RV Wins and Woes

For the last year, my husband and I have been traveling the country in our RV. What a learning experience for two adult humans and one nearly-human dog to go from a spacious house to roughly 450 sq. ft. of living space! We're doing it, though, and we love this lifestyle.

Not that our travels have been free of hiccups. A week into owning our new home, I cut a corner too close while driving and, as quick as my husband could choke out words I can't mention, I did $10,000 of damage.

At least the concrete post didn't suffer.

The repair place said they often see it happen when people first drive off the lot, so I did well for the first six days. Hah. Thanks, guys.

As of today, we're 24 states into our journey and have had unforgettable experiences. My imagination sees potential book ideas in each.

Oh, and I should say - when it's my turn to drive, I no longer forget to turn wide.  Concrete posts across the US are safe. 

Any tips on places to explore when we're in your state?

#RVlifestyle #wanderlust #RVliving #writerslife #dogsofinstagram #writing #romanceauthor #RVfulltime

Toto? Are you there?

We’re not in...well, we never were in Kansas, but wow - Colorado also offers up incredible skies. Took this photo as the TV meteorologist issued directions to take shelter. Immediately.

I was so in awe of what I was seeing, I didn’t listen. Fortunately, a tornado did not touch down. Next time I will know better than to stand outside.

As for our dog Willy, he snoozed on, not opening an eye. Men wearing shorts he doesn’t like (for some inexplicable reason - is there danger in the bare male knee?) and will bark them right off a trail. But a possible tornado? Doesn’t bother him in the least.

Guess it all depends on your perspective.

What my rescue dog taught me about waking up

A couple of months ago, my husband and I adopted a mixed-breed dog named Willy. He had bitten his former owner after she put a shock collar on him (truth be told, I would have bitten her, too) and she told the vet to put him down.

Our vet, knowing we were still grieving the loss of a dog, called me. It took about two minutes for us to fall in love with Willy and take him home. He's affectionate, earnest and quirky - a big personality in a small body.

Willy has taught me something I needed to learn - how to wake up in the morning.

I like to sleep in. He doesn't. Instead, he bounces - yes, bounces - awake on our bed. And then he hops over to me as if to say, "It's morning, Mom!!" If I groan and ask for a few more minutes, my face gets washed with kisses. Relentlessly. Until I get up. And when I do, I'm laughing because he's still bouncing.

Each day is a new adventure for Willy. I wonder if on some level he knows that, not so long ago, he didn't have many days left. We adopted him 24 hours before he was to be euthanized.

I'm so glad we did. Because even though we've given him a second chance family, he's given us far more. I've learned that laughing is a great way to wake up. And that it's much better to look forward to the adventures of a new day than to bemoan the loss of a few minutes of sleep.

Thanks, Willy. Here's to many more mornings that begin with laughs and hugs. And end the same way.

Jane Lynne

Taking a "Hands Off" Approach
Or...How a Writer Learns to Survive Two Broken Wrists

I'm clumsy. Always have been. So it wasn't a big surprise when I fell over a dog gate a few weeks ago, but I didn't expect to break three bones in the process.

Now that I've had surgery, been "casted" and taken a good amount of la-la-land medication, thought I would reflect on a few things I've learned from this experience. Here goes:

• Elbows can come in unexpectedly handy - for opening sliding glass doors, getting toothpaste out of the tube, etc. Really, elbows are underrated.
• Surgeons DO have a sense of humor - mine told me it was good I wasn't seeing him during his busy season: Fractures Festival (aka winter). Oddly enough, he doesn't offer an off-season rate.
• Dogs have tremendous capacity for sympathy - mine sit quietly during nightly physical therapy exercises, their eyes filled with concern. Either that or they're hoping for a treat, but I'm pretty sure it's the former.
• It is possible to type with one finger. Slow, but possible. My index finger is working tirelessly while its colleagues are down.
• Speech recognition software can be entertaining. Where else does "mild scolding" turn into "Miles Golding"?
• Style doesn't have to be sacrificed at a time like this. My husband will take me for a mani/pedi shortly - something to match my purple cast... Love the shade Lost My Bikini in Molokini.

That's all I can think of for now, but these casts and I will be together for a while yet. This is definitely going in a future book. Somewhere...

A big man with an even bigger heart

Love this story:

This NFL Player Just Adopted A "Not-So-Adoptable" Dog And People Love It https://www.buzzfeed.com/leticiamiranda/people-are-in-love-with-this-nfl-player-for-taking-home-a-no?utm_term=.ci64MPWBb7#.ci64MPWBb7

I may just have to become a Ravens fan! At the very least, a Ronnie Stanley fan. 

My favorite part of the story is the closing paragraph:

“I think it’s so special when the dog meets their person and gets to trot right out of here,” Deacon said. “That’s why the pictures were so blurry, because all she wanted to do was kiss his face, and it seemed that’s all he wanted too.”

In my spare time, I volunteer at an animal shelter. Here's a photo of two puppies I cared for not long ago (this was taken right before I cleaned their pen, which happens every morning for all dogs) - look at those beautiful, hopeful eyes.

These two were so sweet. They came in at night on a transport from a high-kill shelter and fell asleep, curled up together, while I cleaned. I had to gently wake them with some cuddling before putting them back into a sparkling clean pen. I hope, hope, hope they've found loving homes. 

The heroine of my new book, Kiss and Confess, works for an animal shelter and becomes a contestant on a reality TV show, hoping to find love and win money to help the shelter build a new wing. Guess you could say my work at the shelter greatly influenced that part of the story!

Do you have feel-good news stories or experiences to share?

Outside of a dog…

I found one of my favorite quotes on a wall hanging. It’s attributed to the comedian Groucho Marx: “Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to see.”

Love it! Combines three of my favorites – books, dogs and humor.

Don’t know what I would do without my two miniature schnauzers, who are noisy, opinionated, spoiled, partly-human, and infinitely lovable.

They help me when I’m writing (usually with their eyes closed), listen patiently when I need to talk, lick my hand if I’m upset, and press their warm, furry bodies against my husband and me as we sleep. 

I nearly always write a dog into my stories. The hero and/or heroine need more than one kind of love.

Also love cats, but because of family allergies, we can’t have one live with us. So instead I wrote a book (Say it Again, Sam) about a heroine who accidentally turns the man she loves into a cat.

Here are pics of my two. Murray (top) is a rescue and we’ve had Coco since she was six weeks old. How about you? Would love to see a photo and/or story about your fur babies!