Month: January 2015

So, it finally stopped snowing. Steve and the metric stick between them have decided that we had a snowfall of 19 inches, here at the Cat Farm.  Sanford, to the south, wins the prize for Maine City with the Most Blizzard, with 31.5 inches on the ground.

Most of Maine is cancelled and/or closed today, while we participate in the winter ritual known as Digging Out.

We’re waiting for the plowman.  In the meantime, both cars have been dug out — getting Steve’s car out wasn’t that much of a challenge, as the wind had kindly decided not to allow any snowflake to come to rest less than six inches from its sides.  My car, sitting right next to Steve’s, was something more of a puzzle, since the same capricious wind decided to make an eight-foot snow sculpture anchored by my car.

Happily, the snow was very light and fluffy.  Steve was able to get into the passenger’s side, and push open the driver’s door, thereby collapsing the front of the sculpture.  He then walked around to the driver’s side, opened the door, turned on the car and moved it, which completed the collapse.

. . .and a pause here to attend the plowman. . .

We did not lose power at any point during the storm, despite the really dreadful winds.  Hoping that continues, now that all’s calm.

Today’s to-do list includes paying bills, catching the tax paperwork up to the Important Tax Documents currently in hand, and. . .writing.  Also, aspirin.  For some reason my back hurts.

How did you weather the storm?

Yes, the Blizzard of Historic Proportions has reached the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory.  The snow is not heavy and wet, but light and fluffy.  This is a point in its favor.  However, it is SO light and fluffy, and the winds so fierce and steady, that it’s impossible to tell how much snow has actually fallen.  I’ve shoveled out the escape route twice — the first time, it was less than two inches on the (covered) deck, and up to my knees at the bottom of the stairs.  The second time, it looked to be about five inches on the deck and the snow at the bottom of the stairs was well above my knees.  In a couple minutes, I’ll be going out again, but a quick look at the deck reveals a depth of about five inches, so I’m sorta treading (frozen) water, here.

The just-in report from the Maine Weather Service tells us that we’re going to be experiencing Blizzard Conditions until 4 a.m.  In the meantime, the winds, which have been relentless, are going to be increasing in intensity.  I see that Manticus Rock, my Favorite Weather Station EVER, reported winds of 67 mph at noontime.  Of course, Manticus Rock is 23 miles into Penobscot Bay, where conditions are a mite rugged.  Here in land-locked East Winslow, the strongest wind measured so far is a measly 30 miles an hour.  Temps are 12F/-11C, with a windchill of -10F/-23C.

Nippy, ayuh.

In other good news, the power’s been steady as she goes.

I had planned on getting lots of  writing done, but the shoveling kind of takes it out of me, and I hadn’t exactly figured a two-hour nap into the day.  We shall see.

. . .and that? Was the bell reminding me that it’s time to go clear blizzard off the deck and the outside stairs.

How are conditions where you are?

While we’re waiting for Snowpocalypse — 20 total inches now predicted, and!  11 more on Friday, from Another, Completely Unrelated storm — While, I say, we’re waiting for the snow to fall, I should perhaps point you to Eating Authors, a series of blog posts hosted by Lawrence Schoen, in which diverse writers talk about their best meal ever.  Today’s guest is. . .

. . .why, it’s me.

Here’s your link.

While I’m doing the promotion thing, please allow me to ask you, if you’ve read. . .any of the Carousel books, really, but most notably Carousel Seas, please consider leaving a reader review on BN, Amazon, Goodreads, your blog, or wherever you talk about books with your friends.  Thank you.

Today, as we wait for Snowpocalypse (see above), it’s bright and sunny – and very, very cold.  The warmest the car’s on-board thermometer would own to, on my drive into town, was 12F/-11C, with a stiff wind bringing that right down to 0F/-18C.  The Shaws on KMD was. . .not particularly busy when I stopped to pick up bottled water, but the KMD Hannaford, where I stopped to pick up items not available at Shaws, Was. A. Freaking. Zoo.  Whole shelves were empty.  There wasn’t a banana in the store, unless it was already in somebody’s basket, the wine section had been stripped, and the bread section; there were no muffins in the bakery section.

. . .this is going to be a Strange Snowstorm, isn’t it?

While I was in town, Steve, who was catching up the laundry at home, was treated to a pre-blizzard power outage.  Hoping that wasn’t Central Maine Power, helpfully giving us a practice run.

For the rest of the day, there is laundry, and making sure the dishes are caught up, and, yanno — writing.

And!  A question for East Coast peeps:  Has it started snowing where you are, yet?

Today’s blog title brought to you by Great Big Sea, Lukey’s Boat.  Here’s your link.

We here at the Cat Farm and the Confusion Factory currently rejoice in a Blizzard Warning.  The weatherbeans predict that between 8 and 24 inches of heavy snow will fall on us, depending on where the boundaries of Central Maine lie this time, and which way the — 50 mile-per-hour — winds blow.

The weatherbeans are being more than a little excited about this, using words that sound like “Potentially Historic Blizzard Taking Aim on New England” — which is all right for them, but I already have the merit badge for Surviving an Historic Winter Weather Event in New England.  I didn’t think there was going to be a re-do.

In any case, the Things are charging, and I’m considering how I’m going to handle large amounts of wet snow that’s mostly scheduled to fall overnight.  On the one hand, I’m not up for moving 24 inches of wet snow in one go.  On the other hand, I don’t think going out every couple hours on the overnight is a smart move, either.  Especially with that wind.  I may need to throw myself on the mercy of the plow guy, which I hate to do.  On the gripping hand, the plow guy is a strapping young feller, and I’m, err, not.

At least we don’t have to be anywhere in particular over the next couple days, and we have plenty of food and cat litter.

In other news, I’ve been writing,  not — as usual — as fast as I want to be writing, but things are moving in a forwarder direction, so I’m not going to complain.  Much.

Steve and I have been watching the second season of Columbo, in a casual fashion.  It strikes me that I may not have quite. . .appreciated Lt. Columbo’s. . .art, back when I was 18.  I’ll be talking about this a little more, I think, after I’ve considered some more.

Everybody stay safe, and warm, and dry.

* * *

Progress on Alliance of Equals
42,199/100,000 OR 42.4% COMPLETE

“Two Standard days from now this bridge will be full up with big, stubborn woman, who’ll be wanting to talk to her captain, stat.”

Yesterday, it was sunny and bright and cold, naturally.

We were early on the road, and accomplished a few errands — stopping at the post office to mail a package, picking up the framed art for Dragon in Exile (which looks Even. More. Awesome.), doing the banking — before landing at the dentist’s office for my appointment.  I am inordinately proud to report that I accomplished this without the use of valium or happy-drugs of any kind.  Nor did I murder the technician, who had the foresight to squirt my gums and teeth with a fast-acting numbing agent, so I could relax (for values of relaxing) in the knowledge that no way was this going to hurt.

Win-win-win.

After the dentist, since it was, as reported sunny, and because neither of us has been ANYwhere save the grocery store, the pharmacy, and the doctor since we got home from PhilCon. . .we went for a ride.  It was soooooo clear that we went All the Way Out to Madison, just so we could take the high ridge road and look out over the mountains of Maine and of Far New Hampshire, some of them wearing snow caps, and all of them magnificent against the day-sky.

We made the choice, when the ridge road disappeared at Route 201, to turn right, back toward Skowhegan and civilization, rather than follow the sun out to Solon and Jackman, and be obliged to drive home in the dark.

On the way home, we stopped for lunch at the Flatlanda Restaurant, in Fairfield.  I have liver and onions, Steve had lemon-crusted haddock; both meals were good, and plenty too much.  I brought half of mine home.  Tangentially, Trooper informs me that Maine Coon Cats are Very Partial to liver.

Last night, I opened Chapter 12 of Alliance of Equals and added 335 words.  Theses would be the first 335 new words I’ve added to this manuscript for seven weeks, so I’m calling Progress.  Today, I hope for more.

Today is another day like yesterday:  sunny, blue, and cold, but I’m scheduled to stay in with my to-do list to hand.  On the schedule, in addition to writing this blog post, and writing, is the Grooming of the Coon Cats (Scrabble only allows Steve to groom her).

What’s on your to-do list today?

* * *

Progress on Alliance of Equals
40,803/100,000 OR 40.8% COMPLETE

There had been doors. He remembered the old wooden door; the main door into Jelaza Kazone; the tree-and-dragon worn smooth by the palms of countless homecoming Korval pilots.