"F" is for Frolic, Failure, and Fun -- or, Authors Whose Last Names Begin with F

A couple of years ago, my library system added blog posts to our website. Many of the posts were short collections of book reviews, often following a theme. I tried writing a few of these, but never felt like I could keep up with the thought-provoking themes of my librarian colleagues. It was a good challenge, a growth opportunity, and I was honored to have been selected to write for our site. After a few successes, and several wadded-up-and-thrown-in-the-trashcan failures, I realized that what I needed was my old writing partner to get me going again. Enter Polo!

Polo in his reading chair

The next step was figuring out what we could do for themes. I enjoy a range of material from quirky fiction to educational nonfiction, and Polo's game for whatever. How to cover this mix? Let's go alphabetically, by the authors' last names! We like to listen to books (Polo struggles with reading, at least when I'm around), so we only review things we can access via compact discs (audiobook CDs) or electronically (downloadable audiobooks on my phone).

We started listening, reviewing, and posting together on the library website with "A" authors, and the whole process was very satisfying now that we were doing it together. Our posts made it through "E" authors before a website update brought adjustments to the backstage side of the process. Also, my workload seemed to intensify, so we decided it was time to bow-wow out of the website thing. (See what we did there? A little dogga humor!)

And now, feigning fantastic fanfare, Polo and I feature frisky fiction (and whatever) by authors whose last names begin with the letter F.

The Tumbling Turner Sisters

By Juliette Fay

A great story from just past the turn of the century – the last century, that is – complete with cultural references and history made story. An average family is pushed to the brink financially when the father badly injures his hand, and mother and daughters realize it’s up to them to become breadwinners… by creating a Vaudeville act and hitting the road! Ups and downs, twists and turns, as the Tumbling Turner Sisters learn to balance each other, both literally and figuratively. Nothing comes easy for them, but these women have bonds and resilience that carry them forward.

Polo’s considerations: “It would have been helpful if they'd had the companionship of a good dog. I would have helped, but I do not travel.”

The Confusion of Languages

By Siobhan Fallon

How important is cultural awareness when you join your military spouse on assignment to the Middle East? Is attendance at security briefings optional, and can you draw caricatures of the officer presenting this material while he’s speaking? What if you are assigned to acclimate a newly arrived wife, but she resists your help? Told in alternating voices of the experienced, careful Cassie and the upstart, impulsive Margaret, this is an intriguing story of what-ifs and what-now.

Polo’s deliberations: “Again, they could have used a good dog to keep them safe. Margaret needed a herding breed to keep her in check.”

The Mitford Murders – A Mystery

By Jessica Fellowes

You may have heard of Julian Fellowes, creator of the award-winning Downton Abbey television series. His niece, Jessica Fellowes, has collaborated with him to write companion pieces for Downton Abbey, and she has crafted this wonderful period mystery set in the early 1900s. Strong characters, evocative scenery and characters, and a tricky tale of murder make this a winning audiobook.

Polo’s opinion: “The best stories have dogs in them. This is a very good story, complete with a dog and a couple of young human children.”

To Write, or Let it Rot?

The more I read good stuff, the more I want to write again. I cannot express how much it means to me when someone asks what happened to the novel I was working on several years ago. It touches me that they would remember and ask, and it grieves me deeply that those manuscripts (plural) have become dry and dusty relics. I think I will write again. My characters are still there, alive after all these years, and maybe there are more stories to be written besides those two. Time will tell.

But I will not dwell on failure -- my own failure to launch. Maybe it wasn't the right time, maybe I wasn't adequately seasoned just then. It sure was fun, though. Time to see what comes next.

I have recently discovered that I have "severe" obstructive sleep apnea. So severe that I wonder how I have managed to put one foot in front of the other each day. Now that I have my very own CPAP machine and am already seeing successful treatment, I wonder what superpowers I will unleash with a few good weeks of sleep. Maybe this writing this could come back into being? And maybe, finally, an increase in physical stamina? I could stand to lose a few pounds, too, so maybe that. Focus is always good. We'll see.

One of my favorite features of blogging is being able to add photo illustrations. However, it's easy to work on my photos OR write the text. If I'm going to write tonight, I need to stick to writing. I'll add photos soon, but not tonight. Words will have to be enough. Words can be amazing, too, on a good writing day. Ha -- the best thing about my photos is that I get to crop them to show the very best of the composition! I've heard that writing is like that. Cropping out the extra, distracting, material in order to highlight the heart.

I've let the compost pile rot long enough. I'd like to write. We'll see what happens.

Because Theresa Asked for More...

For one of the few people I know of who checks in on the dogs' blog OF HER OWN VOLITION, here are some pics of my birthday-time hike with son #3 this fall. We were privileged to be able to take a seldom-open path down to the river, then went up the hill as planned. Enjoy -- and THANK YOU for coming! 

The Cascades are out there. Somewhere.

No whitewater was harmed in this telephoto shot.

Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy and sing praises.

Let the sea roar and all it contains, the world and those who dwell in it.

Let the rivers clap their hands; let the sing mountains together for joy!

I Miss Blogging

Hi! Welcome back -- and I'm not sure if I mean that for you or for myself. I think about this blog often, but there are other things grabbing my attention and time these days. Blogging just kind of drops off the list, you know? Some amazing things have been happening, especially in my family. This has never been too precise of a blog-o-log, though, as I didn't want it to be all about me. So much easier (and less personal) to have the dogs write it.

So, you ask, what about the dog? Polo is well and happy. He has a bum knee that will not allow him to go on walks unless he has surgery. There's plenty to do at home, thankfully -- and staying home means no car entrapment! Polo specializes in home protection. Squirrels, cats, pugs, and children on bicycles are all kept at bay by the sheer power of his bark. Oh, and also neighborhood ducks, raccoons, possums, coyotes, motorcycles, and trucks. And some of my friends.

When he's not barking at all passers-by, he may be found sunning himself on the back deck or lounging inside on the couch. We're all about his comfort.

Why is it I don't have much to write about? Oh, well. Polo might end up writing the same thing every day. Maybe that's not a bad thing.

While I Have Your Attention

One of my cyber friends, Sandra, shared good questions and comments following a recent post. I'd like to add a bit to her thoughts.

Once I got the hang of blogging -- using text and illustration to communicate short bits with an audience -- I realized that I love the opportunities this medium affords. It's nice to be able to write a short note about whatever is on my mind, without having to use an outline or make it fit a certain word count. The photos add a lot, both in terms of what I can express and what the reader can apprehend.

There is a lot of stuff I don't share on this blog. Most of the time, I don't identify specific people. That means I don't have to ask permission to use their photographic images (at least I hope that's true) but I can post a creative visual feature related to the text. I don't write about details of my own journey, but I can use this vehicle to communicate general situations or concerns from my life.

When it comes to journaling, I have realized over the years that I go through seasons of heavy writing and other times of sporadic entries. I'm okay with that. When I have a lot of emotional "processing" to do, I get a pen and starting writing in a journal. Since this blog doesn't have a wide audience of people who are counting on me to brighten their day, I'm okay with not posting any more often than I have a post-worthy idea. So, to put Sandra's heart at ease, I won't be giving up either form of writing any time soon.

Oh, and about my audience... I see who you are. Yes, you over there in India! And you in Sweden, and that other visitor in New York, and the one in Brazil and another in Japan and... It's fun to look at my Sitemeter stats and then pull up Google Maps and guess at your precise location. Maybe you live on that street, in one of those quaint little houses, or way up in that big apartment building. On a good day, I'm getting about ten hits here. Ten! Underwhelming, I know. Most of those are one-time shots, never to return. If I were working to establish a platform as a writer, this would be a huge problem. But I'm not counting on this blog to get me anywhere, so I'm okay with this, too.

So, long posting short, thanks for stopping in and reading. I'd love to get to know you better, especially if this is not your first visit. If you're cruising through, hitting that next blog button, thanks for making it this far down the page without even a photo to ease your pain. It was nice being read! I have been privileged to make a few friends here, and it would be amazing to meet them face to face someday. Fun to think about that!

See you in the blogosphere.


P.S. to the guy who offered to interview me on his blog review site -- Thanks, but I'll pass for now. I was thrilled to be invited, but my ten visitors a day wouldn't bring you enough traffic to make it worth your time. Sorry!

International Roadside Attraction: This Blog!

There's a stat counter attached to my blog. It's fun to see that people have checked it out, and occasionally I recognize a friend's visit. Lately, though, a lot of folks have passed through as they zip along the information highway of the blogosphere. I've often had ten or twelve visitors a day from all over the world, but usually they don't stay long enough to browse these posts. It looks like they're hitting the "next blog" button at the top of the page -- something I've done, too, just to see what's out there.

In my random visits, I've found a few Blogger blogs that I wanted to keep reading. Here they are, in no particular order:

Cake Wrecks -- fall-off-your chair hilarious, sometimes "adult" humor

Educated and Poor -- insightful, funny, real life, sometimes "adult" content

Settling in Gently -- honest insights on trying to fit in, in paradise

The World According to Gaber -- beautiful watercolor paintings, but only a few posts

Then there are a couple of other blogs I've found one way or another:

Add Humor and Faith... Mix Well -- warm, witty remembrances and photography

Planet of the Blind -- pithy, poetic, meaty musings on life and sometimes disabilities

There are many more blogs on my favorites tab, but these are the ones I most wanted to highlight for you, dear reader. Somehow, I don't feel drawn to read stuff that's very similar to my own. That's true of the books I choose, too. I'd love to have the clarity of thought or funny material that some of these other writers do, but I can only work with what I've got. That's okay.

When I see that folks from Sweden, Brazil, Spain, United Kingdom, Argentina, Indonesia, Russia, and India have wandered through the dog's blog, my imagination strays to those locales. I might pull up Google Maps and zoom in on a random spot on the map in one of those countries. It's all the better if I can find a street view. Just yesterday, I had a lovely drive through a French village. On a recent visit to London, I couldn't get my eyes off those wonderful cars. I've spent a little time in New York City, as well.

That's all quite entertaining for me, but this isn't doing much for my readership statistics. Oh. This blog started out as a class assignment, then morphed into something to share with friends and family. Every person who takes the time to read my ramblings is a valued guest, even if I'm only a minor attraction on the side of the superhighway of the ether. See you on the map!

Reading... and Thinking

It certainly would be a good thing if I were to post something meaningful or entertaining here, say, daily. Since I often check in on other blogs, you'd think I'd have the sense to write something for my reader(s) more regularly. But there are days... weeks... that go by without any particular hilarity or insight. I'm still chuckling about something, and I'm certainly pondering and wondering, but it doesn't seem worthy of a blog post.

In the past, I've written reaction pieces after reviewing a small portion of Scripture. Those Old Testament folks -- the ones with the clay feet that sometimes ended up in their mouths -- are interesting characters to analyze. But these days, I'm reading the Old Testament prophets. Ugh.

"You did wrong! You will be punished!"

Over and over again, that's the message. There's some great imagery, some scary stuff, but it's judgment, judgment, judgment. Not exactly the kind of material I'd like to put out there for just anyone to read, you know? Such a terrible downer.

Fortunately, if I ever get all the way through the major and minor prophets, there's good news coming. After all those downers, there'll be a gigantic upper. "Yes, you did wrong. Yes, you most definitely deserve to be punished. But there's an alternate ending to this story." It's a real-life choose-your-own-adventure but with an outcome that's beyond all expectation.

I'll keep putting in my time, reading and absorbing, walking through my days, writing when there's something worth your time reading. There is good news coming. Hang in there.

Still Ticking

Hi, folks... er, "folk" might be more appropriate. Radio broadcasters are encouraged to speak as though they're talking to just one person out there across the waves. I should write as though to one person -- not only because you are reading this by yourself, but because there aren't too many of you anyway.

I enjoy checking my stats on Site Meter. It's nice to know that someone has stopped in to check out the dog's blog, and it's interesting to see where they're from and what search brought them here. I've had many hits on a post about Air Force One, but the hits were for a photo illustration that I've since replaced. Another page that gets looked at is titled Difficult Instructions, and I wonder what people were seeking when they clicked on that one.

I'm headed for work in a few minutes, but wanted to let you know that I'm still here, still thinking about writing, and still working on random thoughts of great and silly nature. Football starts this week, and I hope to have a story about our first game. Thanks for reading. Rufus appreciates the support, although he'd prefer a walk.

Coming Soon -- Better Photos!

We've got good news and bad news. Shall we dispense with the bad news first? Actually, the bad news is mostly over now. We didn't have an Internet connection for about a week, so there was no blogging. The good news is that, thanks to a son who upgraded his phone and some creative trading between family members, I now have a GOOD camera phone! It's not the best camera out there, but it's so much better than the free phone I'd had for two years. The photos are fantastic, and I can't wait to share them here... as soon as I learn how to get them off the phone.

The other big thing I've had to learn this week is how to use the new-fangled predictive text tool. I was used to spelling out every word, letter by letter, not using the T9 or whatever it was that was available on my old phone. But this new device has a better system -- and a QWERTY keyboard, too. Argh! The first few days of texting were painful, but I'm getting the hang of it now. I've got to remember to proofread my texts before sending, though. There are a few words that use the exact same keystrokes ("are" and "see", for example) and a message could be meaningless if not corrected. You know, my sons hang on my every word, whether spoken or texted. Yep.

I'll work on the photo thing this weekend, and hopefully will be able to put up some good stuff for you, my loyal reader.

Alternate title for this post: Teaching the Old Dog.

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words...

...but it's no good if there's no one to read them. Several months ago, I reviewed a book about the presidents who have used Air Force One. It was a very interesting look at the presidents in a setting where they might relax a little. The photographic illustration I used in my post has gone on to live a huge life of its own, thanks to this fall's election.

My blog has had MANY hits on that photo of an airborn Air Force One jet. Unfortunately, my SiteMeter stats tell me that none of those hits have become Wise Dogs readers. Therefore, I have decided to change the photo illustration to what it should have been in the first place, the book jacket of Kenneth Walsh's wonderful book. This illustration is small and indistinct, which is why I hadn't used it in the first place. Oh, well. I'd rather have my blog's stats reflect the dogs' loyal readership.

Thank you, both of you, for continuing to come back and check the dogs' blog. They would thank you themselves, but Blackie's resting and Rufus is sleeping. It's been a long day.