Let Your Soul and Spirit Fly – Van Morrison
BAU: It’s Summer Time
Bau: I’m Feeling So Blue
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Bau: My New Year’s Manifesto
This short manifesto introduces twelve (12) changes to better my environment and personal growth.
TRAINING
In this coming year, I pledge to be more diligent in training my Human. She is very slow at understanding my needs. As an only dog, I at times feel ignored. I deserve and demand prompt attention.
BELLY RUBS
A substantial increase in belly rubs. This is part of her duty as Dog Mom and she has been slacking off on the job. This task is part of the Care Oath she took when she adopted me. Thus, she must increase the quantity of belly rubs as well as the length of time spent on each.
PAW-SONAL SPACE RULE
I decree a paw-sonal space boundary. No disturbances during my royal nap time. That means no vacuuming or other loud household noises. A dog’s sense of sound is far more superior to that of a Human. Respect is required in this situation.
NAP TIME REQUIREMENTS
Besides the aforementioned no noise, more nap times are to be integrated into my daily routine. Enough with having to play with idiotic stuffed animals (that in itself is insulting) for her own pleasure. Time in the past which was spent on this is to be transferred to more nap time.
TREATS VERSUS SNACKS
By experience a treat is something I get for performing or obeying a command. By the power of this manifesto, I hereby demand that there be an upgrade in my treats. Throw out those sub-par “treats” that leave me with a belly ache. Thus, another reason for more care in belly rubs. Snacks refer to real human food like carrot sticks or a bowl of yogurt. Keep those coming.
BARKING PRIVILEGES
I will no longer be restrained from barking at growling dogs. They are a threat to the neighborhood and so I resolve to be the watchdog in creating a harmless canine community. To refrain me from barking is to go against my instinctive duty to keep the neighborhood safe.
DISCRIMINATING PLAYMATES
I request to be introduced to more dogs to play with and to develop my social skills. Only dogs who meet my criteria for friendliness and charm are welcome. Growlers and whiners and other riff-raffs are banned.
CHARTER OF INDEPENDENCE
I proclaim to practice being more independent. No more charging to the door the second my human comes home. She needs to learn how upsetting it is for me to be left alone. My emotional well-being is in peril here.
THERAPY SESSIONS
Be it noted that the volunteer work I do was forced upon me. For the hours which I spend in therapy I refuse to be treated as a robot. I can’t go non stop with these ridiculous performances of give the paw, high five or dance. It is exhausting. Considering that I bring much needed joy and as an unpaid volunteer I demand a nap break at these events.
NO KIBBLES IN DISGUISE
No more Kibbles disguised as treats when I perform my volunteer duties. It is insulting having everyone think that I can be so easily duped.
FASHION MATTERS
It’s time to upgrade my wardrobe. I’ve been wearing the same tattered sweater and rather tight jacket for years. It’s about time my human invests in something more fashionable so that I can live up to my cool image in the neighborhood. And about that bowtie? Agonizingly scratchy.
LIMITLESS SNIFFING TIME
Finally, I insist on my right to sniff to my delight. A dog’s world is dominated by sniffing. Not to brag but our olfactory sense is one of the best in the animal kingdom. The benefits of sniffing are scientifically well known: provides a workout for a dog’s brain (where is that bone?). By smelling other dogs who have passed it tells us what they’re up to. It’s like doggie gossip. Sniffing also greatly reduces anxiety and stress (need I say more about this). Most importantly, a good intense sniff makes me happy!
So, as the saying goes instead of yanking on my leash, I demand that you take time to enjoy the environment with all its wonderous senses.
@Copywrite December 31, 2023
The Lilac Notebook – A Well Researched, Moving Murder Mystery
Here’s another wonderful review of my book by Ana Linden. If you are unfamiliar with Ana check out her stunning photos and books at https://analindenblog.wordpress.com/. You won’t be disappointed.
The Lilac Notebook, Carol Balawyder’s latest novel, is nothing like any of the murder mysteries I’ve read before. But one can expect it, even when not already familiar with the writer and her unmistakable style. After all, how often is a murder solved by a woman who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease?
Once Holy discovers her friend’s body and flees the scene of the crime, she becomes obsessed with finding the murderer. But there is so much more to this novel than the murder investigation itself. Once again, the author successfully weaves a complex, well-researched story, focused on a myriad of socially relevant issues.
I was instantly drawn in by the smooth narrative and the well-captured wide range of human emotions. What causes the dissolution of a marriage, what was it based on in the first place, and how can a woman suffering from Alzheimer’s handle life on her…
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New Book: The Lilac NoteBook
I am proud to present my latest novel The LILAC NOTEBOOK – a novel about Alzheimer’s, incest and murder.
Three university friends. One in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, another out for revenge and a third murdered.
Age 40, Holly Baranov is in the beginning stages of fast advancing Alzheimer’s. Unwilling to care for her, Holly’s husband leaves her. While frightened to be on her own, Holly is relieved to be freed from the clutches of a controlling husband.
She moves out of her large home in the middle-class west end section of Montreal and into a small apartment near McGill University where she enrolls in a poetry course in the hopes of activating new brain cells.
There she meets Kim Harris, a thirty-something beautiful but damaged law student and Amelia Rose, a twenty-year-old pole dancer in a seedy nightclub who wants nothing more than to graduate, teach high school, marry and raise a family.
When Amelia is found strangled in her apartment, Holly becomes embroiled in the investigation, both as amateur detective and prime suspect. Along with her fading memory, she has also lost her ability to speak and write. Uncertain whether she killed Amelia as her friend Kim, her ex-husband Roy and the police suspect her of doing so, Holly must race against her own failing memory, and progressive illness, to discover the real murderer, even if that means finding out the truth about herself.
Available on Amazon
and Smashwords
Free Kindle app Available on iOS, Android, Mac and PC.
Thank you for your support.
Please help me spread the word by posting this on your social media preference and /or e-mailing it to your friends. A short revue will be gratefully appreciated.
Bau: It’s here!
It’s finally on sale – a book which I have been working on for years.
Throughout these years the book’s title has changed. It first was Only the Lonely, inspired by Roy Orbison’s iconic song Only the Lonely and which I also included as a quote in the beginning of the novel.
Then the title became The Boy Next Door but I found it told only part of the story. The Set Up was the third title but after a bit of research I found that there were too many books with that title.
Finally, I settled with Just Before Sunrise because it evokes the question: What happened just before sunrise? Which is the whole point of the story.
Right now, Bau, who has been so tolerant throughout this process is still manifesting his patience and control. He is just eagerly waiting for me to finish this post and press publish so that he can go for his well earned walk.
I am very proud to present my dog Mom’s latest novel Just Before Sunrise. It is available in both e-book and paperback.
I hope that those of you who will read it will enjoy it.
Description on AMAZON
After The Ice Storm
Here are some photos I took outside my home this morning. Nature can be brutal but also forgiving.
BAU: A Mid-February Walk
Walking in the Snow is Serious Stuff
Snow Melting on The St Lawrence Seaway
BAU: Lazy Saturday
I LOVE LAUNDRY DAYS
BAU: 66 Days Until Spring
D.G. Kaye: About The Real Stages of Grief – A Book Review
Using her personal experience as caretaker for her dying husband, followed by her four-year grieving the loss of her beloved companion, D.G. Kaye’s latest memoir is filled with touching and relatable stories as well as useful advice on the grieving journey. She makes clear that grief is by no means a quick fix-it or a one-size-fits-all.
Nor is it a one-time action. Although there are highly recognized stages, that is not to say that once one goes through a particular stage, triggers will bring you back into that stage. Grief is a process that shapes our new identity. You can’t hide from it; you cannot bury the grief because it will show up unexpectedly: hearing a certain song or going through the grocery isle where your loved one’s favorite food is stacked hits you with the starkness of your brokenness.
The message is that you are really never finished grieving. It is an ever-ending process. Although this may seem discouraging, the truth is that it is comforting to know that we are not alone.
Grief is a new addition to our lives. One we must become acquainted with.
Much like her other memoirs, D.G. Kaye offers honest talk about her process as she develops new social circles, joins a gym group to get out of the house which turns into new friendships. Yet, she warns not to lose yourself from neglect. And most importantly,
Honor your loss on your own terms.
Grief is personal and yet universal. That is its paradox: It robs you of what used to fill you with joy (in D.G. Kaye’s case it was, for a long time, her joy of reading) and yet grief acts as a companion as it forces you to adjust going solo: tackling tasks that were once the domain of her husband, taking on more financial responsibilities, eating alone, the empty bed.
Finally, this memoir offers comfort, support and entertainment.
Ana Linden: Shooting Stars Book 3 – A Book Review
Book Overview
When you’re 18 and you’re in love with two best friends, do you really have to make a choice or is there a way to enjoy the best of two worlds? As Sandra and her friends navigate the final part of their high school experience, priorities shift, shocking secrets are revealed and drama, insecurity, heartbreak and despair threaten to engulf their lives.
In book 3 of her series by the same name Ana Linden’s fresh style provides a nostalgic reflection on one’s own high school and university days.
Although part of the novel does entertain the importance of grades, it is merely a sidetrack to the main focus: the On Again/Off Again relationship.
The novel occurs between 2005-2006 (from high school to university) but the characters (a close-knit group of friends) are timeless in the discovering of teenage love, despair, heartbreak, dealing with parents, sex, fears and emotions. The author is skilled at capturing the universality of the YA years as she explores the complexities of the teenage and early adult experience from self confidence to self -loathing as characterized through the different personalities.
As principal character, Sandra, plays a strong and appealing role who has her own struggles to conquer.
“…her poignant dark humour, her crazy loyalty to her friends, that stubbornness … as well as that infuriating ability to know everything before anyone else and to always be right.”
She insists on a casual dating relationship with two of the male protagonists vying for her attention: Super wealthy and over confident Sebastian and Adrian who has a penchant for drama and filled with insecurities. Sandra’s On Again/Off Again relationship with each of the boys inevitably causes friction between the young men.
Despite the novel’s focus on Sandra’s relationship with Sebastian and Adrian, the author tackles with flair multiple perspectives regarding Sandra’s friendship with her other friends – both female and male, thus enhancing the depth and emotional impact of the story. And then there’s preparing to go to university. Playing football. Smoking. Drinking. Parental pressure and dealing with step-parents.
If you’re looking for a relaxing read which focuses on character development and heartwarming adventure this is a book that delivers. It is bound to take you back on a nostalgic and even perhaps melancholic adventure into your past.
EXCERPT:
“You just get her a pair that you notice her try on when she goes shopping, what’s the big deal? And how hard is it to figure out her size? Come on, it’s right there on the sole,” Sebastian rolled his eyes, but Adrian seemed more confused than ever. “I mean, you go shopping with her, don’t you?”
“Sometimes, yeah… but I usually wait for her outside, that stuff’s boring. She goes on and on about clothes and shoes and shit, and I just drift off.”
“What is it that the two of you do when you’re together anyway?” Sebastian loved shopping with Sandra, she had great taste and he appreciated her input in his choices, it made him feel she cared. “Actually, don’t tell, me,” he shook his head with sudden disgust, “I don’t want to know.”
October: The Last Days
HAPPY HALLOWEEN
Autumn’s Splendor
I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree
– Joyce Kilmer
To read the entire beautiful poem click on Wordsfromanneli.
Thank you, Anneli, for the inspiration for this post. 💕
October: The Middle Days
Here are a couple of highlights from a cruise I recently went on with my family.
HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA
Along the boardwalk
I had been to Halifax before but for a wedding and had not been by the port. At the port was the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 where I got information on my grandfather who had immigrated from Poland in 1899.
BAR HARBOR, MAINE
I admit that I was apprehensive about setting foot in the USA. Some of you may recall a post I wrote about boycotting travelling to The States.
It’s not that I have dropped boycotting spending money in the states. The cruise was an opportunity for me to spend time with my sister and so I was willing to make the concession. Besides, going to Bar Harbor was on my bucket list.
Maine is known for its wild blueberries. I didn’t mind spending money on local businesses such as buying a blueberry muffin in this pretty bakery shop in Bar Harbor.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTES
Boston’s Public Garden
One of the amusing things about this garden is the “Make Way for Ducklings” sculpture.
In promoting her book Ducks on Parade in an interview with the Bostonia magazine in 2021, Nancy Shon said: “In 1987, when I installed the bronze sculpture of Mrs. Mallard and her eight baby ducklings, never in my wildest dreams did I think that they would become an iconic landmark of Boston.”
Winner of the 1942 Caldecott Medal, Make Way for Ducklings tells the tale of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard who are looking for a suitable place to raise a family. They finally settle on Boston. But a large city like Boston can present certain challenges for a family of mallards. And the mallards prove to present certain challenges for the city of Boston!
BACK HOME MID OCTOBER WAS IN FULL BLOOM
October: The Early Days
Lingering Summer
Red lipstick for an upcoming gala
October Harvest
The Beauty of Change
A Fall Haircut
All photos taken by me with Bau, my photography advisor. Thanks to his constantly stopping to sniff something, I am made to slow down and feel the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet or smell the sweet scent of falling maple leaves. And admire
The Glory of Nature
Carol Balawyder 