Wednesday’s cat is full of woe

Didn’t take long to look lived in.

New project, for those who may be interested

Wednesday. Cloudy and damp.

Cleaning up my office before it’s time to go out for my haircut, and running a couple more errands while I’m out and about.

I have some more RL catchup to do after I get back home — or maybe I can push them onto tomorrow, and get some writing done. That would be nice.

I’m riding the edge of a lot of nervous energy and writing does help. Also, I really want to get a Compleat Draft by the end of November, so I can let it sit and cool before I have to go back in and Make Decisions. Yes, the book isn’t due until April. Yes, I have no co-author to do the cold read for me.

I think that’s all I’ve got this morning, with the exception of Rook being grumpy because I wouldn’t give him my cottage cheese this morning.

Hoping your cats aren’t grumpy this morning.

Woeful Rookie:

Of Studios and Offices

Tuesday. Cloudy and damp. Trash and recycling at the curb. Heaters engaged in The Studio, and! I can move the dehumidifier from the big, heated part of the basement into The Studio — all I have to do is push it with the handtruck. So that will be my project after breakfast.

I think I’ll also take my boombox and a handful of CDs down, too. Might as well be comfortable.

Also on the after-breakfast list is finishing with the stained glass pattern.

Today my electronics are revolting. I put my phone to charge last night, but apparently didn’t make a solid connection, because it was down to 5% this morning. And the little timer cube, which I continue to adore, needed its batteries recharged.

I? need to make a phone call, and then rustle up some breakfast.

How’s Tuesday looking for you?
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So I’ve moved the dehumidifier from the heated and dry side of the basement into The Studio, where it immediately Leapt Into Action.

I’m still going to need another dehumidifier, come spring rains, for the other side of the basement, but at least I don’t have another immediate expense, and can look about me for someplace that will deliver, by which I mean, take the damn’ thing down the cellar steps.

The heaters in the meantime have been doing their job, and the thermometer/humidity gauge, which this morning read at 61F/61% is now reading 64F/55%. Progress.

In a couple minutes, I’ll be taking some tea and some water and going downstairs to My Studio. Yes, I am gong to milk this for all it’s worth. I’ve never had a studio before. Office, yes. I think every house I’ve ever written has included at least one office. Steve and I used to bemuse real estate agents by going through a house, and saying things like — “OK, this could be your office, and I’ll take little room at the top of the stairs,” or, damningly, “No, this won’t do; there’s only one office.”

And off I go.

The Studio and other nonsense

So that’s 1,387 “new” words, that aren’t actually “new” but a scene that I’d pulled for Not Fitting In. What I did was rewrite it slightly and now? It fits. WIP now weighs in at 97,060. More or less.

I’m stopping for the moment, because — gotta think now. And also I need to find the Winter Runner, which — the old woman who lives with me put it somewhere, I’m sure, logical and safe. And damned if I can find it. None of the cats remember where it went, either. (SPOILER: Found it!)

Well. While I’m up, I should do my duty to those same cats and warm up the last of the soup (with cornbread!) for lunch.
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Went out just before it started to rain. Bought a cheap non-skid rug for the studio* (oh, how swanky is that? “THE STUDIO.” buffs nails on shirt), then stopped at Shaw’s for milk, butter, bread, wine, cheese. You know — the basics.

I should prolly get a dehumidifier for The Studio, too, but I’m running out of the ready for this project — ref “the basics” above.

The guys in the basement inform me that they’re still thinking, and also out of beer, so I’m guessing that’s my cue to take myself and my book over to the couch until it’s time to serve up Happy Hour.

Hope everybody had a goodish-to-good day.

Take care; I’ll check in tomorrow.
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*Yes, I did hear all the arguments against a rug. Thank you.

You can only see the stars after a setting sun

What went before ONE: A smol break to eat lunch (in fact, a ham sandwich, the ham heated up), make a pot of rice, and do my duty to the cats.

The writing’s going really well, After I finish up in the front of the house, I’ll go back and see if there’s anything else cooking.

The cats of course, have all joined me in my office, so I can feel guilty about my eventual desertion to the writing room.

Which reminds me that some folks had wanted to see where I had put the bats. Here they are:

By reader request, the “story” of the poster: Steve used to work in a video store, and when a new batch of posters came in, he adopted this one.

It is worth noting that Steve also had a Close Personal Relationship with Disney’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice. When I met him, one of his favorite shirts was a silky dark blue with a Sorcerer’s Apprentice print.

What went before TWO: So, that was +/-1,530 new words today, which brings the WIP Entire right around 95,600, as the end of the book keeps getting further away. I also updated the Chapter-by-Chapter.

Tomorrow, I have some phone calls to make, and I’ll need to do them early. Also, I need to clear off my “business desk,” because even though I’m hardly here, it’s a wreck. Well. Because writing at the moment is far more entertaining than Real Life, I do just tend to toss stuff onto a “I’ll deal with it later,” pile.

Happy Hour has been served. I need to put away my socks, now that they’re clean and dry and all, and update the to-do list.

So, that was my day, and hoping yours was as peaceful.

Everybody have a good evening; stay safe. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Monday. Dim and cool. Rain predicted.

I had forgotten that today is a holiday. Files under The Perils of Freelancing. Crossfiles under The Perils of Living Alone. No mail today. Gummint offices closed. Oh. Wait.

One of the offices I needed to call this morning was closed. However! The hospital at Rockport was on the case, and able to reschedule my Dark O’Clock Appointment for 11am two days earlier in the same week.

I’m calling this a success on the day.

Today, I am still giving my hands a break, for values of “a break” that does not include fine work such as cutting out teensy pattern pieces, or embroidery, so I guess I’m writing. After breakfast and girding mine loins and all like that.

Who else has had an early success?

Today’s blog post title brought to you by The Other Steve Miller, “Wild Mountain Honey

I met her in a club down in old Soho

Oh, dear, dearie me…

For those who have not read it, Be Warned. We are told by a Concerned Reader that Diviner’s Bow is the second Liaden book that was “written for LBGYQ” instead of “staying true to the storyline and characters.”

Well. That’s me told.

In other news — and what I actually stopped by to say — between cutting out teensy pieces of paper, followed by driving for sevenish hours, followed by chores, I have managed to scrod my hands, which means I need to change the shape of the next few days, to wit!

Today and Monday I shall write; Tuesday, I shall finish cutting out my glass pattern and taping said teensy pieces to the appropriate pieces of glass (which means I’ll be missing needlework, but there are only so many hours in the day — and what’s with that exactly?). Wednesday, I have a haircut scheduled, and also some writing to do; Thursday evening is glasswork, I may need to hit the grocery during the day; Sarah comes by on Friday morning.

Also, I need to get a tattoo across my forehead that says, YOU ARE NOT 40.

So! Breakfast was oatmeal with cranberries and walnuts. Lunch will be a ham sandwich, or something else including ham, because leftovers, and!

Time to go to work.

What’s your upcoming week looking like?

Today’s blog post title brought to you by The Kinks, “Lola” because — obviously.  Released in 1970.

Here, have a picture of Tali:

Books read in 2025

49 Black Tie & Tails (Black Wolves of Boston #2), Wen Spencer (e)
48 Shards of Earth, Adrian Tchaikovsky(The Final Architecture #1)e)
47  Hemlock and Silver, T. Kingfisher (e)
46  Outcrossing, Celia Lake (Mysterious Charm #1) (e)
45  Outfoxing Fate, Zoe Chant/Murphy Lawless (Virtue Shifters)(e)
44  Atonement Sky, Nalini Singh (Psy-Changeling Trinity #9) (e)
43  Stone and Sky, Ben Aaronovitch (Rivers of London #10) (e)
42  Regency Buck, Georgette Heyer (re-re-re-&c-read)
41  I Dare, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (Liaden Universe #7) (page proofs)
40  To Hive and to Hold, Amy Crook (The Future of Magic #1) (e)
39  These Old Shades, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Sarah Nichols (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
38  Faking it (Dempsey Family #2), Jennifer Crusie, narrated by Aasne Vigesaa (re-re-re-&c-read, 1st time audio)
37  Copper Script, K.J. Charles (e)
36  The Masqueraders, Georgette Heyer, narrated by Eleanor Yates (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
35  Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha’s Vineyard, Nora Ellen Groce (e)
34  Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Watson, narrated by Frances McDormand (re-re-re-&c-read; 1st time audio)
33  The Wings upon Her Back, Samantha Mills (e)
32  Death on the Green (Dublin Driver #2), Catie Murphy (e)
31  The Elusive Earl (Bad Heir Days #3), Grace Burrowes (e)
30  The Mysterious Marquess (Bad Heir Days #2), Grace Burrowes (e)
29  Who Will Remember (Sebastian St. Cyr #20), C.S. Harris (e)
28  The Teller of Small Fortunes, Julie Leong (e)
27  Check and Mate, Ali Hazelwood (e)
26  The Dangerous Duke (Bad Heir Days #1), Grace Burrowes (e)
25  Night’s Master (Flat Earth #1) (re-read), Tanith Lee (e)
24  The Honey Pot Plot (Rocky Start #3), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
23  Very Nice Funerals (Rocky Start #2), Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer (e)
22  The Orb of Cairado, Katherine Addison (e)
21  The Tomb of Dragons, (The Cemeteries of Amalo Trilogy, Book 3), Katherine Addison (e)
20  A Gentleman of Sinister Schemes (Lord Julian #8), Grace Burrowes (e)
19  The Thirteen Clocks (re-re-re-&c read), James Thurber (e)
18  A Gentleman Under the Mistletoe (Lord Julian #7), Grace Burrowes (e)
17  All Conditions Red (Murderbot Diaries #1) (re-re-re-&c read) (audio 1st time)
16  Destiny’s Way (Doomed Earth #2), Jack Campbell (e)
15  The Sign of the Dragon, Mary Soon Lee
14  A Gentleman of Unreliable Honor (Lord Julian #6), Grace Burrowes (e)
13  Market Forces in Gretna Green (#7 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
12  Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, Judi Dench with Brendan O’Hea (e)
11  Code Yellow in Gretna Green (#6 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
10  Seeing Red in Gretna Green (#5 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
9    House Party in Gretna Green (#4 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)*
8    Ties that Bond in Gretna Green (#3 Midlife Recorder), Linzi Day (e)
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)

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*Note: The list has been corrected. I did not realize that the Gretna Green novella was part of the main path, rather than a pleasant discursion, and my numbering was off. All fixed now.

A gypsy wind is blowing warm tonight

Saturday. Sunny and warmer than I had expected.

Many chores have been accomplished, including doing the preliminary set up for my glass working space. I had a moment of despair when I realized that none of the many outlets in the Foosball Room, err, worked. Then I remembered my fusebox lessons from Steve Symonds, crossed the basement, flipped a switch, and hey, presto! Power, we haz it.

I have two oil radiators, and also the old electric heater that I replaced not because it didn’t work, but because it was old. So, it, too may join me and I’m thinking that room will be toasty as heck, even in winter.

The library cart (sorry, Steve) will be put into use to hold my glass and tools where I can see everything, and Archie’s stool (I bought a nasty old wooden stool at a flea market back in nineteen-seventy-ought two, I guess, all over splotches of paint, and — oh it was a mess. But for fifty cents, who could say no. Took it home, did the sanding and the priming and painted it Chinese Red. When I brought Archie in to run the place, that was his favorite seat.) is just the right height to park my fundament (why does spellcheck not know fundament?) on while I glare at the pattern, which I have no doubt I will be doing a lot of.

There was a big old warped piece of wood leaning against the wall, which I have put down, so I’ll have something besides a concrete floor between me and the permafrost, and I should probably get a cheap rug, for another layer. Right not, All The Things are on top of the board, because I’m hoping to flatten out the bow.

Now! I need to rustle lunch, and then, oh, go out to TJMaxx.

Yes, yes, I’m supposed to be getting rid of stuff so it will be easier for those who have to clean up after me, and instead, I’m getting new stuff.

How’s Saturday treating you?

Oh, hey, my work-area-in-process:

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Hmmph. Did another exploratory round of Stuff I Already Have. Identified a glass keeper, known to those of us who had administrative/secretarial jobs as a desk-top file organizer, which will do fine. It is metal, but easy enough to soften each section by taping in a manila folder or two.

Steve used to have these … big foam tiles that he used in the SRM office (another basement location). They interlocked, so you could make your space as big as you needed, and they were soft, which was easier on your back and legs. I went looking for them, but no luck. And — I have a really hard time remembering where I last saw what. It could be they never even made the move to this house. So now I’m trying to remember where he got them. Maybe Staples? Back when Staples actually had things in their store instead of offering to order it online for you?

mooches off to Staples online

SPOILER: As suggested by several Facebook friends, Home Depot had them, aka “single sided gym tile”

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And that’s enough fun for one day.

I went to TJ Maxx and unexpectedly came upon a wooden plate holder, which will handily hold the glass I’m working with now. I can foresee a time when I’ll need to bring the other holder into play but for now, I’ve put it aside.

I put together some “gym” tiles, and put them directly on the floor in front of my work bench. All The Things are still piled on top of the warped board, but I’m not having to walk on the warped board, so that’s a win.

For a change, we are not under a freeze warning tonight, so that’s a change. And now that I’ve had my fun, I need to finish up washing cat bowls, by which time, it will be Happy Hour.

How time does fly.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe.

I’ll check in tomorrow.

The work space as now configured:

Tonight’s blog post title brought to you by Mr. Robert Seger, who is pretty damned sure of himself, so there is that:  “You’ll Accomp’ny Me

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life…

Friday.

Pics before wordage:

 

 

So that was a pleasant day. Cool but not frigid on the beach, despite a brisk breeze. Took a pleasant walk along the trail at Scarborough Marsh, from whence the picture of the Great White Heron and also what I believe to be a loon, which if so — a coup. I mean, herons are hard to photograph, but loons are impossible.

At Old Orchard, I walked the beach, and up into town, had a chicken salad wrap and a root beer at Cafe 64, decided not to go down to Wells, but to come on home, but avoiding the interstate because construction. This of course meant that I got lost in Portland, which is business as usual. I finally asked the car’s navcamp for a way home that avoided highways, and boy didn’t it oblige me? However! I discovered a new road. I truly do not believe I’ve been on Route 88 before, and that was just a splendid drive. So — Serendipity For the Win.

I came home to the news that the nerve conduction test — that’s probably not what it’s called — has been scheduled for October 23 at 3:45 which won’t do for two reasons, those being it will mean I have to miss stained glass, and! I’ll have to drive home from Rockport in the dark (that’s 50ish miles of unlit back roads from the Confusion Factory), and I don’t know the route well enough to want to do that. So, I’ll add rescheduling that piece of optimism to my pile of Monday phone calls.

The cats — all three, which made for some confusion of who was where and how do I not fall over — threw themselves onto to me with loud cries the second I opened the door. I did tell them I was going to be gone for most of the day, but apparently neither Tali nor Rookie can tell time and Firefly’s skills are a little rocky.

I now have Rook and Tali keeping a Very Close Eye while I type this update, and Firefly is having a wee dram of dry food to recruit herself.

I see that we’re under a Freeze Alert this evening, which means I’ll be needing to cover the rose again.

But before that, I need to put the clean dishes away and, oh…pour a glass of wine.

How did your Friday play out?

Today’s blog post title is brought to you by Jimmy Soul, “If you wanna be happy.”  My excuse is that this is the song that was playing when I turned the car on this morning.  Recorded in 1962.

Come and take a walk with your sister, the Moon

The moon is gorgeous tonight, big and yellow.

So, now I have glass and the means to cut it, though I am strictly forbidden from doing so until next class. What I do have to do is finish cutting out my pattern and affixing the pieces to the appropriate pieces of glass so that I can begin cutting my glass next class.

Excuse me: “Seymour Glass. Do you See More Glass?” Thank you, J.D. Salinger. Honest to Ghod how long do I have to pay for that English project?

So! I’m feeling, actually, better about the glassworking after this evening’s class. Maybe because I have a better feel for how the moving parts fit together. Possibly because the instructor did not faint dead away when she saw my pattern, but said, “Oh, that’s nice, did you get that out of one of my books?” and then helped me modify that big swodge of “ocean” that some of y’all were so worried about.

I see that I’m going to have to be moving the portable radiators into The Foosball Room (so called because there was a Foosball table in that room when we looked at the house, and for a time it was a question whether or not we would be adopting), aka The Cold Room aka The Workshop, so I can cut glass (permission will apparently be given to cut glass at home eventually) without my supervisors getting paws on, not to mention glass in their fur.

For tonight, my glass and assorted Stuff is in the car. I’ll need to move it down to The Foosball Room before I head for the ocean tomorrow.

Fans of Firefly will wish to know that she is having the Zoomies. Apparently, she DID SO TELL the kids that I would be home and that I would feed them, first thing I got inside, and as this has come to pass, her stock has gone up.

That’s all I’ve got to report. The rest of my evening will be reading today’s chapter of A Night in the Lonesome October, and getting something to eat.

Everybody stay safe. Writer’s Day Off Tomorrow. I’ll check in as I can.

Oh, wait! My bats came:

Tonight’s blog post title brought to you by U2, “She Moves In Mysterious Ways

She walks looks and drives like an ace now

What went before ONE:  Oh. Here’s something amusing.

Someone had suggested yesterday that I go to Aldi for grapes.

I typed “Aldi near me” into the search bar, and I am offered!

Newington NH (250 miles RT)
Dover NH (250 miles RT)
And! My favorite: Port Orange, FL (3,000 miles RT)

So, that’s why I’m not going to Aldi for grapes.
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What went before TWO:  Two thousand eight hundred and eighty-ish new words written, bringing the WIP entire into the vicinity of 94,050.

“Frogging” is a knitting term that I believe Brenda Clough introduced into my vocabulary. It comes from “rip it, rip it” which is what one does when one makes a mistake.

Tomorrow will not be a writing day. I have some layout to complete and a couple phone calls to make before I hit the road to Glass Express, where the class is to meet our instructor “directly after work.” I wonder what that means. Class officially starts at 6. I guess if I arrive at 5, the time won’t be wasted. I mean, really, I’m going to be in a glass shop. It’s not like there won’t be stuff to look at.

Checking the weather, I see that we are now under a Freeze Watch tonight. Looks like I’d better go out and cover up the rose bush.

Aaand, back. Rook saw me heading for the front door and threw himself at my knees, yelling. It is almost Happy Hour, but jeez, kid.

In addition to the freeze warning, the weatherbeans tell me that it will be sunny and 60ishF/16ishC on Friday. Rain starting Sunday evening and that’s most of next week, right there. So! Friday Will Be a Writer’s Day Off.

I do believe that’s all the news &c.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. I’ll check in tomorrow.
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Thursday, sunny and cold. Ish.

I did turn on the oil heat to warm us up at floor level, while the heat pumps do their thing overhead.

I did cover the rosebush last night, but something disagreed with my design decision, be it wind or be it beast, and the blanket was off the rose this morning.

Today! I really hope to get the November echapbook up for preorder. Fingers crossed. I also have some phone calls to make. Including a call to make an appointment to have my hair cut. I’m still liking it longer, except for the part where my bangs fall in my eyes — see haircut, above.

I find a note from Adult Ed in my mail this morning informing me that our instructor expects to meet us at Glass Express at 5 pm, so that’s one question answered.

I also see in my inbox that! my bats will arrive today. That’s awesome. The last best guess for delivery that I saw was October 15 or something. Early delivery FTW.

Yes, I bought bats. I like bats.

What else? Oh. Just got a “Hello, this is a cold call for Steve Miller. Is he –” Sigh. I really miss being able to slam down a receiver.

I had the house phone forwarding to my cell, so that the cellular robot could stop that stuff before it even got recorded. It was doing a good job, too. Then, a couple days ago, the house phone started ringing again — one call from the hospital and four calls for Steve. I need to look up again how to forward the landline.

So! That’s my day pretty well laid out.

Who’s doing something that’s fun?

Today’s blog post title is from The Beach Boys, “Fun, fun, fun” — which is also a formative song.  First, there’s the Interesting Truth of:
Well the girls can’t stand her
‘Cause she walks, looks, and drives like an ace now

And also — granting that I’m probably the only one who ever put this spin on it, welcome to my brain — that Our Narrator is a hero because he’s going to let her drive his car.  Because, I mean, yeah, what else would he want to do?

Rosebush, uncovered:

For those who are still with me, here’s the link to this morning’s cat census.