I started a new story yesterday, well, taking an old partial story, keeping the core concept and rewriting from scratch. I wrote 3375 words on Demon Connection, a paranormal romance. I haven't given up on MG, but I'm taking a break from it for a month or two. I'll update my progress on the blog. Since I write only during the weekdays, with rare exceptions, I have to get my word count higher (4000-5000 words/day) if I'm to complete this story by the end of July.
*I love challenges!*
Talk about scatterbrained. I don't know what it is with this summer. Is it the heat? The kidlet out of school? The total upheaval of my nice and boring schedule? The mindless chauffeuring of kidlet to and from various camps, playdates, parties, etc? Or is it the constant chattering of the aforementioned kidlet?
Personally, I think it's all of the above. Plus the knowledge that we can't schedule a vacation until September, due to . . . .
Puppy watching. No, I don't stare at the little fuzzybutt all the time, but I try to be on alert when she's awake. We have Maggie contained to two rooms: kitchen and family room. It's easy to keep these rooms blocked off from the rest of the house until we feel confident she can hold her pee. The kitchen is tile and the carpet in the family room is due to be replaced, especially if we can't clean out the 'accident's smell.
Our last accident was Sunday.
I went upstairs to iron clothes, leaving the kidlet in charge. Mistake #1.
Kidlet had the television on. Mistake #2.
Puppy was asleep when I went upstairs, so I told hubster AND kidlet to take the puppy out when she woke up. Mistake #3.
Maggie doesn't know how to tell us she needs to go out . . . yet. We're trying to train her to bark when she needs to go outside like we had trained Katie. The system worked well, until Katie got older and she would sit and stare at you until her psychic demands were known. I hate yappy dogs, but in general, sheepdogs don't bark, therefore training her to bark is tough. Plus #1
Believe it or not, sheepdogs LOVE to get the paper! We just started training her to do this and she is totally stoked about it. I need to video tape her excitement. Plus #2 Once training is complete I won't have to go outside in the heat, rain, snow or freakin' cold to get the paper.
Maggie's paper-fetching excitement also translates to getting the mail. Plus #3 But I still have to go out and open the mailbox, hold the mail (appropriately sized, magazines don't work) for her to take and then chase her back to the house.
Once we overcome the hurdle of Maggie telling us she needs to go outside, then life will get better.
But until then.
Write on!
Both my dogs just stare at me. If I don't get it, they walk around, the movement bugging me until it gets through my head what they want. If I'm in the writing flow, it takes a lot to get to that point.
ReplyDeleteHave fun training fuzzy butt.
Maggie is doing the stare thing, but it would be nice if she'd bark. Her bladder is getting bigger and she seems to hold it longer, so that's a plus.
ReplyDeleteSome of the horses will ONLY poop outside. And they always go to the same spot. Nobody trained them, they just do it. The stall cleaners love them.
ReplyDeleteMy horse is like a rock star in a hotel room - he trashes his stall and then lets other people clean it up.
He likes to drop manure, disperse it and kick it around so it's like a treasure hunt (I use the word 'treasure' lightly) to find it and get rid of it.
I like to say, cleaning a stall is like panning for gold...if you just keep sifting, you'll always find another nugget.
Murray, Murray, Murray. . .
ReplyDeleteDon't you wonder if he is snickering behind his hooves at you?
I think Maggie is more stubborn than Katie was, but she is only just a little over three months old. If she wants to have full range of running around the house, she's going to have to communicate more effectively with us.
--we might have to resort to putting in a bell at the door. You ring it everytime you go outside with the dog and hopefully they'll learn.