Category: Blog

Pay no attention to the cat behind the curtain

What went before:  Yesterday was reading, and noting, and diarying, and playing with cats.  I transcribed some handwritten documents from the Revolutionary War for the National Archives — which was interesting, as well as relaxing in its way, and also feels like I’m doing something useful.

Moving on. . .

Monday. Cold and said to be getting colder. Snowed on the overnight, but not the 4-8 inches the ‘beans had called for; there’s maybe 2 inches on the front step.

Breakfast was eggs scrambled with potato, tomato, and onion, toast-and-jelly, and tea. Lunch will be ham and pea soup, starting with a can of split pea soup, and some of one of the little canned hams that Steve laid in — yes, I do have Plans to build on that, and will likely wind up with soup for the freezer. The kettle’s on for second cup of tea.

I’m feeling OK — like I’m just getting over a cold. Looking for the plowguy to come by eventually, because I don’t want to have to shovel snow. I do have to do some laundry today, and I want to look at my notes, and also the short story I was trying to write, to see how far I actually got. I have some phone calls to make, but, as it’s a holiday, maybe tomorrow for the phone calls.

I should also review the accountant’s letter, to remind myself of his deadlines, since I have obviously not been working on the taxes this while.

And that’s it for me.

Over to you.

Gamesmanship

Sunday. Bright, damp, and warm. As mentioned elsewhere, the Long Back Yard is mostly showing grass, with a little snow, no thicker than a heavy frost, where the house casts its shadow.

We here in Central Maine currently rejoice in a Winter Storm Watch, in which we will start watching the snow fall at around 4pm. Expected accumulations of “heavy, wet snow” are between 4 and 8 inches.

Breakfast was oatmeal, because I Couldn’t Decide and I had gotten up latish and needed to eat SOMEthing. Lunch will be leftover potatoes.

So some of you know that I “play” a game called Finch. I’m not particularly good at it, as the game rewards you for changing stuff up, and I like to get everything the way I like it and then leave it there. It also rewards you for nurturing pets, which I find alternately stressful and irritating. Some of the pets are blobs of jelly, or clouds, or drops of — something? — and I have a hard time relating to them. I’m supposed to be hatching more pets, but I’ve stopped because I don’t feel that I can properly take care of the ones I already have.

Now, I did score a cat a little while ago, and my character, young Perry Wink, has been keeping company with her, and saw her safely from kitten to full grown. Honestly, I’d’ve been perfectly happy to just stick with the cat. But — I also had a baby fox in my menagerie, and a couple days ago I linked him up with Perry to have some adventures.

The pets make sounds — the cat purrs, the blob says, “BLOORP,” the llama says, “llamaLLAMA,” and the fox — howls.

I didn’t know that the fox howled, until this morning, when I rubbed his ears and he did just that.

Rook immediately leapt out of the dining room to the Big Intersection, and froze, ears up, tail straight and stiff behind him, head turning slowly from side to side. Firefly came rushing down to join him and the two of them did a sweep of the dining room, the living room, and the hall.

Oops. Won’t be petting the fox any more, I guess.

In health news, I have now reached the Challenge Stage. Which is to say, I feel — OK. My head isn’t stuffed with cotton, the niggling nasty little headache is gone, my teeth don’t hurt, and I feel like I actually have some energy, and could maybe Think some Thoughts.

However! Having had one relapse, I really don’t want another, and I still have meds to finish out. I will therefore attempt to be Smart this time, and continue with the whole rest thing. I will add the Next Novel Planning Notebook to my cache of couch amusements. Just in case, yanno, I do manage to Think something Useful.

So, that’s my news.

What’s yours?

Nought’s had, all’s spent, when our desire is got without content

What went before:  I felt somewhat better yesterday afternoon, and managed to attack the Mess on my Desk.  I also finished the second Gretna Green book, and got sidetracked into Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, by Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea, which is being delightful, restful, and shaking some of the dust out of my brain. I haven’t thought about Shakespeare, to actually, yanno, think about Shakespeare, for decades, and I was never an actor, so not only shaking off the dust, but a new perspective, too.

Onward.

Saturday. Grey and warm(ish). If the weatherbeans are to be believed, we’re in for a spate of crazy weather. Temps in excess of 40F/4C are being called for today, with rain starting this afternoon — which is really unseasonable.

But, wait! We are also under a Winter Storm Watch for Sunday, with a possible fall of 6 inches of heavy, wet, snow. After that, we’ll be in the Deep Freeze for a bit, with highs on Monday around 14F and lows around -4F, warming back up into the 30sF by next weekend.

All winter in a week, and a fine thing it is that I was planning on staying in at least until the antibiotics are gone.

Getting back to the order of the day — breakfast! was a use-em-up meal — the last of the tuna fish, the last of the Dreamberries, and whole wheat toast to keep them company. Lunch will beee……oh. I have veggie burgers. Veggie burger onna whole wheat bun with tomato (but not a slice of cheese, curse you, antibiotics!)

I slept in this morning, in part to make up for the hour of hacking my head off at around 3:30am. I’m feeling significantly better than I did last night, so I can almost forgive the antibiotics for taking my cheese away from me for seven! days!

I have some business to take care of here at the desk this morning, but I’m still on light duty — that seems prudent, given It All. It also means, of course, that I don’t have very much to talk about, so!

What’re you doing today?

Blanket buddies:

Books read in 2025

7   Painting the Blues in Gretna Green (#2 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
6   Midlife in Gretna Green (#1 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
5   The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (Author), Kyle McCarley (Narrator) re-re-re&c-read (audio)
4   The House in the Cerulean Sea,  TJ Klune (e)
3   A Gentleman in Search of a Wife (Lord Julian #5) Grace Burrowes (e)
2   A Gentleman in Pursuit of the Truth (Lord Julian #4) Grace Burrowes (e)
1   A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances (Lord Julian #3) Grace Burrowes (e)

It used to seem to me that my life ran on too fast

What went before:  I’m looking to reacquaint myself with Gordy Arbuthnot and posted a Scavenger Hunt on FB, to make sure I had all the places where he has appeared and/or been mentioned in the Universe So Far.  This brought up a splinter — what had a very long time ago been thought by its fond authors to be the start of the second novel staring Shan and Priscilla (this being before we learned that “nobody” wanted to read about traders), and where it might be found.  The splinter is entitled “Shan and Priscilla Ride Again,” and it is collected in Pinbeam Books chapbook Splinter Universe Presents:  Might-have-beens and first thoughts from the Liaden Universe®.  Amazon link provided as a courtesy.

Moving on . . .

Friday. Sunny and cold enough.

Breakfast was a blueberry muffin with a side of cheddar cheese. Lunch will be … potatoes. Potatoes have potassium, which is good for what ails me, so I’m told.

I was going to Just Get To Work Today. I mean, that was the plan, but having eaten breakfast — I don’t feel so hot, so I’ll just be taking my second cup of tea to the Command Chair and continue with yesterday’s modest researches. Normally, I would do this from the comfy chair in my office, but the antibiotic I’m taking forbids me “direct or indirect” sunshine. Sigh.

Perhaps later I’ll be able to address the Mess on my Desk.

What’s everybody doing today?

Today’s blog title brought to to you by Steve Winwood, “Back in the High Life”

Tete a tete:

Yeah, still sick

Thursday. Blue skies, cold, tiny glittering snowflakes drifting about in the light breeze.

Yep, still sick. In fact, I feel somewhat less well than I felt yesterday, when I felt sick enough to go back to the clinic.

The plan for the day is to drag the laptop and a couple of research books to the Command Chair, in order to make some notes in between staring out the window and drinking tea. I’ve already set up the timer for med intakes.

Breakfast was oatmeal with the last of the cranberry nut mix as inclusions, with a side of cottage cheese. Lunch — I have various soups, and also salad things, so lunch will be Something.

And that’s all I’ve got. Hopefully, the meds will start kicking viral butt, and improvement will be swift.

What’re y’all doing today?

Anything can happen day

What went before:  On this day in 2024, we here at the Confusion Factory found that our podcast at Legendarium regarding Hellspark and why you should read it right now had aired.  This is the last podcast Steve and I did.  Here’s the link.

Yesterday, I was pointed to this ancient blog post regarding the craft of writing, which I offer to those who may be interested.

Wednesday. Sunny and cool.

Breakfast was hummus and naan, cheese and crackers, dreamberries, and tea. Second cup of tea just finished brewing.

I? Am sick. Again. I s’pose I should go back to the clinic, only — I don’ wanna. So, I’m drinking my second cup of tea while I type this broadcast to the universe, after which I will dispatch my duty to the cats, and then I’ll go to the clinic and chat with them about checking for opportunistic pneumonia. Steve two or three times “got over” a bad cold only to land in the ER with pneumonia, and while I wouldn’t have told you my late bout with the flu was anything like “bad,” I am so not a doctor. . .

What else? Ah. As reported yesterday, there will be no (NO) hardcover edition of Sea Wrack and Changewind. I’m very sorry, but my skills proved inadequate to the task. Those who desire a paper copy may of course purchase the trade paper edition (https://www.amazon.com/dp/1948465299). The ebook edition remains available wherever electrons are sold.

Facebook tells me that “a friend” has reported a profile that is pretending to be me. FB assures me that it is investigating, and if it’s found that this profile violates “community standards,” it will be deleted. I suppose if it’s not found to violate “community standards” it will be allowed to remain, at which time I will either vanish in a puff of pearl-grey smoke OR there will be two of me, and we can share the housework. Watch the skies.

. . . I think that’s all the news. I’ll try to report in later, hoping that it’s NOT from the ER (oh. NOTE TO SELF: Put KIND bars in backpack).

Everybody stay safe, and healthy. And if you feel so moved, please share pictures of your pets.

Doctor, Doctor, Mister MD

What went before:  Yesterday was all errands all day.  The cover art for Diviner’s Bow is with the framer, and I should have it back by mid-February.  There came up for discussion the always interesting question of which band did the superior version of “Good Lovin'” — the Grateful Dead or the Young Rascals.  Facebook is leaning toward the Rascals.  I now open the question up to those reading here.  Here’s the Dead’s version.   Here’s the Rascals’ version.

Onward.

Tuesday. Cloudy and cool. Snowed a tiny bit on the overnight. Trash and recycling at the curb.

Woke up sneezing and hacking, so — no sewing circle for me today. Grr. I did mask everywhere I went yesterday, and a good thing too, I’m thinking.

Breakfast was an English muffin with cream cheese and an orange. I only have two of the little oranges left. *adds to list* Lunch will be … um.

Rookie decided to help me choose my day wear this morning, and as a result got locked in a closet for a few minutes. I called him; he answered; and I let him out. It’s nice to have a cat who answers when he’s called.

Having been let out, he had to go get Grandpa to Show Him, I suppose, but neither one could get the door open again.

So, I guess today is stay at home and poke at things, but not too energetically.

I think my next audiobook will be Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, another frequent reread for me. I finished reading Midlife in Gretna Green last night. I had a good time with it, and there are six (?) more, I hear.

The backbrain has been providing snips of scenes and various insights for the next book, so Not Writing is paying its dividends. I plan to continue Not Writing today.

What are your plans for the day?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Books read in 2025

6   Midlife in Gretna Green (#1 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
5   The Goblin Emperor, Katherine Addison (Author), Kyle McCarley (Narrator) re-re-re&c-read (audio)
4   The House in the Cerulean Sea,  TJ Klune (e)
3   A Gentleman in Search of a Wife (Lord Julian #5) Grace Burrowes (e)
2   A Gentleman in Pursuit of the Truth (Lord Julian #4) Grace Burrowes (e)
1   A Gentleman in Challenging Circumstances (Lord Julian #3) Grace Burrowes (e)