Jodi and Daisy
Living outside of
town, there is plenty of space between houses (and neighbors). As a result, I
got along fabulously with all my neighbors – all except Daisy. Daisy was noisy,
constantly creating dirt and always up to something that the rest of the
neighborhood didn’t appreciate. So if you had told me five years ago that Daisy
would be coming to live with me I would have told you that you were crazy!
Daisy of course is a
dog. A lumbering, howling, drooling, rolling in the dirt, running away and
swimming in the pond kind of dog. Not the kind of dog that would fit in my tiny
house already jam-packed with five people. Nevertheless, here she is.
It started out as a
“just for the weekend” visit when my elderly neighbor suddenly found himself in
the hospital. Who says no to an 80 year old sweetheart who is lying in hospital
bed worried about his best buddy? It was a bit longer than a weekend but
eventually our neighbor came home and Daisy went home. But, being too exuberant
for him to handle, back she came, settling back into the spot behind the
recliner where she hides from thunder, fireworks and other loud bangs. And that
is how I became foster mama to a black furball.
Daisy has settled
down considerably since she first walked through my door. She now only runs
away about six or seven times a year, usually for only an hour or so (long
enough to take a dip in the pond and come home soaked and smelling of fish).
She only jumps on the furniture or ravages the throw rugs during thunderstorms
if she’s in the house alone. Otherwise, she seeks out a friend to comfort her.
Daisy has also
discovered the magic of the computer. If you lay your head on the knee of
someone when they are working at the computer, sooner or later writer’s block, or
the need to read things aloud, will still the typing hands and you stand a
pretty good chance of getting some petting. She has listened to countless
readings of my drafts and loves everything I write (it may be the pats and
treats she loves but I prefer to think it's the writing). Daisy even knows to
just sit there patiently when I try to use her as a canine thesaurus,
"Daisy, you know what word I mean...playful, wild, jumping, romping,
ex-something...exuberant! That's it." Not once has she called me crazy.
She even has a cameo in my WIP where she spends her days in a railroad
station dividing her time between sleeping and eating treats -- pretty much
what her real life is.
Here's
my crazy Daisy. Maybe we should rename her Daffodil? Actually she's sniffing
out the baby rabbits. But their home is just far enough away that her leash
doesn't reach. But that doesn't stop her from digging up my flowers trying to
get to them. Whenever she starts digging I do that totally ineffective
"WHAT did you do?" and she looks at me -- tail wagging-- with that
"I was trying to get the rabbits. Didn't I do a good job?"
About Jodi:
Available On Amazon
Jodi M. Webb lives in
Pottsville, Pennsylvania with her husband and three children. She has written
hundreds of articles for publications such as The History Magazine, Pennsylvania Magazine, Reader’s Digest, and Christian
Science Monitor. She has also contributed to anthologies on
baseball, gardening, pop culture, married life and the military. Pennsylvania Trivia (Blue Bike
Books), a book she co-authored, was released in September 2008. One of her
essays was recorded for This I Believe
on NPR.
Jodi is a WOW! Women On Writing
blog tour organizer and is always looking for her next WOW author – no matter
who their audience is. Contact her at Jodi@wow-womenonwriting.com for
information.
In her spare time, she works on
her first novel—the story of a group of women on the homefront during World War
II.
Visit The Muffin (Wow! Women On Writing's blog) today and read Jodi's interview on finding your audience.
Interested in learning more about WOW! Women On Writing? Visit their website and sign up for their free newsletter!
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