This is a photo of our town hall, an icon of small rural communities all over the country. Ours is well-maintained and often used, a focal point of the community.

In my Americana series, I’ll also look for town halls, their often iconic structure, and old barns.

Everyone who has lived in a rural community will recognize them.

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Also, there are four things I know about and have learned about and written about in my lengthening life on the plant.

One is dogs, another is writing, a third is blogging, and fourth is photography (in a non-technical way).

Several websites have sprung up to offer expertise, experience, and advice to people who need some and can pay a small amount for it.

This is something I like to do but can’t afford to do for free.

I’m thinking of charging a reasonable and fair amount to people who want to talk to me about how to get a dog, how to train a dog, and how to deal with the chronic illness of a dog (I wrote a book on this, it’s called Going Home.)

I’ve also hosted several radios shows on living with dogs and making tough decisions about them.

I’d schedule these conversations and lessons into my calendar.

I am not a vet and not a dog trainer, but I have written books about that and thought a lot about it and have done very well.

And no, I do not kill puppies, beat or kick my dogs (except to stop one fighting next to my bare feet, save one rabbit, or stop running into the straight (and I do not recommend rough training, I am positive reinforcement all the way, except in rare emergencies.

Be careful about what you read online.

I preach common sense dog training. In most cases, you don’t need expensive books and videos that offer solutions few people can use or learn.

I’ve trained many dogs, written best-selling books about them, and have had a lot of success.

Many of you have witnessed my training ideas online. I’m not offering books or pamphlets, just a fixed amount of phone time. I like the idea.

I have also learned a great deal about starting a blog, which is critical for writing and, often, for earning extra money or making love. I can talk about the importance of blogging, making it readable, and inviting people.

I started this blog in 2007, and it is a successful blog. I love doing this work and the freedom it gives me to be myself and gather some income.

And as someone who has written 26 books, I’m happy to talk about publishing and the change online publishing has made for writers, artists, and creatives.

I  love to help writers get started.

I like helping people, and getting paid for my time would also be a good thing and give me a way to earn money with what I’ve learned and be of use.

I’m unsure of this and am still exploring it; it could be done – pay me on  Paypal, and we’ll arrange to talk on the phone.

Or it could be done through the creative advice sites popping up.

I can’t guarantee my advice and counseling will work, but  I can be helpful in different ways and am willing to share what I’ve learned. Sometimes, it just helps to talk to people who understand the issues.

I won’t charge much; my only expenses will be time and energy.

So no decisions about this. I’m just doing some brainstorming. Stay tuned. I need to research how these payments would be recorded, how taxes would be paid, and how they would be kept separate from any other income or donations.

I might need to use one of the existing websites set up for this scheduling and collection.