Lists and the women who love them

Last year was a busy blogging year for me… just not on this blog. I launched my webcomic, which – like a shiny, new toy – has gotten the lion’s share of my attention. I’ll admit that I’ve found myself missing this space and hope to give some more attention to my first blog-child in the coming year. (We’ll talk more about that later this month – stay tuned.)

With that in mind, I wanted to start off the new year with a new post. When a friend told me about 50 Happy Things, I just knew that this was the perfect way to kick off 2016 (and to help me find some positivity in a year that seemed to be full of sad news from the world at large). Plus, I love lists. I have a list of the lists that I keep. It’s like list-ception.

You can visit Tales from the Motherland for the full lowdown, but here are the basics:

  • Set a timer for ten minutes.
  • During those ten minutes, write a list of 50(ish) things that made you happy (or that you were grateful for) in 2015. (After time was up, I went back and added some links, comments, and photos – you know I can’t resist a good link roundup.)
  • Add your post to the list of bloggers participating in this flood of gratitude. (Don’t have a blog? That’s okay! You can do this on your own – either just for yourself, or to share with your friends in another format. Also, if you want to tell me some of the things that made you happy in the comments, I’d love to hear them!)

I armed Tavish with a stopwatch, which he promptly ignored in favor of going back to sleep. (Hosting people for New Year’s Eve is exhausting, apparently.) So, looks like I’m on my own. Here we go… Continue reading

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‘Tis the season (for another canine Christmas carol)

Did you really think I would let a holiday season pass by without sending some new caroldies your way?  Perish the thought.

Tavish Claus via wantmorepuppies.com

Hey, lady… let’s get this show on the road.

A Game Upon the Midnight Clear

It came upon a midnight clear,
That canine urge to go.
Whining and wiggling for all they’re worth,
To lead you into the cold.
Canine mirth, you’re out and then,
That puppy won’t do a thing.
You head back in to get some sleep,
Before that alarm does ring.

You’re back to sleep and then they come,
Cold noses end dream world.
And then on sleepy feet you float,
From bed you are uncurled.
Out again, they make no gains,
Back in the house you bring,
Your stubborn and insistent hounds,
Who still won’t do a thing.

To sleep again, you’re on the road,
When they say no, no, no.
You leash again, get on the way,
Your painful steps are slow.
You know it is beyond your powers,
To untangle from this string.
You trudge along a helpless toad,
As daylight begins to sing.

Want more caroldies?  You’re obviously a glutton for punishment (or, more accurately, PUN-ishment).  However, you’re obviously in charge of your own destiny, so… click at your own risk.

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Hey, Blog… how you doin’?

Okay, I admit it. I’ve been neglecting my first blog child in favor of the new kid on the block. I’m obviously a terrible blog parent who is easily distracted by shiny new toys.

(Seriously, Blog, you know I love you, right? We’ve shared a lot of special memories and have a bond that the new site will never understand. I hope we can move past this bump in the road and adapt to the changes in our relationship. Oh, yeah… I did just link to the new site in my apology. Don’t be mad, Blog. That didn’t mean anything. Total accident. I just want you two to get along.)

Anyway, if you’re still reading (instead of trying to figure out who to contact about the troubling fact that I’m attempting to engage in conversation with my blog) – hey there. How’ve you been? What’s new?

I don’t really have much to report at the moment, to be honest. I’m still being discriminated against by my furry boss, who continues to believe that he can only turn left because our home is some sort of racetrack. He’s a regular Licky Bobby.

Anyway, my furry boss has informed me that I’m slacking on showcasing his epic amounts of cuteness. So, please consider this a shameless attempt to get back on his good side. This post will be emailed to him along with a shameless bribe gift certificate to the local canine bakery.

Tiny troublemaker via wantmorepuppies.com

Hey, lady – you’re letting my fans down.

I’m going to attempt to make things a little more lively here on my Original Recipe Blog. We’ll start slow, with a couple of posts per month. (Famous last words, right? Pretty sure I’ve said that before…)

 

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Local woman discriminated against by small dog

Picture it. A seemingly normal house on a quiet street.  It could be any neighborhood.  It could be your neighborhood.  From the outside, it looks serene… but inside, a terrible injustice is taking place.  Today, we shine a light on this hidden horror. Continue reading

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My dog, the cartoon character

I took Tavish to the vet last month. While we were there, he got a nail trim. The vet tech asked me if he runs around a lot of corners, because his nails had worn in a slanted fashion.

I recently took him in for another nail trim, after which I was informed that the nails on one side of his body were also noticeably longer than on the other.

Apparently, my dog spends a lot of time revving himself up and sliding around corners like some sort of Hanna-Barbera cartoon come to life. I still can’t quite figure out why this has made him lopsided, however. We don’t have any one way signs in our house, so he’s free to take corners from any and all directions, after all.

What gives?

via giphy.com

Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t leave this here, given recent events:

via giphy.com

Woohoo!

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Parenting: You’re doing it wrong

My maiden name is pretty common.  So common, in fact, that I’ve often received emails (both personal and professional) for other ladies with the same name.  I try to handle these graciously – telling the sender that they have the wrong person and suggesting they check that email address again.

Of late, I’ve been receiving email for two different people – one college student and one woman with children. (The latter illustrated by the various websites the woman’s child seems to sign up for.)

The most recent installment in this saga is a doozy.  I received an email from who I assume to be the dad of the college student. I learned the following things: (1) he is writing her papers for her (there was an attachment as proof); (2) he informed her that “paper #3 you will have to write because your class has a mandatory attendance to the MLK convocation and paper #3 is on that”; and (3) he will provide her with highlighted journal articles that he has read when she comes home next time.

I mean… what does one do with an email like that?  Even better, the attached paper was a “think paper” for an education class, in which the “author” claims that she will be able to help shape students to become better model citizens. She/he also notes that she will always take a stand for teaching right from wrong. Um…

Parenting: you’re doing it wrong.

Anyway, I told Tavish about this incident.  In response (and thanks to the recommendation of a friend), Tavish decided to channel his inner Ryan Dogsling:

Tavish Dogsling via wantmorepuppies.com

I could be a meme, right?

Who could argue with that?

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