Buy My Book By August 20, Help Save A Dog, All Money To AAR

Open Your Hearts To Save Hers! Buy The Unfaithful Widow in the next twenty days by making a $16.00 donation to Chip In (click link) for Animal Action Rescue and e-mail ( forward) payment confirmation to me ( bb-bjd@comcast.net) with your mailing address and any autograph you want. Shipping is free media mail. I will let you know book is on its way.

How could we resist this face? Sybil is a happy, friendly girl but was diagnosed with Patent DuctusArteriosus (PDA), so she was scheduled to be put to sleep unless a rescue groupagreed to take her. We had to save her. Ifthe PDA is left untreated, about 60 percent of affected dogs die within a yearof diagnosis. When caught early, and following treatment with successfulclosure of the PDA, most dogs live a normal life. She is young andotherwise healthy, so her prognosis is EXCELLENT! Can you please open yourheart to save hers?

Visit Animal Action Rescue On The Web

Widow Lesson Learned: Start small end big. Every little bit of good you do for others opens your heart to greatness.

Surgery Update 3: Buy Jewelry To Grace Your Neck And Forget Bad Hair

Lily Pad from the new Silver And Grace Collection

My friend Eliza from Canada has designed a wonderful jewelry line and launched it this week. Go check it out by clicking here. You will love Eliza and the spirit of her jewelry.

I am wrestling with my curling iron one handed to poof my flat hair. I remember writing in my book put a piece of jewelry where you want to draw attention. Maybe a wonderful piece from Eliza will take my attention away from my hair before I fry it! I can manage most things now that my stitches came out Thursday, but oh my hair..........I think it's time to shop!

Widow lesson learned: It is better to cook up a new way to feel attractive than to let your hair melt down trying to feel hot.

Post Surgery Week 2 Dancing To Usher's OMG

OMG. Let's dance with
Usher.

Want a way to get your feet moving, rockin and getting ready to dance through the day? Listen to Usher's OMG. First heard it driving to the gym when I started my workout a few months ago and can't get that song out of my brain. Don't ask me about Usher, but ask me about that song my smile gets big, my right arm does a little hip hop move and my feet start keeping the beat. ENERGY up!
Just crawled out of bed, put on my music, gotta take my arm from sling for some elbow exercises. Sure hope I don't get to excited and throw the wrong arm up in the air! But you know how it is when you're feeling it!
Thanks Usher for my favorite wake up call.
Widow lesson learned (this lesson I always knew): Dance like you're a rock star and it will make your day rock.

Oh my, I'll remember my surgery next trip to the vet!

Rotator Cuff Surgery. If I were that cute, young and blonde, hey I wouldn't be having a bad hair day.

Be very afraid dear dogs. I don't now which one of you peed on the foor the day oh my fall, but you might want to watch carefully on you're next trip to the vet.
Aha! I looked at my dogs lined up before me while I eased myself onto the couch. My huge sling almost blocking them from view as I plopped ever so gently down on the cushion. Six little faces smiled at me, six tails wagging. Not one aware my accident might be their fault. And truth be told it was my fault. I wasn't watching where I was going, moving so fast and then......well the rest is history.
Surgery this past Monday for the worst rotator cuff tear the doc had seen. To think I was just worried how I would do my hair. Makes me laugh I was so naive. Now I wonder how I'll get my bra on and shirt. If you can't get those two things on to leave the house, don't worry how your hair is doing!
I am actually happy to report how well this is going in spite of feeling like a fashion victim. The surgeon was fantastic. A sports ortho surgeon with the latest technology.
My big worry and big news is that I am going to have a 5 minute spot talking about my book on The Balancing Act on The Lifetime Network. Filming is in Ft.Lauderdale on August 30th.
"Have to be out of my sling by then, doc." I sounded cool, but I was having a panic attack.
"We'll get you in on Monday, but you'll have to hustle to get the pre-op done. "
Was home by 8pm the day of outpatient surgery. Ran straight by dogs and lay flat on my back, gut sick from meds. Funny thing by the next morning I stopped pain meds and started feeling human. Next day was good. Now my energy level is so high I gotta find a bra and button shirt so I can get out again. Stitches out this Thursday (five tiny spots around my shoulder arthroscopic surgery), sling for 6 weeks and then physical therapy for 6 plus weeks. Cool. I can handle this. Typing with one hand a challenge, but doable.
Left shoulder, not right. Thank you I talk to the man upstairs.
Another round of applause. Thank you Dr. Branch and nurse Tim, two angels of mercy for me. I took in a copy of The Unfaithful Widow and now one of the other nurses wants to meet me when my stitches come out. I feel almost famous.
Sometimes the things we fear can overwhelm us. Oh how I feared surgery.
My old motto from my workout days was not a good one. No pain, gee, no pain. Heck with the gain part.
Life keeps reminding me to be brave and when you come at something with an open heart, good things happen. In the overall scheme of my life will rotator cuff surgery be something that once again brings something from the universe, or will I finally just learn to stop whining when I get hurt? Either way it will be a winning streak for me.
I smile at my dogs. Soon, I whisper to each with love. Soon you'll be sleeping with me again. Try not to look so put out sleeping on the rose chintz slipcover chairs in the living room.
What a lazy bunch of hounds, but each watching me carefully to be sure I am OK.

Can we come in? Promise we'll be good.

Widow lesson learned: No pain, no gain. There is always something to be learned if we have faith to make the best of it.

It's Official - A Torn Rotator Cuff, Surgery and A New Web

The words I was hoping not to hear. "Well, my dear, it's completely torn."

I looked at the doctor who was very pleasing to look at and batted my eyes. "What does that mean?" I knew what it meant, surgery.

"Going to have surgery, next Monday and then maybe eight weeks in a sling."

"Ouch."

"Have to tack it down all the way across."

You know you are a female when the biggest worry is hair. As in how will I do my hair?

It is my left arm which is good news. I can dress, do everything, slowly, even wash my hair in the shower and blow dry it. Then from there I just sit looking in the mirror. How do you style hair with one hand?

I am into plastic headbands from CVS at the moment. My new look, tosseled and pinned down with plastic. My fashion statement.

"You look younger," My good friend tried to make me feel better over dinner the other night. "Straight hair makes you look younger." She was on her second glass of wine. I was eating apple pie.

"And, hey," she waved her glass in the air to flag our waiter, "with that band around your chest holding the sling, you don't have to wear a bra."

I looked at my pie and when the waiter came to our table I ordered vanilla ice cream on the side.

I've written about my fall on The Red Room in glorious details. The truth on how I slipped revealed.

Then I wrote on the USA today.com a blurb on what I was reading these days.  You got it, pitched The Unfaithful Widow for sale on Amazon. I have been writing on many sites under the name writerwithdogs. I got a response back saying, "I wish I'd thought of that name."

I googled it and sure enough my writing under that name is everywhere. So I went and bought the domain writerwithdogs.com and now have a new web page.

A new book is in the works, Covered in Fur, which will be dogs stories, both real and fiction. Haven't figured it out yet, but with my trusty laptop I can mend after surgery sitting on my sofa, dogs by me feet, organizing my writing and sipping LaCroix sparkling water, since I am off caffine now for the surgery. Once weaned I like this better than my sodium and caffine filled sodas.

A bad hair day and a sparkling water. Almost has an aura to it.

Come visit my new web Writer With Dogs and see the fun I'm going to have while my shoulder mends.

I am putting together a media kit for The Unfaithful Widow and if you check my web there you can see it all. Even listen to my podcast on Nia Promotions. 

So busy at work is the best way for me to forget I've got surgery coming up. This could be just the ticket to get me writing again. Have been promoting like crazy and miss my little essays.

You will hear from me next after Monday when I tell you how this all works out.

Widow Lesson Learned: When life gives you lemons, write a book.

Successful Silent Auction For AAR Then A Slip For Me

Saturday nite was wonderful. The booksigning and silent auction at Heartfield Manor for Animal Action Rescue was great. We raised a lot of moola for some super folks. Thanks to Michelle of Expressions Photography who came and took photos. I'll have them next week to share with you. To Chef Phil Scales for some upgraded dog treats, Larry Joe Hall for music to make you move, and my friend Sandra for letting us use her lovely bed and breakfast.  The Corvette made the run and was parked outside flashing everyone who entered. Had an offer to buy the vette, but lets get real, can't part with my soul mate. But thanks for the thought.  NY Basset Hound Rescue has a 1968 red corvette for auction, may need to check that out. Wowie, a beaut of a car.

Now for my latest news and why I may be buying a new kitchen floor. I slipped on dog pee (oh, yes, dog pee, but sometimes a dog just has to go) and landed on my butt, dislocating my left shoulder. While waiting in the ER for three hours to have it popped back in I imagined a new floor, a cushy vinyl rather than the slick laminate faux wood floor I have to cushion just such a blow. Right now if there is any water on this floor you will hydroplane across it. Then this morning just as I was feeling fit from the blow on Tuesday, I stretched and darn if the shoulder didn't go out again. Another trip to the ER, same procedure. Tomorrow I go to the doctor to see how to behave with my new sling. Any one have a suggestion on what type of floor - other than carpet - will not be slippery?

Everyone have a great 4th. Check back next week for some photos of our great charity event for Animal Action Rescue.

Widow Lesson Learned: It is more fun to sit on your butt signing books than to fall on your butt and land in the ER.