"Four Paws"

Road Rules

Make sure you don't leave home without these travel essentials.

1. Medical and vaccine records.

2. Pet tags with your cell phone number.

3. Favorite toys.

4. Your dogs meds.

5. Food, water bowl, scooper

6. Leash.

7. Harness or travel seat

8. Special treats.

Have a safe and great road trip with your pets this summer. They depend on us for their safety.

Sherry/treehugger-peninhand.blogspot.com

"Sentence"

Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts.

This requires not that the writer make all sentences short or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline, but that every word count.

(Strunk & White)

The above from Strunk & White is a constant rule that I revisit. After writing a chapter that I think is the best ever, when I edit, 2/3 is telling not showing, and I've written unnecessary words. I admit it. I'm a chatter box. My brain jumps around like a frog trying out all the lily pads on his pond. I won't tell you how many words this post had before I kicked out the unnecessary.

I'm working hard on pruning-out the deadwood in my YA. Cutting those precious little darlings is painful. But, I must. And find those showing words that fuel my story. Unnecessary words are nothing more than reading clutter. Remember, less is better, always.

Happy Writing,

Magdalena

"At the Beginning"

Remind yourself that everyone must start at the beginning. Some of the most famous authors have received horrible reviews or worked for peanuts the first few years of their literary careers.

It is all part of the game. Every job has its ups and downs; writing is no different. You must tell yourself that for every down. there will come an up. Then eat a box of chocolates.(S. Garland)

P.S. Never, never, never give up on your dream to write.

Sherry/treehugger-peninhand.blogspot.com

"Exercise With Potatoes"

Exercise Program for People Over Sixty

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side.

With a 5-pound potato bag in each hand, extend your arms straight out f rom your sides and hold them there for as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax.

Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to a 10-pound bags.

Then try 50- pounds bags, and eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-pound potato bag in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute.

After you feel confident at that level, place a potato in each bag.

Ha Ha

Sherry/treehugger-peninhand.blogspot.com

"Four Paws"

They comfort me.

A study of a twice-weekly dog visitation program in rest homes showed significant decreases in depression, anxiety, and confusion.

The survival rate for heart surgery patients is higher for those who have dogs in their home than those who don't. Those who own dogs tolerate stress better and have lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

Your heart rate tends to be lower when you sit quietly or read aloud in the presence of a furry friend than when you do so alone.

Your furry friends give you unconditional acceptance. They listen to the same story again and again, just as though it was the first time.

Take care of those furry friends. Remember, their life spam is shorter than ours. So love them back, unconditional.

Sherry/treehugger-peninhand.blogspot.com