Happy Holidays! / Updates at Greenwood House

The Holidays are Here!

Every year, our family hosts a Friendsgiving "Holiday Dinner" where we make the main dishes, and friends each bring a side to help celebrate the beginning of the holiday season. This was our 19th year, and it was a great time. Our house isn't often this full with people, and I love hearing the laughter and stories as we all come together over a delicious meal. (If you haven't tried BBQ Pit Boys Apple Cider Turkey, you definitely should. We make it every single year. 😋)

If you're looking for a unique holiday gift for the book lover in your life, you can order personalized signed copies of any of my books! Don't want to wait for a print book? Check out any of my books available in ebook or audiobook, and have them delivered straight to your loved one!

Or maybe, like me, you love watching those holiday movies. If that's the case, pick up either of my holiday novellas, THE PEPPERMINT BARK PROPOSAL or THE GINGERBREAD SHRED, in ebook, or in print in HOLIDAY HEARTS!

What's Happening at Greenwood House?

On a sad note, we had to say goodbye to my soul dog, Macey, in October. She was with us for twelve and a half wonderful years, and I miss her terribly.

The house was so quiet the week after we had to let her go, and I was not in a good place. It's strange how you get used to the sounds of dog tags jingling and the ticking of claws on the floor. Not to mention how sad it is when you want to hug a furry family member and they're not there. Fortunately for us, I remembered that a good friend worked with Second Chance Canine Adoption Shelter, and she found us Archie, a Shiba Inu mix with a great personality and extensive expertise in cuddling. Archie is now a happy part of our lives, and the house is full again with the sounds of fur family.

In between training and playing with our new pup, I've been writing in a new contemporary romance which I hope to have out next year (although I never count my chickens, because life). However you celebrate the season, I wish you a festive and happy one. Lift a cup of your favorite warm beverage, and toast good cheer to your friends and family. Happy Reading!

For the Love of Dogs

Leave 'em Home...

It's finally getting warm out during these spring days in New York. While I'm glad about that (and my garden is, too), I spotted an uncomfortable sight yesterday: two dogs, shut in cars in a supermarket parking lot. While the windows were cracked a bit, it was easy to see those poor pups weren't happy about the sun beating down on their vehicles. Fortunately, someone was already notifying the store staff about them, so they wouldn't be waiting for their owners' return much longer.

If you live in a sunny climate, please remember your car is essentially a mobile greenhouse in such conditions. Your dog can suffer heatstroke or even death if left in the car while you go into a store.

It's just not worth it. If you're headed to a place where your pup isn't welcome, leave them home where they'll be comfortable until you return, and ready to join you on your next pet-friendly adventure.

...Until They Can Come With You

Fortunately, there are lots of great places to bring your furry bestie. More and more establishments are welcoming dogs, because let's face it: everyone knows they're our family too.

The big box hardware stores near where I live all love to see people's dogs (maybe even more than the people). Parks and campgrounds welcome well-behaved pets. And don't forget the pet stores. They love to see your pets, dog, cat, or otherwise!

Boop That Snoot

Owning a pet has always meant taking on a big responsibility. Your dog will be with you for (hopefully!) years, and will return your care and diligence with a wagging tail and wet nose. If you're lucky enough to have a canine best friend, give their nose a kiss from me, because dogs are beyond awesome.

Goodbye, 2020 - Don't Let the Door Hit You

New Year's Eve Reflections

 

Like many of us, I am extremely happy to say goodbye to 2020. It's been a long, awful year, and even though I know 2021 isn't going to be better as soon as the year kicks over, the symbolic turning of the page will feel so much better.

 Themes

For 2020, I started with a word that was to be the theme of my year. I wrote it in my journal.

The irony is, I didn't know how much I was going to need this word. Everything went wrong this year, and when I tell you the one good month I had was January 2020, I'm not kidding. I had to remember, every day, to be like water and flow around the rocks I couldn't move. It was hard. It was so hard. I cried a lot. I leaned on friends and family more than I ever have. I learned a hell of a lot about gratitude. I learned how undeserving we humans are of the dogs in our lives. My Macey kept me sane that first two weeks when my son was in the hospital and my husband there with him.

Somehow, I managed to start feeling like myself again. The world is still a mess, and COVID-19 is still a thing, but there is light at the end of this tunnel, and despite what I'd been feeling, it is not an oncoming train. I don't feel as strong as people say I have been, even though it's nice they think that. But I am amazed at how many hits I can take and remain standing. More than I thought I could. It is tiring, though. I kept coming back to that theme. If I could not fight 2020, I would have to flow with it. Adaptability has never been my strong suit. I am a very stubborn, very Capricorn woman of habit. So it took the mountain that is 2020 to move me.

Back to the Beginning

These days, I find myself falling back to the things that brought me joy when I was growing up. Drawing. Reading. Watching old movies and TV shows. And it occurred to me that I needed a new theme word for 2021.

This year, I'm going back to the basics. I'm going to revisit that excitement I experienced as a kid and let it fill the things I do. Just because I am an adult, doesn't mean I have to give up the wonder and joy I felt as a girl. Instead, I'm going to dive into the things that make me happy. Getting my hands in the dirt. Sketching and reading new books. Decorating a room in a fresh way that makes me smile.

I'm going to let being happy become my goal. Nothing fancy, nothing flashy. Just happiness, wherever I can find it and in whatever measure it's there. Like a joyful scavenger hunt. You're welcome to join me. Happy New Year!

Heat and Rain and Thunderstorms, Oh My!

Every summer, it seems like Mother Nature throws everything she has at us. This year, it's rain, flooding, and those terrible wildfires out west.

I'd like to remind everyone to be watchful of pets, kids, and the elderly in this heat. My older dog is drooping, and I've been working to keep her cool and hydrated, as she doesn't seem to tolerate the high temperatures the way she used to. If your pets are doing the same, it may be a good idea to give them a cool (not cold) bath to bring down their temperatures. My younger dog enjoys ice chips and cubes. You might also want to get your pets (or humans, for that matter) out into an air-conditioned environment for a while.

My dog's a bit better this morning than she was yesterday, so it's a matter of keeping an eye on her. Do the same for your pets and family, and try to stay cool, yourself. This heat's gotta break soon!

Juuuust Right!

Fate gets a bad rap sometimes, from folks who don't believe in it, and sometimes even from myself. For example, I recently had a two-week streak of rotten luck that left me wishing for the following Sunday. However, this past week, I'd have to say my luck turned around. I got a new car (a Honda Civic, which I adore), and my family got a new dog.

We had been talking about a second dog here and there, and one day we came across one that we loved. Unfortunately for us (but fortunately for the dog), he got adopted just before we arrived to adopt him. Then we saw a dog at a local shelter that we wanted, but she, too, was adopted. Rotten luck, like I said.

Then, my husband discovered a few pups on Petfinder, of the same breed as the first dog we'd seen. Turns out, she's exactly what our family needed. Macey is smart, obedient, housetrained, and a great companion for us, as well as our Beagle, who now has a companion while we're away at work. She's an Australian Cattle Dog, and while we had some reservations about keeping this high-energy breed stimulated during our long hours away from the house, it seems Macey is perfectly happy just with twice-a-day walks, runs at the dog park, and learning (fast!) whatever tricks we want to teach her. She's such a sweet girl that I've been entertaining ideas of training her as a therapy dog. So, it seems Macey was fated to be a part of our family after all!

Houdini Cat (And How I Learned To Lose Gracefully)

It must be because spring's coming. My old cat, Skyler, now age ten ... ish ... has turned spry, and learned new tricks.

We got her from the pound, and she is by far one of the most affectionate cats who's ever owned me. She was always quite the butterball, but she's losing weight now that she's getting older. But with that weight loss, I seem to have gained an escape artist.

She zips outside when we open the door, and forget trying to get her back in until she's good and ready. She gets into cupboards. She gets into grocery bags. And she has figured out how to open our locking baby gate that separates the downstairs from the upstairs. (I think she even snickers at the clueless dog while she does it.)

Short of a lock-and-key system (and I'm pretty sure she'll figure that out, too), there's no keeping Skyler out of where she wants to be. Which is usually right next to me, so I don't have the heart to scold her. Now, I just reach down and scratch her behind the ears, and listen to her purring. And she's still one of the best cats I've ever owned. :)

Why Cats Rock

I really don't even need to preface this one with any words. Maru. Funniest cat ever.

Here, sleep. Heeeeere, sleep!

Right. So I'm up late on the phone with a pal last night (late for me). No problem. Still got plenty of time to catch some Z's, and that was my decision. 9:40 p.m. Good to go. Close eyes.

Wake up. DH's arms are wrapped around my middle and he's murmuring amorously in my ear. Crack eye open. 1:23 a.m. Is he kidding? He doesn't have to get up at the arse-crack of dawn in the morning to do laundry, feed the baby, cart him off to daycare, and then spend the day on the phone at work chugging cappuccino to stay awake. Murmur back, snuggle a bit, hope that's sufficient. Seems to be. Close eyes.

Wake up. Baby's crying. Open eye. 3:20 a.m. Grooooan. (You have to understand. The baby NEVER cries in the middle of the night, not since he was a month old.) Beg DH to take care of him, which he does. Yay, DH. Doze.

Wake up, ten minutes later. Baby is crying, DH unable to get him back to sleep, so assumes he is hungry (unusual for baby this early). DH is busy with diaper, asks if I can get bottles together. Sigh. Get up, make bottles, give one to DH to feed baby. Yay again, DH. Check clock. 3:43 a.m. OK, let's try this again. Close eyes.

Wake up. Cat is on my head trying to get into windowsill even though window is shut and have no idea what he wants out there at...4:10 a.m. Start to cry. Get up, toss cat out, shut bedroom door. Try desperately to close eyes.

Finally. Dreaming! Some strange thing about having dinner at a theme restaurant with a lot of crazy seafaring gear on the walls. What the hell am I eating? Is this fish? Should it be looking back at me?

Buzzzzzzzz. Alarm clock. 5:00 a.m. Damn. Try to consider whether it is better to be awake than to have bizarre dream. Then contemplate how big a cappuccino one can have before going into caffeine overload. Contemplate filling a swimming pool with it and diving in. This is going to be a looooooong day.

And it's Monday.