The Writing Life, with tea and snow removal

So, we’ve been having some crazy weather, even for Maine.  Sub-zero (Fahrenheit) temps alternating with warmer days; snow, rain, and Unidentified Stuff falling from the sky.  This has made a Certified Mess of our driveway, given the snowbanks piled on either side by the plow guy, whose mission is to make certain we can get the cars out of and into the garage.

Yesterday, water was standing ankle deep over rotten ice at the bottom of the front steps, and more looking to flow in as the snow melted from the 50F/10C temperatures.

All that said, today I thought I was going to go out with a shovel and an ice-axe and dig a trough through compacted snow to release the water, so Steve and I could safely exit the house. Then! I thought again and called the plow guy, who will come by today with The Equipment, and Adjust the Situation.  And in fact he’s here now in his little Bobcat thingy, apparently enjoying himself hugely.

After a lifetime — and I mean that literally; I started my habit at age 7 — of drinking coffee, I had to quit, and have been searching for an alternative source of life-giving caffeine.  After some poking around, I’d hit upon Twinings Irish Breakfast tea as a reasonable substitute for the morning joe.  However, Twinings green tea is — not pleasant, IMHO — and a search for a more drinkable cup sent me to Harney and Sons.  While I was there, and in addition to two green teas, I bought a box of Irish Breakfast tea.  For Science!

I had a cup of Mr. Harney’s Irish Breakfast tea for my first cup today, and it was very nice — flavorful, smooth; not bitter, but definitely black, if that makes sense.

Mr. Harney directs us to brew this tea for five minutes, and that’s what I did.

I have here at my right hand a cup of Mr. Twinings’ Irish Breakfast tea — my Usual Sort. Mr. Twinings directs us to brew this tea for four minutes, which produces a cup that is not quite as nice as Mr. Harney’s. Therefore, because I am a Slave to Science, I brewed Mr. Twinings’ leaf for five minutes.

Five minutes is too long for Mr. Twinings’ Sort; it’s bitter along the high edge — and not even I know what that means, but it seems to appropriately describe the experience.

I note that Mr. Harney’s tea was black in the cup. Mr. Twinings’ is reddish.

So, on the first taste test, I find a preference for Mr. Harney’s Sort, though Mr. Twinings’ Sort, at the directed four minutes, is perfectly drinkable.

What else?  Ah!  I may have been remiss in reporting here that at my last oncology appointment, I was graduated from every-three-month check-ins, to every six months.  And there was much rejoicing.

Today’s to-do includes washing the dishwasher, which is already happening, and I may have to wash towels, after. Mostly, though, I hope to stick pretty close to Salvage Right, which, for those coming in late, is a Liaden Universe® novel set on Tinsori Light, after the events described in Neogenesis.

Yesterday, I finally intersected with a scene I’d written a month ago, so yay!  Said scene needs expansion, naturally, so that’s what I’ve been doing. I’d like to get to the end of that whole section today, but, really, what do I know?

As of last night’s writing session, Salvage Right stands at 50,885 words, and continues to Amuse Its Author, while zooming right along.

And that catches us more or less up.  As you can see, it’s been Very Quiet hereabouts — writers writing, cats napping, nothing really to see.

To make up for all the excitement included in this post, I have appended a snippet from Salvage Right below this paragraph.  If you don’t like snippets — go no further.

SNIPPET