Excerpt from the latest Proud Racer Novel, in progress...

Saltaire to Bingley and the Missing Train Station

“Where can we go today, Mommy?” Daisy asked as she danced around Mommy’s feet while Mommy made cups of tea for herself and for Daddy. “Daddy said walk, where can we go walk?”

“Hey, why don’t we go to Saltaire on the train and then walk the canal back to Bingley? We can get the train home from there,” Daddy said. Mommy grinned and nodded. “Daisy, do you want to go walk along the canal?” he asked. Daisy play-bowed and danced around the kitchen. “I guess that’s a yes?” Daddy said, laughing.

“Yes! YES YES YES!” Daisy yipped, making Mommy laugh. A walk down the canal! Daisy didn’t know what a canal was but it was bound to be exciting. She thought she had been before but wasn’t sure. Soon Mommy and Daddy had sorted out Daisy’s collar and leash and they were heading down to the train station. It wasn’t raining so Mommy and Daddy decided to walk. Daisy wasn’t always thrilled with the walk down to the train because there wasn’t a lot of grass for her to walk on or sniff, and there were lots of cars.

As they turned the corner from South Street onto East Parade, Daisy caught sight of herself in the window of the Aladdin Castle indoor playland. Next to her image she saw five other dogs, all transparent and sort of jumbled on top of each other. One of them lifted his big ears and looked around at Daisy in the window. She grinned. “Hey Hunky,” she said. “I’m glad you’re here.” Hunky’s image grinned back at her and then promptly ran into Profile’s image, bumping him into Bo’s. Jeany’s image giggled as Lizzard nipped at each of the boys before they started growling at each other.

“Don’t be afraid of the cars, Daisy,” Jeany’s image said. “We’re right here with you, and Mommy and Daddy-Simon are too.” Daisy grinned and bumped Mommy’s leg with her head. Mommy ran her hand over Daisy’s head, grinning along with her.

Happy Birthday to my Favorite Girl

Pretty Daisy
Originally uploaded by Nancy Dunne

Seven years ago today, I was huddled around a computer with loads of other people "watching" as a litter of greyhound puppies were being born. It was suggested that, since the litter was an "oops" one (not a planned breeding) the first girl be named Oopsie Daisy.

Those seven years have been amazing. I have watched that tiny puppy grow into an amazingly beautiful dog, with a personality that you can't help adoring. She is my angel, my PPG (psycho puppy girl), my sweet Mei-Mei (precious little girl in Firefly-Chinese).

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl. I'll see you on Tuesday! (insert me dancing like a mad fool here) And happy birthday to the other Leelo Babies: Hallie Jalapeno, Sophie Angel Sox, Casey, Dodger, Windy Bear and Bonnie Boo. I for one am overjoyed and thankful that all of you were born...but especially my Mei-Mei.

(Special tip of the hat to Adam whom I'm sure is watching from up there and swearing that their birthday isn't until the 14th...Cheers, Adam!)

For Leah and Cathie, I present my Blog Face

Question of the Day
Originally uploaded by Nancy Dunne

(AKA "Nancy's got on her I Am So Blogging About This! face...)

So y'all know what I do for a living, right? What you may not know is that there is a certain amount of OTT confidentiality involved in what I do...to the point that some interpreters will not tell their spouses where they will be working during the day, etc. I'm not quite to that point, but you'll excuse me if I am a bit vague in this post. But it just HAD to be blogged...

So I was working at Somewhere today with Someone Who Is Deaf and some other Someones Who Are Hearing, right? One of the Someones Who Are Hearing (I'm gonna get SO tired of typing that before this is done) reached over suddenly and picked a small insect off the shirt of Someone Who Is Deaf, making the excuse that it might bite that Someone Who Is Deaf.

In the chaos that followed, the cutest little green-backed beetle-bug ended up crawling on my knee. Now, if you're an interpreting student, I want you to promise me that you will never do what I did next. If you're from RID, I want you to stop reading now. Seriously.

Anyway, Beetle-Bug on my knee...right. After making sure that Someone Who Is Deaf was okay with it, I put my fingers close to Mr. BB to see if he would crawl up onto it with a view to flinging him to the far side of the room, away from Someone Who Is Hearing who was rapidly turning into Someone Who Would Soon Be Hyperventilating at the sight of Mr. BB. As bugs tend to be, this one was just contrary enough to NOT want to climb up onto my finger. The Someone Who Was Hearing on the other side of me offered, "Would you like me to get it?"

What does that mean to you? To me, it meant do the same thing I was trying to do but successfully, using the yellow legal pad that Someone had in his/her hand. I think you can probably see where this story is going now, can't you?

Other Someone Who Is Hearing smacked the living daylights (not to mention the stuffing) out of my knee and poor Mr. Beetle-Bug. I still have the residue on my trousers to prove it. Before I caught myself, I said (and signed) "Well, that's not at all what I thought you were going to do!"

I mean seriously!! Who smushes a cute little Beetle-Bug? Poor thing never had a chance...and now I have Beetle Bug on my good work trousers.

Okay, for the last time...

Uh, clearly I need coffee. NOW!!
Originally uploaded by Nancy Dunne

1. I've started calling it a lift. Deal with it.

2. I'm going to use British words sometimes instead of American ones. If you understand what I said, why do you feel the need to correct me? It really makes NO sense.

3. I just spent two years of my life over there. Some things are going to rub off. They may or may not go away after I've been here awhile.

4. Just so you know, laughing at how Simon pronounces things, unless you're me and allowed (because he can laugh at my pronunciation) is rude. End of. Yes, I realise it's a double-standard. I don't care.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled mocking. (It's been one of those days...)

Just over a week...

Daisy with...
Originally uploaded by Nancy Dunne

I've got just over a week now to make some super progress on the current WIP because other than the amount of time before the battery dies on the plane, I don't know how much writing will get done in the first few days I'm there. I'm betting on none.

I've got just over a week to work as much as I can, but with my niece coming to stay here on Allen Mountain that won't be much, I'm afraid. Three gigs so far, but that may have to be it.

I've got just over a week to get some stock ordered to take with me to Beach Bound Hounds in September so that I can sign some books and get My Pack's stories out to those who never got to meet the original Fab Five (with apologies to my EQ friends, I'm stealing that b/c my first pack WAS fabulous) and who haven't had a chance to meet Psycho Puppy Girl because she's been overseas. I'm still confident that the WIP will have become Proud Racer: An American Greyhound in Yorkshire by BBH and will be ready to sign and sell as well.

But best of all...

Just over a week from now I will be snuggling up to that face and smooching that noggin...well, when I've pried myself loose from Hubs and stopped putting my face in Mills's fur, that is. I've not packed a thing, in fact I'm still not sure which bag I'm taking or what will go in it...but I'm counting down the days!

New Month, New Camp NaNoWriMo

End of RID IKEA run
Originally uploaded by Nancy Dunne

I know, I just won, I should still be basking, right? NOT. Have you met me? Insanity, thy name is Nancy.

This month's WIP (that's Work In Progress, see, I do pay attention sometimes Dr. Tom!) is a little diddy I like to call "Proud Racer: An American Greyhound in Yorkshire" and it's Daisy's recounting of her two years in Keighley...well, sort of, it's really her take on the times that she got to GO on the TRAIN for a WALK somewhere. She's a well traveled girl though...and hopefully there will be room in the back for pictures of her adventures. The title may change...Daisy's Adventures in Yorkshire doesn't grab me and OI! was too short, though I'm sure that's the word she's heard most often over there.

Right, so I'm blogging about writing while not writing...but I've hit my goal for the day and everything else I write (over there, not here) is just gravy. Fingers crossed I can get this one done and dusted and off to Lulu for publishing prior to Beach Bound Hounds next month.

NEXT MONTH! Good Lord. I'm gonna need a lot of Crystal Light and Goldfish crackers.