When I Grow Up, I Want to be Snickers

Do you ever wonder what it would be like to wear every emotion you ever felt on your sleeve? To show, without embarrassment or shame your love, distrust, affection, displeasure, and irritation at the very moment you experience those feelings? Our dog Snickers is a living, breathing example of emotional expression and, surprisingly, she has many adoring fans despite her pit-bull like appearance.

When Snickers is happy to see us, she wags her tail, jumps up to greet us, and sometimes squats to perform what we call “Happy Pee.” When she’s tired and asleep on our bed and we want her to get down, she expresses her

Snickers' Puss & Boots Face

displeasure by groaning loudly and often. She gets slowly to her feet and looks back to make sure we weren’t just kidding (even though we never let her sleep on the bed). When she is scared she barks, when she wants us to share our food she gives us her Puss and Boots face, and when she wants to go outside, she scratches us with her paw.

My all time favorite Snickers move is when, on our daily walks, she throws herself on her back and does a happy dance in the grass, soaking every ounce

Snickers' Happy Dance

of joy out of the glorious wonder of being alive. No matter how tired I am or how big a hurry we are in, her happy dance always brings a smile to my face. Dogs are the most wonderful and curious creatures!

A life without dogs would not only be boring, but incredibly lonely. So if you’re having a bad day or feeling lonely or unappreciated or just plain blah, do yourself a favor and spend some time with a dog. Don’t have one? Check out the various dog rescue groups in your area, but be sure you understand what it takes to be a responsible pet owner.

If you’ve got some time today, let me know about your dog and what he/she does that makes you smile.

Specimen Selection

Friend of mine’s daughter is getting married.  Yep, she’s excited, fearful, concerned, panicked—the gamut.  While she likes the fellow very much, a mother always reserves the right to judge.  After all, it is HER baby we’re talking here and she wants what’s best.

But what is best?  And for whom? Now, this all depends on our tastes, doesn’t it?  Some like it fruity, some like it tart.  Some like it sweet and some like it hot.  What it is, doesn’t matter so long as you know what it is that you like.  (Otherwise, you’ll be growing all kinds of things only to give them away, because they don’t suit your tastes!) 

Now why am I talking produce all of a sudden?  Because it’s that time of year in my garden.  And mind you, the premise works for both husbands and vegetables.  First, when it comes to specimen selection, the fellow (or veggie) must fulfill your needs.  Whether you’re seeking the proper balance for your daily diet, or the simple pleasure of beauty to fill your senses, you must decide what’s right for you. 

And while it would be nice to combine ALL of our wants into one big, robust plant that served all of our needs, it’s not normal.   No.  It would be like messing with Mother Nature’s natural order, whereby you could end up with a hybrid of sorts!  Remember:  those don’t reproduce well. 

A specimen with your must-haves is best.  Like I must-have meaty, fleshy tomatoes, because my end game is to make sauce.  Big, round juicy ones simply won’t do.  They just won’t serve me well (despite their delightful description!).  So I’ll choose Roma-type tomatoes versus Beefsteak.

Pumpkins sound harmless enough, but they can be a downright nuisance.  They spread their vines in every direction and can literally take over the landscape.  Try as you may to stop them–even remove them– they continue to return.  It’s a plant that doesn’t allow for much else to thrive and should be well-controlled for best results.  Think:  oppressive mother-in-law.

Yes, well, some of you know exactly what I mean.  While marriage is a beautiful thing, it is supposed to last a lifetime.  A tough proposition to say the least, because as my husband so aptly put it:  the one thing in life you cannot control is your spouse.  Was this a hint?

Sure was—and a good one at that!  As mothers we can advise, counsel, take under our wing and nurture, but we cannot control our spouse.  Or our adult children, for that matter.  And like the mother bird who watches her child take that first leap from the nest, we worry whether or not they’ll land on their feet.  If they get hurt? We flock to their side.  We want nothing to harm our babies!

But sometimes, hurt is part of the process. Not every marriage makes it the first time.  Mine didn’t.  And while it was sad, it has served to make my second (and current marriage) stronger.

So what’s a poor mother to do?  I imagine she’s too busy pondering that question.  She has a wedding to plan!

My First Book Signing!

As an indie author and a debut one at that, the first book signing is a MAJOR event.  By my standards, anyway.  Not knowing what to expect, I went in full board prepared for everything and anything.  I mean, I had a drawing for a free copy of my next novel LUST ON THE ROCKS, a drawing for a child’s garden bag stocked full with garden tools, gloves, seed saving packets and recipe card (rosemary lemonade), plus business cards, stock piles of my current novel…

You name it, I had it.  Everything.  And I had a great support staff behind me who created a wonderful ambiance within the small gift store, served raspberry lemonade and pastries—generally sold my book for me!  Especially one very special lady by the name of Susan.  Without her, none of this would have come to pass and for that, I am forever grateful.  It was a fantastic turnout!

While I didn’t break any sales records I did experience the incredible joy of meeting readers who came specifically to see me.  Do not underestimate the joy factor here because as an author, I don’t exist without readers.  Sure I can write to my heart’s content but with no one to read my books, how far will I go?

About as far as the kitchen counter.  My daughter will read my books, I’m sure of it.  After all, they were written with her mind!  And if she doesn’t?  Well, I’ve enjoyed the process, each and every minute.  Remember:  this is the job where I can say “I can’t believe I get paid to do this!”

It’s that pleasant.  That rewarding.  That fulfilling.  So my book signing went well and I’m extremely appreciative to all who stopped by.  Loretta won the copy of my next novel and Manya won the kids’ garden bag — congratulations to them both!  And wanna know something really cool?

Miss America’s Teen stopped by to say hello.  Yep!  This beauty was gracious and sweet and stood by my side for pictures.    Helps that she’s the daughter of a friend of mine, good friends with my younger sister and of course one of my children’s favorite babysitters — she and her gorgeous sister.  Thank you, Elizabeth and Mary Katharine Fechtel!

It’s funny how life catches us by the shoulders, stops us in place and says, “Pssst… I want you to meet someone.” 

Prior to these young ladies, I must confess, I was no fan of beauty pageants.  Thought they sent the wrong message to our young girls.  But after meeting these two and their parents–particularly their mother—I learned a lesson.  While I cannot speak for the adult pageants, the training and preparation these girls go through is tough, from learning how to interview, ask questions, present and conduct themselves to demonstrate talent in their chosen field, ie. dance, music, etc. Plus they receive scholarships and once-in-a-lifetime experiences!

Now I don’t know about you, but I get nervous when it’s interview time!  Not these girls.  Their self-composure is incredible, not to mention they’re just plain good and decent people.  And while they’re too young for me to hand them my novels (adults only, please), their support is appreciated!   As is Peggy’s, the owner of the store hosting my book signing (shown above).