Difficult To Get Any Writing Done...After The Haircut

 On a usual evening, I will pull out my laptop and crank out a blog post in no time, even quicker when that itch needs scratching and I need to get the words on the page fast. Tonight, I sat down almost two hours ago and I'm just now getting to the keyboard.

It's the dog.

He just got a haircut.

We have a poodle. All you poodle owners--and owners of dogs that need to be groomed--understand what it's like when you bring your dog home from the groomer. Now, having never been a dog, I can't imagine having all the hair on your body shaved like that. Our dog does a lot of zooming and scratching and basically freaking out.

Can't really blame him. 

To make matters worse, it's winter here and yesterday, the dog had a thick and warm coat surrounding him, protecting him, warming him. That's changed now,

Our dog is an affectionate dog, but only just. He will, for example snuggle up to you when you're sitting on the couch, but it doesn't seem to be his natural inclination. Today, however, he's come right up to me and sat down to get as warm as possible. Our dog also isn't one to like having blankets over him. He does now. We've covered him up and he hasn't moved from my side since.

It's human nature--the good side of human nature--to want those you love to be comfortable, to be safe, to be loved. I don't mind him sitting next to me tonight, and there's a good chance we'll end up together tomorrow. I'm fine with that, too...

It's just the writing that is...delayed.

What Is It With Writers...And Cats?

We have two cats, one that lives mostly indoors and spends a little time outside, and another that does the opposite. The outdoor cat, the one below that we picked up from as a kitten from my cousin's farm in Driggs, Idaho, he leaves me pretty much alone, except waking me up at 6am on non-work mornings.

But the white cat, the one we rescued off the street, she...well, she sometimes won't leave me alone. The picture above shows her actually sitting on my binder that contains my computer.

Since I began seriously writing, I've gotten to know a lot of authors. I've also noticed a lot of them have cats. Like me, they occasionally post picture of their pets (or, are we the cat's pets...?) on social media. 

Buy why writers? Is it because we spend a lot of time in our own brains trying to get the words out of us and cats--for the most part--are content with letting humans do what humans do? Is it because cats are cerebral that fascinate us by the way they act and what they do? I don't know what it is.

There have been times when I've had to kick the cat out of my room and close the door, mostly because she will want to lay atop me. And because writing with a laptop on my lap is my preferred way to write, cat and computer cannot exist in the same space. One must choose--who says art doesn't require sacrifices? The other day while writing, the cat came over and I knew she wanted to climb onboard. I quickly grabbed the computer and opened it up. She decided not to let a computer get in her way at all. What did I do? Snapped a few pictures, of course.

Yes, there seems to be something about the craft of writing and owning a cat. Is the result a net gain, or net loss when it comes to the output? To me, it's a mixed blessing.

Editing...With Cats

You've heard the saying that goes something like, "it's harder than herding cats." Okay, maybe you haven't, but if you know anything about herding and cats, you know exactly what that saying means. When you're dealing with cats, nothing (or very few things...) is easy.

The other day I needed to get some editing done on a short story I'm submitting for an anthology. It was Saturday and because I don't work on projects on Sunday, I needed to get it done before the end of the day.

Enter Gracie, the cat.

She was in one of her moods and she wanted to be not only noticed, but appreciated. She laid down on some of my paperwork and then partially covered up both my keyboard and my screen the entire time I was trying to get stuff done.

I know a lot of people who hate cats. They can't think of ever owning one, let alone having them inside the same room as them. But, as with a lot of things in life, you have to weigh the pros and cons. I don't think we're going to get rid of the cat. I'll just have to make different arrangements next time I do some editing/writing, like kick the cat out of the room.