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
The Normal Thing to Do
2008-04-28 02:28:00 Having grown up with animal-filled farms abutting our property, and adding to that our own four-legged menagerie, I learned early to keep a weather eye for all animals. And I learned to step in and do whatever needed doing, because the consequences of ‘not doing’ could mean death for an animal (and injury or death ... More About: Thing , Normal
Spring Has Sprung
2008-04-20 15:35:00 It’s that time of year. The weather’s warming. The birds are nesting. The garden’s calling. Cold weather crops are well underway. Seedlings are put outside for a few hours a day to start hardening. When they all come back inside, there’s hardly a flat surface free. Time to seriously think about the benefits of a small greenhouse. Also time ... More About: Recipes , Spring
A Worthwhile Idea
2008-04-01 07:56:00 Still swamped with writing but just wanted to share this. I think it’s a wonderful idea. But check out the link and decide for yourself. Hello, My name is Kari and I’m writing you with the hope that you’ll let your readers know about GoodSearch.com and GoodShop.com, a new fundraising tool being used by supporters ... More About: Idea
?Mad Hatter: No wonder you?re late. Why, this watch is exactly two days slo
2008-03-07 06:07:00 That’s me these days. The faster I try to catch up, the hurried-er I fall behind. Too many projects and not enough clocks running two days slow. So, it’s getting to be that time again… Time for another intermission. In the meantime, what was it that sign said on the doorknob? Ah, yes… ?Doorknob: Read the directions ... More About: Watch , On Writing , Days , Late
I Knew That
2008-03-04 06:18:00 Cait has finally reached the age where she’s been made aware by friends of clothes labels. I always knew that I was on borrowed shopping time, because this kid came out of the womb with her own sharp sense of fashion style. I’m happy to have gotten away with outlets and discount stores with her ...
What a Little Time and Love Can Do
2008-03-01 06:37:00 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-7v8Ck1cr g More About: Life , Nature , Love , Time
The Newest Animal Linguist on the Block
2008-02-27 06:49:00 Alex, the gray parrot, and Washoe, the chimpanzee, (both recently deceased) are back in the news in this month’s National Geographic Magazine, in an article about understanding the animal’s mind. In it, the newest kid on the “smarts” block is featured. Are you ready? Yep, a Border Collie named Betsy, who knows more than 300 ... More About: Nature , Animal , Block , Linguist
My Bucket List
2008-02-24 06:29:00 With The Bucket List having recently played, a movie with Jack Nicholas and Morgan Freeman running around the world checking off items on their to-do list before they kick the bucket, it’s gotten people thinking about what their bucket list would look like. Sarah over at Teetotaled asked me to share 5 things I’d like ... More About: Life
Why Are There Only Boring Car Colors?
2008-02-20 06:23:00 Lying here, coughing my brains out, I have more time than usual to contemplate the deep mysteries of life. Like why have car colors become so boring? Think about it. What are our options? Take a look at any parking lot and this is what you’ll see. All pulled out of the same sock drawer of ... More About: Life , Colors , Boring
Teach Your Dog Hand Signals and Save Her Life
2008-02-18 19:26:00 Nutmeg saved her old dog, Ezra’s life today. From all the way across the front yard and down across the street! Ezra, Nutmeg’s beloved 12 year old boxer, got out the front door and wandered across the street, before Nutmeg had a chance to realize. With four kids and a busy house, it happens. But ... More About: Life , Save , Hand
Providing for Your Dogs or Cats in Case of Delay or Death
2008-02-13 06:56:00 Most of us have wills providing for our significant others and children in the event something happened to us. But what about our animals? If you were in an accident, or delayed from getting home from a trip, or you suddenly died, what would happen to your animals? Do you have a plan in place? Do ... More About: Dogs , Cats , Death , Case
Buying Time
2008-02-10 06:59:00 What I like most about my laptop is the freedom it gives me to set up shop anywhere in the house. This evening, I’ve parked myself in the living room by the fireplace. There’s nothing I love better than working by the warmth of a crackling fire. Having finished her homework, Cait is drawn by the ... More About: Buying , Time
Hello Old Friend
2008-02-06 06:53:00 Can you see him? He’s in the middle of the two clumps of trees. (Sorry the photos aren’t clearer. He was all the way across the pond, toward the ridge. Even with the digital 12x zoom, it was hard to get a good shot from this distance at dusk.) I called out to say hello, and ... More About: Nature , Friend
The Great Debate
2008-02-03 06:33:00 Finnegan gets some outdoor time under a watchful eye. There’s a great debate raging at our house. When I got Finn for Cait, I made the executive decision that he was going to be an indoor cat. Knowing that the average lifespan of outdoor cats is around four years, and having lost my most favoritest cat ... More About: Great , Debate , The Great Debate
Sometimes You?re the Dog. Sometimes You?re the Hydrant.
2008-01-31 14:14:00 What a roller coaster week! While I had my usual share of being the hydrant, I got to live out yesterday as a most excellent dog! A publisher in Poland (yes, the country) is looking into foreign rights for Dogs of Dreamtime. My blog was featured in an article on dog writers in the New York Post. A ... More About: On Writing
Part 2: What You Can Do to Avoid Getting Bitten By a Dog ? Learn How to Rea
2008-01-30 00:49:00 In my last post, I talked about some of the different factors that could trigger a dog to bite when on its own property. It boiled down to roughly three categories: a dog protecting its turf (including people, objects, and food); a dog undersocialized and/or uncertain or afraid of novelty (whether processed through smell, ... More About: Part , Learn , Avoid
What You Can Do to Avoid Getting Bitten By a Dog ? Or 10 Common Mistakes Pe
2008-01-28 14:30:00 From the mailbag: Andrew writes: “In just the last couple of months I’ve had two scary run-ins with dogs and wish I knew what the reason was. The first incident happened when I was visiting a client for the first time and the dog came out and bit me hard on the leg. This was ... More About: Common , Avoid
Why Some Gardening Will Be in Most People?s Future
2008-01-23 06:08:00 Barbara Kingsolver brought the idea of locivore food growing and buying to the fore with her book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. In it, she speaks to the value of focusing on eating locally instead of using fossil fuel to transport food long distances. While Kingsolver feels a moral and environmental obligation to ... More About: People , Recipes , Gardening , Future
If I Had It to Do Over Again
2008-01-20 07:00:00 Having recently had an interesting conversation with a friend who’s expecting her first baby, it got me to thinking about another conversation I had more than a decade ago. Before I had Cait, I?d once asked a dear friend, if she had it all to do over again, would she still have kids. She hesitated for ...
When Should You Start Training Your Puppy
2008-01-17 06:51:00 I believe every encounter we have with our dogs is a training session– whether we know it or not. So I start training consciously right from the very first day I get my puppy home. This keeps me focused on my behavior and interactions with my puppy, as well as on my puppy’s interaction and behavior ... More About: Training , Start , Puppy
Perspective
2008-01-14 02:38:00 There’s another snowstorm blowing in. It got me to thinking about how one’s perspective can change over time… Before I became a mom, my idea of winter splendor was this. Pristine, untouched snow. No footprints. No snow shaken from branches on which it gently rests. No sign of humans anywhere. Monochromatic stillness. Since I’ve been a mom, my ... More About: Life , Perspective
What?s the Difference Between Heirloom, Hybrid, and GMO Seeds?
2008-01-09 23:22:00 In my previous post, a reader had a question about seeds. My response was getting long, so I decided to share it here. I’m sure there are other would-be gardeners who also aren’t clear on the differences. Jo at Ecology of a Woman asked about three types of seeds — Heirloom, Hybrid , and GMO (genetically modified ... More About: Recipes , Difference , Seeds , Diff
Thinking Spring
2008-01-07 06:48:00 Oh the weather outside is frightful. It’s been hovering around -15 F in the mornings around here. And we’ve had quite a lot of snow already. Deep winter is upon us. But the fire is so delightful. I’m quite toasty, enjoying a nice hot cup of tea while leafing through my all-time favorite catalog that just came ... More About: Recipes , Spring , Thinking
?Dogtown? on National Geographic TV
2008-01-04 15:35:00 This Friday, January 4 at 9pm ET/PT, a wonderful new short series is starting on the National Geographic Channel. Dogtown focuses on the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. Here’s a short promo clip: http://test.nationalgeographic.com/channe l/video/index.html?refId=3251. (for some reason, this link doesn’t work when I try to embed it.) Here, you can enter in your ... More About: National Geographic
Nurse Kiera
2008-01-02 06:06:00 Cait has a touch of the flu. And there’s only one way to get her to rest. Kiera has to just about physically lie on top of her. And then stay with her until she falls asleep. Nurse Kiera is always up for the job. This time, Kiera stayed with Cait for the entirety of her four ...
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
2007-12-31 14:35:00 …or, in this case, cross country skiing. Happy New Year everyone! May 2008 be the year that your dearest dreams come true. More About: Life , Winter , Walking
Will You Pulleeease Get Off the Computer
2007-12-29 07:29:00 I’m working late on a deadline. It’s way past this crew’s bedtime. They’ve been patiently waiting, curled around my feet. And then not so patiently waiting, moving toward the stairs. When that didn’t get me to follow, they parked themselves halfway between me and the stairs as a hint, alternating between loud sighs and glares. Finnegan finally ... More About: Computer
What?s Wrong With This Picture?
2007-12-27 06:32:00 Do you remember those “What’s wrong with this picture” pages in the Highlights Magazine? You know the ones where you have to find things in the picture that don’t belong and circle them? If you didn’t get the magazine as a kid, I’m sure you’ve seen them at the doctor’s office. That’s the first thing ... More About: Life , Picture , Wrong
Pretty Much Sums Up ?
2007-12-24 06:10:00 …my ability to stay on task right about now. How about you? :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz 8 More About: Life , Pretty
The Rest of the Story
More articles from this author:2007-12-21 06:18:00 I live in a part of the US (the Northeast) where “How are you?” “Fine, thanks,” is about as deep as most people care to go. So, in conversation, I’m always looking for ways to sidle up to what’s less obvious. Because it’s there that you’re likely to meet the fuller person. It’s there that ... More About: Life , Story , Rest , The Story 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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