Monday, January 6th

Photo of museum.

Today Dream Our World went on sale at a museum! The boys finally got their paw in the door. Just doing a little celebrating.

Photo of eyeglasses.

Today is also Day 6 of me going without my glasses. I’ve got to say that so far I like it. That may change after a while as I find that I can’t use the computer or drive.

I never gave much thought to eyeglass frames, but there are a lot of choices out there. There a different metals, organic/inorganic acetates, wood, bone, horn, shell and bamboo. There are even companies that will custom craft your frames based on measurements you take of your face with your phone.

While it seems interesting to have eyeglass frames custom made in Europe, I worry what would happen if I ever needed a repair or a new prescription. I started going to an optician years ago so that I could have same-day service rather than having to wait 2 weeks for my frames to be sent to a lab. How much worse it would be if the company were overseas.

So far, I have made no frame decisions but continue doing my eye exercises every day and avoid a lot of computer work. Toby likes it because we are spending more time outside. I enjoy looking at trees and buildings and hillsides to challenge myself as to how much detail I can see.

Don't worry, Mom. I'll help.

Maybe soon you won’t be tripping over me when we go out, Batty?

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What Is a Museum?

I thought I knew what a museum was. A museum either contained artwork or dinosaurs or historical artifacts. I’m old-school and picture all of these displays housed in columned, marble buildings.

To me, a children’s museum would be one of these categories but perhaps with some tactile displays or themes that would appeal to the young. Turns out that the word’s definition of a children’s museum is quite different from mine.

I have been trying to market my book to museum gift shops, and I had thought that children’s museums would be perfect. I couldn’t have been more wrong. The closest children’s museum to me advertises itself as a place where children can “play in the mud, hammer nails or change the tires on a car”. At another, kids can “pick up local crops and take them to market”. Not to be forgotten is the museum where kids can “shop for groceries and check out at the register”.

So many of the museums in my state list grocery store lines as a main attraction. Really? Couldn’t you just take your child to the store and let them check out? These museums remind me of the Traffic Jam Roller Coaster in the Progressive Commercials. Far too boring to be considered fun.

I would hate to be a kid with a weekend dad in any of these towns.

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For real museum fun (and yes, there is such a thing…at the MOTI!), pick up a copy of Dream Our World. At the Museum of the Imagination, Bitey and Toby view the world of art from a canine perspective and enjoy a day of unsupervised fun.

Dream Our World is available from Amazon.

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I Have Exciting News!

Happy Cairn terrier pup

Hello friends!

I have some big news. I found out about a really exciting opportunity. It was so wonderful that I selfishly kept the news to myself so that I wouldn’t end up competing with friends for this spot. There were lots of tests and counseling and even boring essays to write, and after everything…I was the one who was chosen! I will be doing a really important externship. The only catch is that I had to move in order to take the position. In fact, I already started my new job last Monday.

Before I left, an orange butterfly came to tell me that I was accepted. A few minutes after I left, I came back as another orange butterfly to show Mom and Gma and Gpa that I was OK and liked my new job. The next day, I borrowed a robin body to come back for another visit, but I misjudged and flew into the door and killed myself. Sheesh. What a week I am having.

On Friday I tried visiting again, but it was only in the 30’s outside. Butterfly bodies won’t work in those temps, but there was a boring, practical house fly body that would work. So, I popped into the house and decided to grab a quick sandwich before delivering my message when – whack! Yes, it has been quite a week.

When I arrived on the Other Side, it was as if I had just scored the winning touchdown. There were so many gathered around to congratulate me and welcome me. There were high fives and back pats and plenty of tail sniffs. It felt good to be home.

The title for my new job is the curator of the MOH (Museum of Heaven). Seeing as it is a museum for dogs, I believe the first room I will fill will be the Hall of Poo. All the most creative piles throughout history will be gathered under one roof. Oh, and instead of a Comment Wall, we will have a Marking Wall. Go ahead. Mark away. Everyone will love to sniff your tidings.

Please don’t feel sad, friends. I am happier than I have ever been. (If you want to though, you can make fun of Toby. I know I will.)

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What Would Happen If….

I wonder what my boys would do at a museum? ....and so concludes our broadcast of famous museums around the world.

In Dream Our World, you are invited on an extraordinary journey of the imagination where Bitey and Toby visit the museum of their dreams. The exhibits at the MOTI have the unique twist of being depicted as the pups see them. And how is that? With the boys front and center, of course!

Bitey and Toby’s story is told in pictures, not in words. Let the paintings speak to you. Let your mind tell the story. Most of all, have fun!

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I am both happy and sad to have this book done. I have been working on it so long that it feels like a part of me. Inside, I have constructed a world made of pieces of my neighborhood mixed with drawings of my pups’ actual personalities. If you read it, I hope that you enjoy the adventure!

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Guess Where I Went?

To the museum!

Friends will know that I have been wanting to visit the museum for a very long time, and yesterday I finally did. I wanted something by which to remember my trip, and I picked this little guy to come home with me.

Triceratops pendats from a visit to the museum.

A lot of the gifts in the gift shop were handmade by crafts persons in countries with struggling economies. I thought this was a great partnership. When I found this tiny hand carved triceratops made of tiger’s eye, I simply had to have him (or her).

Foolish me, I didn’t realize that there were different types of triceratops. In movies, they always seem to look the same. In reality the horns weren’t always spaced the same, and some had curved horns or narrow faces. It was interesting to see the different types of skulls side by side.

I was only gone for a few hours, and when I got home I immediately grabbed my pups’ leashes and let them out of their kennels for a potty break. Geordie refused to come and yelled at me that he was very angry at my stupidity! Stupidity? What did I do wrong? Well, it turns out that the first thing he wanted was a drink, not to go outside. Toby would simply have walked to the water bowl and had a drink before heading outside, but Geordie had to make a point of telling me how stupid I was.

I am glad terriers don’t come with horns.

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