Monday - better late than never - and finally home...

I spent most of the day with my sister Barb out in Brighton and then having a wonderful lunch of Chinese - and we had a good visit.  It is always worth the drive to visit with her.  We laugh, talk and get caught up - while texting to our sister Pat, as well, to keep her up on our visit, she can't always be with us, so we make sure we all get the same stories and same laughs!

Got home before dinner to the puppies just waking up and needed to go outside!  They had such a good weekend, they slept from afternoon (when S and V took Leo home) until I got home today.  They went out, and right back to sleep after eating.  The puppies were so tired!  Now, Gracie is chewing on a toy - attempting to kill it completely as Boomer is sucking on his pacifier.

Yes, my Bull Dog is one of those dogs that suck on a toy, like a baby uses a pacifier - to fall asleep - he has a 'puppy' - a stuffed animal toy, that he sucks on, and kneads it like a cat does...and falls asleep with it in his mouth - like a pacifier.  Apparently, Bull Dogs and a few other dogs do this - but like the other neat attributes of a Bull Dog (snoring, drooling as well as their odoriferous odors!) they suck on things to calm down, and fall asleep.  You can see this on sites on YouTube, and my Boomer is one of those dogs...It really is funny, but thank God he does, because he needs to calm down sometimes.  Really, he does!

I was excited to go on the http://www.smashwords.com/ site to see that I had sold four more books today!  I am thrilled to see that I have sold more books, and not to family members!  Yeah, I'm on the way now !  And I am almost done with my last book in the Pretty Marsh Trilogy.  As well as went through a few new ideas for the next best novel that I will start next week.  I can't get enough of my ideas on cyberspace fast enough!  I am a writing machine...

D M Wiseman, happily finishing up the latest and greatest novel, author...

The Big Game Day is here - It's Puppy Bowl Sunday!

In honor of the three puppies playing here, we are going to watch the Big Game today - Its Puppy Bowl Sunday - 3pm on Animal Planet.  It is like watching my two dogs playing with Leo, but all puppies!  Is is one of the most adorable things, watching all these puppies just playing with each other, and with little footballs.  Then at half time, they bring out little kittens to play - like they are the cheerleaders.  Its a little cheesy, and the commercials are all Iams and Eukanuba etc. - but I love watching it.  Its funny, and makes obvious fun of the whole football thing (and if you knew me - you'd know I don't watch or care about any sport - unless my kids are participating in a sport! Then its Go Green or Go Grizzlies!).

So, I am watching the big dogs getting ready to separate as Leo is going home today - they watch the Super Bowl thing - just for the commercials V said.  But, you can see them on the Internet, or Youtube within minutes of them being aired, so I think it will NOT be on at our house.  My husband, my fiend, my soul mate doesn't really pay attention to sports much - we watch the Olympics, and when the Red Wings are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, we might turn it on, but usually we don't watch sports...except the Puppy Bowl, of course.

Yesterday, V and I went to the big garage sale at www.thescrapbookemporium.com  and I bought something for my sister Pat, something for K and all kinds of pages, stickers, etc for V to make her scrapbook pages of Jamaica - and I bought some things for me.  Now, I really have to finish my Valentine's Day cards, because I have the correct tools - the spoon didn't work so hot yesterday - don't ask.  So, as my famous sister in law Holly says 'I'm a newbie' and needed help.  It was a zoo, about 70 women in one room buying scraping things from 50 tables of women selling scraping things.  It was a bit chaotic, but worth the trip as I bought what I went there for - and saw Holly in action...she sure can control a crowd. 

As I watch the puppies splashing in the 'water-cam' at the goal lines - I will try to finish my book.  Tomorrow, I might be late on my blog as I will be at U of M with my sister Barb for a PET scan (has nothing to do with my dogs or hers) most of the day.  So, the goal for today, is to get the balance of the book done today...

D M Wiseman, rooting for the beagle puppies in the Puppy Bowl, and finish writing, author...

Total chaos at 600 in the morning...what a way to start a Saturday...

Well, S and V brought Leo over last night and wow.  The wild ones - my two monsters, Boomer and Gracie, they were very excited to see Leo, as the Out game began - no one wanted to come in - or go to sleep.  So, after hours of whining - yes my husband, my friend, my soul mate was tired of hearing Leo walking around - he didn't want to sleep (Leo that is - my husband did!) I was tired of both the husband whining wanting to sleep and the dog IN my room and the one IN the hallway, whining to play.

So, I got up at 6am, and took the two big monsters down stairs, to wake up the Boomer (not happy about interrupting his snoring!) and they all went out.  Boomer was in the house within minutes - it's too cold out there for him.  But an Alpine Mastiff - Gracie stays out for hours.  Leo is a mix and moves to quick for the cold to touch him.  Boomer and I snuggled with our tea, and watched the rerun of the 2007 Eukanuba Dog Championship - on Animal Planet - we watch these all the time, Boomer and I.  Gracie is above watching dog shows, and Leo - I don't know that he understands the concept of Best in Show.  I'm working on it...

Later today, V and I are going to attend the www.thescrapbookemporium.com 's garage sale.  Then while she and S go out with friends, my husband, my friend, my soul mate will watch the chaos continue - but maybe go out to dinner and let the three run free in our house.  I need a few new things anyway, so if they, say eat the wall - we need to paint anyway.  But if they touch any furniture, they're in trouble.  They usually do pretty well together, the three monsters, when we are gone.  At least I think they do...maybe I should have one of those Teddy Bear cameras to see what they do - but Gracie would probably eat the thing, so bad idea...

I like this early morning time, I get to write, snuggle with one of the three, have my tea, and get to chose what's on TV as my white noise in the background and on weekends, it's the Dog Show.  I have had some cool dogs in my life...poodle growing up, Black Lab in my teens (really the brother JM's dog) and when preggers with S, we got St a mutt (potty training a almost 3 y/o and the puppy while very preggers with the next one - priceless - as in you couldn't pay me enough to do that again!).  Then we had a wonderful breed, and wonderfully bull headed Bull Mastiff named Max.  Loved that dog!  and then 6 months later, rescued an English Mastiff, Ladybug - you should never name a 170lb dog Ladybug even though she was red with a black face... When Max died, then Lady, we bought the Boomer, an Old English Bull Dog, who is spoiled rotten and knows it.  Then of course, we rescued the famed Gracie...

So that's why I love to watch the Dog Shows - to see what my next breed will be.  I think a French Bull Dog - all black - I think they are so cute... and the attitude would just fit in with these three I'm playing In and Out with again...

D M Wiseman, getting my exercise today with the three dogs,  while continuing to write, author...

Going to have a happy, wonderful Friday - even though must brave my way out ...

I was up very late last night (or early this morning depending how you look at it!) and wrote until I could barely stay awake.  Then, laying down - I couldn't fall asleep.  Gracie was snoring at the foot of our bed, and Boomer was snoring, as usual.  I don't want to say who else was snoring - but I can get him to stop.  So, I lay there, and mapped out the rest of the novel I'm writing.  Constructive insomnia - its the new corporate work zone!  I think I'll patent it!  Can I patent a idea?

I also got up earlier than normal, so I could finish the chapter I had stuck in my mind, blog a bit, snuggle a bit with my angel dogs (normally I say monster dogs but they are acting really good this morning, probably getting rested up for the upcoming Leo visit!) and then go grocery shopping... S and V are coming to visit for the weekend, and will be here sometime late after dinner tonight.  V and I (along with my sisters Pat and Carol) will be going to the www.thescrapbookemporium.com  's garage sale tomorrow, to meet my famous sister in law Holly, to pick up a few new items to scrap with...

S and my husband, my friend, and my soul mate are going to be watching the puppies while we are gone.  Then S and V are meeting their friends for dinner and we get to puppy sit!  So, my pups are resting up for the long fun weekend.  I get to brave the zero (and I mean it is zero out) degree temperatures to go grocery shop!  The dogs need food and we need stuff as well...

I will then come home, and get ready for my husband, my friend, and my soul mate to take me out to dinner.  This is great - we rarely eat out, just the two of us.  And then I think we will go see K skate during the time between the first and second periods between Oakland University Grizzlies and Michigan State University Spartans in a hockey game.  This will be hard.  S and V go to MSU (Go Green!) and St and K go to OU (Growl!)  - I have to yell and boo at the same time.  I can yell for K at the intermission when she is skating, but who do I scream for?  I will be wearing an OU Skate shirt and MSU sweatshirt that zips over that...  The only way I can figure out how to do it...

So, seeing all my kids today, as well as my grand puppy.  What a great day!  How better to spend a Friday, then to see all my kids - St of course will be watching K skate, and then when S and V get to our house with Leo (well after the skating thing) I will be one happy mom.  I declare this day a Holiday! 

D M Wiseman, happy mother of two boys, with two wonderful girlfriends, and one grand puppy! on the new Holiday!  and published author...

Survived the Snowmagedon and ventured out this morning...

I went out this morning to have breakfast with St's girlfriend K - and we had what K calls a "big honkin' breakfast" at a diner that is not too far from the OU campus (that is Oakland University - Go Grizzlies! not that Ohio school - S and V go to MSU - Go Green as well, so just clarifying!).  So we ate and talked, and caught up on things.  I haven't seen her for three weeks, so we had a nice, long visit.

Soon St and K are going with a bunch of friends down to sunny and warm Florida to have a nice adventure on their spring holiday from school - the affore mentioned OU.  I will be getting St's mail, and generally checking on his house as well as watch his netflix to catch up on the movies I meant to see, but never got to the theatre to see.  They need a vacation - from work, school, and the cold - and I need to see some chic flix on netflix!

A week or so after they come back, S and V will be on their spring holiday to an all inclusive down in Jamaica and we will be watching our grand puppy Leo - and I know our pups will be thrilled to play with him.  I will, of course get my exercise playing the In and Out game - mostly out, and generally trying to keep the calm.  But thank God for time outs - and some of the time its for me!

But I digress...after I had the most wonderful time with K, I drove up to my street to find that the wonderful county I live in - had plowed the road that I live on - which made my drive way impassable.  Now, I spent all that time yesterday getting the snow OUT of my driveway and was amazed to find more snow in the driveway that was there before the Snowpocalypse, Snowmageddon, Epic Historic Massive Snow Storm of 2011.  So, I was not too thrilled, but since I drive a 4 wheel drive vehicle - my wonderful Jeep - and since IT IS an off road vehicle, I decided to take it off road.  I went up and over the pile of snow, and into my driveway. 

Thank God for gas guzzling 4 wheel drive vehicles that can deal with Michigan winters and snow plow's evil thought process...Because I want to question the reasoning of the county plow - seriously - there is nothing - absolutely nothing across the street from our house, and he had to plow our driveway in - can't they push it the other way, to the 25 empty acres on the other side?  Do they always have to plow my drive way in?  Now, I have to go out and attempt to dig out once more...

So, the pups and I are resting today, to get ready for the three day weekend with Leo, and the fun - but chaotic - time.  They need to rest up for the fun, and so do I...

D M Wiseman, survivor of the Epic Historic Massive etc snow storm of 2011 author...

Dug out and snuggled in - after the EPIC STORM of the century...

After all the hype for the storm, after watching the Weather Channel for hours, keeping up with the actual weather by talking on facebook with my friends and family all over the state - I realized that I learned a lot about weather.  New words, new phrases, and a lot of disaster predictions. 

Epic, Massive, Historic, Snowpocalypse, Snowmagedon, and End of Days Storm of 2011- but the best one was Thurndersnow.  No one can tell us what that one is!  We, in the rural area of MI was hit worse by the wind - we have a lot of drifts - as in one of my vehicles is completely covered and the Jeep next to it, is not at all.  The garage door was drifted over, but the back door was clear.  We got about a foot of snow, and I can't tell if it is snowing or the snow is blowing it around making it look like it's snowing.  But, we are all warm and safe, Boomer is actually awake and playing with a bone he stole from Gracie who is attempting to steal it back.  A new game!  I am snuggled in with a blanket around my legs, as I have ice on my broken toe (kicked the stairs yesterday and baby toe is broken! Ouch.).  So, all is well in rural MI...

My husband, my friend, my soul mate is also my hero.  The township he works in, cancelled work for today - meaning he doesn't have to go to work in this weather.  But, he is on the way to work now, anyway.  He dug out the garage, he used the snow blower to clear the driveway, and took his 4 wheel drive red truck and is braving the snow, the massive epic historic snow storm to get to his station.  He is my hero and he is others too.  Everyone loves him.  He is a really nice guy.  As I said, my hero!

But me - and the dogs, are snuggled in, watching re-runs of House, and clicking to the local weather channel, which is better than TV, they keep showing people trying to move a little car out of a huge snow bank, and all the accidents.  Its like the comedy channel.  So, I click back and forth for my own amusement.  I do have the ultimate question - if all the schools are closed - (as in the continuous ticker tape of what is closed) - why don't they just show what schools ARE OPEN.  Wouldn't that be easier?  Who is going to send their kids out in this weather anyway?  It's a long standing question...

So far this week, I have sold a few books, I wrote a new novel, and its only Wednesday.  The week is going pretty good for me.  There does seem to be a lot of snow, and wind and cold weather, but hopefully the world is not ending and we will all go on with our lives.  After all, snow will melt, then they'll warn us about flooding - so we'll watch the TV for that EPIC Flood of 2011.

I am also laughing about that whole groundhog thing - he said we will have an early spring.  Seriously?  On the day of the Massive Epic Historical Snow Storm - telling us spring is coming?  That is just too much - it is like a Sci Fi Disaster movie.  Where is one of the Baldwin brothers when you need them?  I think we should all check that groundhog's credentials, maybe check his college transcripts because it doesn't look like spring is coming...well not today, anyway.

D M Wiseman, author of four, working on the fifth, snowed in....

Awaiting the 'snow storm' of the century and published another one...

So the weather man and everyone else - has been warning us - the Michigan area - is going to be dumped with 3 to 6  or 6 to 8  or 8 to 12  or 18 inches.  No one seems to know.  I went to bed excited because I published another book, and I fully expected to wake up to the first wave of the snow storm of the century - as much snow as has been dumped on the East Coast last week - and just to make sure the weather man knows Michigan is NOT part of the East Coast - we are in the Middle - but they keep telling us that we are going to be dumped on!  But I digress...

I woke up to - wait for it - no snow.  Well, we had it on the ground already from last week, but no new snow.  So my husband, my friend, my soul mate went off to work, even though he got up early and was ready to dig out before going to his breakfast meeting.  But, it didn't happen.  So, he got off to work early, without a hitch.  Now, worrying about the ride home, will see how the 'snow flies' - and whether or not the weather man is right - maybe for once.         

Last night I finished editing my most recent novel "The Usual Reasons" and it was published on the wonderful site http://www.smashwords.com/ so I am thrilled.  It is about a computer millionaire and a toddler, the tragedy that happens and the highly intelligent programmer that helps him through.  It's a good one, if I have to say it for myself.  Yeah! This makes four published!  And the fifth is on its way...

I am almost done with the third novel in the Pretty Marsh Trilogy - which will be the fifth book I've written... I finally have the name down.  "Merry's Plan" - short and sweet.  It has been tough, but sometimes the titles come easy, other times it just doesn't make sense until the end.  I know another one is brewing in my head, and will be started soon...  I can't seem to stop writing.

The dogs are with me, the fireplace is on and I am all toasty warm, as I write this.  I will be in contact with my husband, my friend, my soul mate - as he doesn't want me to go to my lunch appointment today because it's an hour away, and because of the threat of snow, he worries.  So, I am waiting for the actual weather report - actually I will just look outside!  Honestly, they tell us all the horrible things that are coming, and so far, not so accurate.  I will just look outside and decide - to I go or stay...

Listening to Boomer snoring away, Gracie laying behind the couch, every once in a while to look outside - seeing no snow so far, and writing "Merry's Plan"  I will see about leaving for lunch.  I could just stay in and write, maybe get dressed later...

D M Wiseman waiting for the snow storm of the century that published her fourth novel ! writing the fifth...