Happy 4th of July

It’s a day of celebration for Americans…..and I think I’ll use this chance to celebrate the folks who help me out each day.

My husband. Also known as my artistic patron. Our son asked the other day, “When is it Dad’s turn to scoop out the cat litter?” (My son has been on scoop-duty quite a bit since school ended for the summer.) I said, “Well, never, really. Because we depend on Dad for our very survival.” I think it gave my son pause. But it’s true. I certainly wouldn’t be at home, watching the kids and pets, sort of making supper, sort of cleaning, and blogging and writing without my successful better-half keeping us off the streets. Thanks, sweetie.

My children. They do keep me young. And they make sure I don’t stay in the house all day writing (even if I want to.) Yes, I’d be an odd-looking recluse if it weren’t for my extremely popular children and their many play-dates.

My cats (pictured). Why? Well….hmm. I guess because they keep me on my toes. Smoke (on the right) knocks at my bedroom door at 4:00 a.m. to make sure I don’t oversleep. Shadow (left) eats my printed-out WIP and upchucks it on the floor. Everyone’s a critic, I guess….but it reminds me to make my work the very best it can be. And to put it on top of the fridge when I’m not writing on it.

My corgi, Chloe. Because she listens to everything I say. So, when I say “Ouch…did you fall down?” to my daughter, Chloe hears: “Ball” and goes wild. Her idea of a best selling book would be one with the following text: "Wanna go for a walk? Wanna play ball? Outside? Potty? Kibbles? Where's your leash? Good girl. The End.” It’s so nice to have someone hanging on your every word…even when they’re listening for the 10 words they actually know.