This Week

It's been an interesting week. Sophy and I are still negotiating how we will coexist. I've discovered she can open gates and patio doors. She's discovered that when I'm at the computer I'm working and not likely to play. I've set up a blog for her and will be posting stories from her point of view at Sophy's Dog Eye View of the World.

I had my air conditioning quit working on Saturday and by the time it got resolved, it was 90 degrees in my house. But it got fixed and didn't cost me a fortune and I'm so grateful that's all it was.

I don't have much contact with my ex-husband's family. This week though they have been very much on my mind as someone I was once close to deals with the diagnosis of a debilitating illness. My heart goes out to all of them and to my daughter who wishes with all her heart there was something she could do.

Different friends are dealing with different challenges and we swap stories of how we've succeeded in the past—reminding each other that we are not hostages to fate but rather can choose how we will respond to life and the challenges that come with it.

Here's hoping each of you finds some joy every day and time to play and reasons to believe in yourselves.

What Happens

In writing, as in real life, it isn't what happens that matters nearly so much as how a person—or character in a novel—acts and reacts because of a given event.

Faced with a crisis, one person will retreat, another advance as though waging war on the challenge. If someone else is in crisis, one person will approach with compassion and wanting to know how to help, another will withdraw afraid of having too much asked of him or her. In a crisis, one person will come up with a solution and insist it is the only one that can work. Another person will listen to all possibilities and be open to choosing one that is not his or her own.

Ironically, it is the person willing to listen who is likely to have the best ideas (because he or she listens to and learns from others) but odds are the idea chosen will be the one pushed by the most forceful personality who insists on only considering his or her own.

Each person's style is likely to have been shaped by the past as well as by innate personality.

In writing, it's important to look at WHY your characters do what they do and to stop and consider all sorts of possible actions and reactions for a given character. As you show those actions and reactions changing, you are showing the reader the character growth that is taking place.

In real life, there is power and wisdom in stepping back and asking oneself if one's actions and reactions are really serving one well—and to consider changing if they aren't.

PS Sophy and I are settling in nicely. I'm discovering how clever she is and she's discovering that there are limits to what's allowed. She's sweet and affectionate and I'm so glad I adopted her!

She's Here!!!

Well, I have my new dog. I'm calling her Sophy—after The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer, of course.

She's a spaniel/setter mix—I think. Since she came from a shelter, there's no way to be sure. She was fostered for several months so she's in many ways already trained. Good thing since she's probably about a year old and weighs 45 pounds! (I'd thought she was probably around 30 until I saw the vet's paper.)

I'm going to see if I can insert a photo or two here....

She's a sweetie. She did bark once—when we saw a rabbit as we were out walking. And she definitely wanted to chase it but when I said “NO!” she happily continued walking with me.

She did wake me up at 4 am thinking maybe it was time to play—and I am sooooo NOT a morning person! But I got her back to sleep and it all worked out fine.

As you can tell, I'm enjoying having her here. I love dogs. I think there is so much to be gained by having one. Where else can you get unconditional love? Where else can you find someone always willing to play? And is there anything more soothing that petting a dog who loves you when you've had a long, hard day?

Okay, so I can think of a couple of answers for that last one but...you've got to admit it ranks pretty high up there on the list!

As for writing, well....I'm enjoying the new Book in a Week class I'm teaching and, as always, finding new ways to tweak my lessons for the class.

Now...off to the vet to pick up her heartworm medication (I was so excited to get her yesterday that I left my purse at home! I had her leash and a blanket for the back seat of the car—you know, the important stuff—but I forgot my purse! But that's okay because there are a couple of things I should probably pick up at the pet store, too.)

Can you tell I'm having fun?

Found My Dog

Well, I've found my dog. Still need to have the adoption approved since I found her at a local shelter but...I found her. She's not at all what I thought I would fall in love with but she's a real sweetheart. Probably mixture of spaniel with something else slender.

Even though she comes from a shelter, she'd been fostered and has obviously had a fair amount of training. She has a sweet temperament, isn't a huge barker and not once did she try to pull me over when I had her on the leash.

So...now I go through the process to have my application approved. (I'm glad they're careful to try to make sure the place the right animal in the right home.) Once that's done, she'll be spayed, micro chipped, vaccinated and tested. All very good things.

Sometimes it's good to discover that things don't turn out the way you expect—but maybe even better.

Once she's home with me—assuming the application is approved—I'll see if I can figure out how to post pictures.