In Loving Memory of Dakota

Dakota J. Robinson, our German Shepherd, was a faithful, loving friend and companion. We enjoyed her company from June 2001 to November 18, 2009. We purchased her from a state trooper who got her for a wedding present. Last Saturday, at a local gun show, we purchased five tickets for a raffle to buy police dogs bullet- proof vests. There was a picture poster of a German Shepherd that looked like her, and we did it in memory of Dakota and to support cannine troopers.

Dakota would have been 10 years old in December. Her sissy, Sunflower, our golden girl, misses her and keeps watching out the door for her. Dakota had German Shepherd hips and lost control of her bowels at the end. She had to drag herself along using only her two front paws and twist her entire hip area. She could no longer meet me at the door when I came home from work. The day before she was put down, I came home, and she tried so hard to run meet me, but flopped down and cried and whinned instead, as she watched Sunflower run greet me.

I had Dakota longer than any other dog my entire life, nearly as long as I've been here. She was Sunflower's big sissy, and those two girls loved each other and were company for one another while we worked. Now, Frankie, a blue-eyed, part Siamese cat, has to be her company.

In loving memory of a faithful companion whose smile lit up her face. Her brown eyes sparked with pure love, but were sad that last morning when I said goodbye, like she knew it was for the last time. My last words to her were, "Your mommy loves you."

I pray you're running again on all four legs in doggie heaven, and I'll see you when I get there. I know God loves animals. He created them for us humans to have true, pure love. There's no love like a faithful dog's, man and woman's best friend. They don't care about your outside shell, only your loving heart.

The Thanksgiving the Garbage Disposal ate the Eggs

My Thanksgiving nonfiction piece will be published on November 25 in the Community Section of "St. Cloud in the News". The editor emailed me about it. It's the story of my youngest son and his wife visiting when my husband had just installed a new garbage disposal. I'd never had one before, so I had to learn about it the hard way by losing my Thanksgiving dinner eggs I'd boiled for a potato salad. Talk about a good laugh and a joyful day, we had one. My son and his wife are visiting again in about a month. His wife, Becky, said she and my son, Rodney, were talking about the incident just the other day. She wants me to save them a copy and have it for them when they come. I'll be sure not to let the garbage disposal have the Christmas eggs, so Becky doesn't have to run to a store for more.

I wrote this piece while taking Long Ridge classes and Christian Writers' Guild classes. I see the need to pull out some of my old lessons and polish them. Also, I see how they can fuel the fire for new ideas.

Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to this year's Thanksgiving break, though I won't have any company for an egg incident. I will have a fried turkey though. My husband will do the honors.

Here's hoping all of my readers have a blessed, joyful, spirit-filled, happy Thanksgiving.

Encouraging Email from a National Editor

I received an encouraging email from a national publisher who said she's overstocked, but asked to hold my article for possible publication. She said it's a lovely piece, and they don't get many about mechanics, but it may take up to a year, if she can fit it in. This article really means a lot to me, because it's written about my youngest son. She said she feels the men in the audience would relate to it as well as the women. With today's economy, her email was insipring, and she said I could still feel free to market it elsewhere, since few magazines consider them competition. I haven't actively marketed it though since a few earlier attempts. Since, I've graduated from the Christian Writer's Guild, I polished it. It is an article I wrote when I took my first class with the Guild, the Apprentice course. Since then, I've also completed the Journeyman Level, two Long Ridge courses, and a dialogue class. I'm always honing my skills. I prayed for God to open a door, and I received the email. It was much-needed inspiration. Now, I'm ready to write and looking forward to a writing weekend. I feel my writing has been validated. If my author wants it published, He'll open those doors, and it'll find a home. Thank God for placing the desire and passion to write in my heart. I love both reading and writing.

Completed all Writing Lessons

I've completed my last writing lesson for the Christian Writers Guild, and I've finished the Apprentice and Journeymen Levels. In addition, I've completed two classes through Long Ridge Writers Group and a class on dialogue with Tracy Ruckman. Eva Marie Everson was my writing mentor through the Guild and through the class with Tracy Ruckman.

I'm looking forward to being able to spend my time working on short articles,short stories, and novels instead of writing lessons. At this time, I'm reworking and revising some of my material I wrote during the three years of course work with the Guild. I didn't have time with my normal job and keeping up with my writing classes and lessons to devote to do so before, but now I can totally focus. I'll begin submitting and pray God opens a door.

Sandhill Cranes

I have two new wild/tame pets who've claimed me, two sandhill cranes. They're like kids and come running/flying to me when they see me. They wait for me to come and are glad to see me each day. Thank God for such beautiful, elegant creatures. I love watching them. They're so funny. I never knew what a sandhill crane was until I moved to Florida. They're graceful, tall birds. Peacocks are proud and strut their stuff, but sandhill cranes are elegant and refined, holding their heads high as they delicately waltz across the yard. They glide in for landings like airplanes.

Touching Spirit Bear

Touching Spirit Bear
By Ben Mikaelsen

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen is 240 pages of action and adventure published by Scholastic, a great book for young adults, especially boys. Cole Matthews, the main character, is banished to an island in Alaska for Circle Justice when he injuries another teen. He hopes to avoid jail by spending a year on the island. Once there, he plans to escape and burns the cabin that was built for him. Incoming tide and icy waters foul his escape attempt, and he’s injured by a spirit bear. Near death, he realizes he wants to live. He’s found and nursed back to health, but he’ll never be the same physically, emotionally, or spiritually. When he’s healed enough, he’s sent back to the island, but this time, he has to build his own cabin and fend totally for himself. Meanwhile, the boy he injured will also never be the same physically and becomes so depressed he attempts suicide. Cole knows what helped and changed him, and he desires to help Peter before it’s too late, but how will he convince the boy’s parents to allow him to live on an island with the person who physically attacked him and altered his life? Cole learns life’s lessons from the animals on the deserted island, and he wants to help Peter as he’s been helped, but will he be allowed to before it’s too late? And will Peter ever accept his help?

Dogwood by Chris Fabry

Dogwood by Chris Fabry is a book that emotionally tugs at the reader's heart strings, one of my favorite summer reads. Will Hatfield was my favorite character, a man who takes the blame for crimes he didn't commit, taking the burdens of others on his shoulders,like Jesus.

After spending years in prison,an innocent man whom his hometown condemns,Will returns to Dogwood, West Virginia, and refuses to give up on the woman he loves, Karin, even though the people in the town hate him. While the town harshly judges him and tries to entice him to leave, he struggles to build his dream home, even though the woman he desires to share it with has settled and buried any dreams she's ever had. In a desperate fight for his life, dreams, and the woman he loves, the character Will demonstrates true love in action. This was my first time reading a book by Fabry, but it won't be my last. He writes with a passion for life and love, and I didn't want to put the book down until I finished it. I couldn't wait to see what happened to Will and Karin. While she was unlikable at times, I couldn't help liking Will throughout the entire novel and wanting to see him overcome the many obstacles life threw in his face.