Why Aren't I In Charge?http://www.denaharris.com/blog/Dena's blog on writing, cats, & making the world a better place.en-US2010-09-03T14:12:12ZSquarespace Site Server v5.11.5 (http://www.squarespace.com/)Just Another Day In Small Town, USAhttp://www.denaharris.com/blog/2010/9/2/just-another-day-in-small-town-usa.htmlDena Harris2010-09-02T16:11:22ZHome Life Madison nc P90X melody watson small town lifeYesterday afternoon. I'm sweating it out to a P90-X video. The doorbell rings. 

[As I general rule, my hackles go up when the doorbell rings. I don't know why. Maybe it's an instinctive "fight or flight" response or perhaps I've conditioned myself to respond with my, "I wasn't expecting a guest therefore it's a mass murderer" reaction. Anywhoo...]

A large portion of our front door is glass, so I peeked my head around the corner. I didn't see anyone standing there so I assumed the UPS guy had dropped something off. I went back to Tony Horton and my video. 

♫ Ding-Dong. ♫

Huh. Not the UPS guy. I peek again and see the shadow of a man waiting patiently by the door. I resolve to go shoo the mass murderer away. 

I open the door and am surprised to find David standing there. David is a brilliant writer/photographer in our area, an older gentleman who I probably run into once every six months, at which times we'll chat for maybe 5-10 minutes, max.

"Hey Dena," he said, as if we'd just met yesterday. He pulled out a pen and small notebook. "What did you tell me was the name of your web designer?"

I vaguely remembered discussing my website with David the last time we'd met. Six months ago. 

"Oh, uh, Melody Watson," I said. "At melodywatson.com."

"Mel-ohh-dee" he said, writing it down. "Got it." He turned to go, then seemed to realize the situation maybe called for a bit more. "You doin' okay?" he asked. 

"Yeah, great," I said. "Just exercising, getting ready for a big race. You?"

"Doing good, doing good. Well, nice seeing you." 

And with that, he turned and walked down the porch steps and was gone. 

Later that night I described the encounter to Blair, who laughed and said, "That's classic Madison."

Yes, it is. And a great reminder of why I love living in this quirky little town. 

]]>Dressed for... Well, just DRESSEDhttp://www.denaharris.com/blog/2010/8/31/dressed-for-well-just-dressed.htmlDena Harris2010-08-31T19:29:13ZFreelance lifestyle Home Life Writing, General freelance writer freelancing working from home working in pajamasToday I had the option of hanging out all day in pajamas, workout clothes or (my personal preference) a combination of the two. Lots of work to do, but nothing that required me leaving the house. I'd worked out, showered, and stood with dripping hair, pondering whether it was really worth it to blow dry and apply mascara when my chances of conversing with my cats was much stronger than chatting with a human being face-to-face. 

At this stage in my freelance career, I know better. I did full hair and makeup and grabbed the last bit of life from some dressy white pants before the Labor Day ban on white begins. Why all the bother? Because I had a busy day. Huzzah for freelancers who can work from bed. I'm not one of them. If I want to get anything accomplished, I'm much better off if I dress the part of a professional. I'm more likely to make phone calls, tackle to-do lists, and be flexible with my day. 

 And as it turns out, I did leave the house today to run to the bank, drugstore, and to meet my egg dealer for a drop. Nothing earth shattering, but if I'd had no makeup, frizzy hair, and pj bottoms, I would have put all the errands off, making some day in the future busier than it needs to be. 

I've also charged through today's work. Looking professional (well okay, I'm a writer so looking semi-professional with a little bit of artsy leeway thrown in) means I act more professional with my time. 

Anyone else experience this? Or has everyone except me mastered the art of working in t-shirts and fuzzy slippers?

Cheers,

Dena

]]>Asleep Not Deadhttp://www.denaharris.com/blog/2010/8/30/asleep-not-dead.htmlDena Harris2010-08-30T22:43:20ZCat Stuff Cat pictures black cat cats humor sleeping catThis is Bear, our neighbor's cat, passed out on our front porch right outside my office window. Unlike other cats who slumber peacefully, Bear always looks like he's been slaughtered. I about had a stroke looking out my window. Rest assured, he's fine. Just napping. 

]]>Time to Share In the Harvesthttp://www.denaharris.com/blog/2010/8/29/time-to-share-in-the-harvest.htmlDena Harris2010-08-29T23:29:23ZHome Life cooking harvest local food movement square foot gardeningAs loyal blog readers may remember, Blair and I (read:Blair) put in quite the effort this spring to establish a square foot garden. Now that I'm fully on the healthy eating bandwagon and have a nodding acquaintance with the big shiny stainless steel thingee in my kitchen that gets hot if you turn the dials, we were all about growing our own food. Money smart, healthy, and very liberal-chic. Sign us up. 

And we've done it! I shared earlier this year our first perfect, beautiful squash. Now I share with you what three months of sporadic watering have gained us:

Yes, that's it. The squash, the carrot, and the rutabaga are what we have to show. 

You might think we'd be depressed, but you'd be wrong. We're thrilled. This is three times the amount of food we've ever managed to grow in the past. Smokin' success. 

Now that we've got the hang of this farming thing, I can't wait to see what Farmer Blair brings in next year. 

p.s. If you need carrots, let us know. I want to share in the bounty of our harvest. 

]]>Blatant Promotion for A (Funny) Friendhttp://www.denaharris.com/blog/2010/8/28/blatant-promotion-for-a-funny-friend.htmlDena Harris2010-08-28T08:00:34ZErma Bombeck Writers's work shop Things to Think About Writing, General funnier speeches funsulting gift book humor book random thoughts ron p. culberson[Hmm. See a pattern in recent blog post titles? Nope, me neither.]

Brought in the mail yesterday and found my friend Ron Culberson's new book awaiting me, signed and including a snide remark about cats. (Let it go, Ron. Cats rule.)

His inexplicable preference for dogs over cats aside, Ron is a good guy. More than that, he's funny. Damn funny. Like, spit your coffee out laughing funny. All the really good jokes in my new book? Ron's ideas. We've been editing each other's work since we met years ago at an Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop. Ron makes my writing funnier and I try to dull his work down so I look better by comparison. It's a great relationship.

My Kneecap Seems Too Loose: 365 random thoughts to inspire deeply shallow thinking is the perfect book for those of you who've ever wondered why it's necessary for coffee shops to announce they offer "fresh" coffee or why we say "Go!" when we look at a stopwatch. This book makes the perfect gift for a college grad, best friend, neighbor, or anyone you just want to mess with. If you can overlook the puns (Ron knows how I feel about puns), you'll love it! 

If you don't want to take my word about how funny Ron is, check out his websites: FunnierSpeeches.com and FUNsulting.com. 

]]>We Pause Now For Blatant Self-Promotionhttp://www.denaharris.com/blog/2010/8/27/we-pause-now-for-blatant-self-promotion.htmlDena Harris2010-08-27T14:00:42ZCat Stuff Public Speaking Writing, General blog talk radio book promotion celebrate life dena harris author jean bailey robor who moved my mouseFriend and fellow toastmaster Jean Bailey Robor invited me on her blog-talk radio program, Celebrate Life! as a guest this past Monday. We had a lovely 15-minute chat where Jean asked me about being a writer, what motivates me, and details about the upcoming release of Who Moved My Mouse? Many thanks to Jean for a lovely interview and for allowing me to work off some off that blatant self-promotion that builds up in every author. (You either have to go on a talk show or run laps to work it off.) The interview is 15 minutes and Jean has exciting guests each week. Be sure and check out her show!

How to Evaluate Fine Arthttp://www.denaharris.com/blog/2010/8/25/how-to-evaluate-fine-art.htmlDena Harris2010-08-25T22:54:03ZCat Stuff Home Life Married Life bathroom art cat art fine art hanging art smug marriedsA couple of months ago when I visited my cousin in Ohio, I came home with cat art--one drawing done in three different colors. I thought the three pictures would look cute in my workspace but turns out there is a thing as too much cat stuff in any one room. Who knew? The upshot being the pictures needed to find a new home. 

Naturally, we left them sitting in our in-box, hoping they would miraculously hang themselves. When that didn't work out for us, I took charge this past Sunday and decreed it "Find A Home for the Cat Pictures Day." 

We walked all over the house, holding the pictures up to various walls and getting progressively more angry at one another as we continued to reject each other's wall choices. Finally, we found ourselves in the rear hallway, me holding up the pictures against the wall over where we keep the litter box. The litter box (and wall) in turn are directly across the hall from our guest bathroom. So as Bath on right, wall on left with picture frame just barely visibleyou exit the bathroom, you are directly facing the wall. 

"See? It's kind of funny," I said. "Cat pictures... litter box..." 

"I'm not sure," said Blair. He walked into the bathroom and stood in the doorway, his back to me. "Okay, I'm in here, I've finished peeing, I'm coming out--" He spun around and stared at the pictures. 

"You are a freak," I said, laughing. Then I thought about it. "Here, you hold these up and let me try it." 

So we took turns pretending to exit the bath, deciding whether orWall of fine art not we wanted to see balancing cats upon exiting. We decided yes, we do. The cat pictures now hang there, happy in their new home. 

If any of you need help evaluating your fine art and where to hang it, Blair and I are available for consultation.

Cheers!

]]>Happy News! Special Needs Kitty Found A Homehttp://www.denaharris.com/blog/2010/8/25/happy-news-special-needs-kitty-found-a-home.htmlDena Harris2010-08-25T18:13:35ZAnimal Rescue Cat Stuff Cat clinic of Greensboro special needs animals special needs cat wxii newsIn case you're searching around your desk this Wednesday afternoon for some good news, let me toss some in your lap. Thumper, the special needs kitty from yesterday's post, found a home! My friend Rudy submitted pictures of Thumper to a local new station and a woman from Elkin who fosters cats saw his picture and called the Cat Clinic. It was kind of a meant-to-be moment as the woman stated she rarely stays up to watch the 11 o'clock news, but on this night she did and when Thumper's little face and story went up, she knew she could care for him. She has an outdoor cat enclosure with access to a finished basement for her cats. Thumper goes to his new home on Friday.

Yea WXII! Yea nice woman who is adopting Thumper! Yea Cat Clinic of Greensboro for believing in this little cat! Yea Wednesdays!

Good stuff happening out there, people. Good stuff. 

]]>Special Needs Kitty Needs A Homehttp://www.denaharris.com/blog/2010/8/23/special-needs-kitty-needs-a-home.htmlDena Harris2010-08-23T15:54:28ZAnimal Rescue Cat Stuff Cat clinic of Greensboro animal rescue special needs animals special needs catMeet Thumper. I know. How cute is he?

Thumper needs your help. He is a special needs kitty, which makes finding him a forever home a bit of a challenge. Thumper is a 4-month old male, neutered, who has either trauma or congenital issues where he has to walk on the back of his back legs (versus upright on his back feet). He gets around great but the damage has left him incontinent. Right now he's walking around The Cat Clinic of Greensboro swaddled in diapers (which is about the cutest thing I've seen in a long time). 

The people who found Thumper have paid for his care thus far, but they authorized euthanasia because they do not want to see him suffer.  He's not suffering right now. He is a normal kitten in every other way. Loves to play, bat at things, and revs his big 'ol purring motor up the moment you touch him.

Right now he's in diapers, although he's too small for the the xxs to fit just right so they tend to slide off while he's playing. But he's very adaptable and hasn't tried to rip them off. The diapers work but aren't completely leak-proof. He does better on tile floors than carpet, which tends to leave sores on the back of his hindlegs. Thumper may make a good outdoor cat, so long as he's kept close to a house.

Thumper is VERY sweet. My friend Rudy works at the Cat Clinic and she reports that Thumper comes up and taps her on the leg when he wants food or hugs. 

If you know of anyone willing to discuss taking on a special needs kitty, please have them contact the Cat Clinic of Greensboro. Thumper is full of life and is a great little cat. He just needs some special attention. 

Don't we all?

 

]]>Tomato Canning 101http://www.denaharris.com/blog/2010/8/22/tomato-canning-101.htmlDena Harris2010-08-22T17:26:09ZEntertainment Home Life canning season canning tomatoes cooking piedmont local foodTomatoes waiting to be cannedSo. I've never canned anything in my life, which makes me a bit of misfit in these parts. Men and women of all ages here tell stories of helping mothers and grandmothers put up mounds of canned peaches, pickled cucumbers, spaghetti sauce, okra, squash, zucchini, green beans, apples, etc. 

As I learn more about food (and the horrible, horrendous things that go into the canned goods on the supermarket shelves), the more interested I become in learning how to grow and can my own food. (The growing part didn't go so well this year. We harvested one perfect, beautiful squash. Everything else died.) So I was super excited when...

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