I'm Not Involved with His Nonsense....The Nico Series Part II

Innocent Bella...relaxing in the grass!

 As Juliet and her brother Nico wreak havoc in my world, Bella relaxes quietly....wondering how she ended up with two mischievous siblings. I have to take credit for that because I love the pitter patter of little puppy feet...and the smell of hot puppy breath as they kiss my face.  There is just something wonderful about it!

Last week, I put the dogs in the car to go to doggie daycare....yes doggie daycare.  They have so much energy, and there are not enough hours in the day to run them....so they go to run off their energy and have play time with other dogs. This leaves me peace and quiet to write.

My first morning cup of coffee was in the cup holder in the car.  For some reason, Nico was afraid to jump over the console and kept backing up out of the car.  I encouraged him to go back in....and he did so with gusto....with his big fat paw pushing through the plastic lid of my coffee container.  Coffee splattered everywhere.  Bella and Juliet jumped on the spilled coffee as Nico caught his balance.  Smelling his favorite (but not allowed) treat, he dipped his paw back into the coffee and proceeded to lick it like an ice cream cone.

Thank God, I have paper towels in the car and was able to soak it up quickly preventing them from drinking every drop of the forbidden nectar. It does no good to threaten reform school...do they make reform school for wayward dogs? It does no good to put them in their crate when they are naughty...because they cry so pitifully...I let them out.

They have me wrapped around their chubby little paws. I call them my "little clowns" because they are a constant source of amusement and delight and keep their mom smiling every moment.

I wish...the children of war....in my story...could have a day with Nico.  It would be a pleasure to see their little smiles after detailing their suffering...their truth....their little lives ravaged by stupidity.

Part I - Nico and His Friends

Well behaved and listening!

It had been a long day already and it was only 10 AM. Wearily putting my head on the back of the den couch, my eyes started to close. BAM....something fell in the kitchen. That's never good in a house with 3 puppies.  Juliet, the youngest dog climbed onto the step stool and then onto the bar stool and then took a leisurely walk on my countertop. I came in just in time to see her run off the countertop and onto the floor. But in the meantime, she had taken her paw and batted my schedule planner off the countertop.

I asked her, "Juliet, were you naughty?" She heard the word naughty and my harsher tone and ran under the couch. On this day she had a bit more speed in her step.  Little did I know....

Her first cousin, and fellow cohort in crime, Nico had his furry head buried in my planner and used both paws to spread the  pages apart as he caught a glimpse of me coming around the corner. Nico is a paper lover.  Nico is a paper eater.  If he has paper in his mouth and I catch him and try to grab it from his mouth...he chews quickly and swallows! Yuck!

He quickly ripped up a whole weeks worth of plans...chewed it and swallowed  it right before my eyes.

I chased him....by the way...not good with this puppy.  He thinks it's a game.

And then I looked at my book.  A weeks work of appointments...gone in a swallow.  My mind went crazy trying to decide what numbers I needed to dial to re-do my schedule.  I starting making the phone calls and fifteen minutes later...there were Nico and Juliet....laying in the den huddled close together...on their backs....snoring. A long day....indeed!





Nico as a puppy....so innocent and calm!



I Love Nature but....

Hiding behind the planters is my fluffy squirrel friend.  He scampered away when I came outside.  Nico was uncharacteristically quiet around him!

I know that I go overboard writing about my dogs...because I love them so much...but today I had too much animal joy on my hands.  Leaving the back door a few inches ajar, allows a lovely cross breeze.  Today was one of those days.  As I was cooking dinner, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something fluffy try to get into my house.

A squirrel tried to stick his head inside to say hello to Mrs. Doolittle!  I closed the door just in time as my dog Bella realized we had company.  A stand off ensued, with their two little heads eye to eye and nothing but glass between them.  Bella began to bark loudly, and off went our uninvited guest.

My female protagonist faces a few difficult stand offs in her life.  One is cultural and one becomes a fight for her life. One can only hope that when we face challenges, and are face to face with our enemy there is a glass door between us.  For my character....luck is not on her side.

Re-writing History

I know that it is tempting to re-write our own histories to make them picture perfect and always happy.  The truth is if we do that we cannot legitimately acknowlege what is good in our lives and what we want to weed out. Most people never weed and continue the same behavior for decades putting off self examination because it is painful...another subject I have addressed before.

My characters (the children) wish they could re-write their lives with the absence of war. But those are the parameters of their short lives...and they were dealt a certain hand. How you juggle the cards is the rest of your life.

Grounded to the Earth

Feeling part of a community....grounding yourself to that which you are part of....it's all part of the human experience.  Take it away and you are cast adrift....floating aimlessly around an island where you are the sole inhabitant. We all have something that makes us feel grounded and part of a bigger picture. That is why my characters immerse themselves in a fight that can hopefully change the bigger picture...for the better. The end result is not always what is expected.  Stay tuned to find out.



Mr. Roger's Neighborhood

Do you ever just want to jump off that merry-go-round I spoke about yesterday?  I've talked about this before.  Some days things just go forward at warp speed and the people around you react negatively to their own discomfort.

I get it.  I totally understand.  So do my characters.  There are lovely moments in their lives where serenity is paramount, but unfortunately for them, a war zone is not the ideal place for them to fill their hearts with peace....assuming that is what they want.  Anybody who places themselves in the middle of war better be prepared for the fallout.

Jumping off the merry-go-round could be dangerous.  Watch out for the broken bone trail of the people who jumped before you.

The Promise of Tomorrow



Nico and Juliet pose for the camera....and the promised treat!

Isn't it amazing how the promise of something special can make you smile. Could Nico be smiling with the promise of a treat? I like to think so!  It is how I got them to pose so perfectly in front of my flowers.

Life is challenging and scary and wonderful and difficult at any given moment.  When you have a goal that you are about to achieve, or a person who enriches your life, to talk to...it's like the brass ring on the merry-go-round.  It makes life shiny and circular and promises continuance. There is something to look forward to...the promise of a tomorrow.

Today is here now. Go to sleep tonight with the promise of tomorrow and welcome it with the warm embrace of....maybe....what if....and I can make it happen.



Or Not.....

I spoke about my protagonist and how writing about her and the children she protects....helps me to understand forgiveness.  But the truth is...it helped me learn about what it takes NOT TO FORGIVE, also.
Some of the people that pass through our lives are meant to do just that....pass through.

A lesson may be learned...OR NOT!
A friendship may be made....OR NOT!
A heart may be broken or begin the process of mending!
An unforgiveable act may be forgiven or etched into the heart of its victim for eternity.

If I am to consider the good, as a writer, I must consider the bad...."the good, the bad, and the ugly."