Linda Nelson

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Puppy Power!

I remember Scrappy Do from Scooby Do. Scrappy was fearless and full of energy. That’s the way our pup Keelaa appears to be. She runs around like a miniature greyhound, doing figure eights around the older dog Julie.

Meanwhile, Julie barks encouragement, sound as though she is saying faster, faster, faster…

I’m not sure what she is in training for. Maybe counter-attacking the family cats who keep trying to terrorize her by pouncing on her from dark corners. I never realized, cats can be so mean when they want to be.

Me, I haven’t actually run sprints since High School. I’m not sure if I could either. The body doesn’t function the way it once did. I have toyed with the idea of taking up running, and think of it long enough to say, “I don’t know. Can I go that quarter mile?”

Then I’d have to take not just one dog, but both dogs, and the older dog would get to the quarter mile and require either a long rest or a car ride back home. I’m not carrying a 100 pound dog back home.

ROW80:

Sprints can be applied in different areas, like writing, which is what I did all week, except for Friday night and Saturday night.

My secret work in progress is coming along nicely. I have the first draft at 75% done.

It feels good to be able to write once again, after months and months of writers’ block.

I think I needed a different creative outlet to help me think and plot. So, I thought about else I’d been doing when I wrote Aaron & Keja and Witch Book. I’d been crocheting, or knitting, or one of the many craft projects I like working on.

My son has a requested that I make him an afghan. I was supposed to make this for him last winter, but never finished it in time. Since it is getting cold again, I’ve picked the project backup, and now I’m doing the finishing touches, as in the border.

Since I picked the project backup, I’ve seen an increase in my word count, of nearly 5k words for the week.

My hopes for the week are to at least match the word count for the entire week, and be done with the first draft by the end of the month.

How is your writing going?

Are you struggling? Have you considered changing just one thing you’ve been doing when you’re not writing?

I think being able to channel creativity in another form can help open up the channels that fuel our writing muse.

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I don’t know why dogs and cats can’t get along. Our older pup, Julie, was raised with two cats that she got along with very well. They used to play together all the time. One of the cats used to put his whole head in Julie’s mouth and appear to count her teeth with no fear. After seeing how she had gotten along with those two cats, it is hard to admit that dogs and cats don’t always get along.

Granted those two cats that Julie had friended were kittens when she was only 6 months old may have something to do with it.

Our new puppy is having a difficult time being accepted by the cats who’ve been residing in our home for many years before we thought about adding a puppy to the household.

Gracie:

She is the meanest cat out of the two of them. Notice how she is laying on top of the scratch pad. She has no claws and apparently no one knows this except for the humans. The reason she lays on top of the scratch pad is to hide the fact that she can’t use it to sharpen her claws. She even has poor Sam convinced that she has claws and has only chosen not to use them.

Sam:

He is the original resident cat. A few months ago, he was much larger. We aren’t sure, but we think he developed an allergy to his canned cat food and treats, because he kept getting sick from them. His illness started about the time the puppy arrived. Is it coincidental? We’re not sure. Since then he has been living only on a diet of dry food. He can’t keep the wet food down. Maybe his body was trying to tell him and Mom something.

He’s lost a lot of weight since then. I think he’s looking good.

Sam has a strong opinion about the puppy. He doesn’t like her. He thinks that one dog in the home is more than enough, and hisses at the puppy all the time.

Today the two cats cornered the puppy behind the coffee table. One cat in front the other behind. Sam held his ground while Gracie pummeled her clawless paws on the puppy’s rump.

Poor Keelaa, she didn’t know what to do. She couldn’t go forward and she couldn’t go backwards. All she could do was lay down and cower until the cat felt she had enough.

I think I will start calling them the Bash Kitties.