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May 8, 2022 Essie One sunny morning in 2010 a squeaky meow stopped me in my tracks. The sound emanated from an overgrown ditch behind my...

Author Pat Black-Gould’s PBS Interview on WSRE

As soon as my stubby legs could grip a leather saddle, my parents took me to weekend pony rides in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office offered a quarterly crime prevention presentation to the public. And my curiosity got the best of me. So, I signed up. Note to self. Never bring knives into the front door of a police station.

In the game of life, I’m on third base, the senior years. There is no time like the present to confront my fears.

We are living in historic times, starting with the Covid lockdowns in 2020. I don’t know about you, but I feel like my feet are standing on a shifting sandbar and the tide is tugging me out to sea.

A Star of David necklace or a rosary? The Crystal Beads, Lalka’s Journey is a beautifully illustrated picture book that is based loosely on a true story.

My sweet boy brought me almost to the pinnacle of success, Obedience Trial Champion and Utility Dog Excellent titles. He was my first Utility dog.

Now two years old, Casull (pronounced Castle) is a tri-colored Border Collie. He keeps my other dogs, all seniors, active.

My vision is fading, my back hurts, my gray hair falls in long strands over my shoulders. Time is running out, but I will not “go gentle into that good night.”

Life was normal on Wednesday, March 11th, 2020.  A prescient part of my brain advised me to stock up on groceries, though. 

She steered her BMW 530i into a rest area located on a lonely stretch of highway south of Chattanooga, Tennessee. There were only a few vehicles and a state police car in the parking lot.  It had been a long drive from the Florida Panhandle and the older lady was tired.

Criticism, the definition: the analysis or evaluation of a work of art, literature, etc., the act or an instance of making an unfavorable or severe judgment, comment, etc., censure.           (thefreedictionary.com) Two sides of a coin: Analysis/judgment

There is an App called Meetup that helps you find people with similar interests in your area. On the advice of my neighbor, I joined a group called the Panhandle Writers Group and have attended twice. 

Stephen King’s novels start off quickly from the very first page.  I would never stop reading long enough to enjoy each and every sentence that he writes though because his stories pull you along so fast.  His true talent for writing and creating characters is amazing. 

Once again my Border Collie Tommie, aka, ‘she-who-has-a-tiny-bladder’ woke me in the darkness of night.  Yes, she’s been to the vet; she’s fine.  But this time it was between midnight and one a.m.  This time my mind said, “Oh goodie.  You’re awake! 

When I moved to Pensacola, Florida from Oregon in 2008 my mother told me about a pet cemetery located at the other end of our road, about five miles from here.  She wanted to go down there to see the graves with me, although she had been there before. 

No editing software yet.  Have you seen enough pictures of my dogs yet?  I think it’s time to hit the road and find new subjects.

I woke up at one a.m. to let she-who-has-a-tiny-bladder outside.  As I tried to fall back asleep I thought of a twist to a story I’m writing.  It works, it builds character and brings in new locations.  It adds more, “What If”, to the story.

Oak Tree - Ripped...Torn