My little girl is a year old today.....hard to believe!  We brought her home last May at 7 weeks old and she's been a delight from the moment we first saw her.  She's extremely friendly, affectionate and playful.  She adores Duncan and the cats and is very bright.  Brie loves to "talk"......We've never had a dog that did this before.  She stares directly at you and her little head moves from side to side as she chatters away in doggie language.  This is usually when she wants something. 

Brie had her annual check-up and shots at the vet yesterday.  She now weighs 15 1/2 pounds......she's gained 3 pounds since last Aug. when she was spayed.  The vet said she's not overweight, but she shouldn't gain anymore.  So shhhhhh!  Don't tell her.......but I'm afraid we're cutting back on those doggie treats.

We also had Duncan seen by the vet yesterday and as you can see, that really tuckers him out.  And yes.....he does have an odd way of sleeping in the guest room......half on the bed and half on the window sill.

The reason I wanted him seen was because of his left leg.  Scotties have stubby little legs, but his left one has an abnormality the vet thinks he was born with.  It turns out at a right angle and the bone is quite pronounced.  He doesn't limp, doesn't ever appear to be in pain, but I'm concerned about it long-term.  The vet agreed it might be wise to be seen by a specialist now and see what our options are.  He said as he ages it could get worse and cause a problem for him walking.  I hate the thought of surgery, but I also want him to be able to walk well as he gets older.  So the vet suggested we go to the vet school at UF in Gainesville and have a consultation with a specialist there.  I'll be calling for an appointment.

I've been so busy that most days I'm not quite sure if I'm coming or going......somebody mentioned the other day that April 1 is next Tuesday, and I really thought they were playing an early April Fools Day joke on me.  April 1 is next Tuesday?  Wait a second!  WHAT happened to March? 

All the business related stuff that goes along with getting a book published is very time-consuming.  I've now hired a website developer for my new website.  I'm pretty much designing it, with my own thoughts on what I'd like and she's doing all that tech work that I detest.  There was a lot of work involved to shut down my other website, cancel that account, transfer my domain name, etc.  But......I've managed to get all of that squared away.  Now I'm spending time trying to decide on colors, fonts, themes, etc. for my new website.  I've also been busy contacting other authors for blurbs for my book jacket. 

In addition to all of that, I'm also busy with being the Chairperson for the writing contest with Florida Writers.  This is a very time-consuming job.  Sending out the entries to 3 judges, updating the Excel spreadsheet, when the entries are returned I then record all the info and do up an envelope with the critiques that will be returned to the entrants in November.  I committed to this project back in December, before I signed my book contract and I'm not one to back out of a commitment, so I'll just plod along.

Oh and let's not forget my vacation rental home.......we've been booked solid the entire month of March and April is already pretty full.  This involves a fair amount of work as well.....taking the phone calls or answering emails for inquiries, updating my reservation book, keeping track of everything, making sure I contacted my cleaning woman to clean on the appropriate days, etc.

I'm not sharing any of this with you to complain.  Quite the opposite......I feel very grateful for the busyness that I have.  However, I'm finding it more and more difficult to get "out" there in the blog world to visit all of you like I used to.  I miss you and trust me.......hang in there with me and I promise to pay you a visit very soon!

In the meantime, sending all of you the very best and I'll see you here again soon...........