You HAVE to Read This Book!

~~I mean it. With over three and a half million words in print and seventeen million copies sold (and growing), you can't go wrong if Diana Gabaldon's name is on the cover. Diana's latest book, An Echo in the Bone, debuted at number two on the New York Times bestseller list. Echo went on sale September 22 and it has been selling fast ever since. And there's good reason for the number of books sold. Full of historical fiction and military history, time-travel, wonderful, realistic characters, intricate plots, accurate research used in creative ways, and layered, beautiful detail that draws the reader in, Diana Gabaldon shows what great writing can be. As the winner of the Quill and Corinne International prizes for her last book, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, many know how good a read her books are.

~~The main Outlander series introduces readers to the amazing lives of Jamie Frazer, a Scottish Highlander, and his wife, Claire Randall, a nurse from WWII. Yes, it's possible. ; ) The order of the main series is:

*Outlander

*Dragonfly in Amber

*Voyager

*Drums of Autumn

*The Fiery Cross

*A Breath of Snow and Ashes

* An Echo in the Bone

In addition, Diana has written an offshoot series about the interesting character, Lord John Grey. Lord John is an important character in the main series and to understand his importance, the reader should read his series as well. The Lord John books are:

*Lord John and the Hand of Devils

*Lord John and the Private Matter

* Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade

The first is an anthology of three novellas. The correct chronological order of the stories are "The Hellfire Club", then The Private Matter, "Lord John and the Succubus", Brotherhood of the Blade, and "Lord John and the Haunted Soldier." Diana is working on a new Lord John book, Lord John and the Scottish Prisoner.

~~The most wonderful thing about Diana Gabaldon is her generosity. She is an important part of the CompuServe Books and Writers Forum where she offers advice and craft lessons for all writers. I highly recommend joining the forum to learn more about writing from Diana and the many writers who regularly post there.

~~Another example of Diana's generosity is the time she spends with her fans at book signings and festivals. I had the great pleasure to hear her and have some books signed at this year's Decatur Book Festival on September 5. After sharing insight into Echo and her upcoming graphic novel set in the Outlander storyline, she signed books for the hundreds of fans. Then went to another event and did it all again. The photo is of Diana signing books for me at Decatur.

Woe September!

~~I'm not happy with September. I haven't had a good one. Among the woes, there's a prolonged illness that caused me to lose seven pounds in three weeks. I just wouldn't recommend the weight-loss method to anyone. : ( Add to that the back problems that have made sitting at the computer or anywhere hard and John's mother's broken hip setback and you get the picture.
~~Helen's bones are not healing well and we had to stop therapy. She is now at home with twenty-four hour care and using a transfer board. It takes two and John has been helping the help since Monday. He's worn out.
~~The puppies agree that this week didn't start too well. They were neutered on Tuesday. All's well though and the active little boys are at their antics again. Cow hoof, anyone?
~~On a positive note, I did get to the Decatur Book Festival on September 5 and met my favorite author, Diana Gabaldon. : ) I'll tell you more next week when her newest Jamie and Claire book is published and in my hot little hands.

My, How Big You've Grown!

~~The boys are getting big! Well, by their record, at least. When they were eleven weeks old, Casey weighed four pounds four ounces and Max was three pounds two ounces. Now at twenty-four weeks old, they weigh seven pounds eight ounces and five pounds four ounces. What a difference!

~~They're growing up in other ways, too. We are actually getting some good pack walks without too much pulling. Of course, when the boys pull, Max goes one way and Casey the other. There's nothing like a tug-of-war between two toy poodles when you are the rope! ; )

~~Here's a few photos to show how big they are getting. Compare their first week home with now. Enjoy!

But Why TWO Puppies?

~~Good question! Some days, we question our sanity. It is harder to house train with two--much harder. Casey has it down. Max--not so much. And the fusses! What a racket! Sometimes the wrestling is so intense, we fear someone is going to get hurt.

~~So, why did we get two puppies at once? We wanted them to have company when we are not home and playmates when we are. And for all the raucous noise, there are moments that say it all and I thought I'd share a few. ; )

It's Great to Crate!

~~That's right. We finally broke down and did it, and we agree, we should have done it sooner. After the worst day ever on Saturday, we consulted dog-lovers Tina and Trey. They added the last note to the mighty chorus of advisers. "Use the crate!" Casey is taking it easy in the photo above, but Max is not as sure in the one below. ; )

~~Saturday was the clincher. We had started trying puppy pee pads because clean up is so easy. The boys had another idea. When we came back from getting Mother Helen's lunch, a blizzard had hit the back bathroom. No two fibers were still next to their original neighbor and there was not piece of backing larger than two by two inches. Clean up took over half an hour.

~~So, crates here we come. Sunday we crated for forty-five minutes. Each boy had his favorite cow hoof to chew. It wasn't so bad that they wouldn't go back in. In fact, after a nap on the sofa was interrupted, Casey crawled back in his crate to finish sleeping! On Monday, we used it twice during the day--about thirty minutes and nearly three hours when we had to be gone. Guess what? They survived without accident. Afterward, they ripped, romped and played with abandon.

~~Monday night was neither quiet not easy and Max had an accident. Tuesday night was better with no accidents. So we are sure crating will work and the mornings are the reward. No poo or torn, soggy paper to clean up and, best of all, no fluffy pee pad snow!

~~We had been told how well crates work, but seeing is believing. After all, hindsight is 20/20. ; )

Don't Fence Us In!

~~Too late! The boys' play yard is complete and, let's be honest, they love it. Romping around is dear to their puppy hearts. Not to mention, John and I are breathing easier. Being able to potty off leash should help with leash and house training. The two rowdy little boys can run after each other to their hearts' content.

~~We worked the better part of four days and the fence looks marvelous! John quipped that someone would ask us who we hired. I responded, "A-1 Fencing." As in, Alpha (John) and his #1 assistant (me). ; ) It helps when you have an experienced surgical nurse...er...project assistant with construction and tool experience. The job isn't so hard that way. We do know a thing or two about pressure treated wood, concrete, and tools.

~~We are now the proud owners of a fenced play yard that keeps the boys safe. Except for our escape artist--Max found the one spot that he could get through--between the post and the foundation. We plugged the hole and even Little Max has been contained. ; )

~~So wish us luck on house training and all that. The boys are growing and we hope all will resolve itself soon.

A Cappella Thunderstorm--A Must See

~~How does a choir make a thunderstorm? With hands, feet, and an amazing precision that will put you in awe. The clip is of Perpetuum Jazzile, a Slovenian a cappella jazz choir. Their rendition of Toto's Africa will astound you. Take the time to check it out.

~~There's nothing like a sudden shower to take the sizzle out of a hot summer day. It's as good the shade under a tree. So, take a listen and feel the heat recede! This choir adds another way to provide a cooling break. ; )

Casey and Max Grow Up!

~~Well, a little bit. ; ) They got their third round of shots a week ago on Wednesday and Casey weighed 4.4 pounds, Max weighed 3.2 pounds. Yesterday they got their first clipping. Such a difference! They now weigh 4.6 and 3.6 (in only a week!), but look like they have lost weight. They also look twice as tall. Their hair had grown to three inches and now they are only 5/8 of an inch. It lies in flat waves. We kept their silky ears, some on their heads, and pompom tails. Our fluffy pups are now long, lean, aristocratic poodles.

~~Less hair has to be better outside in the 95 degrees and they aren't parking on the air vent as much. Their energy level is up as if it needed any increase. They have found their tails. Nothing like watching two puppies somersault across the floor or turning like tops. John has upped his estimate of the work two puppies takes compared to one to quadruple. There is no doubt that they are both all boy. ; )

~~The biggest change of all is Max's lovely apricot was changing into a light cream. You can still see his apricot ears. What's really funny is that both boys have a small patch of alternately colored hair high on their left hip. It's like each pup needs a bit of his brother's color to mark that they are siblings.

~~Enjoy our boy's photos. They grow up so fast!