Karen Shanley - My Life as a Writer, Mom, Dog LoveKaren Shanley - My Life as a Writer, Mom, Dog LoveAuthor, Karen Shanley, shares her quirky and insightful views on life as a writer, mom, and owner of three dogs - one Australian Shepherd, one Border Collie Mix, and one dog in a Maine Coon cat's body. Articles
Wanderings ? Interview with a Horse
2007-08-11 06:49:00 I know this is about a horse, but you can switch it out for dog, kid, mate –really anyone you care about and are trying to understand, and it about says it all, I think. More About: Interview , Horse , Erin
How to Find a Good Dog Trainer
2007-08-09 06:12:00 There are lots of trainers out there. Some certified, some not. Some positive, some traditional. Some good, and some bad. So how do you go about finding a good one that meshes with your values on dog rearing and training protocols? If you’ve been a regular reader of this blog, you know that I favor relationship-based ... More About: Find , Trainer , Good , TRAI
The Adirondacks ? A Wilderness Lover?s Paradise
2007-08-07 06:10:00 With summer in full swing and Cait out of school, we spend more time at my mother’s place up in the Adirondacks. Since I always appreciate seeing pictures of where you all live around the world (it helps to satisfy my wanderlust), I thought you might enjoy seeing more than just my pond. When the locals ... More About: Nature , Lover , Paradise , Wilderness , The A
Best Zucchini Recipes Ever!
2007-08-06 06:18:00 Even if you don’t have your own garden, if your car’s been unlocked, you’ve probably been anonymously gifted with enough zucchini to feed an army. We gardeners like to share the wealth, as it were… I’m here to help save the day. I have two recipes that are guaranteed to have everyone in your family (even ... More About: Recipes , Zucchini , Reci
Wanderings ? Worst Analogies Ever Written
2007-08-05 03:19:00 As I struggle in the role of book doctor for a writer friend whose manuscript needs, shall we say, a little work, I am able to keep charging through, because at least I haven’t come across any of these! If you need a good laugh, go ahead and click. Here are just a few of the ... More About: Logies , Analogies , Written , Logi , Erin
Feliway Review ? A Cat Product That Really Works!
2007-08-02 06:21:00 This is Finnegan, our Maine Coon clown. As you can see, he lurvs my laptop. And he lurvs to scratch and claw my furniture. In fact he lurvs clawing so much that he’s been systematically ruining each piece of upholstered furniture I have. A while back, I asked for advice about Finn’s clawing the furniture. ... More About: Review , Product , Works , Really , Prod
The Happy Box
2007-07-31 06:08:00 ?Mom I can?t get to sleep,? Cait yells from her bedroom. She?s been in bed for almost an hour. ?What?s the problem?? I yell back from my study. ?I?m having bad thoughts? I?m worried I?m going to have a nightmare.? Since birth, my daughter has been inordinately sensitive to her environment. She takes things in that others hardly ... More About: Happy , Best of
Garden Experiment 2007
2007-07-30 06:02:00 To Break Scape or Not to Break Scape? That is the question no more. When I first started growing garlic, I’d read that breaking the scapes (the flower stalks) off the garlic plants soon after they appeared would allow the bulbs to grow bigger (and so I’d always broken the scapes). Made sense, logically speaking; the energy ... More About: Garden , Experiment , Peri , Rime , Arden
Wanderings ? Face Transformer
2007-07-28 06:23:00 You can use the Perception Laboratory’s Face Tran sformer to change the age, race or sex of a facial image, to transform it to the style of a famous artist, to make an exaggerated caricature or even make an ape of yourself! Cait and I have been amusing ourselves for hours. Face Transformer More About: Erin
Training ?Quiet? the Brilliant Aussie Way
2007-07-26 06:49:00 At dinner, Kiera lies by my chair while we eat. She likes to monitor my eating, as she knows she gets my leftovers when I’m done. If I take too long, she starts “talking” to tell me to hurry up. Andrew finally gets annoyed and wants me to discipline her to get her to stop being ... More About: Training , Best of , Aussie , Quiet , Brilliant
My First Rule of Writing
2007-07-25 06:37:00 Rory, over at Clean Cut Blog has a Group Writing Project going on until August 3. Click on over if you’d like to participate. He instructs: “Write your own blog post presenting your first rule of writing. Not a top three, or five - what would you say is the most important rule according to ... More About: On Writing , Rule
If I were King, Cops Would Not Be Allowed?
2007-07-24 06:52:00 … to sit in the exact spot where the speed limit drops from 55 mph to 25 mph. This is just a license to pick people off. And an excuse to generate revenue. So let’s just call a spade a spade and institute a “Contribute to the Town, County, State Over and Above Your Taxes” lottery. ... More About: Cops , King , Would , Lowe , Were
Bloggers Acknowledging Other Bloggers
2007-07-23 06:28:00 Nowhere else have I encountered people who take the time to pat each other on the back and say “Good Job!” like bloggers do. That’s because we all realize how much effort it takes to create a blog worth visiting and we understand the value of encouragement. It makes me realize how much nicer a world ... More About: Bloggers , On Writing , Logger , Blogg
Wanderings ? Women in Art
2007-07-21 06:10:00 500 Years of Female Portraits in Western Art morphed into one video. Truly incredible. Women in Art More About: Erin
So True?
2007-07-19 06:06:00 Funny how you hit those patches in life where souls seem to leave the planet in clusters. I’m in the thick of one of those patches with friends and clients. Having lost important loved ones, I know there are no words that bring comfort. So rather than try to speak, I just listen. Listen to the ... More About: True
Five Ways to Set Up Your Blog To Chase Readers Away
2007-07-16 21:15:00 If you’d just spent a good bit of time getting your place spiffed up for company, and you were really looking forward to having them come and visit for awhile, would you then welcome them by piling some of your furniture in front of the door for them to climb over? Surely not. Yet, metaphorically ... More About: Readers , Blog , On Writing , Chase , Away
Dog Lovers and Others
2007-07-16 06:04:00 From the mail bag: Justin writes, I love dogs and live with a partner who doesn’t. She merely tolerates them because she loves me. I’m wondering how you and Andrew work out ways to keep everybody happy. Dear Justin.: I was born with an affinity for dogs, and was permitted to have dogs from an ... More About: Lovers
Wanderings ? Levenger
2007-07-14 06:59:00 Since I was old enough to write, I’ve always had a thing for paper and pens. My favorite catalog for reading and writing supplies is Leven ger. More About: Erin
The Fruits of My Labor
2007-07-12 06:10:00 In varying stages of ripeness… More About: Fruits , Labor
Leaves of Three - Let Them Be
2007-07-10 06:10:00 I thought I was immune, but I guess I’m not… For the first time in decades, I’ve got Poison Ivy. I got it pulling some vines off my trees. My hands are a blistered mess, which makes typing interesting. In others words, this’ll be a short post. Just a quick refresher for those who might ... More About: Nature , Three , Leaves , Aves
There?s a Whole Big World Out There, Kid
2007-07-09 06:00:00 Back when Finn was just a little thing (now he’s almost as big as Graidy), he followed Kiera everywhere and wanted to do everything she did. Including using the dog door. He never quite figured it out and got stuck a couple of times half way in and half way out. Kiera would push him back ... More About: World , There , Whole
Wanderings ? Protect Your Privacy
2007-07-07 06:17:00 Did you know that someone can type your name into an online directory and get your phone number (even if it’s unlisted) and a map that gives exact directions to your house? Privacy is dying a rapid death. But there are a few steps you can take to slow down its demise. Getting educated, while depressing, ... More About: Prot , Riva , Erin
A Garden Journal
2007-07-05 06:09:00 I’ve been keeping a journal of my garden almost since I began. It’s a habit I picked up from the old woman who taught me. She drummed into my head, “Karen, if you want to see if what you’re doing works, you’ve got to keep a record! Without the ability to compare year to year, seed ... More About: Garden , Journal , Arden , Garde
Like Mom, Almost Like Daughter
2007-07-03 06:10:00 Don’t all parents try to pass on their passions to their children? I know I try to at least share with Cait all the activities I love. Of course, the ulterior motive is to see if she’ll pick any of them up as interests, so that we can have things we enjoy doing together. Naturally, some ... More About: Daughter , Like
What I Don?t Subscribe To
2007-07-02 12:10:00 Heather from TopBlog Magazine gave a few of us writers this assignment: …This is your invite to write something for the next issue. The theme is “I don’t subscribe to…” but don’t use that as your title… I scribbled down a few ideas that popped into my head. For my own use, I left the “don’t subscribe ... More About: Subscribe , On Writing , What I Do , Subs , Scribe
Wanderings ? Free Books Online
2007-06-30 06:36:00 Most of these sites require signing up. All are free. Some sites carry eBooks for download. Others, like swap sites, carry hardcover and paperback, and have shipping charges. General sites Floodle Great titles on all kinds of subjects. Fun for browsing. Classic Book Shelf ManyBooks eBooks Bibliomania Fiction and non-fiction books. Word Public ... More About: Free , Online , Line , Wand
Boarding Your Dog: Tips and Warnings
2007-06-28 06:33:00 With summer vacations fast approaching, and having to make a decision on where to kennel my own crew for an upcoming annual family vacation, I’d like to share some tips and warnings on where and how to leave your pets behind. Years back, I started with a highly recommended dog boarding kennel that I will never, ... More About: Tips , Warnings
How to Go On A Walkabout
2007-06-26 06:47:00 Most people know that the expression Go On Walk about comes from the aborigines. But most people don’t know much about the underlying reasons for the practice. When aborigines set off on a Walkabout, they’re taking a spiritual journey to a “Belonging Place” in order to renew their relationship with their Dreaming and the Landscape. I ... More About: Nature
A Piece of My Heart
More articles from this author:2007-06-25 06:37:00 Magic has been on my mind a lot recently, as I help a friend who is trying to help her dog with some aggression issues. Fortunately for her and her dog, it’s not a neurological problem, as Magic’s was. With some consistency and strong, clear boundaries, I think they’ll both be fine. Even while I can ... More About: Heart , Piece 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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