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 ? How to Reach a Human
2007-06-23 06:11:00 This Eclectic Life had a very funny post on trying to get past an automated system to reach a human. We’ve all been there. Shelly found this site, Get Human 500 Database, which gives ways to get around these automated systems and move straight to a human voice. More About: Reach , Wand , Erin
What?s to Like and Not Like About Blogging
2007-06-21 07:20:00 My friend, Rory, over at Hamelife tagged me for this meme — 5 things I like about blogging and 3 things I don’t. And how fortunate, because several readers have asked me about the pros and cons of starting their own blog. So I can skip two stones across the pond with one throw. :) 5 ... More About: Blogging , Like , Blogg
Automatic Lixit Dog Waterer
2007-06-20 18:01:00 Having just talked about dogs overheating yesterday, it was serendipitous to find this post over at Dog Gone Blog today. Jenn had asked about solutions to keep her dog from tipping over his water dish outside. Well here it is! Lixit Dog Waterer. I love brilliant, simple solutions. And this is a great one for ... More About: Automatic
How to Tell if Your Dog is Overheating
2007-06-19 07:40:00 I have two hot dogs panting around my desk. They’ve both been outside with me for the last hour trotting beside me while I mulched the lawn. Well, that’s what Kiera was doing. Graidy was mostly chasing birds. I took a look at their tongues, decided it was time to quit, and had them jump ... More About: Eating , Tell , Heating
A Memoir
2007-06-18 06:35:00 Cait’s assignment at school was to “write a memoir;” an essay on something that happened to her that fit the structure of memoir writing. At this stage, her teacher is not as concerned about punctuation as she is with getting the kids excited about writing. This is what Cait wrote: A Memo ir by Caitlin Shanley It was a warm ... More About: Memoir
Wanderings ? Make Your Own Kaleidoscope
2007-06-16 07:29:00 This website lets you draw your own kaleidoscope. It’s easy to use and great for kids on a rainy day. More About: Make , Wand , Kaleidoscope , Kale , Erin
All God?s Creatures
2007-06-14 06:08:00 Ring ring ring. Disembodied voice from Caller ID, “Call from wireless caller.” Wondering what Andrew has forgotten, as he’s just left the house for work, I answer, “Hey, what’s up?” “I need you to do me a favor. Can you walk down the road to the bridge by George’s house?” Thinking that’s a very interesting request and assuming more ... More About: Nature , Creatures , Creature
Wanderings ? What the World Eats
2007-06-09 06:04:00 A Time Magazine Photo Essay depicts what’s on family dinner tables in fifteen different homes around the globe. Photographs by Peter Menzel from the book Hungry Planet: What the World Eats“ More About: The World , Wand , Erin
Remedies for Dogs with Thunderstorm Anxiety
2007-06-07 06:12:00 I have a fool-proof thunderstorm detector — more accurate than the local weather Doppler system. And she’s sitting right here on my lap (which makes typing a bit of a challenge). So I know a thunderstorm will be hitting here within an hour or two. Kiera never used to be bothered by thunderstorms, but ... More About: Dogs , Anxiety , Remedies , Under , Dies
Has It Always Been So Peachy
2007-06-05 07:47:00 From the mailbag: Samantha writes: You and Caitlin seem to have quite an amazing relationship. Has it always been so peachy? Don’t you ever lose your cool? Dear Samantha: Like Kiera, my daughter came into my life to slap me upside the head and wake me up out of any sleep-walking through life I might have ... More About: Peach , Been , Always
A Race to the Finish
2007-06-04 07:02:00 I’m true to my mostly Italian Heritage; I can find a way to add garlic to nearly any meal. I’ve long gone through all my garlic bulbs, and am down to the dregs of my minced garlic (above left). I’ve got another month and a half before my garlic plants (above right) are ready to ... More About: Race , Finish , Nish
Wanderings ? Relative Size of Astronomical Objects
2007-06-02 07:37:00 By now, you guys know that I have an interest in anything up in the sky. Here are some photos that will help give you a sense of scale. These are the planets closest to the Sun. Except for Pluto, which has recently been demoted as a planet and is the furthest from the Sun. The ... More About: Nature , Size , Object , Objects , Tron
Somehow They Know?
2007-05-31 07:26:00 Having been away for a few days to help my mother, I walked into the house to my happily leaping dogs. Graidy came rushing up the chair in front of me and used it like a springboard to catapult himself up into my arms. Kiera, wanting to lick my face, had trampoline feet, she was ... More About: Some
Kid-Like
2007-05-29 07:00:00 “Mom, why do my eyes squint when I eat something sour?” “It’s because of a pucker reflex.” “Do you want some (Sour Skittles)?” “No thanks, I don’t really like candy.” “Mom, you’re not very kid-like.” “I wasn’t very kid-like when I was a kid.” “I’m a little kid-like, and a little not.” “Yeah.” “The kids on my bus are very kid-like. They had ... More About: Like
Faces in Nature
2007-05-28 07:31:00 Cait and I are always looking at clouds. We like to see what shapes we can find in them. Here are some clouds we saw recently. Take a look and see if you find a shape that jumps out at you. Then scroll down to see what I saw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I saw what I call “phoenix rising.” ... More About: Nature , Faces , Natur
Wanderings ? Homemade Bread
2007-05-26 06:15:00 There’s something about the smell of freshly baked bread filling the house. Having grown up in a 300 year old house with a beehive oven in the walk-in fireplace, us kids grew up baking our own bread. It’s a holiday tradition the grandkids now carry on. With a fireplace like this, how could you not bake ... More About: Bread , Wand , Brea , Erin
Why Do Dogs Bite?
2007-05-24 07:20:00 [It’s National Dog Bite Prevention Week. This is my part to help owners keep their dogs safe.] Given the right circumstances — all dogs will bite. Oh no, you say. Not my little Fluffy! Never! If little Fluffy hasn’t bitten someone so far, it’s because little Fluffy has been lucky enough not to be put in a situation ... More About: Dogs
Wanderings ? World Wildlife Fund
2007-05-19 07:47:00 The World Wildlife Fund , the largest multinational conservation organization in the world, shares great ideas on how to easily help do our part to reduce global warming while saving money. As long as you’re there, spend some time looking around. It’s a cool site. More About: Wand , World Wildlife Fund
Grasping the Concept of a Reflection
2007-05-17 07:00:00 “Mom,” Cait came running down stairs, “that Robin is at it again! Even with the puppets in the window.” We have a male Robin who’s spending a great deal of his energy dive-bombing our glass door upstairs. Why? Because he sees his reflection in it, and perceives the image he sees to be that of a ... More About: Reflection , Spin , Once , Concept , Ping
Planting by the Moon
2007-05-15 07:00:00 Planting time here in upstate NY is considered to be safe (danger of frost over) after Mother’s Day. So, as of this past weekend, the gardening gun has gone off. While my cold weather crops have been in for weeks, now it’s time to get the rest of the garden going. But, I can’t just yet, ... More About: Moon , Anti , Plan , The Moon , Plant
A Beautiful Sight
2007-05-14 07:17:00 What’s so beautiful about a dog eating, you might wonder. What you can’t see, is that Kiera has already finished, while Graidy continues to eat. What’s the big deal about that, you might ask. When I first met Graidy nearly three years ago, he was a sack of bones. And that was after he’d been eating well in ... More About: Beautiful , Beau , Sigh , Sight
Wanderings ? Brightest Supernova Ever Seen
2007-05-13 07:15:00 Photo from Hubble Space Telescope. In case you haven’t heard, Reuters has this to say about a Supernova that recently exploded. A gargantuan explosion has ripped apart a star perhaps 150 times more massive than our Sun in what astronomers say is the most powerful and brightest supernova ever observed. More About: Bright , Ever , Right , Test , Nova
Pea Popping Party
2007-05-11 07:17:00 Just back in from the garden, where the peas will be ready to pick in a few weeks. Nobody in our family loved peas more than Magic. We’d have to race him back there just for the chance to eat a few raw off the vine, before Magic would have them polished off. He would have ... More About: Party , Part , Ping , Poppi
Must Sea TV
2007-05-08 07:00:00 Recently, we got to spend a few days on the ocean in South Carolina. The weather was perfect, the beach was spectacular, and Cait and I enjoyed a game we’ve been known to play for hours at a time. We’ve dubbed it “Must Sea TV.” It’s a simple game, really. You just bend over ... More About: Nature
My ABC?s
2007-05-07 07:36:00 I was tagged by my good blog bud, Girl and Dog, so enjoy! A- Attached or Single? Attached B- Best Friend: Several, including my husband and one from childhood. C- Cake or Pie: Homemade pumpkin pie, with pumpkins grown from my garden! D- Drink of Choice: Water E- Essential Item: Laptop or book. F- Favorite Color: Periwinkle G- Gummi Bears or Worms? ...
Wanderings ? Street Drawings
2007-05-06 07:25:00 If you’re not familiar with Julian Beever’s chalk drawings on pavement, you’re really missing out on a treat! Here’s an example: More About: Drawings , Street , Rings , Wing , Tree
Opening Paragraph
2007-05-04 07:26:00 This is the opening of my next book. The “he” is Graidy. He sat alone with his back to me, staring off into the distance. Looking at nothing in particular, so fas as I could tell. Still, his body language suggested a longing — as though he was waiting for someone to arrive. He sat ... More About: Opening , Para , Agra , Graph
Just Passing Through
2007-05-03 07:42:00 Here’s part of our regular gang, passing through at dusk. If you look carefully, you’ll see a Blue Heron on the left, and two deer on the right. More About: Nature , Sing , Through , Pass , Passi
Hare Today, Goon Tomorrow
2007-05-02 07:59:00 Anyone who’s had a young child in the last decade probably remembers Little Bunny Foo Foo. But in case you don’t know this song, it goes like this: Little Bunny Foo Foo, Hopping through the forest Scooping up the field mice And boppin’ ‘em on the head Down came the good fairy and she said “Little Bunny Foo Foo, I don’t want ... More About: Today , Tomorrow , Goon , Morrow , Tomo
The Most Important Lessons My Dogs Have Taught Me
More articles from this author:2007-05-01 07:38:00 Someone was asking, in conversation, what was the biggest lesson my dogs have taught me. I had to think about it, because there are so many valuable things I’ve learned from them. I’ve narrowed it down to two, which are of equal importance to me. Less on 1: Play and laugh everyday. Lesson 2: Shed a lot. More About: Dogs , Have , Most , Sons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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