I put the manuscript in my virtual filing drawer for a few weeks before coming back to it. Now I can see some changes I need to make. After several more weeks of work, the deadline for submitting this manuscript for a conference critique is almost here. Today, I am happy to say that the manuscript went in the mail! Now I will patiently wait for the conference and critique. In the meantime, I’ll visit my virtual drawer and see what else needs revising.

My plan for January? Cook simply (no rich foods) and eat lots of fruits and vegetables. In other words, eat like a rabbit. I’ll keep busy with my writing, quilting, and puppy raising and hope it keeps me from snacking. I know I’ll have lots of company because January is “diet month” for most Americans.

The “winners” this year will be butter cookies, chocolate raspberry bars, cherry bonbons, butterscotch bars, sweet chocolate smiles, and many other varieties. All hardy enough to survive some shuffling and potentially being dropped. The icing on the cake will be the cherry, lemon, and blackberry truffles – three varieties chosen by request of the recipients.

This project will be days in the making but well worth it. After all, what could be more fun for a cookie lover than making 10 varieties. Time to get started!

What a great puppy meeting Brianne had tonight. We practiced the “Go to Bed” command. Some of the dogs didn’t know what to do because they hadn’t been trained. Others performed well. Brianne did an excellent job on the command, especially considering all the distractions around her – people, smells, and about a dozen other dogs. She performed better than dogs her age and some that were older. Tonight, she was a star! She deserves mega hugs tonight.

It’s only a few weeks until I hang my orange and black decorations, so I’m furiously sewing. This is a quilt that will be hung and admired rather than used. Will I be done in time? Let’s hope so, or I’ll have to wait a whole year to enjoy this Halloween treat.

When Brianne isn’t exploring, she loves to nap. Out like a baby, but she perks right up when my bichon jumps on my lap. With Brianne, she can never get too much attention. She loves cuddles, body massages, and hugs. This is an “all about me” dog!

I asked my husband to join me on the ride to Guide Dogs for the Blind. It took us almost an hour on the road because of the exceptionally bad traffic. With the bumper-to-bumper crawl down the highway, I was beginning to wonder if we’d arrive before the facility closed. After a long wait, the woman on duty brought out Brianne, a labrador/golden retriever cross. Brianne was adorable but very tired, as if woken from her nap. I don’t know how much she weighed, but my husband described her as a “sack of potatoes.” Was he ever right! I couldn’t hold her for very long and passed Brianne back to him. She proceeded to throw up in the car on the way home, and when she “woke up” at our house, she proceeded to chew on anything and everything! A challenge right from day one, but I’m happy to have her.

Yesterday I picked up Braxton, a beautiful, six-month-old labrador retriever for my puppy sit. When I got him home he was a bit of a rascal. I didn’t know the newspaper could taste so good, or that pencil on the counter. He was golden when I had him out-and-about to the restaurant, the grocery store, and the library while I tutored. All in all, the puppy sit went well. I can’t wait to get my own puppy!