Harnessed Power

~~When the boys were little bitty, the only little bitty harnesses we could find were pink--and embroiderd with flowers. Not the image of our 'brawny' boys at all. ; ) So we waited until they grew up a bit. Now we have have harnessed our puppy power.

~~They walk much better with the harnesses and we aren't afraid we'll choke them by attaching the leashes to their collars. They're growing up and we love it. Now walks are fun. Unless the cats, squirrels, birds, and what have you are out and about. ; )

All Dressed Up

~~The fine, old lady house is finished and the new paint color is beautiful. When we describe it as a green house, no one will wonder which one on the street we mean. Her old craftsman style trim now stands out. She's got her jewelry on in the form of her Asiatic Lollipop Lilies in full bloom. We are thrilled this project is done. Now, John can go on to his next project. Believe me, I don't create the lists.

Waggle Speed

~~I've always been fascinated by doggie tails. There's a photo of me as a toddler grabbing for the waving tail of my sister's dog, Snowball. He was half Spitz and half whatever and white all over, of course. Hence the name. In the photo, I'm center frame, Snowball's tail is just out of reach on one side and my grandmother's arm is holding me back on the other. Needless to say, I'm a frustrated little girl. ; )

~~Casey and Max's tails are no less interesting. They go from the fastest pace of a metronome to sweeping slow with tentativeness. When your tail is only two to three inches long, it effects your waggle speed. How is up to each puppy's personal style. Though when they are excited, the difference in the two is very apparent. Max's tiny arc ticks in time to his vibrant, vivacious personality while Casey's slower wag covers a full half circle. He wants only a foot more tail and the feathery fringe of a golden retriever to make a big show. Both have a way to let us know what's up and they're wagging most of the time. ; )

Avian Acrobatics

~~The cherries are nearly ripe and Mother's Day is here. We can't help but wonder if our avian acrobatic troup is about to appear. Let's be fair, though. We've only seen them once. On Mother's Day 2008, we looked out the solarium windows and found our Yoshino Cherry trees buzzing with wings. Small birds were going in and out. We had never seen them before and had to look them up. They were eating the tiny cherries that our trees create every spring after their glorious blooms are spent. Ornamental trees often produce small fruit that birds and squirrels eat. Our trees are no different. The event inspired a scene for my novel in progress, Mother's Day. The point of view is my main character, Laura Grace Chandler. The child is Samantha, her newly adopted daughter. I hope you enjoy it. ; )

***************************************************

“Momma!”

I jumped at the sink and water showered my chest not my face. What could be so important this morning? Grabbing the towel, I went to investigate.

“You’ve got to see this!” Her excited voice drew me to the bay window of the living room. Raucous calls of “zeee” rose from fluttering birds in the Yoshino cherry tree on the other side of the deck.

“Oh my.”

“There’s hundreds of ‘em!” Samantha stared, mouth open, as the birds fluttered among the leaves. Acrobatic feats of flying rewarded them with choice, ripe cherries.

“Get the Peterson’s Guide.” My hand rose to my heart. “I can’t believe this, but I believe they're cedar waxwings."

She bounced back and handed me the book. “Waxwings?”

I flipped the pages. “Let’s see. ‘Crested brown bird. Yellow band at tail tip.’ Yes.”

“Look at the wings.” She pointed. “Looks like red Christmas candle wax on ‘em.”

“Guess that’s where they got their name, don’t you? I’ve heard of them all my life, but I’ve never seen one.”

Samantha ran back to the bookshelf and grabbed a book on North American birds. She giggled. “It says sometimes they get drunk if the fruit’s fermented. Calls them ‘tipsy birds.’”

“That would make flying difficult, I imagine.” I laughed. The delight of the birds' antics warmed my heart. “I think they’re tanking up to fly north to their mating range.” I looked back at the field guide. “Yes. Here’s the map.”

“It says they have to sober up to fly again. That’s just weird!” She stared at the birds again. “Wonder how long it will take for them to eat all the cherries?”

“Not long at this rate.” I glanced at the clock. “Oh, Samantha! We have to hurry. The Mother’s Day service won’t wait on us.” I grinned. This was a special day. It was my first Mother’s Day since I had become Samantha’s legal mother.

“Okay. I just got to dress. Then I’ll watch the birds till you’re ready.”

She skipped down the hall in front of me. Thank you, Lord, for the gifts of this day. Samantha’s mine and cedar waxwings to entertain us. I grinned at my reflection. “I don’t deserve this. I’m so happy,” I whispered to the wrinkled face, wreathed in smile lines. As I grabbed my purse, I heard Samantha singing. The child was a happy as I was.

“Momma, I just can’t imagine a tipsy bird staggering on the deck. Bet it’d be as funny as Dale stumbling around when Craig let him drink beer.”

I stopped. Closing my eyes a moment with my hand clinched, I felt my heart thud. Would Samantha ever escape that horror? I took a deep breath. “Let’s go, angel. We’re late.”

**************************************************

~~Happy Mother's Day to all of you. May your day be filled with delights of family and nature!

Ninety Years Old and...

~~...in need of a face lift! Our house is a lovely lady, built in 1920 for John's grandparents. It's the first house in Temple to have electricity. His grandfather had a generator that he powered the church, the house, and his stores with. The wood used in construction was cut off the farmland he owned. We started renovation in 1980 and in successive waves, we have lowered the ceilings from twelve feet to ten, refreshed the walls with paint and wallpaper, and added a solarium and second bathroom. The house survived a direct hit from a hundred year old pecan tree during hurricane Opal in 1995.


~~During the last two weeks, John and Rayford, a family friend, have removed the ninety-year-old siding from the west side. It was beginning to show its age. By the way, this is the side of the house with the cherry tree referred to in my blog title. They have replaced it with plywood weather sheathing, house wrap, and new concrete fiber siding. Then they are painting her with a new, darker coat of green paint. If you look at the photos closely enough, you will see the name of the building supply store we purchased materials from. ; )


~~John plans to tackle the east side next spring. Around here, I don't create "Honey do" lists. He creates his own "Honey, I'm going to do this next" lists. It's great to be married to a handyman. ; )

Helping Momma Write

~~Do you have little helpers when you write? I do. I have two poodle helpers who constantly have to find a way to wiggle their way into the job. I'll be honest, typing is a lot harder when a puppy tongue is licking your thumbs. ; ) Or two puppy feet are propped on your lap and the little head nudges your elbow. That's what happens around here.

~~After realizing they can't make Momma stop working, Casey and Max take up new positions. Casey becomes the guardian of the study and Max sits politely and watches me type. Here's two photos to show the action. I was unaware John was taking the computer one. Max wasn't. ; ) John said it was really cute when Max was reading with me.

~~If you have little helpers, I hope they are as sweet as mine are--at least most of the time.

Happy Birthday to Casey and Max!

~~Believe it or not, Casey and Max are one year old today. They are big and bouncy and a delight to live with. Their early gift was to get to sleep with us in the big bed. Yeah, we know. It's a classic picture--the big dog crowding out the owners of the bed. But really--how much can two toy poodles crowd us? It's just sweet and they don't jump on and off the bed. They sleep all night cuddled up beside us. This morning, they got extra wet food for breakfast. Yum! At least to them. ; ) Here's a first day home photo and some "my, how big you've grown!" shots to compare.

Done!

~~Well, it's as done as a rough draft can be. I finished A Christmas Walk's rough draft and now I'm planning to start the rest of the process. As many of you know, editing, formatting, and getting a manuscript ready for printing is a much longer process than writing the rough draft. In fact, this rough draft is a record. I've written it in about four months! I'm amazed and thrilled that it is done. Now on to the tough job. ; )
~~I'm going on the record of when the rest of the job will be done. In April, I'll do the first rough edit and type it in. Yes, I'm a long hand composer. If that is complete by May, I'll let my husband John and Susan Edwards at it. June is scheduled for two more of my close readers. In July, I plan to finish the ticky formatting stuff and in August, if all is going well, we print.
~~So wish me luck and fast fingers. ; )