Truly, it’s a good day. I stayed up all night to try to get control of the sheer volume of things I’ve been letting fall by the wayside. The rest of my Christmas cards done… the rest of my packages–except one–shipped (FYI to Montrose readers: midnight and seven a.m. trips to the post office on Richmond were great–no lines, the machines were working, they even had stamps–the machine in the post office on West Gray has been iffy lately)… some e-mails answered… bills paid… ATM receipts found and dealt with… presents wrapped and put under the tree… went to the bank this morning to make a deposit… all the bagged leaves and prunings and the branches were picked up by the city so The Compound looks better…
I didn’t get to sleep until around 9:30 a.m. I was dimly aware of the phone ringing around 9:45, but there was no way I could pull myself back to consciousness. When I finally woke up around 2:00, I listened to the message. Dr. Minton said the dogs’ tests came back with no abnormalities. They can stop taking the Vitamin K, but she said it won’t hurt them, so I’d rather err on the side of caution and finish out the dose.
This is a HUGE relief, to know Margot and Guinness will both be fine. Every time I look at Margot, I’m flooded with gratitude that Tom saw her pick up the rat bait and reacted so quickly, and that Tim was here to keep things calm and interact with Poison Control. If you’ve read Margot’s history, you know I say that she saved me when we lost Pete and Stevie. Both Margot and Guinness are the joy and comfort of The Compound, and I’m glad we’ll be having another merry Christmas with them and their crazy dog antics.
Again, thanks to everyone who’s been concerned about The Compound Hounds. Your good wishes helped more than you can know.
Then this afternoon, I got an e-mail from my editor at Kensington. German rights to A COVENTRY CHRISTMAS have been sold. He says I’m going to be international. I’m not really sure what that means, except that it’s possible it’ll pay a few vet bills. =) If anyone reads German, maybe one day you’ll be able to tell me how the translation compares to the English version.
On a Beck-is-really-weird note: At some point yesterday, it occurred to me that I made a mistake on the tags for my nephew Josh’s little girl. Her name is Amelia, and for reasons beyond my comprehension, I thought I might have put “Jessica” on both her gift and an ornament I made for her. I called my sister a few minutes ago hoping that the box of gifts had arrived. It had, and indeed, I did rename my great-niece. Fortunately, my sister will change the name tag and can touch up the ornament to correct it. Thanks, Debby!
How did I get so senile at…THIRTY-FIVE!?!
Weren’t your born in Germany, or am I wrong– speaking of senility–? If you were, congratulations and all on making a stunning return “home!” If not, congratulations anyhow, Becky. Confirm where you were born, please, because as I type this it’s beginning to jiggle a long needle in my brain about where the hell I got that from…
Yes, I was. You are not senile.
There’s a relief. Right there.
All sounds like it is going well at the compound, which makes me smile. Thanks for the lovely card.
You are more than welcome. =)
WOOHOO! ! ! ! International. That is awesome. Clara and Wendy were VERY excited when they opened their books and even more so when they saw that personal autograph.
YOU GO GIRL!!!! Maybe Italy is next. Then we will have to go there and check out the bookstore displays. – Yeah, it’ll be a business trip
Right. Me on a plane. Over the ocean. Think you could pretend to be me?
WOW, now, I will have to look for it overseas and take pictures of it when I find it on the shelves! Yeah! Is it going to Italy? We will be back in Germany sometime in the next couple of years. I think Scotland is next on our list…but you never know.
I am so excited for you!
*they have great pills for flying. 😛
My college roomate is German… but I don’t know where she is. If I find her, I will make her read your book in German and translate it for me. Word. For. Word. OR, we could just retype the whole thing into babblefish…
Horay for the girls getting good test results! And for no trash on the Compound! And a German book deal! — It’s good to have an up-swing. =)
P.S. I have been walking like I have a large pole up my ass since Monday. My thighs are not fans of the yard work… sooo sore! I may have to make some more banana-nut-oatmeal whatevers, you know, for the potassium.
Glückwünsche!!!
(That’s congratulations in German, btw!)
Hmm…so, um, what’s “hamster” in German, “cutenraten?”
Oh, and a HUGE congrats. You know…David Hasselhoff is HUGE in Germany. I’ll bet Keelie will be too.
Bwahahahaha! This is why I married you… too f-ing funny…
I speak German, but I think you might be waiting a long time before I can get through and make any kind of judgement call 😉
Bravo on the translation rights! 🙂