Sunday Sundries--Canine Redux

So, as we spend the weekend remembering those who have passed before, we should not be sad. We should rejoice at the good memories and what we've learned from the past.

My much older brother is buried in Arlington Cemetery, real near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was over forty years ago, so the pain has become just an occasional twinge. This brought a smile and a tear to my eye:

The service animals have an important role in our safety too.

While we're remembering people we have lost, we should also remember the pets in our lives we have lost. One of my favorite memories is a Boston Terrier my Aunt Louise and Uncle Bob had. In fact, every time I see a BT, I call it an Uncle Bob Dog, because he'd developed jowls like his pet Tammy.

My brother lost one of his family pets recently. While I only met her briefly, I know she was an important part of his family's life.

Let's lighten things up a bit:

It's a pug pile! They always look happy, don't they? Speaking of happy:

Talking about cats and dogs:

I liked this one too:

While I did have two cats that would fetch as long as it suited them, this made me smile:

Many will be at the beach this weekend:

Unless you have a super dog:

Finally, I'm getting ready to go to work at my "real life" job. Remember those who are serving 24-7:

Have a peaceful and blessed Memorial Day, OK? Take care!

Sunday Sundries--Some More Book Love

I just read something that was a little disturbing. One of the blogs I follow occasionally is The Passive Guy, http://www.thepassivevoice.com. Going through and cleaning out a bunch of old emails from the beginning of the year, he quoted a few articles that basically said books and music will go almost all digital within the next few years. That means rather than the kazillion CDs, DVDs and books we have, in the future, we will be buying downloads onto computers and readers. Oh, there still will be actual new books, but they will be more limited or collector editions, like the new vinyl that is being released now.

*sigh*

So, anyway, not to bring us down or anything. We will still have lovely afternoons in new/used bookstores and music stores, but it may be more of a destination thing. Not that we're just a few bins away from being on an episode of "Hoarders" anyway, but someday I want some more bookcases, so here another idea I love:

This is another truth:

 In keeping with the stair step theme:

I love this one too:

I may be to the point where I could use books for something else other than reading. It would have to be a duplicate or a book that I didn't care about. Kind of hard to find, but it's something that will come eventually. I like the looks of this idea, though:

Just to give you a reference point of how far our digital age has come, here's an example of 8 gigabytes of storage in 1995 and now:

I had another variation of this last week, but it bears repeating:

Here's an obligatory cute kitteh:

And the equally cute canine equivalent:

I've never understood people who won't read. When I managed a bookstore a long time ago, a dad discouraged his little girl who wanted to come in by saying, "It's not a toy store." Yes, it is, goob.

Here's a solid I have to admit is too much of a truth, that is also a goal for my writing:

And, finally, it's almost a motto:

Have a great week and cherish those things and people that you love!

Sunday Sundries--Belated Book Edition

Life's started getting weird again. One thing I've missed recently is reading. I grew up in a library. I say that because my mom worked in the library in our small town and so many of my childhood memories revolved around books.

We have over fifty boxes of books in the basement and my husband has built tons of bookcases in our house. This is true:

It's been a while since I've fallen asleep with a book and I miss it.

But, despite my not reading much lately, it hasn't stopped me from continuing to buy books.

I used to run a bookstore and volunteered myself at a library, so this reassures me.

I thought often of my Mom yesterday and one of the greatest gifts was that she read to me and provided me with books.

This is so true--got it from Julia Quinn.

 This made me smile. I have a ton of book bags, too.

 I have a ton of bookmarks, too. This one is a truth.

This is a truth--I'm so lucky I found one:

He shares my love of books and for our anniversary, we went out of town to a bookstore and spent several hours browsing the shelves and tables.

So, everybody have a great week--how about this for a true face book?

Sunday Sundries--Just Shy of a Dozen Edition

How did another week/weekend go by without me getting all the things done I needed to do? While a lot of it was spent here on the loveseat with my laptop, I did manage to get some of the clothing issue under control. I now have a couple of bags of no longer needed "Fat Girl" clothes ready to go to the consignment shop. I have a few more scenes written and some more stuff organized on the computer for my fiction, so it was kind of a spring cleaning time for me, I guess. Don't get me wrong--I still have a ton of stuff to do to make sure we don't get condemned by the Health Department in the next week, but there was some progress in my real and fictional lives.

While I had the "butt in chair" part of the writing equation under control, there seemed to be more Jewel Quest II than original writing done this weekend. Please be patient with me. I am truly a work in progress. And I did get to see the new movie "The Avengers" this weekend. It was pretty cool--not just a jumbled mess of special effects. Definitely a recommend for the fannish among us.

Speaking of being fannish--how cool is this "portal" cake? Love creative stuff like this. Kid has a cool mom. And speaking of moms--

Hedgehogs are so interesting, aren't they? They really do look like little aliens. Here's another silly looking critter with a laugh:

Here's a familiar friend who's doing his job right:

I have a character that runs until he just drops and I think he needs a dog to keep up with him and help herd him.

How's that face for an awwwww? Our furry friends really don't understand sometimes.

Not a cute face, but a funny one. What would your perfect day be?

This little buddy definitely isn't having one.

Dear hubby may be taking his motorcycle to the local Blessing of the Bikes in a bit. This made me smile. In the day, I could definitely rock a leather jacket.

But now, I just laugh at myself and most of my wardrobe choices. It seems I'm definitely dressing for comfort now. If I were looking for a sign to get my personal life in gear and get organized, here it is:

Seriously, just go ahead and do it. And while we're talking about doing things, here's a final bit of advice:

Listen to the furball. Everybody have a super and productive week, OK?

Sunday Sundries--Love Is in the Air

Ah, yes, tomorrow is my 24th wedding anniversary! My honey just came in the door from the Sunday ritual of getting a paper and we'll grab a bite to eat here in just a bit. Life is good. It's really hard to believe it's been this long. He jokes he wins the pool, because he had 23 and nobody else thought we'd make it this far.

He makes me laugh. And I love the everyday little things. That's what I've been trying to put into my fiction.

So, here are some pretties, some funnies and some awwwwws for you, this fine Sunday.

Truth. My man loves to come in the house and shock me with his cold hands, tickle my feet and leave trash on the counter when the trash can is right there. These are such minor things, I make sure I laugh. I'd miss them too much if he were gone.

If he were perfect, I would have killed him a long time ago. Could have made it look like an accident many times. I've put that into all of my characters in my fiction, too. Some of them, especially my heroes, were getting a little too, so I made sure they either did something or said something stupid. We're only human after all, right?

I'm here to testify that separate top sheets and blankets saved my marriage. Most of you know what I mean. The bed will never be a showcase, but we don't have the 3am arguments about how one is hogging the covers.

Absolutely true. The only way I could have gotten this far is with his help. I need at least one good hug and a couple of kisses every day to survive this crazy world and I'm so extremely grateful for my provider.

In fact, 90% of the time, when I say, "I love you," my husband will respond with, "I'll think about it." He says it freely when I need it, though and I know he means it. I've worked that into my fiction too.

We've laughed so much over these long years! We finish sentences, tell punchlines to unrepeated jokes and do little things for each other without asking. I can't tell you how many times he's said, "My next wife will do better" and I realize that's something my dad would have said to my mom. They were married just shy of 60 years, so I think we're going to be okay.

Deal. I read this to him and he said, "Isn't that sweet?" Have to plan ahead and I'm grateful that's one of his gifts.

It was almost love at first sight, when we actually had a chance to talk to each other. I knew he'd be an important friend. I hoped, but didn't want to push my luck. Turns out we had met when we were in our teens. How cool is that?

Another truth. So, thanks for joining us here on this journey of laughter and love. Y'all have a super week and remember to share your love stories too!