Meet the Blogger blog hop 2013

Welcome to the Meet the Bloggers blog hop 2013!

So these bloggers walked into a bar... Uh wait, no, that's not right...

A few blogger friends were talking one day and realized we wouldn't recognize each other if we ran headlong into each other at a bar. Er, wait, that's not quite right either.

Well, some bloggers finally realized there aren't any pictures of us on our blogs and in an attempt to "peek behind the curtain", a blog hop was born! A blog hop designed specifically to reveal the true identities of the hard-working individuals who bring these marvelous musings of petted bliss (uh - our pet blogs) to life.

The "Meet the Bloggers" blog hop is being hosted
by the following bloggers:

Amy from Go Pet Friendly
A.J. from I still Want More Puppies
Jodi from Kol's Notes
Dawn from NEPA Pets
Jennifer from My Brown Newfies
Jodi from Heart Like a Dog
Julie from The Daily Dog Blog
Kim from Cindy Lu's Muse
Kristine from Rescued Insanity
Lauren from Life With Desmond
Leslie from Bringing up Bella
Mel from No Dog About It
Peggy from Peggy's Pet Place

It's not too late to join in the fun - all you need to do is:

Write a post that includes the following:

Uh, mom? Wat'chu smoking? Can I have some?

1. A current photo of the blogger.

Sorry, it's the best I could do.

The remote controller I ordered for my camera came after I suffered some indignity to my face this weekend due to a disagreement I had with a tree so a more current picture will not be forth-coming. This is from 11/16/2013 so it's about as current, if kind of silly, as I have.

2. Answers to at least five, (but more if you'd like!) of the following questions:

(FTR, I know that as soon as I hit the "publish" button, I am going to think of a million things I left out, a few thousand better answers and "just the right" thing to say. Oh well.)

What's your favorite non-animal related book? 

Wait, seriously, you want me to name only one? We just had a Facebook thing go around about this and I could barely keep my list to 10, never mind 1.

I am a huge fan of Kurt Vonnegut, Graham Greene, J.R.R. Tolkien, J.D. Salinger (not for Catcher in the Rye), and Jean-Paul Sartre.  As for individual books, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn", "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" were all considered.

But if I had to pick a favorite book among favorite books, what would it be? I guess when push comes to shove it would be "A Sand County Almanac" by Aldo Leopold. For a glimpse into why, I quote the first line of the forward:

"There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot. These essays are the delights and dilemmas of one who cannot."

What's your favorite non-animal related movie?

Okay, I'm having the same issue with movies as I did with books. Can I pick one movie per genre?

I have watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy a hundred times. But I've also done that with Contact and Strange Days and Ice Age. The Constant Gardener is a favorite as is Oscar and Lucinda.  Must Love Dogs (which has so little to do with dogs it doesn't qualify as an 'animal' movie) ranks high as does A Walk on the Moon and Under the Tuscan Sun.

Stream-of-consciousness-ing it didn't help: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Aong Blog, Dark City, Once, August Rush, I Am Sam, Smoke, Moulin Rouge!, The NeverEnding Story, The Big Chill, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Princess Bride, Excalibur, Finding Neverland, Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Harold and Maude, Pan's Labyrinth, The Fisher King, Dead Poet's Society...

I'm sure if I think about this any longer, I will end up with a few hundred more so I'll stop here.

Oh wait, here's an actual answer. If you haven't seen it, watch Big Fish. It's something special. 

What's your favorite non-animal related food?

Now who worded this question? What exactly is an "animal related" food anyway? Am I supposed to pick vegetarian meal? Because that would be doable.

Here again, I struggle. But since this is the "Meet the Blogger" hop, I will let you in on a not-so-secret secret: I love food. All kinds. And I'm a pretty good cook, too. But since my new favorite expression is "everything's better with goat cheese" I'll go with that for today.

Who's your favorite actor?

I've got lots. Tilda Swinton, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jodie Foster, Ralph Fiennes, David Thewlis, and William Fichtner would probably top the list.

What's one thing you have to do every day?

I have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). You do not want me to answer this question.

What makes you feel fabulous?

Nature.

What do you wish you were more skilled at?

Photography.

What's your favorite holiday?

Christmas. (Because it symbolizes the hope of peace on earth.)

Favorite meal?

An Indian buffet.

What do you like to do in your free time? 

What is this free time you speak of? Okay, so sometimes I have some.

During the winter, you will find me curled up with a good book listening to music and petting the dog in front of the fire. Of course, that happens a whopping 1.32479 times between November and March each year.

In the summer though? You will always find me in the garden. Watching the birds. Studying the shifting hues and patterns of the light in the trees. I'm afraid I am not a terribly exciting person.

What one word would people who know you use to describe you?

I wish the words people would use would be something like 'gentle', 'kind' or 'caring'.

However, I suspect the first word most people would use would be something more along the lines of "serious". Although a few old friends will always think of me as "musical".

If your pets could talk, what one word would THEY use to describe you? 

I would like to believe Bella would call me 'friend'.

What is one thing you've done that you're most proud of?

I honestly have no idea how to answer this question. (Although I do answer it further down.)

How is your pet most like you?

We don't want to go there. Remember that "one word" question up thread? A lot of people would probably use the word stubborn to describe me. Here endeth the lesson.

What can your body do for you that makes you most proud?

My body and I aren't really on speaking terms.

If you could change one thing about your life what would it be?

I would be more patient.

Other than blogging, what are three things you do that bring you joy?

My husband. My dog. My garden.

What's one thing you could do to be more kind to yourself?

Alright, here's another one of those little secrets: I am a perfectionist. No matter what I do, I am never good enough, smart enough, fast enough or strong enough. Just once in my life I would like to look at something I did and not see only its flaws.

What drives you nuts about your pets? What melts your heart?

She's thrilled, can't you tell?

I guess people with normal animals probably get driven nuts by things I would love to have to deal with. But Bella isn't normal and life with her isn't always easy. There is nothing she does that "drives me nuts". There are things she does that scare the life out of me. And makes our life more difficult and complicated. Things I haven't even talked about on the blog yet.

But you asked about that one thing that I'm most proud of in life earlier? It's her. For all her faults and failings, to see her succeed at something that scared her, to take a horrible situation and turn it into a learning experience, to see her so proud when she "gets" it, that is a moment of pride I can barely contain. Knowing WE did that. Jan and I helped her, reached her, taught her. That is a moment of pride unparalleled.

And what melts my heart? All her tender moments of intimacy and innocence. Sometimes she's just my little sweet pea. I wish I could make her life easier for her so she could have more of those moments. As it doesn't seem that I can, I will enjoy the few that I get to share.

If you didn't have your current pets, what pets would you choose to have?

I will always have a dog. Just one. But I don't want to daydream Bella's life away thinking of an animal I would prefer. I have thought about adopting a senior dog next time but that's as far as I would be willing to go on this answer.

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Don't forget - it is also Day 18 of the Advent Calendar for Dog Lovers Event!

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