'Donut' and a New Dog!

This was the piece I wrote in ten minutes during the November meeting of the Uxbridge Writers' Circle. It was a time-limited challenge and the prompt was the word 'donut'.

After this micro-story, there's some info about our new dog.

Donut

Muriel sat on the rubber donut feeling like an idiot for falling down her basement stairs and breaking her tailbone. She didn't want her son to find out. He'd have her shipped off to a nursing home in a flash. He had his greedy eyes focused on the money her house would bring.

She loved her home with the climbing roses framing the windows, the large maple catching the sunshine in the fall - it glowed like a beacon and attracted songbirds and squirrels. She fed them all of course. But, in a way, they were to blame for her predicament. She was carrying the feeders down to the basement for refills of peanuts and sunflower seeds when she slipped.

Charles had said she shouldn't go down into the basement and shouldn't feed the birds and shouldn't...so many things that she couldn't remember them all. So, she'd decided to do whatever she wanted to.

As she sat looking out of the window she reflected on the cruel justice she'd suffered. But, ironically, that was when she decided to take matters into her own hands. Next time Charles visited her beloved house, and ate one of her homemade donuts, he didn't leave. He's not been seen since. And Muriel is doing whatever she wants.

Copyright Vicky Earle 2022

Most of you know Finch (on the left). He's 8 years old and a border collie/lab cross. He is a wonderful dog.

Finch has a new buddy, Raven, who's only 8 months old. He's a border collie/shepherd cross.

In this photo, they're out on a trail for one of Raven's first hikes. (They're surrounded by Uxbridge tornado damage. There's a large uprooted tree on the left and a fallen tree on the right).

Raven's first home after leaving his mother was in a Toronto apartment where he lived until he was about 6 months old. He joined a new family who lived in a subdivision north of the city and was with them for about a month.

He's a highly energetic dog and needs lots of space to run. So, we have the ideal set-up with ten acres and Invisible Fencing, and we're 'retired'.

Finch and Raven play a lot, which is good for both of them!

We've not had such a young dog before. Finch was one year old when he joined our family and no other dog was younger.

So, I've had to do some learning about puppies! I left a large cardboard box within his reach and it was shredded and one of the filters for the shop vac (that was inside) was ripped. He must have had a lot of fun. He found a can in the recycling bin (when we'd left the garage door open) and ran off with it. I retrieved it before he hurt himself. And there's more....

He loves to chase cats. The barn cats have biffed him a couple of times, so that's helping. He also charges up to the horses like a maniac, hoping to make them move, but they usually don't even bother to lift their heads.

We have a lot of rules and he's gradually learning them. Finch barks to show his disapproval if Raven doesn't come when called or does something he's not supposed to do!! And Finch tells him off if he's fed up with being tackled!

Raven has a good nature and has not shown any aggression. He's having lots of fun and it gives me pleasure to think that he's found a suitable home that gives him the space and freedom that he needs.

And Finch loves having a buddy.

Marmalade, the house cat, is not so sure.

(Sometimes I call Raven 'Jake' by mistake - because he's black like Kelly's buddy in my books!)

PS Don't forget that books make great gifts!!!