Tribute to a friend or two

    Over the years I have had several dogs that taught me something that I needed to know at that moment. Barney was named for Barney Fife & at 240 lbs was afraid of everything when he first saw it. I found him in a burlap bag in a watery ditch and I learned that even a kid can make a difference. I put that bag in the basket of my bike and rode down the side of 436 like Elmira Gultch all the way to the vets office- 11 puppies and 8 were viable. They turned out to be English Mastiffs…big babies. He was quite impressed. (Less so when I brought home a horse from the pound & proved him wrong when he said it was a goner.)  From Rana the rotti I learned to not buy into the hype on anything. She was a goof ball that loved to grab mudbugs as they crawled out and eat them…totally crazy. If there was one word for her it would be “Play”.  Sasha is “old” by Saint Bernard standards…she’s teaching me age is a number, she’s still all puppy-ish and so not ready to play by the rules.
      Today marks a year since I had to say goodbye to my furry friend who taught me the most. Daisy owned us for a decade. I teased Ed that she liked him better, but, she was my salvation. We found her running the streets with her mama and a stray terrier. Not long after we found mama dog on the road- she lost to a logging truck. I pulled in the driveway and told Ed to snag her, and what had happened. That afternoon we bought her a crate and a collar and got bowls, a ball, food and made a vets appt. for her. I expected the worst-instead we found out she was about 5 weeks old and perfectly healthy.  She knew sit, shake, and went to the door to go out. She also learned ‘high 5’ real fast. She taught me to laugh at the silly things when I was so depressed and missing my family & home-I didn’t want to deal with anyone. Really, when there’s a puppy digging in a dirt pile and all you can see is dirt flying and a waggedy tail going like a furry metronome until she’d come up all sandy nosed and bouncy…you had to laugh.

       Daisy taught me that I really didn’t need the crust on the bread- even though I liked it, or pizza crust, or the last bite of anything. She taught me that bananas were really yellow puppy treats and not something to make bread with or for Ed to snack on. She loved the puppy ice cream we made and would sit, one paw on whoever held the cup and lick it with her eyes closed- like she was savoring every bit of it. Daisy loved to go for a ride and Ed’s gator became the Daisymobile.  She loved to dig and the wild blueberries of Michigan… sadly she never got to have any of ours here. Without having any training, she seemed to know when the nightmares had returned and would bark from her kennel, next to Sasha…which normally would have set her off- but never did. Just hearing her would bring me out of it. I lost track of the number of nights she sat at my feet as I plugged away on my Master’s project after everyone else had gone to bed. She also listened to more papers and stories than anyone else had. The day we lost my brother I was home alone when I found out- she climbed in my lap and whined as I sobbed into her fur. She had the softest ears- one stuck out like Yoda.
      Daisy wasn’t a barker. If she did, you needed to go check it out—then, and she rarely took a dislike to someone, but if she growled…I got rid of them fast. I learned to trust her and always felt safe knowing she was there. She was oblivious to the kitties when they moved in…and wasn’t so sure about Squirty when he joined the family. They did become friends and he searched for her for days after she left us. I had her ashes on the mantle until I decorated for Christmas, I moved her box to my favorite book case, Squirt sat and sniffed at the box and looked back at me and whined. Tell me again how they “are only animals.”

                She was amazing and because she was, I knew I needed to find a new fur friend after she was gone. Because she put so much faith in us, I knew it was right. And it was our turn to save a pup from a who knows what. Chance has been with us 10 months. He was sitting in a cage at the shelter and had this look like he needed a friend. I’m learning to trust him…and nothing against him, but if I could have Daisy back-I’d do it in a half a heartbeat. I think in some ways he knows he has big paws to fill. How he came to be there- we have no idea. He has so many fears, I can only imagine what he went through. At the end of November he figured out what play really is and engages as often as he can. He makes me laugh daily and he’s turning into a good alarm system and I’m seeing how he picks up on the tiny things. I think him and Daisy would be great friends & that’s how it’s supposed to be…they taught me that.

Words.

   I wrote a book set in the deep south in the 50s & 60s. Language was different than it is today. Words that were used to describe people or ethnic groups were different and acceptable then. They may not have been liked or appreciated, but they were used. They have a place in history and therefore in the story. I also have a unique perspective on this because of my heritage. My mother was Seneca, my dad was Scot/Irish/Blackfoot, I was raised with a good bit of the old ways. There has been great debate over the use of "Indian" versus "Native American", if you look at it from a geographical stand point. Indian should refer to someone from India, and Native American is anyone born in America. But that isn't the way it works. I prefer American Indian. It covers the background and pinpoints where     I'm from. A college in Charleston did a study at a Pow-wow to see what term was the preferred. American Indian was preferred by 190 of the 200 indigenous people there. 1 old man said he didn't care what they called him, as long as they remembered to call him for supper.
    The other big hoopla has been over the use of "discriminatory terms"...like Red Skin. Braves. Indians...you get the drift. I do not see the problem with Braves. It's the same as warriors-Indians and Red Skins...they are what you allow them to be. Someone could decide that "water" is derogatory to those of the liquid state--you'd think their bag of marbles had split wide open. It has the same connotation for me with the others. Get real. The Seminoles of Florida State have long used Osceola as their mascot. Do the research and you'll know why...he was cunning, brave, a leader, etc. That is just what a good coach hopes his team shows on the field. The Florida Seminole Tribes work with the University to be sure the portrayal is done in a tasteful manner and back the use. Imagine that. They came, sat, talked, listened, debated in an adult manner and came to an agreement.
    Look at the terms used to describe women over time. There's a grunch load that would get someone slapped sideways if they used them to the right female. The current is "bitch" or "bitches"...you know, like the female dog. Now let reality seep in...have you used that term to refer to your friends? I'm betting at some point in time- its happened. How big of a fit did you pitch? None? Really....but you want to throw a hissy fit over a nationality?
    The world has gone a bit too politically correct.  I pointed out my son, someone else heard a piece of the conversation and berated me for calling him "skinny." He's 6 ft 1 and some, and weighs in between 145 and 165...he's skinny. And he has the super metabolism...brat. Repeated what I told the old bat would just deprive you of a chance to use your imaginations.
   Here's a unique concept, instead of demanding a nationality all be called by the same grand (or not) title, try asking. Two people may have different answers. Get over it. That's why we're different.

Give away ends at Midnight!

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/62201-run-in-with-the-devil
 This is book 2 of the trilogy and specially crafted book mark for the book.  The Wordbranch fall catalog is online, there is a discount if you purchase the set so check that out and soon they will have an anthology of sci-fi stories coming out- more info is on the site.

GIVE AWAY!!!!

http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/62201-run-in-with-the-devil

Book 2 of the trilogy is on the goodreads.com give aways

Thunder Con

What a blast this was! The number of people in full costumes was staggering, and it was loaded with munchkin sized folks sporting their own mini-sized costumes. Had a great time talking to people and seeing old friends and posting pix that made my granddaughter yell "Oh Cool"

BOOK LAUNCH PT 2

YAY!!! Samaria Blair & The Secret in the Abbey is now out.
Look for it under the name of Cici Adams, its a mid grade book designed mainly for girls but there are battles to go with the witches and fairies and these wonderful flying Dreki that one must train and fly...brooms come later. 
It was a ton of fun to write and will have a sequel next summer.

WE HAVE BOOK LAUNCH!

Over the weekend Beastly Beauty came out- its a steampunk take on beauty and the beast and there will be a goodreads giveaway soon. In the meantime, check it out.

http://www.amazon.com/Beastly-Beauty-Carissa-Marks/dp/1490494529/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1372095361&sr=8-7&keywords=carissa+marks