Week One

So, since People Have Been Asking. . .

Yes, last Friday, I did have an operation on my left foot.  All went well, though the repair fell on the More Complex side of the board.  The surgeon and I had discussed this possibility, but it was still a bit of shock to wake up and find cheery yellow-headed pins in two of my toes.  The pins are soft-tissue pins and will be removed, eventually, in the comfort of the surgeon’s office.  This, therefore, is the Penultimate Complexity; the Ultimate Package having to do with screws set into the bones of all the toes, instead of the single, tasteful bit of hardwarde that is now permanently a part of my big toe.

I visited the surgeon’s office last Wednesday, for an inspection and a dressing change.  There’s bruising, but nothing unexpected or untoward, and the swelling has gone down nicely.

Next Wednesday, we do a return visit to have what Steve estimates to be a neat hundred stitches removed, but not, I think the pins.

. . .and so it goes.

I’m in no amount of pain that an ibuprofen can’t handle, and mostly don’t need even that, though I can — and do! — fall asleep at the drop of. . .almost anything, really.  The coon cats, as you may imagine, are Totally On Board with this agenda, and I have been well-attended by furry nurses.  They have given up all three piling on my at once, and have even over the last couple days left me unsupervised for a couple hours together, which I gather means I’m healing right along.

After a week of non-stop occupation of the Command Chair, I have graduated to sleeping overnight in the bed, which is splendid beyond my ability to express.  I look forward to my eventual graduation to taking a real shower.  The camping supply cleaning cloths and the no-water shampoo are godsends, but there’s something about standing — or even sitting — under a deluge of warm water. . .

When not napping, I’ve been reading stuff written by other people, which treat hasn’t palled yet, though the book I started this morning may be one of those chapter-a-day reads. This, I hasten to say, speaks more to the state of my concentration than to the book’s material, which is genuinely fascinating.

In between reading, I’ve been amusing myself by planning a two-week vacation in Lubec-and-environs in late May/early June, which will probably not come to pass, but which is interesting, anyway; and trying not to Get On Myself for having failed to whip out four short stories this week.

So, that.

While I’ve been lazing around in the Command Chair, Steve has been in charge of cooking, provisioning, chauffeuring, errand-running, cat maintenance, business (house and professional), and ohbytheway, writing.  At the very least, he needs a Time Turner, and his very own Cabana Boy wouldn’t be amiss.

Since business has been mentioned, I’m told that we’re scheduled to talk to Eileen Stevens during the week ahead, regarding her narration of the Audible edition of Accepting the Lance.

Also, the reprint edition of Carpe Diem — the third ever Liaden Universe® novel — is being set as I type, and will be in-house for proofreading in November.  This edition of Carpe Diem will be available in mass market in March 2020, cover art by David Mattingly.

Steve has updated our Patreon welcome page.  Here’s the link.

We are thus far scheduled to be at two science fiction conventions in 2020:

Boskone 57, February 14-16, in Boston, where we will be panelists

AlbaCon 2020, September 11-13, in Albany NY, where we will be Writer Guests of Honor

. . .and that’s how I am.

I have received several get-well cards, which I appreciate very much, and, well — working on it.

Y’all take care.