The Ten Second Commute

 The Ten Second Commute.

Jennifer Anne Gregory

As a freelance writer it’s a given I work from home, or, if I hitch a plane to England, my mother’s. Mostly my day goes a bit like this and I hope my publisher has suddenly lost the ability to read.

Plan to write.

Get dragged down the road by the Mastiff and Anatolian (dogs).

Respond to e-mails.

Plan to write.

Get dragged again.

Do laundry ‘coz being at home I see it pile up.

Eat lunch.

Plan some writing time.

Text, skype or call my mother to apologize for not texting, skyping or calling since the last time a full moon fell on the third Wednesday of the month.

Plan dinner.

Plan to write the next day.

Plan to convince those nearest and dearest that I do, in fact, have a job.

At some point a friend informs me via e-mail that I have it easy. Being a writer I must have lots of time on my hands.  She wishes she could just take ‘time off.’ Really?

Make that both of us.

Finding Bailey

On guard...Mastiff Bailey (left) and Anatolian Shepherd, Mouse (lying down,right) with the author and pet parent outside the ‘dog paddock’.  Mastiffs enjoy plenty of space to roam freely.  The shelter in the background is filled with straw, making an ideal retreat on chilly mornings.

Although I consider myself primarily an author of paranormal fiction, this Thanksgiving weekend, I was drawn to think of the many animals with whom I have had the privilege to share my home and my life with.  From ducks, terrapins, cats, dogs, ponies, hamsters and rabbits, all of whom have given so generously of themselves..leaving trails of vet bills, dog hair, puppy pee and endless paw prints across my wood floor and onto my heart.  For the blessings, the smiles and the borrowed time spent among my non-human angels, i thank you all.

Finding Bailey.

I was thirteen when I acquired my first English Mastiff.  His name was Chuckles and he lived quite happily for a number of years inside my head along with an assortment of other animals I was permitted to own; including three horses, several goats, a duck named Cactus Jack, and a couple of cows.  Cheap to keep, they required no feeding, no grande mansion and no offshore bank account.