Has Quackie Gotten His HEA?

The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread. ~Mother Teresa

Last fall and this spring I wrote posts here and here bemoaning the fact that the little white duck (that I call Quackie) who lives in the pond down the road is now alone. Ducks shouldn't be alone, and the past month I've celebrated whenever mallards have come to visit. They seldom stay long (interestingly, they've almost all been males), but when they're there, Quackie always hangs out with them. It's clear Quackie is lonely.

A few days ago, when we drove past and looked, there were TWO white ducks. I couldn't believe my eyes! I thought it was a fluke... I figured the duck was en route somewhere else, but as of last night both ducks are still there (along with a handful of mallards). I found it fascinating that, when Quackie was alone and the mallards came, he hung out with them, but not that there's another white duck, they've segregated: mallards over there, white ducks over here.

I really, really hope that Quackie's found a mate. More, I hope they stay at the pond here, so I can watch. I'm half afraid that this new duck will whisper of the joys of freedom, of flying where you want, when you want, and tell tales of faraway ponds to lure Quackie away.

I wonder, too, if it's the white duck who was odd man out a couple years ago (when the first duck of the foursome was killed and its mate never quite fit in with the other two) and has returned.

Regardless, I really hope this means Quackie has gotten his HEA. Maybe all our positive thoughts worked!

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Tomorrow, DD has a junior agility competition to attend. She's up one level so it will be a little tougher, but they're ready (I hope). Dakota's been having some trouble hitting her contacts on the dog walk and frame and in this competition you can't touch your dog or the obstacle or you get a fault, so we'll see how it goes.

Next Saturday is the craft show that I'm still utterly unprepared for.

Busy, busy...

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You Are Well Grounded

You are cautious and guarded. Whenever possible, you choose restraint and moderation. You create a logical environment in every aspect of your life. Reason rules for you. You are concerned about others and the world at large. You worry a fair amount. You like to think everything through throughly and carefully. You don't make snap decisions.

The Cactus Quiz

That's pretty much correct.

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Give me an H! Give me an E! Give me an A!

True love stories never have endings. ~Richard Bach

Okay folks... looks like, for the most part, romance readers are looking for the H-E-A (that's "Happily Ever After". Glad to hear it -- cuz, well, I am, too (*G*) and that's usually what I write.

Mel wrote a blog post yesterday about this, too, and I had to go comment of course. I'm stealing what I said there to post here, because I think it does affect the whole "Does the HEA work" thing.

I imagine it really is all about the execution. I didn't love "Blood Brothers" (surprisingly... cuz I'm a wicked Nora fangirl) because I didn't feel the love. Yet, a good friend of mine thought it was one of the best Nora Roberts books yet.

So, apparently, it's also about the reader. I got a review for my short story "Now That We've Found You" that said they didn't believe the characters could fall so hard so fast, and then today Charity mentioned that the ending to that particular story is one of her favorites.

::scratches head::

So, when an author says she's doing something for her readers, which readers is she talking about? Clearly, no two people think alike.

Still, in the end, it's obvious from the sales numbers that romance resonates with people and that folks are looking for some sort of HEA -- whether it's a "happy" or a "hopeful".

And, that's what I tried to get across in today's blog post.

And, now I'll shut up about it.

:-)

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It was a GORGEOUS day yesterday. I worked outside some, but would you believe it was TOO HOT to spend much time really working??? How is that possible?

Back in November, when my darling dog, Bailey, crossed the Rainbow Bridge, DH and I talked about a memorial garden for her. I had a place all picked out, and I knew I wanted to plant a dogwood tree (seemed appropriate *G*). Yesterday, I ran to our local Agway and took a look at the different dogwoods they had, and got shivers when I found the one I ultimately bought.

It was Bailey's Red Dogwood.

Yes. Really.

Give you goosebumps?

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DH bought new chairs for our deck... six plastic green ones that recline just slightly. We'd both been gone in different directions, and I got home just after he did, not realizing he'd made this new purchase and put them out on the deck. I just went in and let Dakota out of her crate.

She went tearing downstairs and then, all of sudden, she was barking up a storm! I hurried to see what the ruckus was, and lo and behold--she was standing about four feet away from the sliding glass door, barking at the chairs! Her fur was all poofed up and she sounded vicious! LOL...I laughed until I cried.

She is an endless source of amusement.

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Your Inner Child Is Scared

Like a kid, you tend to shy away from new experiences. You prefer what's tried and true - novelty is scary! New foods, new places, and new friends are difficult for you to deal with. Some say you're predictable, but you enjoy being comfortable.

How Is Your Inner Child?

Well... I wouldn't say I'm "scared", but I do agree that I like the familiar.

They Lived Happily Ever After

There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved. It is God's finger on man's shoulder. ~Charles Morgan

So.

My blog post on Tuesday about HEA's and the length of time a H/H know each other garnered some interesting responses AND a blog post from Allie.

Mostly, folks thought it was okay and believeable that characters fall in love and want to get married after a short period of time. There were a couple of folks who didn't. Some simply didn't believe lasting love could occur in a short space, some believed that it could be the START of lasting love, but not that they'd be ready to leap into marriage.

Charity brings up the idea of a "Hopefully Ever After" -- the thought that two characters can agree to try out the whole relationship thing. That they can awknowledge their mutual attraction (to body, heart and mind, IMHO... don't want to put words in poor C's mouth) and decide to date exclusively or whatever.

The question is, though, for the typical romance reader, will a HOPEFULLY ever after be enough? Will the, "I really like you. I like everything about you. Let's give this relationship thing a whirl." ending settle comfortably with them?

Truthfully, I see more and more of those types of ending occuring in romance. They appear more frequently in series, of course, since the edge of your seat "will they or won't they" feeling keeps people reading. But I've seen them in category and single title (more often in single title) as well.

Is this where romance is headed? To end, not with a real committment but an "I'll try?". That is, after all, where the real world has gone. We live together, "try" starter marriages, etc. So, is a "hopefully ever after" realistic? Absolutely.

For, me, though... I struggle with it. "Hopefully" just doesn't feed my romantic heart... it's like eating white chocolate. Sure, it's sweet... but it isn't exactly what I craved. It'll do in a pinch, I suppose, but it always leaves me wanting more.

And, that's just my two cents, FWIW.

You?

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Dakota... my little sweetheart.



She is stubborn. She is independent. She is smart.

Eventually, she will "get" what we want her to do. And when she "gets" something, she doesn't forget. From the time she was bitty, I mad her sit to get her leash on and she always does. I taught her to not rush the door, and she doesn't. So, I know she'll learn, but-- wowza-- is she STUBBORN. But I am MORE STUBBORN, and I'm the boss. So we'll get it pounded into her hard head eventually, or die trying. LOL.

A couple years ago, my SIL gave me a bag of miscellaneous bulbs, which I planted of course. I found a few blooming yesterday--does anyone know what these flowers are?



Or these:



It's just that they are lovely and bloom early and I'd love to find some more!

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You Should Drive a Green Car

You're the type of driver who sees driving as a necessary evil. You much rather be biking or taking a pleasant walk to where you're going. And because of this, you tend to be a "green driver" - as best as you can. Whether this means driving a hybrid, supporting alternative fuels, or simply not littering out your window.

What Color Car Should You Drive?

That is SO NOT ME. I love to drive. If I didn't have a husband who worried, I'd be taking cross-country road trips all the time!