dogs – Page 10 – beckycochrane.com

Saturday

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TIMMY. (And remembering my mother, whose birth date is also today.)

It’s impossible for me to be idle. So even though I’m doing my best not to look at any screens/monitors/devices, I found a task that’s easier on my eyes.

At some point, I began an album featuring the dogs Tim (and sometimes we) fostered beginning in 2008, with the first rescue he worked with because he saw a plea for help with EZ. I mostly kept it up through all those dogs. When he then became a board member of a different rescue group, and Tom and I volunteered with them, and then I got an actual staff position with them, I continued to keep up with our freedom rides and fosters, and then I was too busy to print pictures and get them in the album, so it became one of those “later, when I have time” things.

My only computer time has been finding photos to have printed, which Tom has repeatedly picked up for me, and now it’s mostly up-to-date. The work I was able to do took me different times of day and late into the night. No stress, no deadline, just a big low-key mess of tape and scissors, pens and stickers, all around me. It was a labor of love, with lots of new handwritten notes about the dogs and all their photos in one place. Maybe when I can spend more time online, I’ll share some of it. It remains a work in progress.

When I woke up Sunday morning, my vision got wonky again. Getting in to see someone as soon as I can when the weekend is over.

THE February birthday

This was not by any stretch of the imagination a pretty cake (although the toy dragon on top is nice). Debby loves dragons, and it’s her birthday cake I baked. She also loves coconut and Mounds candy bars. Though I have a great recipe for a Mounds cake given to me by a woman I knew back in the 1970s, it looked complicated. So I grabbed a Mounds cake recipe off the Internet. As I told Lynne, everyone on my block now has Type 2 diabetes just from being in proximity to my house while I concocted the frosting. Sorry, neighbors.

Pretty or not, it’s always fun for Tim, Tom, and me to celebrate a birthday dinner and cake with Debby on her big day, and it’s always coconut-themed even though none of the rest of us are coconut fans. The only tradition we didn’t observe last night was reminiscing about the time Tim’s dog, in our absence, managed to eat part of her coconut cake (the day after the party, thankfully), and as Tom, Debby, and I later drove to visit my mother in her care home, Tim texted to say, “Rex’s ass just exploded.” A heartwarming birthday story for the books.

Debby did get a little puppy love last night from Eva and Anime. Who knows where Delta was (maybe keeping her eye on the cake in hope of reenacting the Rex incident; good thing that dragon was guarding it), while Jack, of course, was staying with Stewie at Aunt Debby’s so he couldn’t chew on Tim’s ankles.

Happy birthday, Debby!

Music and dogs

Friday’s writing required a lot of research. In terms of setting, it’s much easier for me to make up a town, and if I use actual places, for those to be places I know or at least have visited. Throwing my characters into places across the US and Europe–and Australia, for that matter–where I’ve never been is an interesting challenge. I know I can’t possibly get it all right, particularly when it includes decades before I was born. But I want to get it as right as I can and seek accuracy from others when I complete this saga.

Sometimes I’d like to listen to that inner voice that whispers, WHY does it matter? Who’s going to care? Who’s even going to read it? But listening to that inner voice makes me wonder why I’m doing any of this, and the wiser part of me knows it’s because I have to. Or I choose to have to. This iteration of stories about these characters has provided something for me since 2019, and at (almost) six books in, I wouldn’t be giving up something I don’t like doing or am tired of. I’d be giving up something I love.

Here’s the music that played while this mental stew of quit/neverquit bubbled, spilled over, made messes, got a few more ingredients and water from my tears added, and kept trying to escape a cauldron I call “1974.”

The Grass Roots, Let’s Live For Today; Greatest Hits, Volume One; Greatest Hits, Volume Two; and Anthology 1965-1975, two disks; Green Day, Insomniac (I have no idea where this came from); and Greta Van Fleet, From The Fires and The Battle At Garden’s Gate.

For those who have zero interest in my tunes-to-write-to, here are some other photos. Because if you have a soul, you either love dogs or you love photos of them.

Eva and Delta in front of the fire. Amusing for them to be together, as they consider themselves competition for the crown.

Delta. Always so much to think about.

Jack and Delta. Those faces. It must have been closing in on dinner time, the way they are watching me.

I envy Anime’s ability to sleep in a variety of places and positions all over the Hall.

Since I’m putting this post together in the wee hours of Saturday morning, I’ll try to follow her example and sleep.

Happy Saturday!

ETA: Much later Saturday morning, after seven hours of sleep, a shower, outside dog time, and mopping the library floor, I’m back at work, tunes ready for playing, with my brunch sitting next to me. Since my muse characters are gathered in London (at the Savoy–swanky!), I chose my Abbey Road cup for my coffee today.

Cup gift of Timmy and Paul from a London trip they took.

Some Saturday stuff

Friday evening I was catching up my day planner when I did this prompt: “Draw and label an ‘ideal version’ of yourself.” I shot this photo with my iPad, with the phone covering my self-portrait and the things I wrote, to focus on: the fact that I did a prompt and drew something AND those four silly dogs, bottom right of the sketch, who I show watching me in case I decide to eat anything or plan to take them out and then give them treats. All four are highly food motivated.

Items show ways I keep up with what I write in my planner and the stickers I use there, appointments, activities, nutrition and meds, and social media/blog. Can’t say I’ve done a ton of writing the past couple of days, but I’m inching along. Keeping the planner helps hold me accountable. Patti Smith is my 2023 daily muse.

When skimming through a few photos on my laptop, I found this screen cap from October 2020. I don’t remember what I said, but David Crosby liked it, and that was one of the highlights of that dreadful year for me. Oh, how that man’s voice has been part of my life from teen to whatever I am now. I will miss him. I will miss his acerbic tweets, music commentary, memories, wit, and the way he’d respond and rate the joints people rolled when they tagged him in their photos. Carry on, Cros.

I barely scroll Twitter now, maybe two to three times a week, because Musk so thoroughly ruined everything that was fun for me, and boy, if people thought there were haters there before, now they don’t even try to cover their viciousness with a wink and a smirk. They are unapologetically vile, and thanks to the new algorithms, they show up in my feed. So many of the people I enjoy reading have left or are quiet with a wait-and-see attitude. I purged my account of tweets and retweets, which meant I lost a lot of my memories and photos. (Some of those tweets keep reappearing, and I delete them again.) I’m keeping my name ownership on the site, but there’s no reason for me to leave my content and photos on an even worse hellmouth than Facebook became.

Your mileage may vary.

Finally, along with Patti Smith’s A Book of Days, pictured in the top photo, which I continue to read daily, in January, I read these two books.

Writing as T.G. Herren, Greg Herren’s A Streetcar Named Murder, A New Orleans Mystery No. 1. A fun introduction to new characters in this cozy, with the ever-compelling city of New Orleans as the backdrop.

Prince Harry’s memoir Spare, which thoroughly absorbed me, particularly as the daughter of a veteran. Whatever sensationalized scandals people might have expected and raged about, that’s not what this is.

Crows on my mind

Had some drama with my website again last night as I was closing down. Seems to happen frequently these days, so I’m glad for their 24/7 customer support, but I’d be even gladder if whatever is causing these problems would be found and become a distant memory.

I had a bunch of home business stuff to take care of this morning, so I’m not getting started writing until after noon. My problem with this character is I KNOW the ultimate resolution of his story arc, but I’m not altogether sure how to get there. Since he likes to think of himself as having characteristics of a crow, I took out MJ Cullinane’s Urban Crow Oracle deck for fun.

I pulled Distance, Risk, and Balance. These happen to all be important elements of the character’s life, so I figure the message is that as long as I write him true to who he is and was created to be, we’re all good regardless of where my thoughts may be straying.

CDs are in the changer because I’m in the library, with dogs (like Eva) taking turns hogging the fire. Tonight before I stop, I’ll post my day’s playlist (assuming the site cooperates).

I hope good actions, good feelings, and tech cooperation are part of your day.

ETA: Today’s playlist. A lot of CDs. Maybe some were not as long as others, because it doesn’t seem like I got an abundance of writing done while all these played. (Of course, I also left them playing while I ordered a few household items and prepared and ate dinner.) I think I can bring the chapter to an end by the time I go to bed. The next chapter should be more fun and faster.

Lana Del Rey, Lust for Life and Norman Fucking Rockwell; The Doors, Waiting For The Sun; Eagles, Their Greatest Hits and Hotel California (my other Eagles albums were drowned and some have been replaced with albums); Steve Earle, Guitar Town (Steve Earle is so talented; this one is Tom’s, but I really like it); The Escape Club, Dollars and Sex; Melissa Etheridge, Yes I Am; Your Little Secret, Breakdown; Lucky, and Skin. Tom’s the bigger Melissa Etheridge fan, but I like her, too.

Wicked Cold Wednesday*

*As Timothy might say.

Delta, Eva Ruby, Anime

Moved work into the library so we could have a fire. (Jack is buried under covers on the office couch. It’s apparently one of his non-social days.) Since Tom is in the office and not working from home today, I’ve got the tunes (still in the “D”s) on the big sound system while I write. I’ll post the playlist when I stop for the night. One of today’s CDs I’d sing along to FULL VOICE (alone) in the car in 1992, going to and from the hospital to be Steve’s healthcare advocate. I needed a total escape, and it provided. Still love it, despite its connection to a tough time.

Have a good day, and stay warm or chill, wherever this finds you.

ETA: I’m about to save this chapter and shut down for the night. I always appreciate when I’ve made progress, and here are the “D” CDs that helped.

Miles Davis, Birth of the Cool. Pretty great to write to. Def Leppard, Retroactive. One of my favorite of the “hair” bands, and so much more to them than the hair. Loved their videos. Loved seeing them live. They’re still touring. Celine Dion, Falling Into You. I got this one because I needed the words to one of the songs used at John’s memorial service in 1996. One of his closest friends said “Fly” was the song he most thought of for John, and it is beautiful and sad and uplifting all at once. Dire Straits, On Every Street. This band’s sound always relaxes me. Clay DuBose, Rewriting History. Since members of Tom’s family are thanked in the liner notes of this, I’m certain it was a gift. It’s contemporary country, and another one that’s good to write to. Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits. I never get tired of Dylan and his influence over one of my characters is powerful. Bob Dylan, Love And Theft. I suspect this may have been a Tom purchase because I don’t know it well. I HAVE to replace more of my drowned Dylan albums with CD or vinyl, I don’t care. I just need to listen to them again. Various artists, Tangled Up in Blues: Songs of Bob Dylan. Released by the House of Blues label in 2002, as part of a series featuring 12 separate artists (e.g., Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin), and further subtitled “This Ain’t No Tribute.” Covers on this one are by Taj Mahal, Mavis Staples, Isaac Hayes, R.L. Burnside, Luther “Guitar Jr.” Johnson, John Hammond, James Solberg, Alvin “Youngblood” Hart, Leon Russell, The Holmes Brothers, Larry McCray, and The Band.

It was a long writing day in the Hall library.

on today’s list

I think I didn’t mention on here that before Christmas, when Houston froze, our plants did okay in the new pop-up greenhouse, but we had two pipes freeze and crack in the attic. Plumbers were able to get here and do repairs in time for it not to ruin the Christmas weekend, and we didn’t lose power as we did in the 2021 freeze.

Due to the leaks from the pipes, our longtime contractor Keith hired someone to repair our pantry and kitchen ceilings. That guy came today and figured out what’s needed, and the work should start tomorrow. That means the dogs got to stay at Aunt Debby’s this morning, and will tomorrow, which they love. We’re having another cold snap, and they pile on her couch with her and snooze all warm and comfy. Since no work began today and with the little barkers being at Debby’s for a while, it was a quiet day. I really needed it after yesterday’s stress.

I didn’t write today so much as review and plan. I’m bringing back a character who “finished” the previous novel after writing 100-plus pages with other characters in this one. It’s kind of like having a really good friend, and the last time you were together, some intense stuff went down in the friend’s life. Time has passed and when you see your friend again, you’re not sure exactly where things stand. Has the friend moved past it? What has replaced it in the friend’s thoughts and daily activities? Characters, like friends, are more interesting when they aren’t mired down in something that happened months before (I’m not talking major life change stuff, at least not in the character’s life). Interesting people keep moving forward and have something new to offer us. Or maybe that’s in fiction, and we sometimes wish people we knew in real life would do that. Maybe I wish I would do that! =)

Tried to explore that something new for my character as I listened to music and thought.

Today is Eddie Van Halen’s birthday. I probably should have broken out the Van Halen CDs, but I stuck with the plan and continued in the “C” section of the first binder.

Collective Soul’s self-titled 1995 release; The Cranberries, No Need To Argue; Cream, Strange Brew: The Best of Cream; Sheryl Crow, Tuesday Night Music Club; Self-Titled; The Globe Sessions; and Wildflower.

I have three more “C” CDs. Any guesses?

Challenge

Somehow I came late to the game of a happiness challenge being published in the online New York Times feed. Wednesday’s challenge is Day 3: Make small talk with a stranger.

I was doing labs (routine, every three to six months) barely after sunrise this morning, when the tech turned my arm over, preparing to draw blood, and she noticed my tattoo. She asked whether it hurt to get a tattoo in that area of the wrist, and I said that it hadn’t. She said she was considering getting a tattoo on her wrist but was hesitating because it might be painful.

“Do what makes you happy,” I said. “Life is short.”

“I think I will,” she said with a big smile.

Yep, it’s basically clichéd old-person advice. Sometimes things get repeated because they’re true.

Me, Daisy, and my tattoo, 2018

ETA: If you’re interested, the Day 1 challenge is “Take stock of your relationships”; Day 2 is “Try the 8-minute phone call”; and Day 4, Thursday, is: “Tell an important person in your life how you feel about them.”

Button Sunday

Should have gotten a photo of Debby’s Christmas socks to go along with this button.

A few shots from a day filled with cooking and eating and opening presents and laughing and doing dishes, so many dishes.

Set a table for dining.

Set a table with food to fill our plates. This one has us all smiling, but I really love Anime down there hoping for some food to fall.

Menu: roast beef, ham, chicken wings, roast gravy and chicken gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, black-eyed peas, corn, cornbread dressing, cranberry sauce, Tom’s homemade biscuits.

After eating, there was a frenzy of opening presents and everybody got good stuff, but I was too busy being greedy to take photos.

Dessert was a coconut cream pie from Debby, a German chocolate cake for Tom’s birthday, and assorted candy and cookies sent by friends.

Tom ready to blow out his candles and have birthday cake and open cards and presents.

A birthday gift from Debby was an artsy little doppelEva.

Tiny Tuesday!

Minute flanked by Anime and Eva. Anime and Minute are absolute besties.

Back in early October, tiny Minute stayed with us at Houndstooth Hall for a few days when Lynne and family went to Disney World on vacation. We love having her because it livens the pack dynamic and she enjoys it. Now that she’s sixteen, she plays less, but when she rejoins the BatPack, a little of the puppy comes out in her.

Delta and Minute–and toward the back fence, you can see Pixie, too.

Minute also gets along well with Debby’s Stewie, another senior dog, and Tim’s Pollock and Pixie are very respectful of her.

Another tiny thing: Lynne brought me this Disney pin celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Disney World theme park. The park first opened on October 1, 1971, so Disney began celebrating on October 1, 2021, and will continue until March 31, 2023. I’ve only been to Disney World once–in 1986, I think? Other than Space Mountain–not a fan of roller coasters in general, and certainly not when that one was in the dark–I loved the park, and it cracked me up that even though I was nine hours from home, when I was standing in line for It’s A Small World, I heard a student calling, “Ms. Cochrane! Ms. Cochrane!” They always found me wherever I was.

A final coincidental note about this pin: It features Goofy and Pluto, and both are mentioned in a scene I’ve written in the Neverending Saga. Lynne didn’t know that when she got it–and still hasn’t read that scene since she’s not reading Book Six until the first section of it is finished. =)