PET BLOG -- All creatures great and small...

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED!

2011-09-20T17:40:00.001-05:00

Please go to http://www.roxannerustand.com/ to find this blog.

Thanks, and hope to see you there!!

Roxanne

NEW ADDRESS--come on over!

2011-09-12T14:49:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted on The All Creatures Great and Small blog in a long while--the font colors kept changing on their own, making it difficult to read, and we were also traveling a lot. With one thing or another, it has been very quiet here. Not only that, but my quarterly e-newsletter program corrupted. Not a good summer for communication! :) BUT....

The blog is now moving, and I really hope you'll come along with me and check it out! As of Wednesday, 9/14/11 it will be on the home page of my new website at: www.roxannerustand.com

Please come on over and say Howdy!

Roxanne Rustand

PS: remember the foal born this May? His baby photos are further down on this blog. He has grown a lot!

I've got a new book out!

2011-06-10T10:50:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to pass along that I have a new book out in the stores! Here's the blurb and some sample pages:

SECOND CHANCE DAD

ISBN: 978-0-373-87673-0

Love Inspired

June, 2011

Roxanne Rustand

He Was A Challenge She Couldn’t Ignore...

The minute she steps foot in his dark, miserable house, Sophie Alexander knows Josh McClaren is not her usual patient. But the single mom and physical therapist is desperate to make a life for her and her young son. And she’s definitely no quitter! It’s obvious to Sophie that handsome,

cantankerous Josh hides his pain behind a wall of grief. Little by little, Sophie and her son, Eli, do more than help Josh find his faith again. They make Josh wonder if there’s a family in his future after all....

Aspen Creek Crossroads: Where faith, love and healing meet.

CHAPTER 1

Sophie stepped out of her ancient Taurus sedan but lingered at the open door, staring at the massive dog on the porch of the sprawling cabin. The dog stared back at her with laser-like intensity, head lowered and tail stiff.

It was not a welcoming pose.

Set back in the deep shadows of the pine trees crowding so close, the cabin itself--with all the windows dark--seemed even more menacing than a wolfhound mix with very sharp teeth. So what kind of person would be sitting in there, in all that gloomy darkness?

"Don't worry about the dog," Grace Dearborn had said with a breezy smile during Sophie's orientation at the county home health department offices. "He's quite the bluffer. It's the owner who is more likely to bite."

Sophie looked at the folder in her hand again. Dr. Josh McLaren. Widower. Lives alone. No local support system. Post-surgical healing of comminuted fracture, right leg with a knee replacement. Surgical repair of fractured L-4 and L-5 lumbar vertebrae, multiple comminuted fractures, right hand.

Had he been hit by a truck? She shuddered, imagining the pain he'd been through. The surgeries and therapy had to have been as bad as the injuries. The only other documentation in the folder were scant, frustrated progress notes written by her various physical therapist predecessors. The last one had ignored professional convention by inserting his personal feelings into his notes.

The man is surly and impossible.

Ten minutes spend arguing about the need for therapy. Five minutes of deep massage of his right leg and strengthening exercises before he ordered me out of his house.

And the final note...

I give up. Doctor or not, McLaren is a highly unpleasant client and I will not be coming back here.

Sophie scanned the documents again, vainly searching for a birth date or mention of the man's age. Maybe he was an old duffer, like her grandfather. Crotchety and isolated and clinging to his independence.

The job was just temporary--three months covering for the regular therapist

who'd gone to Chicago for some advanced training. But if Sophie did exceptionally well, Grace would try to push the county board to approve hiring her on a permanent basis.

The thought had lifted Sophie's heart with joy, though now some of her giddy excitement faded. She set her jaw. If her ability to stay in Aspen Creek hinged on those stipulations, then no one--not even this difficult old man--was going to stand in her way. Far too much depended on it.

"Buddy, I'm going to overwhelm you with kindness, and your mean ole dog, too," she muttered under her breath as she pawed through a grocery sack on the front seat of her car. "See how you like that."

Withdrawing a small can, she peeled off the outer plastic storage lid, pulled the tab to open the can and held it high. "Salmon," she crooned. "Come and get it."

It took a minute for the scent to drift over to the cabin. The dog's head jerked up. He sniffed the breeze, then he cautiously started across the stretch of grass between the cabin and driveway.

She stayed in the lee of her open car door, ready to leap back inside at the least sign of aggression. But by the time the dog reached her front bumper his tongue was lolling and his tail wagging.

She grabbed a plastic spoon on her dashboard--a remnant of her last trip to a Dairy Queen--and scooped up a chunk of the pungent, pink fish. She dropped it on the grass and the dog wolfed it down, his tail wagging even faster. "Friends?"

She held out a cautious hand and he licked it, his eyes riveted on the can in her other hand. "Just one bite. When I come out, I'll give you one more. Deal?"

His entire body wagged as he followed her to the cabin door and watched her knock..

No one had peered outside. No lights shone through the windows. What if...what if the old guy had passed on? Her heart in her throat, she framed her face with her hands and pressed her nose to a pane of glass, trying to peer into the gloom. Knocked again. And then she tentatively, quietly tried the door knob.

It turned easily in her hand. She pulled the door open, just an inch. "Hello? Anyone here?" She raised her voice. "I'm from the home health agency."

No answer.

Thundered rumbled outside, heavy and ominous. A nearby crack of lightning shook the porch beneath her feet. She opened the door wider, then bracketed her hands against the inner screen door and tried to look inside. "Hello?"

The dog at her side shoved past her, sending the door swinging back to crash against the interior wall. So much for subtlety.

"Hello," she yelled. "Are you here? Are you okay?"

If the old fellow had died, she had no business disturbing the scene. The sheriff should be called, and the coroner. If he was in there with a shotgun, she sure didn’t want to surprise him. But on the other hand, if he needed help, she could hardly walk away. Steeling herself, she reached around the corner and found a light switch.

Only a single, weak bulb came to life in the center of the room, leaving most of it dark. A figure suddenly loomed over her, making her heart lurch into overdrive with fear. Tall. Broad shoulders. Silhouetted by the faint light behind him, she couldn't make out his expression, but his stance telegraphed irritation.

This definitely wasn't some old guy.

Raising her hands defensively, she backed up a step, but then she saw the dog amble over and sit at the man's side. He rested a gentle hand on the animal's head.

"I-I'm sorry," she faltered, searching his face. He didn't look disabled...but then she saw the telltale signs of tension in his stance, as if he were guarding himself against injuries that probably still kept him up at night.

He said nothing.

"You must be Dr. McLaren. I thought...I thought you were old," she stammered as her eyes adjusted to the gloom. "When you didn’t answer, I...um...I was afraid that you might be dead."

"Unfortunately, no," he growled. He glanced at her upraised hands, then met her eyes with a piercing stare. "So who are you, and why are you threatening me with that can of salmon?"

Do Not Reproduce without permission.

This book is available at :

www.steeplehill.com

www,target.com

www.christianbook.com

www.bn.com

www.amazon.com

and fine bookstores everywhere.

Author Roxanne Rustand can be found at www.roxannerustand.com

and at her blog, The All Creatures Great and Small Place, at http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com

You can sign up for her free e-newsletters at www.roxannerustand.com/newsletter-signup

If you are reading this on Facebook, the blog post has originated at http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com. Come on over and say howdy!

An adorable dancer....with paws

2011-05-05T20:40:00.000-05:00

This link was on my daughter's fiance's FB page...and it's so adorable. What a sweetie!

http://youtu.be/dP-YLUU7-UE

If you are reading this on FB, it has originated from my blog at http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com. Come on over and say Howdy!

A new baby at our house...and it nickers!

2011-05-05T10:50:00.000-05:00

Here is Susie QT Streke's new foal, born 5/3/11. In this first photo, she is checking him out for the first time while his navel is being treated.

Look at that fifth photo down, and how big he is compared to his mom. Ouch!!

She didn't want to get up for a good 45 minutes afterwards. She started cramping, but luckily the neighbors, who raise paints, had IV Banamine on hand. Not long after she had a dose, she was on her feet and we were able to take her and the baby up to barn because--despite that pretty sunshine--it was c-c-cold, and the foal was shaking.

In the last photo, he's gotten himself dead-ended in a corner and has no idea how to go in reverse. :)

Isn't he colorful? What do you think would be a good name?

if you are seeing this on Facebook, I'd already posted a few photos there. This is coming from my All Creatures Great and Small blog, at http://roxannerustand/blogspot.com. Come on over and say Howdy!

Dog lover? You've GOT to watch this!

2011-04-16T16:37:00.000-05:00

This is just so fun to watch!! My friend Cindy forwarded it, and I think I've watched it five times, now. Take a look...

Click here: YouTube - TWO DOGS DINING#t=125

If you are reading this on Facebook, it has come from the All Creatures Great and Small Blog, at http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com. Come on over and say howdy!

Roxanne

PS: the dog in this post is our dog Harold, a golden oldie of thirteen, who sleeps with a paw over his ear. I wonder why?!

Hawaiian whales, chickens...and wild hogs.

2011-03-19T09:28:00.000-05:00

We just got back from two weeks in Hawaii...a wonderful, first time vacation there for the two of us. What a beautiful state! The long plane ride was at the upper limits of my tolerance for tight spaces (claustropobia, anyone?!) but every minute was worth it. The incredible flowers, the ocean, and those yummy coffee glazed macadamia nuts made every day a joy.

We spent two nights on Oahu so we could have a day at Pearl Harbor as my husband is a real WW II history buff, then four nights each on Maui and Kauai. Because it will probably be a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us--there are still so many places we want to see--we were busy sightseeing every day. Volcanoes, waterfalls, whale watching, a couple of luaus, a helicopter tour of Kauai and a day in catamaran going up Kauai's inaccessible coast... wonderful memories, now, which will remembered through the 1000+ digital photos I took. But some of the most vivid memories are the animals!

That lovely snout, above, belongs to one of Kaua's wild hogs. Isn't he sweet? (LOL!) And the chickens--oh, my. They are beautiful, and they are everywhere--in the parking lots, the roadside ditches, around the beautiful pools at every hotel we stayed at. Everyone we asked said that they are treated as sort of a state pet--no one eats them; they are just on the loose. We loved the chickens!

And the humpback whales...oh, my. This was still the season for them to be lingering around the warm waters of Hawaii before heading up to Alaska's rich feeding waters for the summer, and we saw dozens of them while on a whale watching boat---not to mention all of the ones we could see from the beach in front of the hotels we stayed at. Take a close look at this photo and tell me---do you think that guy in the water is even aware of how close those two whales are?! The humpbacks wouldn't eat him--they consume vast quantities of krill (tiny shrimp) once they get back to Alaska, and don't eat anything at all while wintering in Hawaiian waters. But, I still wouldn't want to be close if one of them decided to breech or start tail slapping!

The animals in Hawaii surprised and fascinated me. What are some of your interesting animal discoveries while traveling?

If you are reading this on facebook, come on over to the All Creatures Great and Small blog and say howdy! http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com

Should You Become a Vet Tech?

2011-03-07T07:31:00.011-06:00

by Tina Marconi

It’s a good profession if you like animals, or more specifically, if you enjoy working with animals; however, that’s not all being a vet tech involves. When you choose to become a veterinary technician, you should remember that like any job, it has its pros and cons; and when you weigh the advantages against the disadvantages and see which side comes out on top, you know whether you should become a vet tech or switch to some other career.

Education

Vet techs don’t have to attend years of school like a veterinarian – in fact, you can start working and earning enough to support yourself as early as two years after high school. You can choose to earn either a two-year associate’s degree or a four-year bachelor’s degree, after which you must appear for and pass the Veterinary Technician National Exam which allows you to qualify for a license to practice in your state. However, it is better to opt for a two-year degree program, find work as a vet tech, gain a few years of experience, and then go back to school for another two years to become a veterinary technologist. This opens up more opportunities, allows you to earn a higher salary, enhances your skills and repertoire, and lets you climb up the professional ladder.

Nature of the job

As a vet tech, you will be dealing hands-on with animals. Your primary job is to assist a veterinarian in all aspects of their practice, so you’ll be taking care of sick animals, liaising with their owners, advising in their care and diet, assisting vets with surgeries, and even treating minor injuries and suturing up small wounds. You must have a way with animals if you’re to taste any kind of success at this job, and you must be prepared to work with even the most aggressive ones and know how to calm them down and get them to accept your touch. On the downside, you could end up with vets who push you to the limit and dump work on you, you could be forced to deal with unpleasant pet owners who make unreasonable demands on your time, you could be bitten, scratched and injured in other ways by the animals, and you could get too attached to your patients and feel a deep sense of loss when you lose them or have to put them to sleep.

Salary

Perhaps this is the biggest disadvantage of being a vet tech – salaries are very low, and even the best in the business can make only around $35,000 a year. You could go higher if you specialize in one particular aspect of animal care and if you work in research or in private industries in any other capacity. However, with further education, you could become a veterinary technologist and earn much more by working in biomedical, wildlife and diagnostic facilities, and in drug and food manufacturing units. This will remove you from direct contact with animals, so if you’re in the job for the proximity to pets, you’re better off as a vet technician than a vet technologist.

Work hours

As in any medical field, the hours are long and erratic, and you could be called in to help with sick animals at any time of the day or night, and even when you’re off duty. You would be spending lots of time on your feet, so you must be physically fit and strong enough to help restrain larger animals. Vet techs must work hard, but there’s an innate satisfaction to the job because the animals you treat and care for respond with affection and trust.

Prospects for advancement

Join the National Association of Veterinary Technicians for more career options, networking with fellow vet techs, and opportunities in continuing education. You could choose to move into research and development options in the field of veterinary science if you want to make more money, and if you’re employed in a private practice where there is a shortage of vets, you could take on more responsibility and enhance your skills. With further education, you could become a veterinary technologist and move into a laboratory or factory setting where you would be responsible for diagnostic procedures and quality control.

By-line:

This guest post is contributed by Tina Marconi, she writes on the topic of online vet tech . She welcomes your comments at her email id: tinamarconi85[@]gmail[.]com.

Howdy! If you are reading this on Facebook, come on over to The All Creatures Great and Small Blog, where it originated. You can ask questions or comment on the post, and then page through previous posts--where a variety of writers have blogged about their pets! http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com

SMALL, MEDIUM AND LARGE…DOGS, THAT IS!

2011-03-02T06:28:00.000-06:00

Hello! I’m excited to be a guest blogger today on “All Creatures Great and Small”. I’m equally excited to share a story or two of the adorable pets I’ve been fortunate enough to have known and loved.

Let’s start with the large.

Norman was big even for a Newfoundland dog, the fourth largest breed in the world. He had a coat of long shiny black hair, loved humans, and we loved him right back. He was a big, goofy kid disguised as a dog, and he lived to chase anything that moved.

We were never quite sure if it was his puppy enthusiasm that caused the collision, but when we were playing tag one warm summer’s day Norman ran head first into a full grown maple tree. In my mind’s eye, I can still hear the thud of his skull smacking against the trunk. Everyone stopped running. Had he hurt himself? Not a chance. The impact dazed him for all of a few seconds, and then he resumed the game!

Another time we were tobogganing and Norman, being Norman, wanted in on the fun. The only

problem was he was far too big to fit on the Crazy carpet, and there was no way he could fit on my lap. Undeterred, he raced down the hill alongside me. Halfway down he grabbed the back of my jacket in his teeth. Stopping dead in his tracks, he yanked me off the carpet and whipped me around in a circle. Fun for Norman. Kinda scary for me!

Next on the list is the medium.

Peter, a white and black mutt, was born when I was two. He was the runt of the litter and to this day I still cheer for the little guy!

In the 1950s there was no special formula dog food. (Not that we could have afforded it even if there had been.) Peter ate table scraps and what he could forage from our garden. He was particularly fond of green peas and on those rare occasions when he did receive a bone, his tail never stopped wagging.

He spent his life outdoors except for those winter nights when the temperature dropped below freezing. It took forever for my father to coax Peter inside to sleep in the basement. Later, he built him a dog house, but most nights Peter still preferred the top step of the front porch.

Never a cuddly, lap dog, Peter was a true and loyal companion who lived 16 human years, which as you know translates into a very long life in dog years.

Last but not least is the small. Literally. The Chihuahua is the smallest breed of dog, but many claim pound for pound they rate the biggest in personality.

Meet Peanut. She may be fictional, but she’s very real to me. She plays an important role in my debut inspirational romantic suspense novel. In true Chihuahua fashion, she’s a bold and brave little watchdog. There’s nothing Peanut won’t do to protect her owner. Or her unborn pups. But wait, I don’t want to giveaway all of the story!

I do, however, want to give away a pdf copy of DEFENDING GLORY, first book of the Piedmont Island Trilogy series.

To enter drop by my website -http://www.AnneKAlbert.com and leave a comment that you saw me on Roxanne’s All Creature’s Great and Small blog. I’ll pick a name at random on March 1st, and announce the winner the following day on my blog - http://anne-k-albert.blogspot.com

Thanks so much, Roxanne, for giving me the privilege of being your guest blogger today. I’ve enjoyed every single minute, and so have Norman, Peter and Peanut!

Anne K. Albert

Howdy! For those of you reading this on Facebook, this has originated at the All Creatures Great and Small blog, htt://roxannerustand.blogspot.com. I hope you'll come on over and chat with Anne there, or just stop in to say hi! Roxanne

PW --"Beyond The Book" Blog

2011-02-03T07:58:00.001-06:00

I was so delighted this morning, to learn about a review this month on my book, Fatal Burn, which was a Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense from February, 2010!

It's at the Publisher's Weekly "PW-Beyond the Book" blog at:
http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/beyondherbook/?tag=roxanne-rustand

What a lovely surprise, on this bitterly cold, post-blizzard day.

I hope you're all keeping warm!
Roxanne

(if you are reading this on FB, it has originated at the "All Creatures great and Small Blog" at http://roxannerustand.blopgspot.com )

A musical schnoodle!

2011-01-18T21:33:00.000-06:00

Have you seen this darling video?! My friend Judy sent me the link, and it's so cute that I watched it twice! :)

Thanks, Judy!!

Tucker piano Dec 7'2010.wmv

A free book by Lyn Cote!!!

2011-01-07T19:50:00.000-06:00

A free book to enjoy---by Lyn Cote!!!

Friday, January 7, 2011 - 7:47 PM

Here is a wonderful chance for you to read a FREE book, in serialized form, by a very popular author!!

Can the beautiful daughter of a French courtesan find a love that will
last in early America?

Lyn Cote is posting this never-before published book, section by section, on her blog. She started posting just before Christmas, so you can read the previous entries to catch up, and then continue to follow this wonderful story. She plans on posting 2-3 new scenes each week till it's done. Tell your friends too--so they can enjoy LaBelle Christiane making her debut in the world!

You can find the story at Lyn Cote's blog:

http://strongwomenbravestories.blogspot.com

If you are reading this on FB, this post originated at The All Creatures Great and Small Blog,

http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com. Come on over and say howdy!

Booksiging--Cedar Rapids, Iowa

2010-12-02T07:32:00.000-06:00

I rarely do signings, but on Saturday, December 4th, I'll be at the Barnes and Noble in Cedar Rapids from 10:00 -2:00 pm for a booksigning with other authors, including popular inspirational historical romance author Pamela Nissen, Jo Cebuhar, and Mississippi travel writer Dean Klinkengberg. I'd love to see you there. And, signed copies make great gifts! :)

The address is: Northland Square SC, 333 Collins Rd NE Bldg 1, Cedar Rapids, IA 52402, 319-393-4800

FREE BOOKS!

2010-12-01T20:55:00.000-06:00

I'm visiting the Seekerville blog today!

Stop in today--or within the next day or two, leave a comment, and have a chance at three drawings for a free autographed book--of any title in my backlist for which I still have copies!

http://seekerville.blogspot.com/

Suzy Q finds a home

2010-11-12T21:00:00.016-06:00

I've been wanting to find a very quiet, sweet horse for years. No rodeos. No surprises. Road safe, trail safe. Small enough to a be a confidence builder for the grandkids when they are old enough to ride off a leadline. Large enough that the adults in the family can ride, too. We have one old geezer who at thirty-five is too old and arthritic to ride, and a twelve-year-old who is a tad too spunky to trust with just anyone on his back.

I'd sort of given up, after looking for so long....everything was too spunky. Not sound. Too erratic. Too expensive. Sold--just yesterday. "Gentle" but with a propensity for crowhopping into a lope. Nothing worked out. And this year, far more important things were going on as my mom grew more ill with each passing month, so I wasn't even thinking about looking.

But then this past week, I came across Suzy by chance. Small, but not too small. Sweet. Quiet. Her owner and I went riding for an hour on the streets of a small town, with cars, trucks and school buses going by, dogs barking, flags flapping, people coming up to "pet the horsies." She was as solid and steady as could be, and fifteen minutes into the ride I was sold....and an hour later, her former owner trailered her to our house. Better yet, when our vet came the next day, he pronounced her sound. Now I look forward to Thanksgiving and the arrival of our two young grandkids...and will be hoping for nice weather so they can enjoy her. Suzy will be a small day brightener for us all, given that this will be our first Thanksgiving without my mom.

Suzy reminds me of the horses I had when I was a child. Those horses--probably due in part to me riding daily for hours upon hours, were bombproof. My friends and I rode everywhere--trails, busy roads, down to "The Corner" near our house where there was a collection of shops, including a bakery, where we would tie our horses outside and go in for M&M cookies, or we'd stop at the Dairy Queen, or the drug store, which had a soda fountain and the best ice cream in the world. One of my horses, Rebel, had a particular fondness for maple nut ice cream, so I always bought him a cone, too. We rode to the local horse shows back then as well, and even to the county fair, because none of us had trailers yet.

What a childhood that was, being so independent from the age of six, on the back of a gentle old mare! The adventures were endless, the memories are so rich. These days, the thought of turning children loose like that, unsupervised, is frightening, but it was a different world then...at least, as far as we knew.

What are some of your happiest memories from childhood?

WINTER REUNION is out!

2010-11-07T18:34:00.001-06:00

Hi!
I just realized that time is getting away from me, and I should take a moment to let you know about my newest book--WINTER REUNION, which was released the last week (the first week of November, 2010.) It's my very first non-suspense, written for the Steeple Hill Love Inspired line. What an experience it was, writing a book without guns, villains and bodies here and there. I loved this new challenge!

Here's the back cover blurb:

Home to heal...and reconcile?

When wounded marine Devlin Sloan comes back to Aspen Creek, he's surprised by his late mother's will. His new business partner for the next six months will be Beth Carrigan. His ex-wife.

This might prove to be Dev's most difficult mission yet. He never stopped loving the sweet bookstore owner, but his military career broke them apart. Now, as they work together at helping others get a new start in life, he hopes he can break down the walls between them....and explore the possibilities of renewing the life they had with each other.

It's available at bookstores and places like Walmart, KMart and Target. You can also find it at www.christianbook.com
www.target.com
www.steeplehill.com and
www.barnesandnoble.com

This book is the first in the Aspen Creek Crossroads series, and stands completely alone. However, there will be other books coming that are set in the same town, involving other members of the little book club which meets at Beth's Book Store. I hope you join me for Sophie and Keeley's stories, too!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Roxanne
(to those reading this on Facebook, this post has originated at The All Creature Great and Small blog, at http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com )

The Cowboy Story Teller, by author Stephen Bly

2010-07-11T22:20:00.002-05:00

The Cowboy Storyteller/History Thru Western Eyes
By Stephen Bly
Copyright©2009

For Granddaddy and his cowboy pals, History was real.
    You could see it in their cowboy eyes. You could hear
    it in their stories. You could touch it when you brushed
    against their Colts or Winchesters, chaps or Stetsons. You
    could taste history’s fine dust ever’ time a dirt devil swirled
    off the hills and down Central Avenue. And on that day in
    1954, I could smell history in the 2nd story hallway of the
    Matador Hotel.
        From Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon

Every cowboy’s a storyteller. It goes with the culture. And cowboys don’t need campfires to tell their tales. A sidekick or a good horse who seems to listen will do. That provided another reason why horses were so important for a cowboy. Years later, autos didn’t quite do it—to draw out a windy tale. Like a good movie or book, an oral story captivates attention and uses up long hours on the trail.

In Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon, the permanent residents of the aging Matador hotel in Albuquerque include 5 old cowboys, in their 70s to 90s. Every week these five, plus a 10-year-old’s grandfather, play cribbage in the lobby. But that’s not the real focus. Their chief pleasure centers on talk of their horse riding and cow roping days. Those who paid attention heard their hearts too. And every yarn is. . .almost true.

Mountain man Jim Bridger called his stories ‘stretchers.’ Old guys have a habit of wanting to digress when telling their tales. My challenge as a writer was to be true to their nature and sympathetic to my readers. Spend a morning near the old-timers booth at your own local Pine Tar Café and you’ll know what I mean.

The eldest was born during the Civil War. All of them cowboyed from the late 1880s until the 1940s. They tell first-hand stories of what the West was truly like, from their point of view.

There’s no telling how many times these cowboys told their stories and they don’t tell them the same each time. That’s the beauty of oral history. It’s not a static photo of the past, but a running monologue that’s filtered through the memory and heart of the one who lived it. The story’s alive, so you can experience it for yourself.

All history is filtered through the eyes of the beholder. That’s one of the joys of being a writer. . .filtering through your own world view. Everyone does it. Mine happens to be Christian.

Some say history is distorted in the minds of the teller. The stories are slanted, even fabricated, to portray the West as the author wants it to remembered. The same critique could be used of modern historians. The difference? The old-timers were there. They lived it. The wildest thing most modern historians have done is order a triple-shot for their espressos. Some books written by people who were there: Charlie Siringo and Andy Adams.

For me, history is not the story of grand ideas or broad sweeps describing movements, events or social progress. History is the story of individual people. Not all are famous, but each helps define who we are today. . .and why we think and act the way we do.

The old cowboys at the Matador Hotel in Albuquerque share one layer of New Mexico’s history, a fairly modern era. My favorite New Mexico governor is Lew Wallace, author of the novel Ben-Hur. The story is told that Wallace set out to study the Bible in order to prove it wrong. But in the process, he discovered Jesus to be Lord of his life. The book proved to be a statement of his faith, rather than his atheism. I like the idea that the author of Ben- Hur also sat down and tried to negotiate with Billy the Kid. What interesting, eclectic people tramped out west back in those early days.

Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon unfolds more than windy stories. Sit in the Matador lobby with Quirt, Bronc, Thad, Shorty, Coosie and Pop and listen to their oral history. Quirky characters packed the Old West and these guys met most of them. They even knew the infamous Stuart Brannon, “the toughest sober man” whom they never saw flinch, even in a fierce gunfight.

On one rainy afternoon, Little Brother sits with the six men, listening to their tales, their romps through past memories. They delight in this captive audience. Their horse riding days long gone, the boy gave them a chance to tell their stories fresh and new. Meanwhile, a drama unfolds, a story brews in the lobby that propels them into one last cowboy stand. After all those stories, Little Brother gets to be part of one himself.

Stephen Bly
Website: http://www.blybooks.com/
Blog: www.BlyBooks.blogspot.com
Cowboy For A Rainy Afternoon can be ordered through www.Amazon.com or www.BlyBooks.com or through your local bookstore (Ingram Distributors) or library.

Those who leave a comment will be eligible for a drawing in which they can win a free copy of this book!

NOTE:
If you are reading this on Facebook, it has originated from Roxanne Rustand's "All creatures great and small" blog at http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com Come on over and say howdy!

HER ABUNDANT JOY, by Lyn Cote

2010-06-18T07:00:00.001-05:00

Author Lyn Cote writes wonderful books in all areas of Christian fiction--contemporary, romantic suspense, historical---and I enjoy teach and every one of them. Her Texas Star of Destiny series has been just excellent--not to be missed! here's the information for you!

Final book in the Texas Star of Destiny series
Her Abundant Joy
Avon Inspire
ISBN # 978-0061373428

Can a beautiful young widow find peace in the arms of a Texas Ranger?

In 1846, young widow Mariel Wolfe survived the grueling voyage from
Germany to start a new life in the "promised" land of Texas. Forced by
circumstances to become a servant, Mariel is now determined to quit a
harsh master. But how can a single woman face the frontier on her own?

Texas Ranger Carson Quinn is responsible for leading her party of
German immigrants safely through dangerous Comanche-held territory. As
he watches Mariel hold her head high in spite of everything, he will
stop at nothing to protect her.

But war is brewing: Mexico will not accept the U.S. annexation of the
young Texas Republic without a fight. Honor bound to fight for Texas,
Carson's deepest longing is to lay down his rifle. As Mariel and
Carson fall deeply in love, could her painful past or this new war
destroy all their hopes? Will the tide of history sweep them far from
peace, far from a life together?

Lyn Cote
Her Abundant Joy 6-1-10
http://strongwomenbravestories.blogspot.com
Every woman has a story! Share yours.

Q & A for Her Abundant Joy by Lyn Cote

1-What caused you to choose early Texas as the setting for your "Texas Star of Destiny" series?
I enjoy writing about locales and periods where several groups come together for a sharp culture clash. Conflict is the essence of a good story and many different people trying to get along or not get along sets up a story rife with natural conflict.
Starting in 1821 Stephen Austin brought in Anglo-Americans to settle Spanish and the Mexican-held Texas. Eastern Texas became the setting where Native Americans, mainly Comanche, Mexicans, and blacks (slaves and runaways), and Anglos clashed over who would be in control of the land. Part of my brand, "Strong Women Brave Stories" is that I like to write a multicultural cast. In this third and final book in the series, I stir German immigrants into the mix.

2-How do you handle the 19th century political incorrectness?
I resist the pressure to sanitize history. If I portray the 19th century as it really was, it is difficult not to offend the 21st century reader. Yet I still endeavor to portray the low status of women and racial prejudice of the 19th century. I had a reader say in a review that my stories had 21st century values. That's not really correct. My stories have characters who are at odds with their times, another characteristic common to my historicals. My heroines are usually crusaders far ahead of their times who won't cave in to the pressure to conform (another source of conflict). I don't like historical novels that don't even try to show how society was different in the past.

3-What was the most interesting fact you didn't know about Texas BEFORE you started writing this series?
I hadn't realized that over 30,000 Germans immigrated to Texas in the mid-1840's. The area around New Braunfels, Texas, still celebrates this German heritage with some original stone houses, German food and polka bands—really!

4-What do you hope your readers will take away after reading this book and the first two in the series?
Her Abundant Joy features a German widow Mariel Wolffe. She is a heroine who will tug at a reader's heart (I hope!) And her hero, Carson Quinn, the son of the hero and heroine in the first book, is a man that should melt hearts. He's not just a handsome face. He has faced frontier life and learned to survive with honor, no small accomplishment.

They find themselves--just as we do today in the face of terrorism--in the middle of a war. Their personal desires and plans must give way to the winds of war. But God is still there with them. I gave my editor a choice of two titles taken from Psalm 37 (all 3 titles are). She chose Her Abundant Joy. The other was Her Man of Peace. I think that this reflects the theme of the book. Carson longs for peace but is forced into war.

The humble shall inherit the earth; and
shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace....
Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright:
for the end of that man is peace. Psalm 37: 11, 37

Lyn Cote's Bio

When Lyn Cote became a mother, she gave up teaching, and while raising a son and a daughter, she began working on her first novel. Long years of rejection followed. Finally in 1997, Lyn got "the call." Her first book, Never Alone, was chosen by Steeple Hill for the new Love Inspired romance line. Since then, Lyn has had over twenty-five novels published. In 2006 Lyn's book, Chloe, was a finalist for the RITA, one of the highest awards in the romance genre. Lyn’s brand “Strong Women, Brave Stories,” always includes three elements: a strong heroine who is a passionate participant in her times, authentic historical detail and a multicultural cast of characters. Lyn also features stories of strong women both from real life and true to life fiction on her blog http://strongwomenbravestories.blogspot.com Lyn also can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads. Drop by and "friend or follow" her. Now living her dream of writing books at her lake cottage in northern Wisconsin, Lyn hopes her books show the power of divine as well as human love.
Her latest release is Her Abundant Joy, the final book in her Texas Star of Destiny series, to purchase drop by her website or blog http://strongwomenbravestories.blogspot.com.

If you are reading this on Facebook, it has come from Roxanne Rustand's "All creatures great and small blog" at http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com. Come on over and say howdy!

This got to be way too much fun...

2010-06-17T08:13:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wished you could write a story but didn't have an idea? Want to spur your creativity by doing something totally off the wall? Even just for giggles, while you imagine what some of these combinations would be like, take a look at this great tool!

http://andrewbosley.com/the-brainstormer.html

Have fun!

Roxanne Rustand
The All Creatures Great and Small Place
http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com

Deadlines, Alaska, and one very messy office....

2010-06-16T14:47:00.001-05:00

I need a backhoe!

Today was a catch-up day for me, now that the manuscript for my April book has been turned in, and the copy edits on Winter Reunion (November) are taken care of. The next time I see Reunion, it will be out in the stores, and I can't wait. Doesn't Steeple Hill have gorgeous covers?! Their art department is just amazing, and I wonder what they'll come up with for all of the November books! I think my June book, End Game, has an intriguing cover, with a spooky road leading off into the mountains.

I am thankful to have those deadlines met..but now, you should see my office! :) Er....maybe not. I worked on it most of the day and haven't made much of a dent in all the papers and books and whatnot that seem to grow exponentially whenever my back is turned. Do you have a "junk drawer" in your desk, or in your kitchen? Multiply that by a hundred, and you'll be able to visualize my office! It will be such a good feeling when it's all back in order. How about you...are you totally organized and neat-as-a-pin, or do you ever get just a tad behind like this?! I'm hoping that someone, somewhere, will tell me that I'm not alone! :)

I had a bit of an excuse this time, though--we were traveling a bit, recently. My husband has wanted to go to Alaska for years, and started planning this trip way last fall. I never knew there were so many mountain ranges up there, each more beautiful than the last. I just had to share a couple photos. What I wanted most was to photograph moose for this blog, and I only caught a glimpse of one disappearing into the trees! BUT...we did see lots of whales. Well....their tails, anyway. One stayed in position and slapped his upraised flukes against the water 20-25 times. I wish I'd had a movie camera! The picture below isn't very impressive, but it was a full grown whale. And, we got to see sea lions and an eagle enjoying a buoy.

What are your favorite destinations? Where would you like to go next?
Best wishes to you for a wonderful summer!

Roxanne Rustand
http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com "The all creatures great and small place"
(so if you are reading this on Facebook, come on over and say "Hi!"

Just call me grace....

2010-06-08T11:22:00.004-05:00

Have you ever started out a day and thought that it might've been better to stay in bed?! Mine went pretty well this morning...up early, rarin' to go at the computer, because I have three chapters due Thursday and I want to make sure they are done in time. So far, so good....

Except I got a little too involved and lost track of time. The schedule here is that the dogs spend the night in our downstairs laundry room, because at two years of age Elmo still has a very devil-may-care attitude about house training...and Harold is getting too old to be totally dependable. They go out on their cable ties at 7:00 am...then come back inside for their breakfast and a nice lazy day mostly spent on our deck and indoors. Always. While they are doing their morning business, I clomp down to the barn in my barn boots and jammies (hey, I'm hoping that no one ever sees me--and so far, I think I've been lucky) to feed the horses and the barn cats. Any later, and the cats all march up to the house, which makes handling the dogs a tad trickier. And noisier. Bark, bark, bark....

But today I was late, thanks to Chapter Two. And Harold, who is a good 88 years in people years, apparently couldn't wait. I skirted the little presents on the floor, planning on clean-up after the dogs were out of the way. I snapped on his leash and hurried outside...but I'd missed one of those fragrant gifts, stepped on it, and went sailing out the door onto the concrete patio, arms flailing, and went down like a felled tree. Do you have any idea how slippery that stuff can be?! Harold, with the wisdom of many years with an amazingly coordinated owner, bolted to the farthest stretch of his leash in panic.

And now today, I am working at my computer with Bandaids on my knee, foot, hand and elbow....looking very much like a grade schooler who has had a tough day in the playground. And just the thought of this morning makes me laugh.

I remember attending my first ever event where there were Real Live Published Authors. I was in awe. Star struck. Imagined their words flowing effortlessly onto the page when they wrote. Imagined the glamorous lives they all led. Well, I hope they do....and I really hope my time is coming!

Now--how about you? Have you had any memorably awkward moments, or is it just me?!

Note: If you are reading this on Facebook, it has forwarded from: The "All Creatures Great and Small blog," at http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com. Come on over and say "hi!"

www.roxannerustand.com

ACFW vs RWA....which is best for you?

2010-06-04T08:59:00.001-05:00

Today, instead of posting about creatures I'd like to veer off a bit and tell my writer friends about a wonderful conference opportunity with ACFW!!

I've been a member of Romance Writers of America (RWA) for many years.    RWA membership offers opportunities for regional and national conferences, local chapters for networking, learning and support, dozens of annual chapter-sponsored contests (great for receiving feedback on your work, honing your craft, and getting your work seen by the editors and agents who may be final round judges) and a monthly magazine offering articles on craft and the industry. This summer, I'll be attending my fourteenth national conference, where there will be many dozens of workshops to choose from, opportunities to meet editors and agents, great networking. The benefits of attending far outweigh the cost.

RWA is excellent, and I recommend it highly. But, if you are wanting to write inspirational fiction, there's an even better option!

I moved into writing inspirational fiction in 2007 and until then had never heard of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW.) I was positively stunned when I discovered the wealth of information and opportunities available to ACFW members!. Free online classes every month. A highly active e-mail loop. A website with an incredible amount of information for every level of writer, plus free promotional opportunities for those who are published. For a very low membership fee, one can tap into a world of support, and information, just like RWA, but geared for the inspirational genre.

But what I'd really like to tell you about today is the annual ACFW conference, which is coming up September 17-20th in Indianapolis, because registration is opening soon!

How do the ACFW and RWA conferences compare? Well, as much as I love RWA, I'd have to say this: if you are an inspirational writer (aspiring or published), could only choose one, and
wanted the most benefit for your money, I'd recommend ACFW, hands down.

After attending all of those RWA conferences, I'll admit---I didn't have high expectations when I attended my first ACFW conference. I figured it would be much smaller and offer less. Was I ever in for a surprise! If not for the ACFW logo, I would not have seen one bit of difference in quality between the two. And honestly, the ACFW conference offered much more of exactly what I was looking for--a chance to learn, and grow, and network within the Christian writers' community.     I can only imagine the endless hours and hard work that go into putting one of these ACFW conferences on, but the results were seamless and highly professional. And the opportunities---oh, my!

RWA offers a big line-up of workshops geared to every level of writer. So does ACFW---a wonderful array of workshops for every level of writer, every aspect of the business. The added benefit at ACFW is that the workshops are all geared to the inspirational genre--you'll have a chance to listen to editors, agents, and successful authors from every aspect of the genre. The workshops are carefully vetted and extremely well done. I know about the vetting part first hand. I've done around eight or nine workshops at the national RWA conferences, but my proposal for ACFW this year didn't make the grade! The committee is clearly working very hard to give attendees the very best conference opportunity, and they truly succeed. I cannot wait for September!

What about opportunities to network with editors and agents? Here, there's a world of difference, and ACFW wins again. At RWA, you may be able to get an appointment.   Editors and agents have tight schedules. If not working through their heavy schedule of appointments or giving a workshop. they mostly disappear, because they have hectic schedules for meeting with their authors in groups and individually, taking authors out to luncheons and dinners, and so on. I cannot image how exhausted they must be on the plane trip home!

At ACFW, you have a much better chance of getting the appointments you hope for. Even better, the editors and agents are highly visible at breakfast, lunch and dinner--sitting at prescribed tables, where conference attendees can join them for a meal. It's not a place to make a harried pitch. But, it's a chance to chat, get to know each other, and ask questions. To me, that alone was worth every penny spent on the conference, hotel and plane tickets!   Not that any one person should dominate an editor/agent's attention in that setting, but by just listening in on the table conversation, you can learn so much about the industry, publishing houses, and even that editor/agent's "wish list" of what they would like to see.

I love the camaraderie at RWA. With every year you attend, you know more people, see more old friends, have a more wonderful time. At ACFW you'll have that same warm, welcoming experience --but with something extra--an indescribable, uplifting atmosphere of faith and joy and support. If I could only attend one big conference this year, it would be ACFW.

Finally, on a practical note, you will see that ACFW costs a little more. However, far more meals are covered--and again, those meals were wonderful networking opportunities. I hope to see you in Indianapolis this fall!! Here's a link for it: (http://www.acfw.com/conference)

Roxanne Rustand
June 2010: END GAME,   Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense

www.roxannerustand.com

(PS: if you are reading this on Facebook, it has originated at the All Creatures Great and Small Blog, at http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com. Come on over and say "Hi!"

This really IS a creature! What is it?!

2010-05-20T08:26:00.001-05:00

This blog is about all creatures great and small (at http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com if you are reading this on Facebook) though that usually means pets, horses, and other familiar animals. But this is creature I found on the side of our barn. Looks like it is related to the dragon flies, given its wings, but it was huge and unlike anything I'd ever seen before...a little over 3.5 inches long. Do you know what it is?!

Winner!

2010-05-17T09:27:00.000-05:00

Rebecca Booth is the winner of author Delia Latham's drawing. Rebecca, you can contact her through her website at: www.delialatham.net to provide your mailing address.

Congratulations!

Roxanne
The "All Creatures Great and Small" blog
http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com

Deborah Raney...pets galore!! And her latest book-- Almost Forever

2010-05-15T06:43:00.005-05:00

by Deborah Raney

Growing up on a farm, I've owned and loved my share of cats. I
married a man who wasn't so crazy about those of the feline
persuasion--that is until I manipulated a birthday gift of a tiny
black kitten from a friend. My new husband couldn't say "no" to
that, could he? Ebony soon won Ken over, and we've loved a string of
housecats through our thirty-some years of marriage since.

But after moving to a house with a fenced-in yard outside the city limits five years ago, we accumulated some cats––eleven to be precise! Our now 16-year-old tomcat, Frosty, made the move with us and happily took up residence in the big doghouse on the back deck.

Then one morning just after we got settled in, a gorgeous calico cat showed up on our front porch. When she was still there a few weeks later, we claimed her and named her Biscuit. But we soon realized Biscuit's roly-poly figure was due to more than the generous portions of cat chow we were serving her.

We moved her to the back porch and hoped Frosty (who was not the kittens' father) would be a gentleman and share his comfy home. Nothing doing. End of discussion. We were disappointed in his manners, but with the arrival of kittens imminent, we fixed a cozy box under the eaves for Biscuit and filled it with warm towels ready to receive kittens.

One morning late that March, I went out to the deck to find the two cats had traded homes! I have no idea how those negotiations went down, but the following morning I found Biscuit, snug in the
doghouse, licking a precious miniature of herself. By noon "Gravy" had two sisters and a brother.

We enjoyed every minute of the ten weeks those kittens lived with us. Frosty was so attentive you'd have thought he'd fathered the kits. It wasn't easy to say goodbye, but we found good homes and got
everyone settled in with their new families. Wouldn't you know it, several days before Biscuit's vet appointment to be "fixed," we
started to suspect she would be blessing us with another bundle of kittens--and soon!

Batch Number Two--five precious little girls--made their entrance into the world two years ago, on July 11. Much to Frosty's dismay, we immediately moved Biscuit and the little ones to the basement where we could make sure this was the last litter. Early that September,Batch Two moved out onto the back deck where they frolicked and scampered and quickly made friends with Frosty. It was a summer full of laughter. A summer to remember forever.

In a perfect world, all nine kitties could have lived all nine lives right here in our backyard. But it's not a perfect world, and far too soon October came, and one by one, the kittens went off to new homes, thanks to my author friend Kim Vogel Sawyer. (Kim calls herself a kitty broker and it's an apt title, since she adopted Maizie, placed Snickers with her parents, and found a home together for two other kittens.)

Every kitten had a home––except a little yellow and white fluffball we called Sundae. Surely we could keep just one? After much begging and pleading (our daughter's) and a few tears (mine), we convinced the master of the house that in spite of lyrics to the contrary, three cats in the yard really does make for a very, very, very fine house.

––Deborah Raney

Almost Forever

by Deborah Raney

A Hanover Falls Novel

from Howard/Simon and Schuster

Unearthing a lost memory may cause her to lose everything she holds dear. but could it also set her free?

Volunteer Bryn Hennesey was there at the Grove Street Homeless Shelter the night five heroic firefighters died at the scene. Among them was her husband, Adam.

Now a terrifying absence of memory has her wondering if she might, in some way, be responsible. Garrett Edmonds' wife, Molly, was the only female firefighter to perish in the blaze. He was supposed to protect the woman he loved.now she's the one who's died a hero. How can he go on in the face of such unbearable loss? And what started the fire that destroyed the dreams and futures of so many? Investigators are stumped. But someone knows the answer...

Deborah Raney books always captivate me! Almost Forever is a beautifully written and enthralling read. It made my heart sing, dance, cry, and turn more than a few flips!

~CindyWoodsmall, New York Times best-selling author

As a fan of the very talented Deborah Raney, I expected a great read and I got it in the richly emotional Almost Forever, a story of faith, forgiveness and redemption. It began with a gripping scene and proceeded to hold me enthralled to the end. Don't miss this one!

~Karen Young, author of Missing Max and Blood Bayou

DEBORAH RANEY is at work on her 20th novel. Her books have won the RITA Award, HOLT Medallion, National Readers' Choice Award, Silver Angel, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. Her first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title. Almost Forever, first in her new Hanover Falls Novels series, will release in May from Howard/Simon & Schuster. Deb and her husband, Ken Raney, enjoy small-town life in Kansas. They are new empty nesters with four grown children and two precious grandsons, all of whom live much too far away.

Visit Deb on the web at www.deborahraney.com

Order her books here: http://snipurl.com/raneybooks

Note from Roxanne: If you are reading this on Facebook, come on over to the All Creatures Great and Small Blog for lots of great posts and pet stories from your favorite authors! http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com

Pure Animal Instinct and trust...

2010-05-12T08:39:00.008-05:00

by Delia Latham

My husband, Johnny, trudges across the front yard in his overalls and beat-up felt hat. Behind him, tails high in the air, three cats tag along in single file. Watching this little procession through my office window, I can’t help a burst of laughter. Isn’t it puppies who are supposed to “dog” your footsteps like little four-legged shadows? I half expect one of the hoity-toity felines to let loose with a yappy bark at any moment.

Sunny, O’Malley and Bo are their names. They’re ornery creatures, but we get a kick out of watching them. O’Malley, who is at least partially Siamese, loves to torment the birds—cardinals, robins, chickadees, woodpeckers, blue jays, and scissortails—who hang out on our feeders. He never quite catches them, but he seems to get a tremendous amount of pleasure out of scaring all my favorite winged creatures away from the big oak right outside my window. (Most likely, he does it because he knows I get such pleasure out of watching them. I tell you, cats know these things!) Sunny is the lazy one. If Johnny’s not outside for to hang out with, he can usually be found stretched out on the lawn, wherever the widest swath of sunshine appears. Bo does his own thing. We’re not sure where he is when he isn’t at my husband’s heels, but I can guarantee the haughty creature is up to no good!

Gardening is a real challenge. If Bo’s not off doing…whatever it is that Bo does on his forays of independence…he’s pushing himself under our hands, wanting to be petted. It is in our best interest to take time to do that, because if we don’t, he proceeds to attack those same hands—claws completely unsheathed. Apparently he thinks we’re kneeling there in the flowerbed solely for his entertainment. Of course, by the time we convince Bo to find something else to do, Sunny and O’Malley come to help us garden, as well.

I have to be honest, okay? The cats are Johnny’s—if cats can be said to belong to anyone. I’ve never been the animal person in the family. But I’ve learned a lot over the years, just watching him and my four children (yes, they’re all pet lovers, too) with their pets.

What amazes me most is the cats’ total, uncomplicated trust in my husband. He feeds them, sees that they have a place to shelter from the elements, and provides them enough attention and human kindness that they know he cares about them. They don’t necessarily appreciate it when he refuses to let them in the house (most of the time, they pile up together in a furry heap right against our glass storm door, where they can peer inside and make us feel guilty). Still, they accept it. I suppose, since cats are known to have minds of their own, that they might prefer their canned food to be fish flavored rather than chicken or beef on certain days. But they accept what they’re given, apparently trusting that the nice man in the beat-up hat does what’s best for them.

In return, they do a fine job of keeping our three acres mostly free of rodents. What more can we ask?

How is it that we human beings, who purportedly have higher intellects than animals, have yet to learn the art of pure, unadulterated trust in our God? It isn’t exactly rocket science, the knowledge that He loves us more than we could possibly love the pets we adore. He’s never locked us out of His house, and never will. We’re welcome inside, on the furniture, cozied up beside Him. In every aspect of our lives, our Father cares for us.

The heroine in my new release, Yesterday’s Promise, survives excruciating emotional trauma only because of a simple but profound trust in her heavenly Father. She’s human, so yes, there are times when she wonders why. Why didn’t God stop her from marrying a man she’d known too briefly? Why did her bridegroom disappear after their wedding night? Why didn’t God stop him? Why did she have to leave her family and her home and start over in a strange town where she knew no one? Why must her adorable little boy have to grow up without a father?

Ultimately, however, Hannah knows in her heart of hearts that God has a perfect reason for every tiny occurrence in her life. And after she throws her little spiritual tantrums (like we all do) and whines a bit about how hard her life is (don’t we all?), she inevitably concedes that He only wants the best for her.

So she yields herself to His will. She trusts Him. And God comes through. He always does. He always will.

Our role is simply to follow Him (like my husband’s trio of four-legged shadows). We’ll probably get in His way now and then (much like Bo in the flower bed). Most likely we’ll pout at times (like the fur heap outside our storm door). But through it all, it’s important to trust Him, never forgetting that the Savior with the scars in His hands is our God, and He’ll do what’s best for us.

The author is offering a beautiful journal as a prize in a drawing, to be selected from the blog readers who post a comment! Here it is! Just remember to stop back on Monday to find out if you won!

About the Author:

DELIA LATHAM is a born-and-bred California gal, recently transplanted to Oklahoma where she lives with her husband Johnny. She’s a Christian wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend—but above all, she treasures her role as child of the King and heir to the throne of God. Delia enjoys big, loud, happy family gatherings and quieter times with just her own four children and grandchildren. She loves to play piano and sing, read, drink in the natural beauty of her surroundings, design marketing products for authors, and write. Delia’s inspirational novel, Goldeneyes, was released in March 2008. Yesterday’s Promise released through White Rose Publishing in March 2010. A children’s book, Adam’s Wings, will be available in December 2010. Find out more about this author and her books at www.delialatham.net.

Newsletter: The Bookshelf
Interviews & Reviews: My Book Bag
Blog: The Melody Within

Purchasing Information:
Yesterday’s Promise is available (in e-format only) through Amazon and White Rose Publishing.

____________________

Welcome to the "All Creatures Great and Small" blog, if you are reading this on Facebook!

I'd love to have you stop by--there are lots of blog posts about the furry, finned and feathered friends of authors and readers, as well as a good number of tales from The Old Horse Trader.

The title of the blog was taken from the old hymn, and though it was also used in the James Herriott books and serialized TV show, it sure fits the topics you'll find at this blog!

With best wishes to all,

Roxanne Rustand

http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com

Beauty--In the Eye of the Beholder? Chinese Crested dogs

2010-04-01T02:14:00.020-05:00

Beauty: In the Eye of the Beholder?

We've all heard the old saying that "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." So many things in life are subjective. Take for instance my two dogs. The little brown guy is Ponchee (Short for Pong Choolie) and the little black and white gal is Zippy. These two strange little creatures are "hairy hairless" Chinese Cresteds. The Cresteds are an ancient breed of dogs that grow hair only on their head, feet and tail. If only I had a dollar for every time someone thinks they have the mange! To some, my hairless babies are ugly, but to me, they're more precious than gold.

I'm a pet lover from way back and can't write a novel that doesn't include a pet as a minor character in my plot, mostly rescues that wriggle their way into someone's heart. In Queen of Hearts, my April 1 release from Desert Breeze Publishing, my main character, Daphne Dean, who is a newspaper reporter turned spy, finds a stray dog on the street. She rescues the skinny, dingy-haired little guy from a life on the street when he captures her heart.

WIN A FREE T-SHIRT--a gift from this author!!

She will have a drawing from the names of people who leave comments on her post, here....so don't forget to say "Hi" and then stop back to see the name of the winner!! Good luck!

QUEEN OF HEARTS
by K Dawn Byrd
Desert Breeze Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-936000-22-7
Daphne Dean is proud to be serving her country stateside during WWII as a reporter and an Office of Strategic Services operative. When the photograph she takes of the crowd at a murder scene places her on the mob's hit list, she's forced into hiding in a vacant mental asylum in the middle of nowhere with terrifying secrets of its own.   Daphne believed herself to still be in love with her ex-fiancée, Kenneth, until she spends several days locked away in the asylum with Vito, the mob boss' son. Can she put the terrifying events that occurred there behind her and allow herself to pursue a relationship with Vito? Or, will she return to Kenneth who has turned his back on his country by becoming a draft dodger and a black market racketeer? One thing's for sure, it won't matter if she can't escape the mental institution alive.

Book web address: www.desertbreezepublishing.com

Love, Loss and Horses... THE OLD HORSE TRADER'S TALES #10

2010-03-07T07:47:00.004-06:00

Lost love may be a poignant, familiar theme in literature and on the silver screen, but horse trader Verne Upmier remembers a couple of livery horses who played out an equine version as touching as any that a writer could devise.

"Daisy was peppy, and needed an experienced rider," he recalls. "While Freckles was slow and quiet. They wanted to be next to each other all the time, so it worked out well to put a beginner on the gelding and a better rider on the mare. The two horses would go down the trail, as steady as could be, and I always knew they would arrive safely home on schedule."

Alas, the devoted companionship of the two horses didn't end happily-ever-after. A farmer, desperate for a good horse to use for rounding up cattle, stopped by Verne's and insisted on buying Daisy.

Verne tried matching up Freckles with other livery horses, but Freckles knew who he wanted, and no other horse could fit the bill. The lonely gelding spent all of his time on the trails nickering and looking out over the countryside for his Daisy. He would repeatedly try to leave the customary route, and was no longer the dependable, gentle mount he'd been before.

"He got to be sneaky," Verne remembers "He would be standing quietly with all the other horses who were saddled and tied in the barnyard, waiting for riders. When no one was looking, he'd escape-- leaving a herd is something that horses don't tend to do--and once again he'd be off, looking for Daisy."

One day a man called Verne from a neighboring town. "About a half hour ago, I saw a gray horse go by with a saddle and bridle on. Could it be yours?"

A quick check of the barnyard told Verne all he needed to know, so he quickly drove to town, but Freckles was nowhere to be seen. Verne drove and drove, crisscrossing the surrounding area in search of hoofprints. Finally, far from town, he spied a set of tracks going through a roadside gate and out into a hayfield. No other horses were in sight, but there was Freckles, searching the field and whinnying for Daisy.

"It took months for him to quit looking for her," Verne says with a quiet smile. "And he never again got so attached to another horse. Daisy was the one who had captured his heart."

***NOTE: If you are reading this on Facebook, come on over to the All Creatures Great and Small Blog, for more! You can google "All Creatures Great and Small Roxanne Rustand" or try this link, though sometimes the links I post here don't work.

http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com

Happy trails!
Ropxanne

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

2010-03-05T22:44:00.002-06:00

Lope on over to my newest blog entry at www.shoutlife.com/roxannerustand, about "ONCE IN A BLUE MOON" by Leanna Ellis! I have this book--and it is absolutely wonderful!
It's such a unique story--with fascinating characters who absolutely come alive. It kept me turning the pages all the way through, but then I was sorry to see it end. Don't miss this one!

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON
Leanna Ellis
ISBN: 978-0-8054-4988- 4

B&H Publishing

Faith is the first step to soaring...

The day Armstrong stepped on the moon has special memories for most Americans, but not for Bryn Seymour. It's the day her mother died. Despite death defying feats, guilt has always pulled Bryn down time and again. But a perfect love shows her taking a leap of faith is the first step to soaring. But it only happens once in a blue moon.

About the author:

'Leanna Ellis takes a back seat to no one,' says Debbie Macomber. But Leanna hopes she allows God in the driver's seat as she taxies her two children to and from all their activities, lets her menagerie of pets in and out in and out ..., figures out what to cook for dinner (or where to order takeout), and at the same time keeps those quirky characters in her head from bothering others. Winner of the National Readers Choice Award, Leanna writes quirky women's fiction with a splash of romance. From a long line of southerners and patriots, she lives with her family in Texas.

Available on Amazon!

Excerpt Link:
http://leannaellis. com/onceinabluem oon.html

Author website and blog:
www.leannaellis. com
www.leannaellis. com/news/

If you are reading this note on Facebook, hellooooo from the Creatures blog at http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com. Come on over and say howdy!

The Old Horse Trader #9: Rodeo horse, cattle, & rope = trouble

2010-02-18T09:42:00.001-06:00

Years ago, a rodeo cowboy from the Midwest had a fine calf ropin' and bulldoggin' horse named Lightning.

The roan gelding's exceptional ability kept him in popular demand on the rodeo circuit, for cowboys were often eager to "rent" a good horse for their runs down the arena. The extra cash helped pay for travel expenses, so his owner was happy to share Lightning's talents.

Lightning, however, took a different view. "For a long time he did awfully well," recalls lifelong horse trader Verne Upmier. "Until he must have decided he'd had enough. During steer wrestling events, he took to kicking at both the steers and the cowboys who bailed off, and that pretty much ended his rodeo career."

Verne, not intending to do any steer wrestling, bought Lightning and found the horse fun to ride. "He could turn so fast that you had trouble staying on," Verne says.

One day, Verne got a phone call. A man had purchased four wild cattle from a ranch the previous fall, and the cows had almost immediately escaped their pasture. Three had been captured after months of effort, but one still ran wild. Could Verne come and try to catch her? It was an opportunity to use Lightning!

Verne promptly agreed.

"That cow was crafty," he says with a grin, "and she was fast. I tied my rope to the saddle horn and took out after her, but we didn't catch up until we got to the far end of a field."

Vern sent his loop sailing, and it settled over her neck just as she jumped a creek. "Old Lightning slammed on the brakes on one side of the creek, and that cow hit the end of the rope on the opposite bank. Lightning refused to budge, and the cow was just as determined. The cow's owner thought it was hilarious."

"It took a while, but Lightning and I finally dragged her back through the creek. I learned a little about roping--and life in general--that day," Vern adds. "It always pays to look ahead. Especially if you're going have something big and stubborn on the end of your rope!"

Fun, Free Murder Mystery: "Killer Chocolate"

2010-02-10T06:50:00.000-06:00

Free, fun serial murder mystery going on--and today was my chapter! Come read and comment! Go to: http://ladiesofsuspense.blogspot.com

FATAL BURN: A romantic suspense with vets, vet techs, humane shelters and more...

2010-02-07T01:15:00.037-06:00

I've been thrilled to let you know about new releases by other authors, but today, I'm so excited about letting you know about my new book, which is out in the stores right now! The book features a vet tech with a troubled past, who has a chance to start her life over in the Montana Rockies.

Here's the backcover blurb:

Smoke and mirrors...
Someone's after Kris Donaldson, and he doesn't just want her hurt--he wants her ruined. First, an arsonist destroys her home, and evidence points to Kris as being guilty of insurance fraud. Then a badly injured deputy is found at her place...and ballistics prove that he was shot with her rifle. Even Trace Randall, the arson investigator who's helped her before, seems to doubt her now. She has to prove her innocence, but how?

And now, her reputation, her life, and her chance for happiness with Trace are all on the line.

The book is available at places like Barnes and Noble, Walmart, KMart, Target, and many bookstores. It's also available online at www.christianbook.com, www.target.com, www.steeplehill.com and other online sources for books.

I hope you'll enjoy it, and I'd love to hear what you think!

Roxanne

PS: If you are reading this on Facebook, this post is actually coming from my "All Creatures Great and Small" blog, where I love to run stories by readers and other authors, stories from my own life in the country, and those from The Old Horse Trader. So come on over! :)

I hope you'll wander through the many past posts, including those that have been archived!

The address is http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com

A FUN, FREE SERIAL SUSPENSE STORY IS UNFOLDING!!

2010-02-05T06:33:00.001-06:00

A fun, free serial suspense story, Killer Chocolate--A Valentine Mystery is unfolding at: http://ladiesofsuspense.blogspot.com/

Come on over! Over a dozen authors are participating--and your comments will help shape what happens next! It's a fun and crazy ride....none of us know what is going to happen next, but each day, one of the scheduled authors has to write an installment based on what was posted the day before...and has to write it fast. No time for leisurely editing and contemplation here! :)

The fourteenth installment will wrap up on Valentine's Day, and each of us is following the feedback comments to help us plan our episodes. My installment will fall on Wednesday, Feb 10th, and I hope there will be lots of ideas flowing during the days before. Help!! :)

Happy trails!
Roxanne

PS: If you are seeing this note on Facebook, I hope you will stop by the source sometime: "The All Creatures Great and Small Blog" at http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com

K9 ADVANTAGE FOR HUMANS?

2010-02-04T01:07:00.006-06:00

by guest blogger ROBIN CARROLL

Okay, so my beloved Moodoo (mix of lab and Catahoula) tells me it's time to go outside. (He whines twice, then nudges me. If I don't respond immediately, he puts his paws on my arm and pushes me) Being a devoted dog owner, I slip on my shoes, grab his leash, and we head out the door. Now, he decides he wants to do his business in the woods around the house. Okay, works for me. (He's trained not to go in the "lawn" where hubby would have a fit) So off we go. The squirrels are playing in the trees, so we move slower. I'm looking at a squirrel and BlueJay having it out. Amusing me. (Hey, I'm procrastinating writing, okay? Give me some latitude here) We're strolling along, Moodoo enjoying being outside since it's cooler today than it has been all week. He's sniffing the air, the bushes, the ground, the trees...everything. So after about 30 minutes, we head on back into the house. I brush him right quick before I let him in. (beggars lice is abundant in the woods here in Arkansas) and get the doggie wipe for his paws so he doesn't bring in any dirt, twigs, etc. He's good. Comes in, drinks some water, and plops down for a nap at my feet under my desk. All good, right?

WRONG!

I sit down and check email, Twitter, and Facebook (told you I was procrastinating) and I feel something "crawling" on my arm. Look down and Oh. My. Gosh. It's a tick. Ick. Grab it, kill it, flush it down the toliet. Shake off the ick feeling. Probably brushed against a tree or bush or something. No biggie, right? It's dead and flushed, not to worry anymore, right?

WRONG!

Back to checking email, Twitter, and Facebook (hey, I was away from my desk for a minute or so...might've had something come in. Remember, I'm procrastinating) and I feel something crawling on my leg. More than what I felt on my arm. Push out from under desk and find three ticks crawling on me. Triple ick. Get them off. Kill them. Flush them in toliet. But not taking any chances. Run and draw a hot shower. Take said hot shower. Get new clean clothes and throw others in washing machine and start it. I feel mucho better.

Then it dawns on me--poor Moodoo. What if he's eaten up with ticks?

Sigh. So I call him to me, make him flip over and check his legs, belly, tail, back, head, ears, etc. What did I find? NOT A SINGLE TICK. Nothing.

Why can't they make a K9 Advantage for humans?

AND NOW....here's some information on Robin's newly released book!!

DELIVER US FROM EVIL

"The kind of novel 'Ripped from the headlines' was meant to describe. Compelling."--James Scott Bell, author of Deceived and Try Fear

A beautiful yet tough woman working in a beautiful yet tough setting, Brannon Callahan is a search and rescue helicopter pilot for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Strong faith and a decorated history of service have kept her one step ahead of on-the-job dangers, but there’s no precedent for what’s about to happen.

After a blizzard takes down a small plane carrying U.S. Marshal Roark Holland (already haunted by a recent tragedy), Brannon must save him in more ways than one and safeguard the donor heart he’s transporting to a government witness on the edge of death. Otherwise the largest child trafficking ring in history—with shocking links from Thailand to Tennessee—will slip further away into darkness along the Appalachian Trail.

Robin Caroll
www.robincaroll.com

Deliver Us From Evil (Feb '10, B&H Publishing)
"The kind of novel 'Ripped from the headlines' was meant to describe. Compelling."--James Scott Bell, author of Deceived and Try Fear

Dead Air (March '10, Steeple Hill Suspense) Fear No Evil (Aug '10, B&H Publishing)

_________________________

NOTE: If you are reading this on Facebook, come on over and visit the "All Creatures Great and Small" blog!

There are dozens of posts by authors talking about their pets, about my own life in the country, and there's also a series of short stories about the interesting, often amusing experiences of The Old Horse Trader!

http://roxannerustand.blogspot,com

Dog, Cats, and a Visit with Author Merrillee Whren!

2010-02-01T08:29:00.024-06:00

Dogs, Cats, and a Visit with Author Merrillee Whren!

Throughout my life I have had pets—mostly cats and dogs, but there were some hamsters, turtles, fish and birds thrown in. Today I’d like to share a little about some of those pets.

Pepper was the dog we had for nearly eighteen years. He was rescued from our local Humane Society, when we lived in Georgia. He was a mix of terrier, dachshund, and poodle, but looked like a terrier. Everyone in our family has at least one Pepper story to tell. My favorite is the time my husband almost hanged the dog. I was in the driveway vacuuming out my car and had Pepper

leashed to the handle of the garage door. My husband came into the garage and punched the button that opened the garage door and proceeded to get into his car. He suddenly saw the dog slowly rising off the ground along with the garage door. He yelled at me, but I couldn’t hear because of the vacuum cleaner. He raced to catch the dog before he choked. There were times when my husband wondered why he saved the dog, especially the evening that he stole my husband’s dinner off the table. We never dreamed that when we plucked that little black dog from the cage at the Humane Society that he would still be with us when our kids were gone from home.

Pepper was the only pet for a while, but he learned to share the house and even a bed with a parade of cats that came and went in our household. First, there was Mittens, who ran away when we moved from Georgia to Massachusetts. Then there was Bubba Joe and Allie who joined us in Massachusetts. The three animals moved with us when we went to Texas and then again when we moved to Illinois. There’s nothing like having two cats and a dog in the car, while driving cross-country. When we lived in Illinois, Bubba Joe succumbed to a weakened heart as a consequence of kidney disease. That left Allie and Pepper, who became the best of buddies.

Allie was lost when Pepper died. About that time our younger daughter moved to Florida to attend college, and I brought Allie to Florida. My daughter decided that Allie was lonely and got a little gray kitten she named Nomar, after Nomar Garciaparra who used to play for the Boston Red Sox, my daughter’s favorite baseball team. The little gray kitten grew into a BIG gray cat. Allie accepted Nomar even when he tried to eat her food. Eventually, our daughter graduated and moved, leaving the cats behind. Allie’s health failed, and she died. That left us with Nomar, who is our last remaining pet. He loves to lie on my desk while I write, as you can see from the photo.

Over the years, our pets have brought us much laughter as well as tears. Do you have a story to share about one of your pets?

Merrillee Whren

Here's Merrillee's new book release--isn't this a gorgeous cover?!

Hometown Promise,
Steeple Hill
Feb. 2010,
RT: 4 STARS
For six years Lukas Frye has fought to regain control of his reckless life. He comes to Kellerville, Ohio, hoping to settle down and be the man his ailing grandfather can depend on. Lukas thinks he can put down roots in a place unsullied by his past--until he sees Juliane Keller. Juliane knows the secrets that could ruin his chance of being accepted in the place he wants to call home. But she isn't just a reminder of his past; she's a woman with secrets of her own--and a heart capable of the forgiveness and love

The Old Horse Trader #8--And A Mustang at Madison Square Garden

2010-01-28T06:36:00.001-06:00

In his youth, horse trader Verne Upmier built up a thriving livery business by working hard to please his customers and being particular about the horses he used.

He remembers one week when he bought ten supposedly well-broke horses through three different sales barns, and only two of the animals proved dependable enough for rental.

One of these was a paint mare, who was unusually versatile. She was gentle enough for children to ride throughout the week, but on Sunday afternoons, Verne would put a flank strap on her so would-be cowboys could learn to ride a bucking horse. She would buck like holy terror with that flank strap, but on Monday mornings, saddled up for livery duties, she would again be quiet enough for the littlest cowpokes.

Not all of Verne's acquisitions were that docile, however. Back in the 40's, large numbers of untouched mustangs were shipped from the million-acre CBC ranch to be sold in the Midwest. Most mustangs can become wonderful, gentle riding horses with proper training, but the local horsemen soon learned to interpret the CBC brand as "Cowboy Be Careful!" Some of these horses from that ranch were just plain rank.

One, a big gray, took considerable exception to even the most gentle handling. "I saddled him and put him in a stall, figuring he needed time to adjust," Verne says. "but when I returned a short time later, he was gone."

The horse must have viewed the stall as his personal Stalag 17, and he was no slouch at escapes. He jumped his manger, ran down the aisle, jumped into another stall, kicked open a door at the back of that stall, and raced out into the pasture.

Verne eventually caught up with him, but the horse was too wild to catch, so Verne began driving the animal towards home. The horse, who still had the saddle on him, bucked all the way to the barn.
Selling him as bucking stock was an easy decision after such a display of determination, and that choice proved to be wise.

During the next two years, the horse never failed to unseat his riders before the eight-second buzzer, and he even "performed" in Madison Square Garden!

Frosty horses and snowy barns

2010-01-25T20:32:00.001-06:00

Is it just me...or is anyone else gettiing just a little tired of winter!? Brrr! Tonight, with light snow but significant wind, the resulting ground blizzard made the trip home from work sooo much longer.

So how is winter going where you live?!

The Paint Horse Congress, a Trailer, & A Trip to Remember!

2010-01-24T08:26:00.001-06:00

In the late 1970's, when my husband and I were first married, we bought a good paint mare--producer of three Minnesota state champions, bred her to an AQHA Champion, and confidently expected that this would be the beginning of a nice, profitable side venture out of quarter horses and into a breed with lots of pizazz. Well...

In due time we had a nice, wild colored colt, did quite well with him at our state futurity, and then consigned him to the Paint Futurity sale down in Wichita, Kansas, with expectations that he would finance the purchase of more good mares.

The trip to Kansas went smoothly until we were half- way through what must be the most desolate part of that state. As we drove down a long hill, we were startled to see a large, dark shape fly past the truck window and arc gracefully out into space over a deep, brush-filled ravine.

There was little time for reflection over this phenomenon, for in a split second, we felt a tremendous lurch and heard the squeal of rubber on asphalt. We pulled over to the shoulder of the highway with difficulty, and with great trepidation went back to survey the damage.

The trailer wheels had ben greased and repacked just prior to the trip, but now one was completely gone, and the other one on that side was off its axle and jammed at an angle under the wheel well. The axles both showed considerable damage.

We stood there in shock, for there hadn't been a sizable town behind us in the last hour, there was no traffic to flag down, and the Congress sale was less than 24 hours away. It was hopeless! We stood there, staring at the damage, trying to imagine how this could all be resolved, when over the next horizon our Lone Ranger appeared in the form of Officer Pekin, a highway patrolman.

The three of us warily searched the top of the ravine from the edge of the highway, keeping an eye out for rattlesnakes--very common in the area and especially in rocky, brush filled places like that, but the airborne tire had departed with such velocity that it was nowhere to be found.

Office Pekin, undaunted by our dismal situation, confidently assured us that we would make it to sale on time. He made a quick call on his car radio and located a local rancher with the improbable name of "Grasshopper." Well, Grasshopper soon appeared with the stock trailer for our colt and a wrecker was summoned for our trailer. Grasshopper, a lanky, charming and generous cowboy from the top of his cowboy hat to the tips of his dusty boots, loaned us the trailer for the rest of our trip, and by late evening we were again on our way.

By now, it was raining heavily and night had fallen. We were inching along in the dark, in the pouring rain on a very narrow highway, praying we wouldn't drive off the road. The rest of the trip seemed to take an eternity, but we finally arrived at the Paint Horse Congress grounds late at night. As we led that colt out of the darkness and into the safe, warm, brightly lit barn at the fairgrounds, the feeling of relief was immeasurable.

Well... we put the colt through the sale, and based on all the people who had stopped by his stall expressing interest, we had visions of a good price, ala the current AQHA market. Of course now paints and pintos are a hot commodity, but at least for that era, we were quite a surprised to find ourselves no-saling him when the bidding ended at $900 !! And now, we needed to find a ride back to our home state for the colt...and also had to return Grasshopper's trailer.

Luckily, we found somebody with an empty spot in their trailer who was headed the right direction...but then, a few weeks later, we also had to take a second trip to Kansas to pick up our own trailer, which had been repaired sufficiently for travel. We did receive compensation from the gas station that had been negligent when working on our trailer in the first place.

Well....we fed that colt for the next year. I started him under saddle and he was the easiest pleasure horse I ever started, he was just so talented. The first time he loped off, he was slow, quiet, with his head down--an absolute dream through his own personality rather than any talent of my own. And then we again took him to a paint sale, figuring he would easily bring our extra year of expenses and much more.

This time he brought $1,000 ....a grand total of a hundred dollars more...but THIS time, we let him go!

An interview with Rachel Hauck & Sara Evans!

2010-01-23T14:08:00.001-06:00

Hi...
Pop on over to my blog at www.shoutlife.com/roxannerustand for an interview with Rachel Hauck and Sara Evans. They have collaborated on a book that is being released this month, and you can check out the information on the book there, too. Very, very cool!

Multi-platinum recording artist Sara Evans has garnered such honors as ACM's Female Vocalist of the Year, CMA's Video of the Year, named one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People," and she was the first country star to compete in ABC's Dancing with the Stars. And of course, Rachel is a multi-published, multi-award winning author!

Roxanne

A Lena Nelson Dooley interview!

2010-01-19T09:13:00.001-06:00

Visit http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/ for an interview and a sneak peak of my February romantic suspense novel, FATAL BURN....which will be available starting approximately February 5th in bookstores, Walmart, KMart, Target, and other stores that carry the Steeple Hill line.

And while you are at Lena's blog, check out the rest of her site. She is one of the most active fiction bloggers anywhere--with loads of information about authors, and she also has a great website. She's also an author herself!

When your Dog is a MOOSE!! by Ane Mulligan

2010-01-16T20:48:00.017-06:00

When your dog is a moose... you buy a motorhome.

I love dogs. I really do, but I wanted a break after our last one went to doggie heaven, because I wanted to travel without worrying about who would take care of the dog. Besides, he'd been the best one we ever owned, the only one that truly wanted to please. What ever we told him, he'd do in a heartbeat.

Unfortunately, the hubs missed him so much that within two months, he had me at a kennel in Alabama, looking at a mastiff puppy. My dreams of travel trotted out the door with a set of gigantic puppy toes. I mean, those babies were bigger than any adult dog's I've ever seen!

That should have been my first clue.

I'd never even seen a mastiff before. But a friend of our son Greg owned two. Said son fell in love and of course, told his dad about them. It must be a gender thing. Women tend to like little dogs that we can cuddle and hold in our laps.

Guys want one they can ride.

Father and son spent hours on the Internet, searching for just the right place to get one. Me? I was in my office working on my latest manuscript, blissfully unaware of their activities. They would have made a great spy team for the CIA. They carried out clandestine investigations right under my nose, and I never knew it.

The hubs used psychology. At the kennel, he told me to pick out the one I liked best from the litter. What did I know? I picked a cute face. Silly me. That should have been my second clue.

All puppies are cute.

The Hound of Baskervilles was cute when it was a puppy. Wolves are cute when they're puppies, but that doesn't mean I should own one. But somehow, this puppy we named Shadrach found its way into our car and came home with us. We left Meshach and Abednego back at the kennel.

Son Greg was delighted with Shadrach.

As he grew, one trait became apparent quickly. Shadrach was a chicken and he wanted to remain very close. He even laid on the back of the sofa like a cat. He's terrified of the dark, of shadows he can't explain, rustling leaves, hats, oddly placed trash cans on the sidewalk, thunder, and fireworks. One muffled bang and he is in someone's lap.

He was even afraid of his new dog bed. The hubs laid down on it to show that silly dog what it was for. What did Shadrach do? Sat down on the hubs lap.

I still want to do some traveling. After all, I have five newly found sisters in Seattle that I have visited only once. But what do we do with the moose? Hubs did what only a man would do. He bought a motor home large enough to carry Shadrach.

Oh, joy.

Author Ane Mulligan has lived a varied life: from Christian lobbyist to business manager, from playwright and drama director to novelist. Her lifetime of experience provides a plethora of fodder for fiction. An adoptee who found her birth sisters, she started a blog for sharing adoption stories. Ane has published over two dozen scripts and numerous articles. She's a humor columnist for the e-zine Afictionado and editor of the popular literary blog, Novel Journey. Whether its novels oer plays, writing is her passion, but using her talent to serve the Lord is her grand passion. She lives in Atlanta with her husband and a dog large enough to qualify as two.

http://www.anemulligan.com
http://adoptionshare.blogspot.com
http://www.noveljourney.blogspot.com
http://www.acfw.com/ezine

Author Christmas Home Tour Videos!

2009-12-17T09:03:00.003-06:00

If you'd love to visit a number of author's homes, check out the following address---you can go from one author's site to the next, and see the lovely videos, photographs, and hear the Christmas messages to you, too!

You can start here:

http://deborahraney.blogspot.com/2009/12/holiday-home-tour.html

Have fun!

Roxanne

THE OLD HORSE TRADER --Tale #7

2009-12-11T22:59:00.004-06:00

The pampered horses of this era might find it a bit difficult to change places with their relatives from the past, if Verne Upmier's recollections are any indication. Verne probably rode more, trained more, and sold more horses during his seventy years in the business than anyone else in Eastern Iowa, and he probably held the records for interesting tales from the past, too.

Forty or fifty years ago, before aluminum four-horse slant goosenecks were even a twinkle in some designer's eye, trailering could be a risky proposition. Verne remembers loading up his horse Copper after an all-day trail ride and heading home after dark. "I felt a little lurch as we rounded a curve," he says, "but I didn't think much about it until we got home. I went back to unload my horse and he was gone!"

Copper had fallen out of the open top trailer. "I turned right around to go after him, and found him calmly grazing by that curve in the road. He apparently hadn't been too rattled by his sudden launch to the asphalt, because he loaded right up again for the rest of the trip home."

Most horses seemed to take the foibles of modern equipment in stride, earlier in the last century, Verne says. "It wasn't uncommon to knot a horse's tail around a length of rope, tie the rope to a small tractor or car that was stuck in the mud, and then use the horse to pull the vehicle to higher ground." Imagine that sort of use for a show tail of today!

Yours truly did something similar, but with almost disastrous results. I was about seven years old at the time, riding bareback, and had ridden under the framework of my swingset. I have no idea about what possessed me to do it, but I caught my old mare's swishing tail and knotted around the upper bar of the swing set.

Maybe Verne's horses of the past were docile about such things, but this old mare was having none of it. She fidgeted. Realized she was caught. and took off across our yard through the orchard---dragging the entire swing set behind her until she hit the hedge. She made it through but the swingset caught up in the bushes and miraculously, the knot in her long tail released without hurting her.

That--many other escapades when I was a child--have always confirmed the fact to me that I surely had a guardian angel working overtime on my behalf. Because now, as a cautious adult, I can see so many times when my foolish moves could have led to my demise!

Another Christmas Gift Idea for any writers in your life....

2009-12-11T06:28:00.003-06:00

I love books. Step into my house, and it's obvious, because they are everywhere! And my office--oh, my! Every inch of wall not covered by windows, doors, or the huge bulletin board above my desk is filled with overflowing bookshelves. Fiction of all kinds, of course, and also evidence of my passion for books on writing. I could probably weed all of them down to a dozen favorites...though I'm always on the prowl for new titles that offer someting special. And boy, have I found some great titles lately!

I've come to realize that if James Scott Bell pens a book on writing, I want to be first in line at the store. His Plot & Structure and Revision & Self Editing are two titles that I'd pack if I knew I was going to be stranded on a desert isle. I can't recommend them highly enough. And now, he has come out with a third-- The Art of War for Writers: Fiction Writing Strategies, Tactics and Exercises with perhaps the most unique approach ever--and packed with excellent information and advice. I love this book! And it's just the right size and price to be a perfect gift for my critique buddies. But shhhhh....don't tell!

So now, I would just love to hear about your favorites! Fiction...nonfiction....books on writing, or not....

Roxanne

An excellent book on writing....

2009-12-10T10:03:00.002-06:00

Outside the realm of "creatures great and small," but...

If any of you are writers, I've come across a wonderful new book! I've been catching up on my reading lately, and discovered an excellent book on writing. Thought I'd share this with you, because I'll definitely be buying some copies for critique friends!

It's Jeff Gerke's The Art & Craft of Writing Christian Fiction, and you can find it on Amazon. It's absolutely packed with excellent advice. Reading it was like sitting down with the author and receiving an in-depth workshop in my own home, and it gave me so many new insights on the art of writing inspirational fiction. I would recommend this book to anyone, at whatever place they might be along the spectrum from beginner to advanced!

Roxanne

A serial mystery --check it out!

2009-12-10T08:37:00.003-06:00

Hey, if you have a minute and want to join in, stop at the CraftieLadies blog at http://ladiesofsuspense.blogspot.com/

This blog is an interesting place to stop anyhow, as its home for a number of romantic suspense authors, and right now, the various authors are writing a serial mystery.

Start at the beginning, with Lenora Worth's first installment, then work up to the current date. None of us have a plan--we just read what the author wrote the day before, and then come up with a new installment on our own. This story is taking some wild turns!

Today, December 10th, was my turn to add an installment...and it was great fun trying to come up with something! If you stop in, be sure to leave comments, because I think all of us are using the ideas showing up in the comments, to help us figure out what to do next!

Roxanne

Have you lost a pet?

2009-11-17T07:00:00.003-06:00

People without pets have no idea how much these animals become part of our families. Have you ever lost a pet? Have you ever had to put a pet down? How did you handle it?

I still remember the awful day--many years ago-- that we had to put a beautiful AQHA mare down. It was necessary. It was the best thing for her, as she had severe, advancing neurological problems and could do longer stand steady on her feet--she would fall sideways and struggle to get up, and her two month old foal had already been injured by her when she would crash. But still, it was such a hard, hard day.

What do you think of this article? http://www.tri-cityherald.com/lifestyles/desertliving/story/792651.html (this isn't a live link--you'll need to copy/paste into your address bar.)

Roxanne

Great videos of horses and other animals!

2009-11-15T07:18:00.011-06:00

For those of you who enjoy watching cute animal videos, did you know that you can go to You Tube and do a search on just about anything? Horses, dogs, kittens, of course....but I have gotten totally mesmerized by freestyle reining, freestyle dressage, and baby moose. :)

The one of Stacy Westfall is so amazing....it makes me tear up every time. She is shown winning the reining class at the 2006 Quarter Horse Congress, without a bridle or saddle. I can't get hot links up in these posts, but you can copy/paste this address into your web address bar. If the link doesn't work, just do a search of: Stacy Westfall full version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMr4REbiW-s&feature=related

When I was a kid and riding my horses bareback everywhere, all day long, my friends and I sometime rode with just long leather boot laces that were tied in a slip knot, and the leather looped in our horse's mouths so there was a single rein. How I wish I had horses now that were as dead broke as mine were back then!! But wow--running a reining pattern with no bridle or saddle is just amazing.

Now, there are quite a few You Tube videos of people doing this, but not as great as Stacy (in my opinion, anyway.)

And here is another site by the Purina people, with lots of different pet videos:

http://video.yahoo.com/network/100000086?v=6361574&l=100000085

I would absolutely love to hear about your favorite videos online!!

Roxanne

ABBY THE MIRACLE PUPPY

2009-11-14T20:43:00.003-06:00

It was such a short time ago that I was posting here about our son's puppy and her fight for life. A wonderful vet and some miracles along the way got her through! The only residual evidence seems to be the interesting white vertical zebra stripe on her left flank, from where she'd been bandaged--which is actually a cool sort of brand, now. Brian could easily identify her if someone took her!

I think she's about ten months old, now, and here you can see her on her first hunting trip in South Dakota. She loved it--and even did her job right!

Dogs and Cats....

2009-11-11T19:20:00.000-06:00

My friend, Lyn Cote, sent me this link to post on my All Creatures Great and Small blog. Take a look and tell me what you think! Wasn't that thoughtful of her?

http://www.flixxy.com/dog-loves-cat.htm

How about you--do you have some favorite links? I'd love to see them!

Roxanne

Parasailing & cutting horses--both such a rush!

2009-11-03T10:29:00.005-06:00

Hi everyone!

I need to apologize for not posting consistently lately. I'm going to try to be better, and show up here twice a week from now on! I had some writing deadlines and we've also been traveling a bit--five days up in Minnesota, back home for one day, and then we were off to San Diego, where we planned to head out on a five-day cruise to Ensanada and Cabo San Lucas.

My husband occasionally earns trips through his work as a veterinary sales rep, and it's always fun to have a chance to travel! This trip was uncertain for a while--Hurricane Rick, expected to be the worst hurricane to hit the area in forty years, was scheduled to reach Cabo the same time we were. We weren't sure until the second day whether the ship would have to turn back north and go up the California coastline (unfortunate for the many Californians on the cruise!) or if it would still be able to head south.

Luckily, the weather cleared and we were able to complete the cruise as planned. Which led to some cool memories, because I got to parasail for the first time. I am sooo challenged by heights that I avoid railings overlooking central courts in shopping malls, and hotel rooms higher than twenty floors leave me queasy. So parasailing--oh, my! But my husband had already done it--so how could I back out?!

I'm sooo thankful that I dredged up enough courage, because it was just the most amazing experience, floating so peacefully high, high, high above the Sea of Cortez. I thought it would feel windy and fast, but instead, despite the speedboat bucking through the waves down below, it was like flying--amazing. It was rather like the one time I ever got to ride a cutting horse, and felt like the horse was effortlessly dancing beneath me. That was an amazing rush, too!

Sooo...what are some of your favorite experiences, after facing your own fears and going off on an adventure?

THE OLD HORSE TRADER:

2009-11-01T10:20:00.002-06:00

Have you ever you been on a trail ride and longingly looked at someone else's horse, wishing it was yours?

In the old days, if Verne Upmier wasn't busy driving a team in the fields, he was most likely on horseback--leading trail rides, breaking colts, or re-schooling the horses that were brought to his farm with bad habits.

He once bought a pretty thoroughbred mare, intending to use her for his livery service. He rode her around the barnyard for a while, and she was so well mannered that he decided to take her out on a trail.

"We'd gone a mile or so, then suddenly she took off at a dead run," Verne recalls. "We flew up and down the hills, crossed one gravel road and then another, passed a few farms and sped around a bend before she finally slowed down. I turned her around and headed for home, expecting that she would run away again, but she worked beautifully the rest of the way."

Verne figured that something must have spooked her, since she had been so well-mannered both before and after her headlong flight across the Iowa countryside. The next day, he took her out again, tested her for a while in the barnyard, and found her to be gentle and willing. So, he took her down the trail once again.

Disaster struck.

She ran away again, and went just as far before slowing down. If anything, she even went faster this time.

"It finally dawned on me," Verne says ruefully. "She'd been a racehorse, and she viewed that ride around the barnyard as her warm up. Once she was warmed up, she was set to go, and she was going to run her race no matter what race track she was on! She would always run for about a mile, just as she had during her racing career. And afterward that she would be fine."

Verne tried hemming her in with a group of other horses and riders to teach her to slow down, but he never did trust her to behave well enough to use for his livery.

One night, he was riding her on one of stable's moonlight trailrides, accompanied by a friend who was also an experienced horseman. The friend complained endlessly about how boring it was to be riding a dumb colt on the long trail ride, and asked if he could ride Verne's horse for a while.

Verne refused, saying that the thoroughbred might run off with him, but the friend kept asking until Verne finally agreed.

"We switched, and things went okay for a while," Verne says. "But then we came up to her favorite starting post along the trail. She was off to the races at a dead run and nothing could stop her once she got going.

"It was pretty dark, but we saw that guy's white shirt flash over one hill, and then another, fly around a bend and then disappear over the horizon. I wasn't too worried, though. I knew he was a good enough rider to stay on, and I knew the horse would stop once she had run her mile race." Verne's eyes twinkle as he recalls the chastened rider's return. "Do you still want to ride her?" he asked.

The fellow was only too glad to get off. "She's nice, but I guess I'll take my dumb colt back and be glad about it!"

And he didn't offer another complaint about his colt for the rest of the ride, either.

AUTHOR LYN COTE & HER FOUR FELINES

2009-10-14T22:10:00.007-05:00

I love cats. I am not happy if I don't have one in my house.
I love it when one of my cats comes and lies on my lap
when I'm trying to write.

I got my first cat when I was 10. I have only been
without a cat for the years I was in college and as an adult,
for two brief spells before a major move. The cats of my
adult life have been Professor (the smartest cat I've ever
had), Sheba (a sweet little black cat), and Shadow
(the Siamese mix who was the pet of my children's
childhood).

After Shadow passed away, I waited till we moved
to Wisconsin before looking for another pet. The week
before our first Thanksgiving in our home in the
northwoods, my dh and I visited the local animal shelter
and picked out two strays. I chose a dainty golden tabby and
named her Sadie (my sweet little lady) and my dh chose a
large marmalade cat that he named V-8. Not after the
juice, but for V-8's mighty purr. We also lovingly call
him our Cadillac cat. He's definitely a full-sized
luxury car.

My dh and I were happy with our two adopted
cats and didn't think we'd see any more. However, when
our daughter came to live with us, she brought her
cat, Tricksey. I always make it clear that Tricksey is a
boy and his real name is Trickster. My daughter doesn't agree
but I don't want my little grand-kitty to be confused about what he is.
*GRIN*

So we were up to three cats, something I hadn't done since
I babysat a cat for my sister long ago. Then my mil passed
away. We had promised her that we would take her cat if he
needed a home. So in August, Mootzie, a large male
golden tabby, came home with us. Mutza is Slovenian
for cat so all my mil's cats were Mootzie from the time she
was a little girl. (Her parents had immigrated from Slovenia
right before WWI).

Poor Mootzie had a shock coming. I don't think he had seen
another cat since he left his littler 10 years ago. And here were three.

Predictably Sadie was miffed. She is half the size of the
other cats but rules the roost. She hissed and
attacked Mootzie. So he began to hide. I was worried
he might not eat or drink enough, but self-preservation
has won out.

Mootzie is getting braver and braver. But the breakthrough
was a little catnip. I don't think Mootzie had ever "indulged"
before. I chuckled and watched him even try to start a
play-fight with V-8. And yesterday, he even touched noses
over a bowl of food with Tricksey.

So Sadie still isn't happy about our newcomer, but Mootzie
has become a member of the family. And we love to see him
starting to schmooze with the other cats. It really makes me
smile. Cats are such a joy in our everyday life. We're glad
to have our four. Without them, our home would be no fun.

Right now I'm writing the first book in my new Love Inspired
Romance, A Shelter of Hope, and I've written in a pair of
golden retrievers, Roxie and Dottie. Roxie is namesake for
Roxanne Rustand of course, a dear friend. Shelter of Hope
will be out next fall.

My next release is Her Patchwork Family, a Love Inspired
Historical romance in December. The story doesn't boast
any furry friends, but a woman who is setting up a home
for stray children, orphaned by the Civil War. Hope you'll
take a look at it at your local Walmart.

Thanks for having me as a guest, Roxanne!

This is a creatures blog, but...

2009-10-09T07:00:00.006-05:00

I know...the promise is that this blog is devoted to creatures, great and small. But I just couldn't help myself, here...and there is a llama photo! I got back from a long weekend in northern Wisconsin on Monday, and just had to share some of my photos with you. Every fall, Pat Burkett Roby, a food writer/photographer friend and I leave our husbands at home and head for Wisconsin to see our mutual friend, inspirational author Lyn Cote, and her family.

Lyn and her husband are the best hosts...and their home on a lake is so lovely. What a glorious place it is this time of year--with endless numbers of beautiful lakes reflecting trees just starting to blaze with fall color, and no perfume could rival the crisp scent of pine in the air. This year we had lots of drizzly rain, but the dampness just seemed to make the colors more vivid. it was so gorgeous!

And I loved coming across a pasture of llamas. One of them came up to the fence and hummed to us. Did you know that llamas hum to each other? It sounded a bit like a gentle, reassuring chorus going on in the herd.

But as breath-taking as all of the scenery is, sharing a weekend with writer friends is always the best part of all. By day we take jaunts all over the area, or go out on their boat with Lyn's husband at the wheel. The evenings are a bit like a pajama party, as we sit and brainstorm plots, talk about writing, and simply enjoy the fellowship of fellow writers. And Lyn is one of the best--I can't think of a person who is more generous with her time, more thoughtful, or more willing to help. She is a blessing in my life!

Life is so busy, with careers, and family, and all of the many commitments in our lives...but how about you--are you ever able to get away for a weekend retreat with your friends, fellow writers or readers, or other groups for camaraderie? Or even for just an afternoon? I hope so! If so, have you found it helpful? What kinds of benefits did you reap? And what sorts of things do you do to make it a more valuable time for renewal?

For those of you reading this on Facebook, there are lots of blog posts to read here at the "All Creatures Great and Small Blog" at http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com. I'd love to have you visit me there!

Wishing you a wonderful fall season,
Roxanne

THE OLD HORSE TRADER: MULES, TRACTORS and the RUXALL REAR END

2009-10-07T10:24:00.005-05:00

Verne Upmier was the man to see about horses in Eastern Iowa for seventy years, and his roots certainly went deep in Iowa soil. His farm was homesteaded by his great-grandfather William, a farmer and spinning wheel craftsman, who was one of the first white settlers in the area and who built his home along the busy route of a four-horse stagecoach line.

Transportation, mail delivery and the government's ability to process information had definite limitations in those days. When William applied for a homestead abstract in 1838, the paperwork went by horse to Philadelphia, which was the nation's capital at that time, and the final documents didn't get back to William until 1843. The farm has remained in the Upmier family since then, and Verne, his father, and grandfather were all born in the house that is still in use to this day.

The land has seen many changes through the years. Verne recalls that during the 1930s, a well-broke horse was worth $35, pasture board was $10 per month, and owners were charged $20 a month for a box stall. Draft horses and mules remained a valuable commodity on the smaller farms until the mid-1940s, when the use of tractors became universal.

Still, the well-prepared farmer often kept a harnessed team tethered nearby, ready to pull his new-fangled tractor out of the mud during spring plowing.

Verne chuckles as he describes one of his first tractors. "It was a new 1941 9N Ford, and it came with a blade, scoop, and a plow. It cost me $841, and when it had its first overhaul in 1982, the charge was $1,150!"

Modernization eliminated a lot of the potential excitement that could occur when a farmer had to rely on horses and mules. "Before the mechanical corn picker was invented, we used a pair of mules to pull a high-sided wagon through the fields," he remembers. "We would have to walk down the rows, pick the corn by hand, and toss it up into the wagon."

This laborious task involved minimal risk of equipment failure, though it now and then the mule power failed.

"We had to cross a creek to reach one of our fields," Verne says. "The team would stop in the middle of the creek to drink, and then go on. One year, we had a pair of mules that must have held a business conference before going to work for the day. We got to the middle of the creek, they stopped for a drink, and then they both went on strike. My dad and I tried everything, but they wouldn't budge. Finally, we had to wade into the water to un-harness them, lead them out, and hitch up another team to take the wagon up onto the bank. We then re-harnessed those mules and they worked just fine for the rest of the day."

The obstinate team must have been satisfied with the results of their mid-stream strike, because the next day they balked in the same spot. Verne's dad decided that he'd put up with the pig-headed mules long enough. He got his Model T truck, the one with the famed "Ruxall Rear End" that could gear down to one mile per hour, and drove back to the creek with a couple lengths of log chain. The mules hadn't moved an inch, so he snapped a neck chain on each one, hooked the chains to the truck, and drove off at a snail's pace. He didn't look back, he just kept going.

"Well, those mules weren't going to give up, either. Their necks stretched and stretched and stretched--until they must have decided that the issue wasn't worth dying over, because they came on out of the water at a good clip. They apparently learned their lesson too well, though, because afterwards, that team always rushed through the creek, and wouldn't even consider stopping for a drink."

"And," Verne adds with a smile, "they had the last laugh. Because after that, we had to haul water out to the fields for them, every single day."

LABRADOR PUPPY UPDATE!

2009-09-25T08:06:00.005-05:00

What a week for little Abby. She romped into the vet clinic Monday morning, as boisterous as a pup could be. Many hours later she was still struggling to fully come out of anesthesia. Our vet used the same combination of drugs that are used for thousands of spays across the country every day without a problem (my husband is in the veterinary pharmaceutical business, so he knows.) But just like people who have general anesthesia, there's always that rare chance of an unexpected result.

Such a roller coaster. She looked awful Monday night, with labored breathing and a look in her glazed eyes that said she wasn't long for this world. The vet gently said that the outcome probably wouldn't be good. He stayed up all night with her, adjusting her IV's and careful doses of Lasix, monitoring her labwork.

On Tuesday morning, she tried to lift her head to look at us, but could barely move...she looked almost comatose, and she still hadn't been able to urinate. Her labwork was worse, showing worsening acute kidney failure. Then at noon, the Lasix finally worked--and I've never been to happy to see an animal pee!!! At least her kidneys were finally letting the fluids go through--even if they weren't really functioning correctly.

Her labwork was still critically high on Wednesday morning, indicating kidney damage that could still take her life...and then, a miracle: her creatinine improved Wednesday night, and really improved Thursday morning. A stunning, fast change that means she's now on the road to recovery!

Our whole family is so happy for Brian and his puppy. If she needs special food and special care the rest of her life, she'll always get it. It's just so wonderful to know that her huge spirit of energy and excitement and enthusiasm for life hasn't been lost. My mom and I prayed so hard for her, and I know some of the readers here did too, because they let me know. Thanks so much!

I know that there are people suffering terrible tragedies in their lives--heaven knows that I have, too, including the devastating loss of a precious child-- so a little lab puppy might seem insignificant in the whole scheme of things in this world. But she is part of our family, and I'm just so happy that we'll get to enjoy the gift of her life for (hopefully) a long time to come.

And to me, our vet is such a hero, for not giving up on her, even when he thought she had very little chance of surviving...and for staying at her side throughout that first, awful night!

Roxanne

A LAB PUPPY IN TROUBLE

2009-09-22T15:05:00.007-05:00

What is the value of a life, when all is said and done? A record of good deeds, or great accomplishments? Being known for honesty, a loving heart?

This is Abby, our five-month-old grandpuppy. She is fighting her her life right now. She went in to be spayed on Monday, but reacted badly to the anesthesia, and then her blood didn't clot normally--even though her pre-op blood tests were good. The vet thought she might be seeping blood somewhere, but she couldn't have exploratory surgery and risk anesthesia again. By evening, her labwork wasn't looking good, and the stress had sent her into acute kidney failure. There was thought of doing a transfusion, but that can bring its own risks for severely stressed puppy.

We are so blessed to have an excellent, dedicated vet. He stayed with her all night at the clinic, adjusting meds, checking her labs. This morning she looked awful--so edematous that her back legs looked like balloons and it was hard for her to move. Her labwork was worsening. The Lasix wasn't working. This morning I prayed so hard for her to improve....for her kidneys to start working before it was too late.

The vet did more labwork and gently warned us that things weren't looking good at all....but finally, the most recent dose of Lasix worked. She started peeing like crazy, which is just what she needed to do. Hallelujah! But she isn't out of the woods yet. She's diuresing, but her kidneys still aren't working right, and could fail altogether. She is still under close veterinary supervision. And I am still praying that she can overcome this to return to her wildly joyous, boisterous puppy ways.

The experience, over the last twenty-four hours, has me thinking. What is the value of the life of one of our pets? Whatever it might be to someone else, to me there is no measure. You can have a terrible day and come home feeling miserable about yourself, but your dog still loves you without reservation--with his whole heart. Just by appearing, you fill his life with joy. All he wants, to make his life complete, is to be with you always--24/7 if possible. And how often do you find such pure, honest, unshakable love like that? Our Elmo will sit on my husband's lap for hours (an interesting feat, since he's a long, lanky Border Collie mix) and the two of them watch football and baseball games together, completely content. And Harold, our other Border Collie mix, is just as desperate for love and attention.

These two, and now little Abby, who visits our house a lot and often has sleepovers when our son has to travel, hold such a big place in my heart. She is so young, has so many years ahead of her--years of absolute devotion, and love, and companionship. I know that she is receiving the best of care, but I'm also praying for her....and giving thanks for the dedicated vet, who has now had to go through a full day of work with no sleep at all. He is a hero, in my book.

How about you...have you been through some tough times with your pets, but still had a good outcome? It would be nice to hear some uplifting stories!

INTERVENTION by Terri Blackstock

2009-09-20T21:34:00.002-05:00

Though not in the animal theme of this blog, there's a book I just have to tell you about.

Terri Blackstock's new book Intervention was inspired by her personal experiences with her daughter's addictions. Six years ago she became aware that her daughter (then in her early twenties) had a severe prescription pill addiction that was killing her, and she hired an interventionist to convince her daughter to go to treatment. That's when this book was born.

For a much longer description, go to www.shoutlife.com/roxannerustand and click on the "Intervention"" blog.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Cake Toppers & author Teri Wilson

2009-09-20T16:51:00.005-05:00

I recently added a new puppy to my household. A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. I really had no choice in the matter--my only child just went off to college. (sigh.) So, you can see why that new puppy was a must.

Her name is Bliss and she is the cutest puppy ever born. I know that sounds like something every new puppy owner says, but she really does give new meaning to the word adorable. Look at the picture, and see what I mean!

Being a writer, I've naturally been writing all about my new puppy. She's all over my blog and website. The website also has a blurb about a free novella I wrote for White Rose Publishing called Once Upon a Collar. The heroine of the novella, Emilie Bonner, is a wedding cake topper artist.

The combination of the phrases Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Puppy and Wedding Cake Topper Artist has brought an interesting mix of people to my website. When I look at the website stats, I've recently been inundated with visitors who found my site based on the following search terms "Cavalier King Charles Spaniel wedding cake toppers."

Who would've guessed?

I immediately began to wonder if such cake toppers actually exist. So I did a little digging. And look what I found! See the picture above.

Aren't these the cutest? Well, maybe not as cute as Bliss, but pretty darn close. If Emilie, my heroine, ever finds her Prince Charming, maybe they should have a cute doggy topper on their wedding cake!

My novella, Once Upon a Collar, is available free in weekly installments at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WhiteRosePublishing
or for more information, come visit Teri at www.teriwilson.com

WILD HORSES

2009-09-16T22:38:00.007-05:00

This is just so hauntingly beautiful...you've got to listen. I know you've already heard the wonderful story of Susan Boyle, this sweet, middle-aged woman who rose from obscurity to become an overnight sensation, but this is her new song. I cannot wait to buy her first release in November!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR83mG3Ojp4

If this doesn't work it's posted on my Facebook page (just go there and search my name) or go to You Tube and search Wild Horses Susan Boyle. The one by "Tommy" has lovely photos with it.

The "RETURN TO SENDER" Horse

2009-09-07T14:33:00.014-05:00

As a child, I owned a horse named Cherry. He was a 17-hand Thoroughbred-Clydesdale cross, evidently the result of an intention to produce a heavy hunter, but for me he was just a great kid's backyard horse--one I rode bareback all over our part of the county and took to open shows.

He had the gentleness, height and color pattern of a Budweiser draft horse, and the narrower body of a thoroughbred. He wasn't born with a lot of jumping talent. In fact, he often escaped our pasture by laying down and wiggling under the fence, leaving broken lower boards behind. Like a cow, he must have figured that if he could get his head through a fence, the rest of his body could surely follow.

One moonlit night, he made his escape, and happily roamed our suburban neighborhood until becoming fascinated by the lights streaming from someone's bedroom window. He tramped down ornamental bushes at the side of the house to take a closer look, and--being 17 hands--he was tall enough to press his nose against the screen window.

The people inside saw only a big white shape (his Clydesdale blaze) hovering in the darkness, and what appeared to be two strangely glowing orbs...his eyes. He looked for all the world like some sort of space alien out of a 1950's comic book. In shock, they frantically called the police, who found my gentle giant watching the family's panic with great interest.

Cherry executed numerous escape plans, before his wanderlust was finally curbed by a double row of electric wire on our fences, but his last adventure was the most unforgettable.

My horses were stabled in a small barn added to one side of our garage. One day, when I was 11, I decided to name my barn "Bittersweet Stable" after the bittersweet vines that grew up along the walls. The name sounded so grand to me that I used some raspberry picking money to send away for return address labels with Bittersweet Stable added to my name and address.

I was so excited when those impressive labels arrived that I stuck them on everything: brushes, pitchforks, fly spray cans--and I even put a dozen or so on Cherry's rump. His big swishing tail swept most of them off during the day, but those along his croup stayed firmly glued. The photo here is of a cartoon I drew of him, way back then.

That night, Cherry escaped his pasture and was long gone by the time I went out to do my morning chores. Dad and I were in the car, ready to head for Cherry's usual destination--a wooded area with a nice grassy meadow--when Mom called outside to say that a police officer was on the phone.

She was bursting with laughter when she handed me the receiver.

Cherry had gone a whole new direction this time, and had been found several miles away by someone who had notified the police. The police officer was calling to say that my errant horse had been captured...

And that this was the first time he'd ever been able to identify a loose horse by the return address labels so conveniently attached to its rear!

Sooo...what about you? I'd love to hear some of your animal stories, too!

Author Linda Ford: KITTENS!

2009-09-02T10:20:00.010-05:00

We live on a farm. We always have cats. My granddaughter, who loves cats, lives in the city with a little dog and she can’t have cats. This is a girl who says when she grows up she is going to write books and paint pictures and sell them so she can afford to adopt all the cats who don’t have homes.

So what’s a grandma to do?

One year I gave her a cat of her own for her birthday. She understood the kitty would have to live at Grandma and Grandpa’s and she was okay with that. It was the cutest, fluffiest, blackest kitten ever.

It was also female and by the time granddaughter came to visit the next summer she had kittens—3 solid gray with 3 different lengths of fur. And all female, which presents a quandary and forces little granddaughter to face some harsh truths. Either they have to be neutered—a pricey job—or given away. We negotiated. She could keep one and the mommy cat.

By the time she visited the following summer we had two new batches of kittens. Each cat had four. The litters were born within a few days of each other and the two mommy cats shared mothering duties. It was sort of sweet.

However, eight more cats was not acceptable.

So granddaughter got to visit with them and enjoy them, but then had to face a few more hard truths. Some had to go. She chose to keep the two grown cats. All but one of the others has been given away. One is being adopted by the next door neighbor who happens to share the same yard.

So we still have two grown mommy cats. I told granddaughter she could keep them, and I get double the pleasure by providing cats for my granddaughter to enjoy!

My newest release with Love Inspired Historicals, Dakota’s Child, is out in September ‘09 and yes, cats play a role. In fact, you might enjoy the unique role they play in this story.

website: www.lindaford.org

The Old Horse Trader #5: HOW TO TRAIN A ROPING HORSE--NOT!

2009-08-31T19:35:00.008-05:00

Verne Upmier looks back over his lifetime as a horse trader with a sense of satisfaction, and is sure that he wouldn't have exchanged his career for any other. "The horse business treated me pretty good," he says, "and it sure gave me some interesting experiences."

Years ago, Verne and his friends enjoyed roping. The roping part went okay, but the horses that worked well at home often forgot their job at rodeos,while taking an inordinate interest in all of the surrounding festivities. One day, Verne was at a rodeo and noticed a roping horse that worked to perfection. It never wavered as it faced the calf and kept the rope taut.

Verne approached the owner. "How do you do it?" He asked. "My horse just wants to stare at all the people in the grandstand."

The man's answer was memorable. "Well, I get on a horse and rope a good-sized bull. Then I get off the horse and go to town and play cards."

"What?" Vern asked in surprise.

"Well, if I stayed home, I'd be watching and worrying, and I'd want to go out to rescue the horse. So I leave. By the time I get home, that horse will have figured out that the only way to stay safe is to keep that rope tight, and stay as far from the bull as possible. If he's got any sense, he'll have turned into a darn good rope horse. And you can bet he'll never take his eyes off of anything at the end of a rope!"

It goes without saying that Vern never tried this system for tuning up of roping horse, and that this method will never make the pages of a book on training. It sounds like a recipe for disaster, to me too!

Verne may have owned a few horses that didn't show much interest in a useful career, but he remembers others with an amazing amount of heart. "I had one little gelding that was the handiest, toughest horse you can imagine," he recalls. "He'd been injured in a trailer and one of his back legs had permanent damage. The weak leg barely supported any weight at a walk or jog, but on three legs he could still run and buck all over the pasture, and he never seemed to be in any pain. He worked better than most any horse that had all four wheels."

The disability wasn't apparent at a lope, so that's how Vern would enter an arena for reining classes. The gelding could do flying lead changes, slide, and spin with the best of the competition, and did very well at shows. "It must have been disconcerting to judges, though," Verne adds with a smile, "To see their first-place horse gimp into the ring on three legs to pick up the trophy and blue ribbon!"

2009-08-28T20:31:00.007-05:00

I know, I know...this blog is about things with fur, feathers, fins, hooves...but I just have to ask.

Not being a gardener since I failed miserably at it years ago (great at growing weeds, never got any produce--not even zucchini, and that's a monumental testament to having a black thumb) I now have a small terrace with tomatoes and green peppers. Such fun! But...some of the veggies out there look, well, just plain weird.

Does this tomato look like anyone you know? I swear, it's the image of my organic chemistry professor back in college, when he was trying to get through to the class...poor man.

Except maybe his hair wasn't green....

2009-08-27T09:40:00.008-05:00

Rain, rain, rain....

Has anyone seen Noah lately? I'm thinking that he is going to appear at our door any day now and say, "Grab the animals--it's time to get on the ark!"

I just ran outside to take a picture. Can anyone tell me why Tucker is standing in the middle of puddle, over fetlock deep, instead of heading for higher ground?!

My rain gauge was at 5 inches yesterday morning. It has rained buckets since then, and even now, on Thursday morning, the sky is dark, rain is falling, and the Doppler pattern on the local news channel's internet page doesn't look promising for the rest of the day. We've gotten another 3 inches in the rain gauge since last night!

Which means it's a "Cat in the Hat" day for the two dogs, who have to stay inside and who are looking exceedingly glum.

And the barn cats are Not Happy. They parade up to the house every morning and plant themselves in my Hostas to stare at the door, as if magical thinking will make me appear faster. Once I appear, they happily wind around my legs to see which one can send me to the hospital instead of down to the barn to feed them--which could only make sense to a cat, but there you are.

But today--they were a bedraggled, damp, flat-eared lot, their soft little mitten feet muddy, their fluffy, upraised tails sodden. And from their narrow-eyed glares, they seemed to hold me personally responsible for the weather.

We all squished across the lawn together, six wet cats winding around my ankles, me slipping and sliding across that waterlogged green sponge...and then across the slick-as-silcone sloppy mud in the barnyard. Luckily, I didn't fall and flatten a cat, but it was close.

But ahhhh, the barn. The lovely sound of rain spattering on the roof. The cozy smell of new hay, and cedar shavings, leather and horse. Is there a better constellation of scents anywhere? When I was young, nothing was more perfect on a rainy day than to go out into the barn with a stack of Black Stallion books, and stretch out on the back of a horse in a box stall, or to go up and sit on the hay to read. So this dreary day brought back golden memories.

How about you--are you part of this crazy, heavy rain pattern as well? And what are your best memories of rainy days?

2009-08-25T10:23:00.015-05:00

MEMORIES OF ROY ROGERS and TRIGGER

Do you remember the 1930s and 40s, the glory decades of silver screen westerns, when our heroes were cowboys and simple justice always prevailed? Or, if you're a bit younger, do you remember hours spent in front of an old black and white TV, following the adventures of Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, the Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, and all the others who thundered across the prairies in weekly pursuit of the latest desperados? Maybe you're younger yet, and remember the old re-runs.

Many a holster-clad young fan of that era would have traded his (or her) favorite six-shooter for the privilege of meeting one of those stars. Most would have been green with envy had they known of the friendship between Verne Upmier and Roy Rogers.

During the early 1940s, Rogers, accompanied by Trigger's trainer Glenn Randall, traveled throughout the country performing at rodeos, state fairs, and major expositions. Often, the distances between performances were too great to manage in a single day, so Roy established various locations for overnight stabling. Iowa was an ideal midpoint for both his east-west and north-south routes.

Rogers and Randall contacted a friend of Verne's, Roy Gaddis, for stabling in Cedar Rapids, and the men usually went out for a "night on the town" whenever Rogers came through the area. Verne remembers several times when Trigger was brought out to entertain the foursome with a sampling of his amazing number of tricks, after they returned from late-night dinners.

In 1944, there was a 65-mile competitive trail ride through Iowa. Roy was in town at the time, so Verne took him to the trail ride dinner. Roy politely declined when asked to sing, saying that his contract prevented him from singing in public unless he was backed by The Sons of the Pioneers. Instead, he entertained the audience with a long and colorful talk about his experiences in the movie industry.

"Rogers said he wasn't an experienced horsemen before becoming a movie star," Vern recalls. "He had grown up on a farm, and went to Hollywood to try to break into the movies. His agent recommended that he become a singing cowboy, since this was very popular at the time, but for that he needed a horse. So, he found a well-broke palomino and then hired Glenn Randall to continue the horse's training."

During the early years, Randall would cue the horse from beyond camera range. Verne is quick to note, however, that Roy eventually became an excellent rider, and also learned to give the trick cues himself. There were a lot of cues to learn, for the horse had been trained to do to dozens of tricks.

Some of the tricks were quite dramatic. Those who watched the 1950s television series may remember how Trigger often "rescued" Roy from the bad guys by racing a considerable distance with his ears pinned and teeth bared. He would appear to bite and stomp the hoodlums he caught, but of course he never actually touched them.

One of Trigger's more unusual abilities was that, prior to performances on stage, he could be cued to eliminate, thereby avoiding any awkward moments during the show.

Trigger occasionally appeared on stage with a flaxen-maned pony owned by a distant relative of Verne's. The pony appeared as a diminutive sidekick of Trigger's, and would mimic Trigger's act. "He knew at least 30 or 40 tricks," Verne says. "Cued by a subtle hand movements, he could pull the correctly numbered card from a rack to 'answer' math problems, he would lay motionless on his back, with all four feet in the air until cued to get up, and could do just about any trick you could think of."

Though children of that era repeated and pondered the incredible rumor that Trigger was--gasp!--a mare, the horse was indeed a stallion. There were, however, five "Triggers" who were used for filming. The original, who traveled with Roy to all the rodeos and fairs, was the horse who had the vast repertoire of tricks.

This Trigger was used for all of the close-up shots in the movies and TV shows, and was the one mounted for display in the Roy Rogers Museum after the end of his long life of stardom. He was a Tennessee Walker, but his gaits were never seen on the screen because his stand-ins were used for the action shots such as running, falling, and racing down steep slopes. It wasn't easy for Rogers to find the other four palominos, Verne says, because horses with the necessary wide blaze often have glass eyes, and the blue color wouldn't photograph well.

Even at the height of his stardom, Roy was a very likable guy, according to Verne, and never seem to let his fame affect his easy-going nature. One year, Verne and a number of friends took a trip to Mexico. En route, they noticed a show bill announcing a performance by a world champion cutting horse at a State Fair, and decided to stop. They didn't have advance tickets, and the show was sold out, so they decided to wander through the fairgrounds before continuing their trip.

They hadn't walked far before noticing Roy Roger's large trailer. "Let's see if he remembers us," joked Verne.

Roy did remember, and when he heard that the Iowa group couldn't get tickets, he promptly arranged for a set of the best seats in the house, then offered seats for the next show as well.

To childhood fans of that smiling, singing cowboy on the flashy Palomino, it must be gratifying to hear that Roy was just as congenial in real-life as he appeared on television so many years ago, and that even in real-life, he deserved to wear a white hat.

THE OLD HORSE TRADER #3....AND THE SHOTGUN GRAY

2009-08-16T14:20:00.000-05:00

We've all seen pickup trucks going down the road with a faithful dog sitting nonchalantly next to the driver. Perhaps you have one of those heart-and-soul companions who happily rides with you to your every destination.

Verne fondly recalls the years when he had a horse that rode shotgun in his pickup--though he admits with a grin that the horse didn't quite fit in the cab.

"He was a gray, part-quarter horse," Verne says. "I needed weight in the back of the truck if the roads were bad or if I had to be in and out of the fields, and every now and then it was handy to have a horse available. So on those days, I just loaded that gelding in the morning and he rode around with me all day."

Verne had more horses than stalls at the time, so each night he parked his truck in the barn. After the little gelding was fed and watered, Vern would untie him and the horse would trot back to the pickup, jump in, and settle down for the night, content to use the straw-filled bed of the pickup in the most literal sense. In the morning, the gelding would jump out at feeding time and then be ready to go down the road once again.

A horse buyer from Chicago stopped at the stable early one Sunday morning. He bought a few horses, and then lingered to shoot the breeze for awhile. The man told Verne that he enjoyed showing his horse, a pretty palomino, but he sometimes missed a horse show because the horse was so difficult to load.

Verne couldn't resist.

"I reached over, unsnapped the gray's lead rope, and gave him a swat on the rear," Vernon recalls with a grin. "Then I told him to go get in the trailer. He trotted clear across the barn and hopped in the truck, and waited for me to shut the gate."

The visitor was stunned. "How did you do that?" he asked in disbelief.

"I told him to," Vern replied, and then added thoughtfully, "Maybe your horse doesn't load because you forget to tell him to get in."

Vern offered to demonstrate on the man's horse if he would bring it to Iowa, but the guy never did show up. And for all we know, Verne says, the guy is still in Chicago, and still can't get that horse to load.

If you like animals....

2009-08-14T22:01:00.000-05:00

Save the Last Dance, my August book release (for the Everlasting line, shelved with the Superromances) is in the stores now--Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Target, KMart, you name it! Or, you can find it online at www.eharlequin.com by simply typing "Rustand" in the search box. Actually, all three of my 2009 books are available there...and you can read the back cover blurbs to see what you think.

This story involves a veterinarian, a romance, suspense, and the most...unusual...hero I've ever done. :) If someone here reads it, I would love to hear what you think!

I just helped unload a hundred-twenty bales of hay into our barn tonight--and tomorrow, get to clean stalls. Ahhh, the glamorous life of a writer!! :) Animals are a big part of my life, along with the writing, and a love for our four-footed family members made writing this book, involving a veterinarian's life, a lot of fun!

The Old Horse Trader #2: A Trail Ride to Remember

2009-08-13T22:49:00.000-05:00

Verne Upmier was in the business of training and trading horses long before many of us were born. He was one of the early distance trail riders, too--he rode on many of the first 65 -100 mile rides held in Iowa back in the 1940s. You'd think those rides would be memorable mainly for the sore muscles afterwards, but Verne says that some of them proved unforgettable in unexpected ways.

In 1944, fifty-two riders came out to his stables and saddled up for a sixty-five mile round trip ride between Cedar Rapids and Marengo. The day was pleasant and all went according to plan--until the final leg of the trip. The fateful moment came when the tired riders were served a nice trailside lunch near the Amanas before continuing their jaunt back to Cedar Rapids.

Vern was in the back third of the group. "It got to be kind of strange," he recalls. "We kept coming across horses tied to trees and fence lines, with no riders in sight. The closer we got to home, the more of these horses we saw. We figured the riders were just worn out and had quit."

When Vern finally got home, he discovered that the missing riders were suffering from problems far more acute than saddle sores. "There were people laying all over the yard, and cars were taking load after load of them off to the hospital," he says. "The riders had tried to get as close to home as they could on horseback, but once the illness hit they were soon too miserable to continue."

Nearly all of the fifty-two riders were sick to some degree with food poisoning, and twenty-four were hospitalized. The ham served for lunch was later identified as the cause. "There weren't too many of us who weren't sick, so it took quite a while to fetch all those horses tied along the trail route," Vern remembers. "I didn't mind a bit, though, because the alternative was so much worse. I was just happy that I hadn't felt like eating lunch!"

The Old Horse Trader.....

2009-08-12T18:38:00.001-05:00

I got my first horse at the age of six, and have never been without one since. I first had an ancient bay mare, and then as time went on, I would ride down three miles of Minnesota gravel roads to visit the local horse trader. He and I would dicker, and I gradually "traded up" to younger and better horses. He was an honest horse trader, but when I got into my teens and could earn money from part-time jobs, I got into registered quarter horses... and then I started to encounter people who were not quite as honest as old George. "Buyer beware" was certainly a phrase to take to heart!

So when I eventually got married and moved to another state, I wasn't nearly as trusting as I'd been in grade school...but then I met a busy horse trader in the area. Verne Upmier was one of those rare, good souls who was truly honest, and who stood behind every deal he made.

If a match between horse and new owner didn't work out, he would go out with his trailer to pick up that horse, give a refund, and take the horse. Not many old time horse traders were like Vern! And going to his farm was exciting business, to be sure. In his heyday, he had horses coming and going in a constant stream, because everyone knew about him. And if you went out there, saw a good horse and thought you wanted it, you had to be quick! If you didn't take it, you could bet that it would be gone in a day or two to someone else.

Verne was not only an experienced horseman, but he was a wonderful storyteller with a wry wit and a delightful twinkle in his eye. Back in the mid 1990's I wrote a series of articles about him for The Horse Show Times, a Midwest regional horse magazine, and never ceased to be charmed by the stories he told. He died a few years ago, and his passing was a true loss to the horse community in our part of the state.

I was cleaning out my office closet this afternoon and came across a stack of those old magazines, and found myself caught up in his stories once again. They were written on a Packard Bell computer--a wonderful gift from my friend Judy, who owned the magazine--and on with Wordstar (anyone here remember that one?) Those computer files on the giant floppies are long gone. I'm going to start posting some of his stories here, as I get them re-typed, so those of you who are horse lovers can enjoy a taste of an old-timer's recollections of days gone by as a horse trader. So stay tuned!

Horses, kids, and hot summer days....

2009-06-28T11:29:00.000-05:00

Down memory lane....

It's been hot here. Hot and humid and stormy. I am really, really looking forward to a cool spell! The weather got me thinking about those long, endless days of summer during childhood...when the span of time between the last day of school and September seemed too long to even imagine. Now, I seem to be in an alternate universe, where Memorial Day and Labor Day are just a breath apart.

What are your favorite summer memories?

I got my first horse when I was six years old. What an exciting summer that was! Jeannie seemed tall as an elephant to me. She was supposedly part Welsh, part quarter horse and around fifteen years old. I'm guessing she was closer to thirty, but she'd basically "been around the world" and was the perfect first horse.

My dad talked to George Boyd, the local horse trader, who said I shouldn't have a saddle until I'd ridden for a couple years so that I'd really learn to stay on, so I rode her bareback everywhere. It was like giving the keys of a car to a six (almost seven)-year-old. Ah, the freedom! Especially after I started meeting up with other kids who had horses in a several mile radius, and started tagging along with them.

Have you seen those westerns where the cowboys leap up on a horse from the rear? That never worked for anyone I knew! In fact, most of my riding buddies had to mount by grabbing a chunk of mane and swinging up. Didn't work for me, though, because I was too little. I basically had to grab some mane and shinny up her leg...until I learned to just let her graze. Then I'd sit on her neck, just behind her ears, tug a rein, her head would come up, and I'd slide into place...backwards. (smile) That helped until I was a year or so older, and could swing up like everyone else.

My mom would be quite perturbed when I was supposed to be practicing the piano and had eight faces peering through the window at me--four friends sitting on their horses--waiting for me to join them. It wasn't conducive for concentration!

I look back and think it's a wonder I survived some of the adventures that came along, often far from home. If my parents had only known!

Being a little pipsqueak had disadvantages other than mounting--it was mighty hard to reach things up high.

My old horse had trouble with dry, cracked hooves, and the farrier recommended an economical alternative to hoof dressing through the winter: plain ole lard, slathered on the hooves right up along the coronary band (where the pastern stops and the hoof begins.) My dad brought home several gallon pails of it.

Keeping the stable clean (really, our "stable" was an addition added to our garage, with a box stall and a tack area) was like playing house. I loved to pound nails for hanging things and keeping things "just so." The following summer, while I was cleaning out there, I reached up for a forgotten container well above my head.

I still remember that hot summer day.

The way that heavy, nearly full gallon pail slowly, slowly, slowly rotated within my grasp.

How I teetered precariously on a step stool.

My surprise when I realized the lid was gone...

And a millisecond later, the horror of feeling warm, melted, rancid lard dump over my head. Complete, mind you, with an ample supply of flies that had drowned in it through the summer months. The slime in Ghost Busters has nothing on melted lard!

My clothes had to be thrown away.
Shampoo couldn't cut through that thick grease.
We tried vinegar, and lemon juice, and more shampoo.
My hair hung in dark, limp, stinky strings for a good week.

Maybe it didn't look quite as bad as the Jell-O incident....but that's another story!

So...have any good summer memories to tell from your childhood?! We'd love to hear them!

Incidentally, thanks to everyone who has been stopping by. The visitor numbers have been increasing a lot, and it's great to have you here!

Blessings to all,
Roxanne

Lazy, hazy summer days...death for kids and pets

2009-06-23T10:27:00.000-05:00

How much do you love your pets...and your children? Beware!! Your car is no place for them, on a summer day.

We all know that, of course, but it can seem like "only a few minutes" when you have to run into the drugstore or a fast food place, or to pick up dry cleaning. But add in the patrons ahead of you, a slow cashier or other small delays, and those "few minutes" can be deadly. The heat of the sun can turn your car into an oven--and the windows act as an insulator to help it build.

"On a warm, sunny day, the temperature in a parked car can reach dangerous levels, 120º in minutes, even with the car window partially open. A pet can quickly suffer brain damage or die from heatstroke when trapped in these high temperatures, " according to the Humane Society of the United States. Learn more at: http://www.hsus.org

The temperature in a car can rise to 200 degrees, depending on the outside temp, angle of the sun, and how long it sits there, and even parking in shady spot with the windows cracked isn’t safe. NEVER leave pets and small kids in the car. Passers-by probably won’t hear signs of distress, either...as the child or pet is likely to be quiet while being overcome and slipping toward death. Call 911 if you see a child or pet in this deadly situation!

And this is no time of the year to leave pets outside without shade and plenty of water, either. Today, the heat index is 100-105 where we live...which can also be deadly for a pet left tied out in the sun without the relief of shade and fresh water.

On nice days, our dogs often have the run of the deck that runs the length of our house, and though it offers shady spots, soft rugs--their "sleeping bags", my husband says :) --and I keep water out there for them, that deck is no place for them on a day like today, due to the "urban heat island effect." Just step out there in late morning through late afternoon, and the intense, radiating heat rising off the deck is evident.

The heat island effect refers to hard, modern surfaces like asphalt, shingles--and the dark wood of our deck--which absorb heat and can create an island of temperature 50-90 degrees hotter the current temperature that day. In contrast, damp earth and grass under shady places will be far cooler.

Hope you and your pets are all keeping cool!

Author LENORA WORTH.....and Cujo!

2009-06-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

WIN A FREE BOOK!! Lenora will draw the winner from those who leave comments here. Stop back next Tuesday, to see if you won!

If you ever watch a cat in action, you can learn how to write suspense. Cats are notorious for lurking about, missing in action, or just hiding for hours on end.

I have a black cat named Cujo. Yes, Cujo. She is thirteen years old this year. Cujo got her name because she has never liked humans very much so she buddies up to them then hisses and scratches at them--a bit rabid at times! But we love her anyway (and we named her that because my daughter is a Stephen King fan.) But being around Cujo
has taught me a lot about plotting.

She loves to chase me up the stairs, attacking my feet and legs much in the same way a panther might be chasing me through the jungle. So I know what it feels like to know a bad guy or vicious animal is after me. She likes to hide behind the chair and jump out and scare me, so I know what it might be like to think a prowler was in my house. She also likes to wake me up in the middle of the night with a mournful wail, because she wants water out of the bathroom sink. So I know the feeling of hearing something sinister howling in the dark. She also knows how to alert when she hears a noise, so I can understand being alert in a tense situation.

I've learned a lot from my cat. She will chase anything, whether she can catch it or not. And she will run really fast when she is being chased.

Now that summer is here and we have May flowers, Cujo likes to lounge out on the patio and sneak drinks of water from the pool. She stalks birds, squirrels and even the rabbit that comes to visit each spring. She has taught me patience, how to be stealth and silent and how to attack without notice--all things I can use in my writing. But she's also taught me to laugh, to cry, to run in the wind and to snuggle up in a cozy chair when it's stormy outside. She's shown me the coolness of a hero and the sassiness of a heroine.

I never know what to expect with Cujo. And that's the way I want my readers to feel--as if they can't wait to find out what's around the corner. If you want to learn about suspense, just watch a cat. And think like a cat, too. That should do the trick.

Lenora :)

http://www.lenoraworth.com
http://craftieladiesofromance.blogspot.com
From Love Inspired Suspense:
The CHAIM series:
Heart of the Night (January 2009)
Code of Honor (April 2009)

COOL CREATURES...AND WHY I HATE JELLYFISH!

2009-06-16T12:52:00.003-05:00

Early this winter we went to Puerto Rico for the first time...just for a long weekend. Good timing--a nice trip before having shoulder surgery. I loved Old San Juan. The forts were just amazing--massive walls and such interesting structures, overlooking the ocean on a windy promontory.

That day there were hundreds of local families having picnics on the grounds and flying kites. Many of the kites were so high that you could barely see them. Beautiful kites in all shapes and sizes--red planes, intricate origami shapes, brilliantly colored butterflies, dragons.

The historic town was fun to visit, but the creatures on the island were interesting, too. :) I loved the giant iguanas...one of which dropped from a high tree overhanging the hotel swimming pool, and landed with a huge belly flop amongst the swimmers. It was about four feet long from stem to stern, and f it had landed ON someone, it could have done some serious damage! It happily paddled around the pool for a while, then climbed out to sun itself amongst the sunbathers.

The beaches were beautiful...though the repercussions of enjoying them weren't quite as lovely, as you can see! I love walking on beaches and wading in the waves. I was truly careful about watching out for trouble, but missed seeing a jellyfish in the waves. Above, you can see a photo of my lumpy, swollen feet five days later. Ouch! Jellyfish are now one of my least favorite creatures!

Another author visitor--Ruth Axtell Morren!

2009-06-09T15:12:00.000-05:00

Ruth is offering a FREE copy of her newest book---the winner will be drawn from the names of those who post a comment here!

Our local paper usually has an ad in the classified section for the animal shelter. Each week there's a photo and write-up of one of their dogs or cats. I had resolved not to have any pets for a long while. We'd recently moved back to the U.S. from the Netherlands, and our two cats stayed behind where they enjoyed a good life.

But suddenly, I saw a photo of a cat whose doleful eyes just stared out at me, saying "Adopt me!" Creighton was a cream-point Siamese mix who'd been dropped off at the shelter along with his 4 brothers, due to the "uncertain economy."

I tore out the ad and put it on my desk, deciding to do nothing rash. A few days later I showed it to my 15 yr-old daughter. She immediately said, "We've got to go visit the shelter."
When we arrived there, there were so many cats that we no longer knew which one to choose. Creighton and his brothers were beautiful, with their creamy colored fur and their pale blue eyes. But there were other lovable cats who also needed a home and had been at the shelter a lot longer. One was named "Alley Anna," a small 6 yr. old who'd been at the shelter the longest of all, about three years. She didn't stand out from the other, more assertive or friendlier cats, but the staff assured me she was a dear cat.

We finally decided we had to take both her and Creighton home. They were both quite shy the first few days, hiding under my bed or in my walk-in closet. Little by little, they have ventured out. Alley Anna is the sweetest cat, and I feel bad how easily an animal can be overlooked at a shelter because its personality doesn't shine in the few minutes one is there. Creighton, who's only 1 1/2, and had never seen Alley Anna before we brought them home, since they were in different rooms at the shelter, immediately bonded with her. Wherever she found a hiding spot, he'd tag along after her, as if she was his mother.
Here they are on a shelf in my closet.

www.Ruth Axtell Morren.com
http://ruthaxtellmorren.blogspot.com
The Making of a Gentleman, Steeple Hill.,Aug.'08
A Bride of Honor, May '09

We have a visitor--Author Missy Tippens!!

2009-06-03T21:59:00.001-05:00

Author Missy Tippens is joining us today as a guest! And here she is...

LEAVE A COMMENT, AND YOU'LL BE IN A DRAWING FOR A FREE COPY OF HER NEW BOOK!

I just love my four-legged babies. And they are literally like my children. When we got our first puppy, a chocolate lab, nearly nine years ago, she was 8 weeks old. And she missed her mother. The first night, we closed Libby in our bathroom with lots of newspaper, and she cried and cried. I couldn’t bear it. So I went in the bathroom and lay with her on the floor. She was perfectly happy to snuggle in with me and went right off to sleep.

Well, I wasn’t so young anymore, and sleeping on Linoleum didn’t feel too great! So the next night (and basically the next month), I slept on the couch with Libby on my chest. Each time she would start to wiggle, I would take her out to potty. And in about a month, she would sleep through the night.

Sounds kind of like a baby, doesn’t it? :)

Well, three years later, I headed to Petsmart with my three kids (mistake number one) to get a guinea pig. And we went on a Saturday (mistake number 2), adoption day. So along came Duke! Instead of a guinea pig, we went home with a new puppy. He’s a spotted mix (a rescue dog, so we have no idea what he is). This time I skipped the bathroom floor and started out on the couch with him on my chest. And again, in about a month, we had a dog well trained and sleeping through the night.

These days, Libby sleeps on the floor all around the house (snoring very loudly!), moving from one bedroom to another, and Duke sleeps on a pillow near our bed. They’re all grown up now, well past the puppy stage, and I’m so glad! I can’t imagine starting out with another “baby”. But then again, someday, I’ll walk back into Petsmart on pet adoption day…

Missy Tippens
Newly released! His Forever Love from Steeple Hill Love Inspired
ISBN: 0373875347

http://www.amazon.com/His-Forever-Love-Inspired/dp/0373875347?&camp=212361&creative=383837&linkCode=wss&tag=misstippinspr-20

Her Unlikely Family, Steeple Hill Love Inspired, Still available!
His Forever Love, SHLI, June 2009
A Forever Christmas, SHLI, November 2009
www.missytippens.com

VETERINARIANS and HORSE PILLS AND BAND-AIDS ...oh, my!

2009-05-30T14:45:00.004-05:00

Pets--from tarantulas and snakes (thanks, Andy and Brian!) to rabbits, birds, dogs and cats--have been a big part of my life, with many, many other types of creatures thrown into the mix--but my favorites have always been the horses.

We live on ten rolling acres with lush green grass, shady trees, good fences. It's Horse Paradise not only for the good grass and safety, but for the fact that once a horse comes here, it stays until it grows old and dies. We now have a thirty-year-old smutty palomino, a snowy-gray twenty-year old, and a sorrel twelve-year-old who defines the word "easy keeper" (who is now spending his days in the diet lot--a corral where he has ample fresh water and a little grass hay, rather than the heavy grass out in the pasture. ) Oh--and there's another one out there, a horse we're boarding for free for a friend. She's the baby of the group, at eight.

Mature horses do have their moments, but by and large, it’s mostly a sedate group. So when Powder--the gray mare--came in for her morning pellets, I took one look at the way she was moving, did a double take, and reached for my cell phone to make the equine equivalent of a 911 call. She'd clearly kicked a leg through the woven wire fence out in the pasture, somehow managed to get caught in it, struggled, and did some serious damage: a good 2 inch by eight inch strip of hide completely ripped from the front of her back leg, exposing tendons and deeply lacerated tissues, plus a deep, horizontal slice across the anterior (inside angle) of her big hock joint. She'd also managed find a low, wet spot in the pasture and slog through the mud afterward, completely contaminating the wound.

When your kids get hurt, they cry. They might fuss over the clean-up process. Then they probably show off their badge of honor--a big Band-Aid--to everyone. Horses? Can't cry, of course, but you can sure see the tension--the fine, tight wrinkles under the eye and at the nostril, and the effort to avoid being touched where it hurts--though most of them are amazingly stoic. Not taking any chances, the vet wisely sedated her to clean the wound thoroughly, then he bandaged it....and now, I'll be re-bandaging it for at least the next two months, along with delivering oral antibiotics.

When people talk about a medicine tablet being so big "it's like a horse pill" one might assume that a horse would be willing to consume something that size. Good luck! You know the 800 mg size of Bactrim that your doctor might prescribe for you? She gets twenty of those tablets, divided into two doses. She'd never eat them, though. Bitter. Ewwww! So I dissolve them in water, add a lot of Karo syrup to sweeten the taste, then use a 60cc syringe (no needle, of course) to squirt it waaaay back in her mouth.

And the Band-Aids? Oh, my. This is horse leg owie, and there are seven different products on her leg now: an antiseptic, water-based cream, Telfa pads over that, then Kling gauze, Combi-Roll (like fluffy sheet cotton, but contained between denser layers) held by wrapping with Brown Gauze, then Vet Wrap, and then Elasticon at the top and bottom edges to help anchor the whole shebang. Whew! The funny thing? It had been so long since any of the horses here got hurt, that I hadn't looked at the museum-quality jar of antibiotic salve out in the barn for years. It out-dated in 1989! Needless to say, that one is the garbage. We'll be re-dressing it every three days for the first two weeks, then we'll keep the pressure bandage on it for a total of two months and not disturb it as much...we'll try to get five days out of each wrap. It has to be wrapped until the wound is closed, so we'll have our fingers crossed!

So....what do you think of Powder's fashionable, hot pink bandage?

Yippeee!! Grandpuppy alert!!

2009-05-27T21:07:00.000-05:00

I've got a picture!! We won't get to see the new grandpuppy for another week or so, but hearing about Abby's intelligence and great personality (of course, no one is biased!) has me eagerly awaiting her first visit. She is just eight weeks old, and has not had one accident in her first seven days of being a Big Girl away from the litter.

In comparison, our two-year-old Border Collie is still not dependable (sigh) even with a careful routine of kenneling and taking him outside! So, when he's in the house, he has to be with me in my office with the door closed, on a leash rather than running loose, or in his kennel. If anyone has any suggstions, I'm all ears!

Squirrels, puppies, and cats in the barn....

2009-05-26T15:54:00.000-05:00

We have a new grandpuppy!! No pictures yet, but they'll be coming. Our son Brian just adopted a beautiful little black lab. Abby has the most adorable face--and I can't wait to meet her!

This past weekend I was trying to finish some book revisions. Working hard, chugging Diet Coke, I figured that with a few more hours, I'd have it all done. Then BLAM!!

Instantly, the power went off, and the two surge protectors in my office both started beeping madly. I didn't need to even look to know what had happened. Again. Yet another squirrel had bit the dust on the power line transformer out in front of our house.

Out here in the country, it doesn't take much to knock out the power. Suicidal squirrels--which seem to be present in a never ending supply. Windy days. Rain storms or ice storms, of course. The occasional raccoon that scales the fences and investigates one of the power substations. One small animal can sure cause a lot of trouble--though I also feel sorry for the one that bit the dust.

If the power outage is wide-spread enough, it can take a long time to get it back, and then I start to worry about our well. Are the horse water tanks full enough? Will I be able to run water for the barn cats?

The barn animals don't need an intercom to let me know that the water tank is low, or that they think it's time to be fed. Even from the house, I can tell. BANG-BANG-BANG is equine Morse Code for a low water tank--one of the horses will stand next to the tank and paw at it, then lift his head and look to see if anyone is coming.

If I'm a little late for morning chores, the horses line up at the gate and whinny if they see any movement up at the house, and the cats let me know, too. They line up in a row on the lawn like miffed sentinels, glare at the house, and then do their best to trip me by winding around my ankles when I do head for the barn. Which is a tad tricky, if I've run out there in my nightgown and barn shoes!

Maybe animals don't have words, but it's amazing how well they can communicate, and how they really do have more emotions than we give them credit for. I read a study done on pairs of dogs who were given a simple command, then rewarded. All went well--until the researcher started rewarding only ONE of the dogs. The unrewarded dog's response to the command not only ended very quickly, but the animal refused to even make eye contact with the researcher. Clearly, it was pouting!

How about your pets--are they more animal, or human?!

A dog with a mission

2009-05-19T10:52:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful day! Brilliant sunshine, 72 degrees, bright blue sky. Here in the Midwest, it's so lush and green with all the rain we get here--a thousand different shades of green, fragrant with damp earth and just-cut alfalfa and lilacs. No matter where we travel, coming home to this verdant place fills me with such a sense of peace.

We live out in the country, and my office windows look out on our wood-fenced corrals and the pastures beyond, where the four horses are grazing, their new, summer-slick coats gleaming in the sunshine. Across the fence, four beautiful, wildly marked paint foals are romping in the neighbor's pastures--providing no end of amusement to our border collies, who are safely contained on our deck. Elmo, in particular, is a study in total concentration. Head low, ears pricked, body crouched, he stares at them for hours on end, his intensity deepening when they scatter (how dare they!) Our son Brian says we need to buy two sheep, so Elmo can spend his days keeping them together. He is a dog with a mission--but one without a job. His pal Harold, whose grinning pose appears in this post, is a border collie too, but his sole mission is to bark at cats.

Which got me thinking, this morning. Elmo knows what he is and what he needs to do. He never loses sight of that, even though he can't get close to anything he can herd. What about the rest of us...were you blessed with direction and determination from an early age? Have you followed through? Or have some of us come across our true desires later in life?

My daughter is already determined to be a writer. I have no doubt that she has the drive and ability, and that she can reach her goal if she stays on that course. I didn't start writing until we had grade-school aged children....and wish I'd started much, much sooner. How about you? What would you love to do? Have you followed your heart? Become what you want to be? Is there something you could do toward that goal now, even if it can't be achieved any time soon?

Baby Moose Playing in a Sprinkler

2009-05-09T12:10:00.000-05:00

If you haven't seen this, you must!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNy9jTeolUk&feature=rec-HM-r2

Spring!

2009-05-07T13:38:00.001-05:00

Here's a touch of spring! At the black screen, drag your mouse across your monitor in all directions. For gardeners with a black thumb (like me) this is the easy way! http://www.procreo.jp/labo/flower_garden.swf

Here's another blog to check out--thanks to Margaret Daly!

2009-05-06T15:07:00.001-05:00

http://margaretdaley.blogspot.com/2009/05/roxanne-rustands-interview.html

Win a free book!

2009-05-06T09:19:00.000-05:00

Check out the interview about my current release, Deadly Competition, and win a free book! The interview is running at: http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/

Check this out!

2009-05-04T07:48:00.000-05:00

I've just posted an interview with author Amy Wallace at my other blog site: www.shoutlife.com/roxannerustand. Check it out! Her new book is wonderful, and the interview is fascinating!
Roxanne

Starters!

2009-04-30T16:39:00.000-05:00

For starters, I just had to post a photo of Elmo, our pound puppy. We figure he was on his best behavior the day we met. He'd been taken by the animal shelter to visit residents at a care center, and he was so quiet and sweet! After the going through the lengthy adoption procedure at the shelter, we brought him home...and discovered he was an incessant barker, destructive, and figured any place out of sight in the house was a perfect place to...well...

It took a year, but he is now the sweetest dog. He's much quieter. He'll sit on my husband's lap all evening and watch the Chicago Cubs baseball games, And he yodels to us every day! Arooo---oooo---oooo, looking us straight in the eye. We sure wonder what he's saying!

Welcome!

2009-04-30T16:27:00.000-05:00

This is the inaugural post for this blog, and I'm so excited about adding it to my website! I'd love to hear from you about your furry, finned and feathered buddies!

I write romantic suspense and warm, family relationship type novels, often with a touch of humor. Many of my books have featured various animals as key players in the plot. Dogs, cats, llamas, cockatiels, horses...even our son's pet albino corn snake, Sssssid, who actually inspired (and starred in ) my first Superromance back in 1999. Animals have been a big part of my life since I was a child. How about you? Let's discuss our pets!