for some time. But I didn't mention to anyone that I was considering it, because I didn't want the comments and opinions of others influencing my decision.
Anyway, I usually post about things on my blog first, but this time I posted on Twitter and Facebook first, because my posting slots were filled until today, and I wanted to ask a few vegan friends I have for tips and recipes at once. I was completely blown away by the response. Everyone I tagged on Facebook, plus some I hadn't, was immediately there with tips, recipes, and resources. As for my Twitter post... Well, I've quite literally never had that many people interact with one of my posts. I had people I didn't know coming from all over the place with tips, websites and YouTube channels I could check out, etc. People were liking and retweeting my tweet like crazy too... I've never had that many likes on a post, ever. It was just amazing, and I'm incredibly grateful to all those people for all the support, tips, etc.
Of course, I know there might be vegans reading this who either didn't see my tweet or Facebook post, or aren't even on those social media platforms. If either of those is the case for you, feel free to share tips, recipes, and resources in the comments. I'm especially looking for ideas for quick and easy meals with minimum cooking, for busy or hot days. Thank you in advance.
This post is a relatively long one, so you might want to grab a drink, and maybe a snack too... If you don't already have those things on hand, that is. I'll wait. Just come back and continue reading from this point when you're ready. *wink*
***~~~***
Happiness is a warm puppy.
~Charles M. Schulz
I saw that quote on Twitter a couple of weeks ago. At the time, I had a puppy curled up against each foot, and the first thing I thought when I read that was, "Yeah... And I've got two of them, so that's twice as much happiness."
We won't talk about the times I can see why people say having dogs is like having toddlers, and I understand why some parents - especially those with two or more children - are always so glad when bed time comes. *wink*
We also won't talk about the nights when they really don't want to settle, and I find myself still awake at 2:00am trying everything in an attempt to get them to sleep, which naturally happens most on days when I need to be up early for some reason.
No. Those times don't happen a lot. But, as I said on Facebook recently, if you ever doubt the saying that having dogs is like having toddlers, you should try having mine for a while, especially during the last half an hour or so before bed time. Tired puppies and tired toddlers are both handfuls. I know it's true of toddlers from my times babysitting, and I'm sure you can guess how I know it's true of puppies. I don't mind though. Not really. I love my pups just the way they are. Even if there are times when I'm glad for the arrival of nap time, or when the only clear thought in my exhausted head is, "Please go to sleep, because then I can."
***~~~***
We took Logan to Oscars for his first ever outing. We wanted to show him to them, and thought combining his outing with lunch out would give him a positive association for his first walk, since he's extremely food motivated. I'm glad we did, because he definitely needed a positive association... Poor thing was so scared that he just sat down and cried every time I put him on the ground at first, and it took most of the time we were out to get him to even consider actually walking. We've taken him there since, as well as for other walks, and he's improving. He's still a bit unsure of how this walkies thing works, but he's getting there. At least he'll now walk some when he's put down on the ground, rather than just sitting on the spot I put him on and crying, and only whines a little from time to time (and that's mostly when he starts getting tired). He's even climbed a few of our stairs, though he's only tried going up so far, and hasn't attempted to get himself down them yet (he just waits at the top crying until I come rescue him). He sure tires quickly though... Quicker than Lilie and Kero did at his age... But I think it's the difference in the breed, since Westie's are a hardier breed. It's fine though. When I know he's getting tired, I just keep him in my arms, and he happily watches the world go by, and enjoys the feel of the ocean breeze in his fur.
Anyway, they loved getting to meet Logan at Oscars, as I knew they would. They adore Lilie too. We always have people wanting to come say hi to Lilie whenever we're out and about - which is just fine by her - and now we have two dogs everyone wants to greet. At one point I had someone come over and start petting them, and the person suddenly thought about the fact she hadn't asked if I minded her doing so, and said, "I'm sorry madam, but they're just so cute!" We get a lot of that.
***~~~***
We missed checking out Hastings Pirate Day this year. It was by choice though, and wasn't because of the weather.
We've had a lot of hot weather. This time last week, for example, it was in the high 20s... It got up to 28 degrees C last Tuesday late afternoon, and didn't cool down much that night. It was even hotter on Thursday, and actually reached temperatures above 30 degrees C (I'm told it got up to 34 degrees C here, though thankfully was sleeping during that part of the day). Bearing in mind, those temperatures are the temperatures outside, and our place usually runs a couple of degrees hotter. But, anyway, though we've had some hot days - too many of them, if you ask me - we've also had cooler days, and days somewhere in the middle. We've had some Summer rain showers, and storms of various strengths too.
The Sunday of Hastings Pirate Day was one of the days where it was warm and dry, but not hot. So it would have been a perfect day to be out there enjoying the pirate day events, both from our point of view, and the dogs'. I'm sure those who did go were glad the weather was so perfect.
But Hastings Pirate Day happened two days after Logan's first walk, and we thought it would be too much for him, given how quickly he gets tired, and how confusing the lead concept seems to be to him. Not to mention, the fact just a few people along the seafront on a Friday afternoon was enough to have him frightened, so the huge crowds we get for the pirate day events would be too much so soon. I mean, Hastings currently holds the world record for the most people dressed as pirates in one place, and the numbers listed for the record only include registered pirates, and not the people who come to the area for the events but don't dress up and register themselves. We stay on the edge of the crowds when possible, but even that can be a bit overwhealming at times. Logan is definitely not ready for that. So we skipped it for his sake this year. He should be able to face the crowds better by next year, so hopefully we can all go to at least some of the pirate events next year. It would be too much for even Lilie to do all of it, so we wouldn't even try. Actually, we never tried to go to more than part of the events, even when we were without dogs... There's too much going on to do it all without exhausting yourself. I do hope we can go to part of it next year though, like we've done most years since we moved down here.
We did all go out for a while that day, of course. But not to the pirate events. We just went to enjoy the part of the beach near home for a little while, and then headed back home. We waited until early evening though, so there weren't so many people out and about. We aren't right by where this year's pirate themed events were happening, but we're close enough that there were a lot of people out there during the afternoon. So we waited for the crowds to thin a little before taking the dogs out there.
***~~~***
I worry about the furkids when it get's really hot. Especially Mollie and the dogs, since Joshua handles heat better than the others. Mollie in particular suffers badly on hot days. I did what I could though, and everyone made it through.
One of the things we did was to try setting up some wet towels for the dogs to nap on. It was an idea Kelly had seen on social media, and we thought it was a good one,, so figured we'd try it out. Lilie agreed it was a great idea, and did nap with part of herself on her towel. Logan, however, was having none of it. He's not a fan of getting wet, and didn't think the cooling benifits were a good enough reason to get wet. So he found himself a different napping spot out of the sun... At least he was in a shady spot.
***~~~***
At the end of last week we had an awesome storm, which I think would be classed as a tropical storm. It's what I'm calling it anyhow. It showed up around dinner time on Thursday, and was still going on - though not so violently - through most of Friday and Saturday. There was a lot of rain, and a fair amount of thunder and lightning. Unfortunately, it didn't cool things down much. At least, not until Saturday evening, and even then it was only enough to put temperatures in the comfortable to me range (like 18 degrees C). That's why I think it would be considered a tropical storm: the heat and humidity.
Anyway, I was worried about how Logan would react to it, but either the heat had him too tired to care as much as usual, or Lilie and I are doing a great job of convincing him storms aren't scary. I'm not sure which. Either way, he got a bit agitated initially, but didn't require more than being able to stay close to me and Lilie throughout the night, which was easy enough to arrange, especially from my point of view. He wasn't even bothered about it any more by the time we were dealing with the milder storms of Friday and Saturday... Probably figured he was safe enough, since he survived Thursday night. It likely helped that they were more rain than anything, though there was some thunder and lightning thrown in across those two days (most of the thunder and lightning was Thursday night and early hours of Friday morning though).
***~~~***
Here are a couple of photos of Logan at 14 weeks old:
He's growing up so fast!
Sorry, I don't have new photos of Lilie today. We just snapped those of Logan to show how he's growing.
Logan is now almost 15 and a half weeks old. Can you believe it?
He has another vet appointment this Thursday (August 1st 2019). Hopefully the source of his getting upset last time was frustration at Lilie being on the ground and him not, and he won't get so upset this time, especially now he's starting to accept the lead, and not cry so much when he's down on the ground.
***~~~***
I had asthma clinic on July 18th. I was up for my yearly review, so they wouldn't give me new inhalers if I didn't see the asthma nurse. So I went to see her. It's good for me to be checked from time to time anyhow, and I should have been having yearly reviews all along, so I don't mind. In fact, I was glad to see they were doing what they were meant to... Finally.
My appointment went smoothly. I knew it would. My asthma's been behaving itself since last year, when I got my inhalers back, and they gave me the spacer thingy to help me control my breathing properly when taking them. So, as far as I was concerned, this was merely a necessary formality, and a "just in case" checkup. It did feel good having the asthma nurse tell me she was pleased with how I was doing though, and compliment me on how well I pay attention to what's going on with my body. I didn't tell her I sometimes ignore what my body is telling me. I was too busy enjoying her compliments. Hey, it's not often I get approval from doctors and nurses, after all.
Anyway, I had them weigh me while I was there. My Mam said it looked in the photos taken when we took Logan for his first walk like I might have lost some weight. I had my doubts. I mean, I feel fitter and everything, and did wonder if maybe I'd lost a little. But I've never really had much luck in losing weight, so wasn't counting on it. I figured my asthma clinic appointment was a good time to get a weight update though, especially since I hadn't been weighed in more than six months. Plus, I was curious. So I asked them to weigh me. Turns out I've lost 3 kilos (that's about 6.6 lbs).
***~~~***
For those who like to know: my Makerly box for July contained a cross stitch kit for a bird. I forget which kind of bird it was, though it was something tropical, since that was the theme of the kit.
***~~~***
I wanted to do some baking last week, but it was WAY too hot. So I decided to try something I could do in the microwave.
I made a flapjack, which consisted of oats, coconut milk, maple syrrup, and raisins, so was not just vegetarian friendly, but also vegan friendly. I just threw them all in a bowl, cooked them up in the microwave, and then put most of the mixture in a cake tin to cool. Several hours later - when it was cool enough to do so - I put it in the fridge. After it had set, I removed it from the tin, and put it on a plate. It won't win prizes for anything, least of all presentation, but here's a photo anyhow:
I cut it in to slices - like you would a cake - after the photo was taken.
It was pretty good. Stickier than it should have been (I think I used too much coconut milk) but pretty good, like I said. Especially considering I was just experimenting, and didn't measure quantities or anything. Not to mention the fact it was a microwaved flapjack, rather than one done in the oven. I'd kept some aside for breakfast though - hence only putting most of the mixture in the cake tin - and ate it still slightly warm, and that way was delicious. So, awesome as a breakfast option, but could use some work to make it a good flapjack.
I had better success with the vegan friendly apple-berry cake and banana-peanut cookies I made on Sunday, after the rain had cooled things down here a little, so I could actually do the baking I wanted to do. I think they turned out pretty well. Here are photos, for anyone who wants to see them:
The cake and cookies were both very tasty, if I do say so myself. Since there was nothing in them they couldn't have, I offered Lilie and Logan a bit of each, and they seemed to approve too. I wasn't surprised with Logan, since he eats just about anything, but I took it as a compliment from Lilie, since she's a picky eater.
Brownies were baked on the weekend too. But those were for Kelly, and I didn't take photos.
No. The pups didn't get any of those, because they're chocolate, and dogs aren't allowed chocolate. Just mentioning that, for anyone who might have been concerned. They were disappointed - especially Logan - but soon got over it when they saw I was willing to share my snacks.
***~~~***
My Mam got me a new smoothie maker.
I kept meaning to get one, but not getting around to it. Anyway, she got me one, so now I don't need to. It arrived on Sunday, because she ordered it on Saturday and has Amazon Prime.
I tried it out yesterday (Monday) morning. I made a smoothie involving coconut water, a banana, some raspberries, some blueberries, and a bit of spinach. That last for extra vitamins. It was really tasty, and since the berries and spinach were frozen, lovely and cool.
As an added bonus, I actually drank a decent amount of liquid yesterday morning, because of having the smoothie, which is something I need to work on, since I generally don't drink enough.
***~~~***
If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook - or both - you might already know this, but I've made a big lifestyle choice recently.
After more than a decade of being vegetarian, I've decided to take the next step, and have switched to a vegan diet.
Yeah, that's why I was doing the vegan friendly stuff when I was baking. I wanted to make snacks, rather than buying them. It's cheaper, and makes knowing exactly what's in my food easier. I'm not saying I won't buy the ready-made vegan friendly snacks sometimes. I just want to mostly make my own.
There are a few reasons for my decision to become vegan, including the ethical and environmental ones you'll hear from many people making such a switch. After all, animal product free doesn't always mean cruelty free, and a vegan diet reduces your carbon footprint. But I have other reasons too, like the fact I'm lactos intollerent, so really should have switched out my dairy products to either lactos free or plant based alternatives ages ago, and since cheese was the thing making me reluctant to make the switch to veganism, if I'm going to switch my cheese anyhow, there's nothing holding me back any more. I mean, I used to think the upset stomach I got from eating it was worth it. I no longer feel that way. Especially after I finally won the battle for a hysterectomy. I wanted that for a chance at a better future. How can I celebrate that when I'm also letting my body suffer needlessly just for something that will be gone in a few minutes? I don't want anyone to suffer for what I eat, and that includes myself.
No. This is not a spur of the moment decision. It's something I've been thinking about for some time. But I didn't mention to anyone that I was considering it, because I didn't want the comments and opinions of others influencing my decision.
Anyway, I usually post about things on my blog first, but this time I posted on Twitter and Facebook first, because my posting slots were filled until today, and I wanted to ask a few vegan friends I have for tips and recipes at once. I was completely blown away by the response. Everyone I tagged on Facebook, plus some I hadn't, was immediately there with tips, recipes, and resources. As for my Twitter post... Well, I've quite literally never had that many people interact with one of my posts. I had people I didn't know coming from all over the place with tips, websites and YouTube channels I could check out, etc. People were liking and retweeting my tweet like crazy too... I've never had that many likes on a post, ever. It was just amazing, and I'm incredibly grateful to all those people for all the support, tips, etc.
Of course, I know there might be vegans reading this who either didn't see my tweet or Facebook post, or aren't even on those social media platforms. If either of those is the case for you, feel free to share tips, recipes, and resources in the comments. I'm especially looking for ideas for quick and easy meals with minimum cooking, for busy or hot days. Thank you in advance.
Zigler News
Author and book news for children's author and poet, Victoria Zigler, as well as general news from the life of the Zigler family; furry and otherwise!
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