Age, Dogs and Pomagranates

Three good things happened yesterday.

1. The New York Times reported that 60 is the new 40 (in terms of age, that is). Since I will turn 60 in a little over three months I am happy to know I am still 39! Better yet, I might actually accomplish what I now know I want to do when I grow up.

2. Ratchet, the mongrel befriended by Army Spc. Gwen Beberg, 28, of Minneapolis, was picked up Sunday by an animal rescue group and will be re-united with his human companion back in the states. The story underlines the special role dogs play in preserving the mental health of soldiers in combat. It also points attention at the military policy against keeping pets.

According to the AP story, "Baghdad Pups has brought 56 dogs and six cats to the U.S. to be with their owners since February. The group says it is both rescuing animals who face abuse in Iraq, as well as helping soldiers who benefit from the bond developed with the animals."
You can learn more about Baghdad Pups at: http://www.baghdadpups.com.

And, if you care to comment on the military's policy towards keeping pets in combat zones you can learn more about it at: http://info@mars-savehaven.net.


3. Pomagranates are in season...healthy, delicious additives for salads, yoghurt and muffins!

'The Story of Edgar Sawtelle'

At midnight last night I finished this marvelous book by David Wroblewski. This debut novel has received lots of attention, Oprah pick, NYT #1 bestseller, etc. , etc. and having completed it I can understand why. It is a story that dog lovers will have trouble putting down and that readers and writers will also thoroughly enjoy. Edgar is the mute son of Gar and Trudy Sawtelle, dog breeders from a remote area in Wisconsin. Edgar's muse and protector, a Sawtelle dog named Almondine, is as strong a character as any in the book. Her insights into human nature are endearing and astute.

Edgar begins his 'coming of age' at the discovery that his Uncle Claude was responsible for Gar's murder but Edgar is hard pressed to accuse the man without proof. As in Hamlet the murder is reinacted by Edgar with the aid of three Sawtelle pups under his tutelage. He gets the reaction he expected out of Claude but when Trudy ignores the revelation Edgar runs away from home taking his three pups but leaving Almondine, who Edgar thought sided with Trudy.

Edgar becomes a man both figuratively and emotionally during his months away from home but returns homesick and determined to avenge his father's death. The heart wrenching story has an action packed and disturbing finish that will stay with me forever.

I give it five stars.

Memory vs Nostalgia

Also gleaned from the 'Debutants Ball' blog: "We might call the use of the past, in conjunction with the present, memory; the rejection of the present for an imagined past, nostalgia."

There is a lot of truth in this and it rings particularly loudly with the protagonists in my novel-in-progress which deals with the 40th reunion of a Detroit rock band from the Sixties. So, while memory serves to remind us of both the mistakes and successes of our past and thereby enhance our present condition, nostalgia serves to pretend that life was always better in the 'good ole days' ...something we all know is not necessarily true and which can lead to emotional and intellectual paralysis.

Green Hydrangea

I know when my Annabelle hydrangea turn from their cloud white to an uplifting shade of spring green that Fall is just around the corner. A cruel trick on their part. My heart sinks with dread as I realize daylight will be scant, sunshine rare and temperatures crisp. I don't mind the cooler temperature but I thrive on sun. Come mid-December my body will crave its warmth, my mind will seek inspiration in other places. Music, good books and my writing will provide sustinance for my soul.

It is a good thing, Fall. I keep telling myself that my schedules relaxes, gardens renew and thoughts turn inward. Fall is the perfect time to fire up those creative embers and get things cooking. What's not to welcome! Thank goodness for the season's songs of color that celebrate Summer's last chance to inspire.

The fourth draft of my novel is almost complete. By the end of October I hope to let it rest so that when I pick it up again in December I will have a fresh perspective with which to give it a polished finish. Exciting really!

I just finished a post that British author Eliza Graham wrote in 'Debutante Ball' where she says the turning point in a novel is "when the progatonists realize they can never, ever return to being the person they were at the start of their story." Something in that rang true with me.
Of course, every day we are a different person and therefore can't return to who we were the day before. And once Summer has passed it is fruitless to mourn for it.

So, Fall, I am here for you as I know you are here for me. I'll pick those spring green hydrangea before they brown, vase them on my writing desk and we'll both make the best of it.

Yin and Yang

I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel on my novel. I am working on the fourth draft and while I have said this several times in the past six months, this time I mean it. It needs a few more revisions but I can finally get my arms around its generous girth.

I think I will plough through the next thirteen chapters to the end then give it a rest. November is NAtional NOvel WRIting MOnth (NaNoWriMo) so I might use the time to attempt to write a short novel. An admirable goal and worthy experiment.

Maybe I'll write about the Yin and Yang of puppies.


Speaking of which, here is a photo of Yin and Yang puppies at six days old.
I wonder if this is how they were in Emily's womb. I watched these two for over ten minutes and while they both shuffled and squirmed they stayed together in a mutual hug apparently for warmth as well as comfort. Beautiful.

Puppy Update #1

Emily's third litter was born Tuesday, September 30 starting at 5:30 am. By 9:30 she had delivered seven pups and then at 11:30 after I had already sent out the announcement she delivered a handsome young boy. He is the smallest, naturally, and I started supplementing with goat's milk today.

All the pups are larger than those in the last two litters, even my little straggler, quite vocal and active.

Emily is a very attentive mother and only today allowed Meora and Phoebe near the mud room off the kitchen where the whelping box is located.

We have six boys and two girls, quite a switch from the last two litters and four are already spoken for. I will wait for three or four weeks to determine which pup goes with which family as their personalities won't be evident until then.

Emily has a hearty appetite, eats four smaller meals a day as opposed to the usual two times a day. She is just this afternoon showing a desire to join the rest of her Carney 'pack' so usually parks herself halfway between the puppy room and our family room when the pups are sleeping.

Debate Impressions

Anyone else get the impression Sara came from a cookie cutter and has enough sugar coating to choke a goat?

There is no mistake, she is cut from the same mold as George Bush and John McCain despite her claims to the contrary... with a little less substance.

As many misgivings as I have had about Joe Biden I think he behaved himself and not only gave good, sound answers to Gwen's questions but poked some pretty solid holes in Sarah's answers and showed his family side.

What business did Sarah run as an executive? Less than two years as governor and six years as mayor of a city of less than 10,000.

She's a hockey mom with one kid going to war and one with special needs. Not enough background to run a country. She has opinions about public policy and the good fortune to be a 'maverick' just like the vice-presidential candidate who selected her.

I have just returned from Europe and it is painfully clear Sara has no clue how little the rest of the world thinks of our policies and our politics. They are anxious to see a new direction come out of the White House. They are taking this election much more seriously than the 'hockey mom' quips that Sarah likes to utter. Yes, we are living in a country that values its hometowns but we cannot deny we are also living in a global society that deserves validity.

How in God's name is she going to win the war, punish Wall Street and cut taxes all at the same time and from a folksy hockey mom's rubber glove ethic?

Gosh Darn it and God bless her, I just don't see it happening. And her 'Me vs Washington' claims just don't ring true.