Dreamflower's Mathom-house

Today has been quite a day, and BOTH our furbabies have been trouble with a capital T!

I had to work unexpectedly today, as I was asked to fill in for a sick co-worker. I got home quite tired, and decided to take Sophie for her walkies right away, so that I could just collapse and rest. Since the weather was warm though windy, I left the front door open and the screen door latched, so Miss Bella could come out on the porch while we walked. I was just going to go up and down our block a couple of times, so I would never be out of sight of the house. This is something I've done several times and it's never been a problem.

Until I got home. I unlatched the screen door, and the wind blew the door right out of my hand, and Miss Bella made a dash for it. I grabbed for her and missed, and as I did the end of Sophie's leash slipped off my wrist and SHE made a dash for it too! Fortunately, she kind of bowled over Miss Bella, who then ran back into the porch--I grabbed the door and latched it. By that time Sophie was halfway up the block!

Guess what? I can still run! I chased that darn dog nearly a block and a half before I managed to get close enough to grab the leash. She thought it was funny--I'd call her, and she'd stop and maybe come back towards me and then when I'd get close to grabbing range she'd dart further away and then turn and LAUGH at me! (Don't tell me dogs don't laugh; I know what that look on the little smart-aleck's face was!)

So, got the dog home and got both animals in the house and the door closed. I collapsed in my chair and tried to get my breath back. My knees were killing me, and my heart was pounding so hard I could hear it.

The DH got home about an hour later, and after talking for a while, I went to fix supper. I was almost done when the DH came in the kitchen. "Where's the cat?" he asked.

"Well, last time I looked she was in my chair in the living room." Nope, not there.

There followed nearly an hour-and-a-half of searching every little hidey-hole in the house. Every so often we could hear her squeak, but it was faint and muffled and we could not figure out where it was coming from.

Finally the DH realized: it was coming from UNDERNEATH the house! He went outside, and sure enough he could hear her under there, and he managed to coax her out, wrap her in his shirt (to avoid getting shredded: she likes being held but HATES being carried.) and bring her in. We are still not quite sure how she got outside, though my best guess is that she snuck out when the DH took the trash out.

So we ended the evening with everyone safe at home; but after such a frantic day, my knees hurt like crazy and my nerves are shredded.

As for Sophie and Miss Bella, they are sitting around in wide-eyed innocence demanding that we pet them and cuddle them! Little self-satisfied brats!

But we'd have been devastated if anything happened to either of them!

Today a quote from CS Lewis:

“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously - no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.”
― C.S. Lewis

I thought today I'd share something from JRR Tolkien's personal life.

54 From a letter to Christopher Tolkien 8 January 1944

Remember your guardian angel. Not a plump lady with swan-wings! But – at least this is my notion and feeling – : as souls with free-will we are, as it were, so placed as to face (or to be able to face) God. But God is (so to speak) also behind us, supporting, nourishing us (as being creatures). The bright point of power where that life-line, that spiritual umbilical cord touches: there is our Angel, facing two ways to God behind us in the direction we cannot see, and to us. But of course do not grow weary of facing God, in your free right and strength (both provided 'from behind' as I say). If you cannot achieve inward peace, and it is given to few to do so (least of all to me) in tribulation, do not forget that the aspiration for it is not a vanity, but a concrete act. I am sorry to talk like this, and so haltingly. But I can do no more for you dearest. ....

If you don't do so already, make a habit of the 'praises'. I use them much (in Latin): the Gloria Patri, the Gloria in Excelsis, the Laudate Dominum; the Laudate Pueri Dominum (of which I am specially fond), one of the Sunday psalms; and the Magnificat; also the Litany of Loretto (with the prayer Sub tuum praesidium). If you have these by heart you never need for words of joy. It is also a good and admirable thing to know by heart the Canon of the Mass, for you can say this in your heart if ever hard circumstance keeps you from hearing Mass. So endeth Faeder lár his suna.1 With very much love.

Longað þonnet þy lǽs þe him con léoþa worn,
oþþe mid hondum con hearpan grétan;
hafaþ him his glíwes giefe,
þe him God sealde.

From the Exeter Book. Less doth yearning trouble him who knoweth many songs, or with his hands can touch the harp: his possession is his gift of 'glee' (= music and/or verse) which God gave him. How these old words smite one out of the dark antiquity! 'Longað'! All down the ages men (of our kind, most awarely) have felt it: not necessarily caused by sorrow, or the hard world, but sharpened.

Such a loving letter to a son soon off to war, and filled with advice, yet still containing meat for the mind as well as the heart!

Once more, for Lent instead of giving up something negative, I am going to try to find something positive. Each day of Lent I hope to post something beautiful and uplifting.

I signed up for the WIP Big Bang

I decided to go with "Eleventy-one" as I know I can get that one done by April 15, whereas I am not so sure about "In the Court of the High King", which I will also continue to work on.

The sign-up is still open until Friday, if anyone's interested in also signing up!

Remember that I mentioned one of my FFN readers thought I should combine "Kingly Gifts" and "Waking Day"?

Here it is:
A reviewer at FFN, KathyG helped me to fuse these two stories taking place within the period from three days after the Ring was destroyed to the end of the day that the Ringbearers awakened. The first story was "Kingly Gifts" originally written in 2004 for Marigold's Challenge #6; the title was Marigold's prompt element for the story. The other story was "Waking Day", which was written for Shirebound in the 2013 LOTR GFIC Yule Fic Exchange, which overlapped the previous story and filled in some gaps that I missed in the first story. Finally, the drabble was "Before the Feast" written in 2011 for Back-to-Middle-earth-Month. I also added a small amount of new material, and made some minor edits. Thank you so much, KathyG for encouraging me to do this, creating a single cohesive narrative from these stories.

Spring After Winter, Sun on Leaves: The Kingly Gifts-Waking Day Fusion at FFN

Spring After Winter, Sun on Leaves: The Kingly Gifts-Waking Day Fusion at AO3

Yesterday our son came over to do a couple of little chores for us. He brought with him his girlfriend's adorable little two-year-old daughter.

Our dog Sophie just loves our son, and she also likes the girlfriend's kids (a huge improvement over Sugar's attitude, poor thing--she was a menace to any kind of visitors and sincerely wanted to bite a chunk out of our son whenever she saw him; she always had to be shut up). But this was the first time it was just the baby. The DS left her in my charge while he went out to take care of some stuff in our garage.

Fortunately, little A. is used to dogs (my son has a huge mixed-breed male, and she adores Cado), and was only too happy to let Sophie lick her and play with her. They chased each other around the house with A. giggling "Puppy!" (Miss Bella, however, did not take well to being chased around as A. was calling "Kitty!", and took to the high ground, where she stared down at the little menace, LOL!)

Sophie loved all the attention, of course.

However, it's possible my son is allowing her to spend too much time with his dog, as she's learned some rather odd habits--like grabbing me for a hug and licking me! I was somewhat startled by this to say the least! LOL! My son thinks it is hugely funny. Anyway, she did give me a couple of people smoochies before they left.

http://wipbigbang.livejournal.com/401.html?mode=reply

Do I want to try this? I really want to get my WIPs finished. The thing is, the two I'd consider putting in: "Eleventy-one: Too Short a Time, Book One" and "In the Court of the High King"; and the problem is, whichever one I choose would have to go on hiatus until April 15.

I've done "finishing" marathons before; once it worked pretty well (I finished "Trotter") but not so much the next time. Hmmm...

I have a couple of weeks to make up my mind. What do you guys think, and which one would you like to see me finish, if I do it? (Keeping in mind how long I'd have to wait to update if I do this!)