The Lucky Dog Blog

OUT AND ABOUT IN HOPKINS

Yesterday after running some errands in the morning Marilyn and Al stopped in downtown Hopkins for lunch. Readers may recall that they live on 8^th  Street, but about three (long) blocks north of the business district.

       

 

They had their lunch at the Main Street Bar & Grill. It remains one of their favorite places.

 

 

Full disclosure: They went off their no meat diet for the day. Marilyn ate some beef for the first time in two years. She decided to go all out and see if gluten was a real challenge as well. So far, not reaction, so maybe the gluten-free idea was a bit premature. That said, she is going to return to her plant-based diet. The beef wasn't all that good after all. Al's lunch was a BLT Chicken Finger Sandwich. He also strayed from the plant-based diet, but I think he will repent and go back to his vegetarian ways.

   

Sounds good to this little black dog, but I will stick with my special dog food. They got me a fresh new bag.

Yes, we had a big snow storm starting last night. Photos tomorrow.

Lucky

WRITING CLASS III

 

Marilyn went to a writing class last night. The cartoon at left reminded me of the little red haired girl she once was. Apparently, she still thinks that little girl is still in there –  hiding under a thatch of gray hair.

But to get to the point:  Last night's workshop was about editing and self publishing your work. It was very interesting. Marilyn learned that she loves to put superfluous “thats” into her sentences. She must have heard somewhere that (see what I mean?) she should write the way she talks. Evidently, she uses a lot of extra words that way. (I'm going to leave it alone.)

Next, the teacher discussed how to stay motivated and productive as a writer. Pretty basic balanced-life advice. Not that Marilyn would know anything about that. She is off balance most of the time.

The third part of the class was even more interesting. The teacher brought her small laptop and showed the class how (relatively) simple it is to self publish. Actually, it is quite complex, but likely easier than facing a boatload of rejection slips from editors. Just put it out there and see if anyone is going to like reading the work produced.

There are  several ways to self-publish. Traditionally, it was a very expensive process to find a publisher who then requires that the writer purchase a large number of books the writer had to sell. A rather daunting idea. It took deep pockets and a big ego.

The next ways largely just require the ego part.

You can find an e-publishing company to guide you through the process or you can sign up for an Amazon.com subsidiary called “createspace.com” and follow the directions. It sounds simple, but the reality is a little more complex as the teacher showed the class.

A third way is to format specifically for Kindle. There is a free program called “Kindle Previewer” can be dowloaded and then, once again, simply follow directions. It is a bit more complicated than it would seem on the surface.

All of the e-readers on the market have different requirements: Kindle, Nook and Sony (and others I suppose) all have proprietary formatting needs.

To sum up, self publishing is not easy, but it can be very inexpensive (from free to a small charge ($3–5) for a proof book and $10 for an ISBN number. (The latter is free if you want to allow Amazon to be the publisher of record.)

Marilyn is far from completing a manuscript of any kind, but she does have two in the works. Maybe she will eventually get one completed. Her life is littered with half finished projects and time is flying by. She needs to get a schedule established. She could learn a lot from me.

Lucky

HARRY POTTER CLOAK - DAY TWO

 

Ian came by again yesterday so he and Marilyn could work on his costume. Ian is learning to use the sewing machine which he thinks is interesting because it has a lot of computerized functions. A couple of years ago, Marilyn taught another grandson, Eric, how to sew and they made Christmas gifts for his family.

Ian visited a Harry Potter themed park or museum (Marilyn isn't clear on which) in Florida, and is currently reading the Harry Potter books, so he is really interested in the character right now.

Ian did most of the sewing. The costume is starting to look more finished but there will be at least one more day of work needed. That will be the tricky part –  melding the red lining to the black outside, but I think they can do it. Marilyn is doing the boring parts –  reinforcing the ravel-y satin at key points so it won't fall apart with vigorous play. She hopes it will last until Halloween.

       

I thought I would be interested in learning to sew, myself, but I found it made me too nervous. I am much more suited to guard duty. You never know when the mail man or a school bus will come by.

Lucky

HARRY POTTER CLOAK

Yesterday Ian came by and he and Marilyn began to work on his Harry Potter cloak. I wrote about it earlier and finally they are beginning to make it.

            

The costume is to be made of black satin with a red satin lining. (Marilyn has a propensity for finding difficult to work with fabrics starting with making her first (and only) Barbie Doll satin ball gown for a favored niece.

They plan to work on it again today. They enjoy working together and have a lot of fun with these projects. I like it when the boys visit because I have a playmate for a while.                                    

I think the cloak will be very nice when finished. I wonder what they will do next?

Lucky

QI GONG

Marilyn is adding something new in her attempt to feel better and healthier. It is  best described as:

QiGong (pronounced "chee gong" and alternatively spelled as "qigong," "qi gong," or "chi kung") is sometimes called “the new yoga” - but the practice dates back thousands of years to ancient China. The word “qi” (or “chi”) means “life force” or "vital energy of the body," and “gong” means accomplishment or skill that is cultivated through steady practice. Qi Gong is specifically designed to cultivate the body's vital energy, using it to heal and strengthen every system throughout the body. Thus, qi gong means “cultivating energy,” and it involves working with energy to strengthen and cleanse the body

The above quote is from a site called "Exercise to Heal" . It was easier to copy that than write my own description. There is more information on Wikipedia for those who might be interested. Like acupuncture, there are those who question it, but Marilyn figures she has little to lose except some time and she has plenty of that on her hands these days.

Now she is learning movements like: Repelling Monkeys, Plucking Silk Threads and Goose Takes Flight. I would like to be a fly on the wall and watch that.

There are three students in her weekly class and she reports that is is quite a workout even though it is low impact with gentle movements. It is similar to Tai Chi, but easier on her old bones. She thinks the following cartoon sums up the need for her to get moving:

                                                                                                             

I get plenty of exercise in my role of protecting and guarding, so I think I will just take a nap now.

Lucky

FRUIT TRUFFLES

Marilyn made apricot balls the other day. Well, that is what I would call them, she said they were truffles. (What do I know?)  She used her friend, Candyse's recipe.

 

    

The little balls are very easy to make (unlike the Oreo Truffles she made one time). The recipe is simple:

1–1/2 cup dried fruit (any kind)

1/2 cup almond meal

I Tbsp. honey or agave syrup

1/2 tsp. ginger.

Mix about 45 seconds in a food processor, divide into small balls and roll them in almond meal, cocoa or powdered sugar.

M & A thought they were delicious.

    

One of the apricot balls fell to the floor and I ate it. Apricot are not my thing!

Lucky

BIRTHDAY BOY

Yesterday was Marilyn's grandson Max's birthday. It is hard to believe he is 11 years old already.

    

Marilyn and Al were over at Ben and Vicki's house for cake and to see the birthday presents. Max got games and an electronic device that he had pined for (his brother, Ian, already had one.) M & A admired them, but didn't really understand all that the new devices do. They are no longer on the cutting edge of technology.

No one brought me any cake. Bummer.

    

Happy Birthday, Max!

Lucky

OUR FIRST BIG SNOW

Monday night we received the first heavy snow we have had this winter. Tuesday morning I was happy to be inside the house where it was warm, but I was on guard in case a school bus were to pass by. (Yes, it was a regular school day. A little snow does not change routines here in Minnesota.)

           

There was about three inches of snow, but the weather turned sunny early in the morning. Marilyn thought it looked pretty and took a lot of pictures. It was a wet snow, perfect for snowmen and snow balls, but I didn't have anyone to come and play with me. Sometimes I really miss Brutus.

    

Lucky

MARILYN'S NEW CHOIR

Last night Marilyn went to a local school to attend choir practice. The photos are from the card she received telling her about the choir. There are more than 25 members. 

            

She had fun and met a lot of nice people. They have their own website (above).

         

It is good to see Marilyn going out in our new community.

I still have Al to contend with under my paws.

Lucky

PRESIDENT'S DAY

 

Today is a holiday and I don't have much to report. We won't be getting any mail –  the usual high point of the day around here. I get to bark lustily at the mail man, while Al and Marilyn yell at me to be quiet. It can get pretty noisy for a while.

Sometimes, I think they make a lot more noise than I do.

 

 

This being a holiday, there is no school so Marilyn and Ian have a project. They are going to make a Harry Potter robe. Ian said not to worry about the insignia pin –  he already has that on hand. Marilyn may be somewhat handicapped by the presence of a little boy when making the garment. She will have to watch her language, but I suspect there will be little bursts of blue steam coming from her ears from time to time. The photo below is what they are aiming for.

                                     

When they get it finished, I will have a photo and you can judge how well they did. It is supposed to snow tonight, so we may have a brief spate of winter weather. I think it is time for my nap.

Lucky