I'm back!

It's been a busy summer!

Say hello to Jake. When he is not destroying my house, he sits on the couch like this and judges me. His full name is: "God dammit, Jake, get down from there!" He is a German Shepherd mixed with a kangaroo. No shelf is too high; no flat surface cannot be conquered! He is sixty pounds of muscle and determination.

It's an experience to hear a noise in the night, turn on the lights, walk into the living room, and find your dog standing on the dining room table. The chairs are all pushed in and undisturbed. From a standing position, he can bound over the sofa in one clean swoop.

Get-down Jake has eaten several books, a couple of chew toys, a charger cord, and about a ton of cat food since I adopted him from the rescue. I have to hide my cell phone, and when it rings, I have to follow the sound because I forgot where my safe spot is located.

My summer has been so busy I have had no time to write. I come home from work, and the work begins. John had eye surgery, so I have to give him his eye drops. Then the old dog Charlotte gets her arthritis medicine. Then a glucometer check and insulin for the old cat that's suddenly decided to be diabetic. The pharmacist at Santa Maria generously gave me a free box of Band-Aids with the insulin bottle and syringes.

After I treat the cat and feed her special diabetic cat food, I go to the rabbit. Eeyore the bunny is fourteen years old. Her tear ducts do not work well, but she's too old for anesthesia to fix them surgically. So, I do warm compresses on her eyes and apply antibiotic salve. Once the rabbit is treated, I help Lilly with the 18-year-old yappy dog with dementia. Sugar has to be introduced to her food bowl repeatedly during each meal. Sometimes she forgets how to stand and eat at the same time, sinking into a white ball of floor flattened in front of the bowl. The fur ball has to be stood upright again and reintroduced to her supper.

Then it's time to eat my own meal. Thankfully, the parakeets and fish are healthy-so far.

I am still working on my writing project. I have had a few prospective offers. A local bookstore that holds book fairs for local authors is interested. An anthropology professor at UNLV wants to check out my books. Right now, I am working on a small book of humorous essays-let's see where that goes.

Now that John's eyes are better, the cat's blood sugar is stable, and the bunny is on a routine, I plan to get back to writing. Unless Jake eats the laptop. Or the dog with dementia forgets what her water bowl is holding.