chop wood carry water – Page 14

In which Adulting is Overrated

Sarah has taken her vacuum and gone off into the frigid sunny day. It is now mine to put the house back together and to get with my list of Adulting Tasks.

While Sarah was here, I tinkered with what I wrote yesterday, found it mostly good, and pasted those sections into the WIP, which now stands at!

A whopping 114,775 words.

I’d like to say that I’m in the home stretch now, but i may be deluding myself. I need to sit down and count scenes. But not right now.
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I have done All of The Adulting. I have typed “Sharon Lee and Steve Miller” so many times I feel like a high school girl decorating her notebooks with the name of That Boy She Likes.

I daresay there is still more adulting that will catch up with me next week. For instance, I’m not really quite sure how I’m to pay off this “loan” for the new doors. However! It’s interest-free until September, so I have Some Time to figure it out.

Funny story there. My contact at Andersen Windows wrote in answer to one of my questions, and added a PS: “It took me a minute, but I remember reading your books at my library when I was a kid. Thank you for being part of my childhood.”

And on that note, I am done for the day. I may — I plan! — to take refuge in the WIP tomorrow (except for 2:30 when I’m supposed to have a Zoom call with a visiting nurse? I wonder why. And also — is it a visit if it’s a Zoom call? Well. I’ll either find out or I won’t.)

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

Oh. I am remiss in my reporting to Tali’s Fan Base.

Tali is still working on finding her Best Role in the house, but today, I think we had a breakthrough. Despite her dislike of having people type through her ears, she sat on my lap on two different occasions while I was doing the most stressful bits of Adulting.

Also, I had missed picking up a stuffed bunny this morning. In the course of her rounds, Sarah found it, and put it on the edge of the bed. I had occasion to sit down on the bed. Tali jumped up to be with me, looked at the rabbit, judged it was infringing on her space, but, instead of knocking it brutally to the floor, she picked it up by the ear, carried it over to the other side of the bed and then came back to snuggle against my knee.

Yes, it was almost unbearably cute. And also much appreciated.

G’night.

Adulting

The Long Back Yard.

I got up early, convinced I’d be shoveling, because we didn’t have so much snow yesterday. But when I got up, the drive had been plowed and the steps cleared.

Best plowguy ever.

Oh, let’s see — Friday?

I guess we’d better go with Friday. Sunny and colder’n . . . yeah. -4F-feels-like-minus-11F. That’ll do.

Breakfast was the left over half of the yam from yesterday’s lunch, fried, with a side of cottage cheese. Right now, I’m eating a chocolate chip cookie with my second cup of tea, because I Am An Adult. Lunch will be (some of) the now-defrosted chicken breasts and, oh, maybe stuffing. Because I Am An Adult.

Sarah is due in about half an hour.

Speaking of viewpoints — yes, yes, but bear with me. It’s a craft thing that really interests me. I live for the scenes in our own work where someone meets Miri or Val Con, or both of them, and gives the reader their conclusions drawn on what they think they’re seeing. It never gets old. (Oh. Or Shan. I Love It when people tell us about Shan.)

That said, on Wednesday, the New Yorker calendar served me up a cartoon of Santa speaking to a herd of reindeer, or possibly to the one in the foreground, with the big nose. And Santa is saying: “Remember! No matter how different you are, if you prove yourself useful, you can still earn the privilege of being forced to work with your bullies.”

I didn’t get it at first, because brain/morning/cats, but yanno? That retelling is genius. Genius.

And it also reminds me of something I heard on the internet not too long ago — paraphrasing here, “I have never wanted to trade lives with anyone who bullied me.”

So! Today is about doing Real Life Chores, which is a bore, but I need to cope. Because I Am An Adult.

Who else is Adulting today?

It’s been so long, eating and drinking and making merry

The Long Back Yard this morning. Perhaps not obvious from the picture: It was snowing at the time.

OK. Thursday. Snowed about an inch this morning, just enough to freshen yesterday’s snow. Intermittently sunny — or cloudy, if you prefer it that way — at the moment.

Breakfast was eggs scrambled with spinach and onions and cheese, with a biscuit and strawberry jam on the side. Lunch…I may go back to my original plan of ham and yam, because I’m not sure those chicken breasts are thawed, actually.

Wrote about 930 words this morning, concluding a scene that I really like — Yes, this is going to be a book totally comprised of Scenes I Like. Rookie and Tali kept me company in the office, while Firefly is keeping a Very Close Eye on the bedroom.

I’m getting ready to start a loaf of bread to rise, after which it’s PT homework, one’s duty the cats, and lunch, one way or the other.

Hope everybody’s having a good day.
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Yanno? “Wonderful Christmastime?” Paul McCartney, celebrating all the lovely, lovely things that “Only happen at this time of Year” And I am Up To Here with that.

First of all — it’s a real dud on the lyrics, but so are most Christmas songs, so I guess I can’t take points off for that. But honestly? Aren’t we all supposed to be together and sharing joy and magic all the time?

Why, why does it only “happen at this time of year?” Why is it not a lifestyle choice? What is it about cruelty that is so attractive that it gets 363ish days while Joy, Magic, and Fellow Feeling only get 2ish, and only if we’ve spent enough money?

Yes, I do feel better now. And the bread’s in to rise.
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OK…The bread is really good. I had wanted a dense, seedy loaf and this one delivers. I cut it in half — one piece for the freezer and the other to eat now. Ahem. Over the course of the next couple days.

In between It All, I seem to have written 2,320 words today, which is … a lot, as we count words around here. On the other hand, as Jen Sin today observed to Miri, Traders talk A Lot. The WIP entire is somewhere around 113,480 total words.

I will mention that I wrote that many words and STILL had time to fall down the rabbit hole of Mongolian Techno. Some years back now there had been a Mongolian metal rock band — HU? HUU? — and they were doing some interesting things, but Mongolian Techno? Who knew.

Tomorrow, I have Real Life Business I have to take care of first (Well. “First,” after clearing snow, so Sarah can get in and also picking up so she can do her thing) having successfully put it off for more than a week (procrastination; it’s not for sissies).

I did read some few pages of Agent of Change, and will probably read some more after the cats stop shouting at me to deliver them their Happy Hour. What’s really interesting, is that I can remember which bits Steve wrote, and which bits I wrote, and which bits Steve wrote and I changed. I don’t think — but will be testing the proposition — that I can do that with later books. But you never forget your first, amirite?

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. Watch out for windblown snow and ice on the roads.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

Today’s blog post title brought to you by The Hu, from their 2019 Billboard hit, “Yuve Yuve Yu“

And the good girls are home with broken hearts

So here I am in the comfy chair: Listening to music, checking email, and basking in the Happy Lite.

Several kind people sent me tea over the last few days, and I now rejoice in two infusers, where I previously had none. This morning, in celebration of the weather, I am enjoying Russian Caravan tea.

Ah…”and all the bad boys are standing in the shadows/and all the good girls are home with broken hearts.”

The Long Back Yard

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Taking a break to do PT homework, start washing the curtains and take out some chicken breasts to hopefully defrost in time to be cooked for tomorrow’s lunch and! follow up baked chicken sandwiches. The Forbidden Food List includes all lunch meats and … that’s an ongoing hardship. But, there’s no prohibition against sliced chicken off a home-cooked breast.

It’s still snowing a bit, and I’m measuring just 5 inches on the deck.

UPS is still insisting it’s making a delivery today, and I found a place to tell the driver to PUT THE BOX IN THE GARAGE, and I opened the garage door. Fingers crossed.

I got an automated call saying that the local Senior Center, which serves lunch to a good many people, is closed today on account of Weather. Reopening on Friday. I hope everybody who depends on that lunch is OK.

I’ve explored the new door configuration again and what I think is that I need to go to Home Despot next week and Stare at Stuff.

The cats are Visibly Relieved to have their Safe Room back. The last couple days were tense for all of us. But! It’s behind us now. Just gotta settle the bill. (eek! and yes, I can settle the bill, and I don’t depend on the Senior Center for lunch. Which makes me a very fortunate woman.)

How’s everybody doing today?
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Well done UPS!

The Ring went off, which meant that somebody had approached the front door, and I said to Rookie and Tali as I got up from my keyboard. “That’s UPS, and they didn’t put in the garage.”

There was a car in the driveway when I got to the door, and the box was on the front step, and I was opening the door, when the driver of the car got out, and came rushing back to me, “I’m so sorry; I only just saw that you wanted it in the garage. I’m really sorry.”

And I said, “Thank you for coming back. Since you got it this far, can you just put it inside the door?”

“Oh, yes. I can certainly do that! I’m sorry.”

And he put the box in the house; we exchanged Happy Holidays and he drove off.

So, praise where earned. Well-done, UPS!

And, indeed, this is what was in the box: #
Wrote +/-1160 words today, and reviewed several scenes that I considered “problematical,”which are, in fact, perfectly fine and actually do belong in this book. The WIP entire is more or less 112,200 words.

Coon Cat Happy Hour has occurred. I have discovered that I bought some frozen dumplings, and that will be my evening meal. Tomorrow, my intention is to write and to bake a loaf of bread, perhaps not even in that order.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. I’ll be around tomorrow.

Oh! Today’s blog post title from Mr. Thomas Petty, “Free fallin’“

Aaaaand Done!

Sounds like the lads are packing up. I hope they haven’t forgotten that they have some furniture to move.

In other news, UPS has changed the delivery date of what I assume to be a box of paperback Diviner’s Bow from today (when it is not snowing) to tomorrow (when accumulations will be between 3 and 5 inches), because, yeah . . . I’m really over UPS dumping boxes of books into the snow and against the door, but I can’t seem to instruct them to put it in the garage unless I become a Premium Member for $19.99.

In coon cat news, Rook has retired from the stairs to the basement. Tali is still on top of the bookcase in the bedroom, and Firefly — is seeing ghosts. She seems perfectly comfortable with this, and I’m kinda jealous. I’d like to see comfortable ghosts. Just sayin’.

I should eat lunch, but I’m pretty much guaranteed to be interrupted, so I’ll hold off until I can get the crew sorted.

Tali has an appointment at the vet in mid-February, which is in the middle of the January shot and the March physical.

I’ve been poking at the WIP, and put back in +/- 5,000 words that I had pulled earlier, now that I know that they (1) belong in this story and (2) where they go.

. . . and they didn’t forget. I can go back this afternoon and get the desk back in order. And there was much rejoicing.
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And that’s a wrap. I’ll need to put up curtains again, but for the moment, we’re good.
The stuffies are back where they belong. The computer is online. All I need to do is move my files and I can go back to work tomorrow morning. I can see the curtains are going to be a challenge, but Imma call today a victory.

All righty, then. The WIP now weighs in at +/-111,050. I may have already said that, but better said twice than not at all.

The cats have done a Thorough Inspection and pronounce the Safe Room Acceptable. Firefly seems to be in Transports re the new windows. Honestly — she fell on her head and showed her belly to the window and purred so loud Rook went over to see What Was She Getting?

Coon Cat Happy Hour has happened, only a little early, and I have a glass of wine to hand, but it occurs to me that, absent breakfast, I may not have had anything to eat today. Better fix that before too much wine is had.

It’s looking like I’m going to have to install miniblinds or…something in the new doors, because the new trim is of a — waves hands — different configuration than the old. We are now well into territory of which I wot not, but!

I have doors that the winter wind does not howl through, and UV coating and gee they’re pretty. I’ll figure something out. Later.

It’s looking like our snow will be on the overnight, with 3-5 inches expected. South from here, they’re looking for maybe 12 inches.

I? Have no place to be. My plans for the next couple days are to write, to read, and to bake a loaf of bread. Maybe two loaves of bread. Yes, I do know it’s Christmas, and I have had some people Look at me and say, “But what will you do?” And what I’ll do is what I do. I have mentioned before that Steve and I often did not “do” Christmas, because, in later years, we often had a book due at the end of the year, or in January, so we were working, with maybe a half-day or a slightly fancy meal. Depending, yanno, on how late we were.

On that note, I’m going to go find something to eat.

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

Door replacement, Day Two

The Long Back Yard:

Where are we? Tuesday! Trash and recycling are at the curb. The weather ghods spent all last night loading the outgoing clouds with snow, and are now sweeping the spilled flakes out of the warehouse and into the downward breezes.

Breakfast was a cheese muffin and an orange. I’m on, like, my third mug of tea.

The lads have not yet arrived. The cats are letting me know that they much prefer this, and did I know that the door to Steve’s wing is closed? (Actually, they’ve opened it twice now, but they can’t quite manage the door to Steve’s actual office. Thank goodness for double-sealing.)

Questions from yesterday, which I saw, didn’t answer immediately, and now can’t find.

QUESTION ONE: Would I consider coming back to COsine?
Honestly, I loved Colorado, and had a good time at the con, but I’ve put a moratorium on both conventions and long train trips for right now.

QUESTION TWO: “What’s a Black Knight?”
Many years ago, the internet put forth a medieval village populated by people according to their Myers-Briggs type. According to the conceit of the webpage/game, Steve was the Benevolent Despot; I was the Black Knight. Which at the time generated quite a discussion on the Friends of Liad list about how this was a perfect pairing. If the smile didn’t convince; the sword surely would. A quick look-around doesn’t locate that particular website. FWIW, I’m INTJ.

Funny story: Way Way back in time (pre-Steve, which in truth is Way Back), I applied to be a college student. Because I was coming from a non-standard direction, and seeking a non-standard curriculum, I had to talk with a Guidance Counselor and Take Tests. The Guidance Counselor was cute. as. a. button. He had a nice voice and a British accent. And he was friendly. Remember these plot points.

So the tests — an IQ test and a Myers-Briggs; take them home and bring them back before our next meeting, so they can be scored, and we’ll talk about your aptitudes at our next meeting.

Next meeting arrives. My tests had been scored and the results placed in my file, which my poor Guidance Counselor had obviously failed to look at before our meeting, and so my heart was broken.

He visibly paled. Looked at me. Looked at the folder. Flicked a couple pages. Looked back at me. Cleared his throat. Folded his hands on the desk, and said, “Well! These are Quite Interesting.”

Turns out the tests had revealed me for Very Smart and also?

An axe murderer. Or, as I prefer, a Black Knight.

. . . I think that’s it. If you asked a question and I haven’t answered you, please ask it again in comments and I’ll try to be more mindful this time.

On today’s to-do, I need to call the vet and schedule Tali in for her three-year distemper shot and her physical. I’m also hoping to sit with the WIP. I don’t think I’ll be going out this evening. I’m sorry to miss needlework, but I’m already tired and the exciting part of the day hasn’t started yet.

So! How’re y’all doing today?

Saturday Challenge

You may wish to refer to the photo page for today

OK, so kind of a loss of a day, viewed through the writing lens, but I had expected that.

Seen through the RL lens, I got myself back and forth to the hospital in Brunswick without mishap, saving the wear and tear on my nerves (ref the wear and tear on my nerves, the rock sculpture in the Imaging Lobby probably brought my blood pressure down 50 points. Well played MaineHealth. Well played.), did the hour in the tube without having a panic attack, waited until I was in the car to scream (yes, that’s a real thing; I have claustrophobia; remind me to tell you some other time about the first time Steve and I went cross country by train), was reasonable and let my friends do all the heavy work that was only going to hurt my back (which already hurt; they need nicer mattresses on MRI machines), ate my lunch, which was terrific, took time off to read and relax, took down the pictures over the doors to be replaced.

Tomorrow, all I need to do in Steve’s office is take down the drapes and use them to cover the Stuff against the Dust of Construction.

Tomorrow will be a writing day. Monday, sometime between 8 and 10am will see the arrival of the Andersen crew to start with the replacing of doors. I have some business stuff to do on Monday, but if I have my way, writing will happen then, too. Tuesday is supposedly the finish of the installation. Not sure if I’ll be going to needlework that evening. We Shall See.

In the meantime, the cats keep checking in with me — is this OK? — and I really can’t blame them. I keep telling them I’ll put it back the way it was real quick, but I can tell they don’t believe me.

Google wishes me to understand that we will be having rain and snow tonight, but I don’t find any evidence that this opinion is based on reality. It will be cold, though. That, we’re all agreed upon.

All that said! Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. I’ll check in tomorrow.

Weather makin’

The Long Back Yard, with sublimating snow:

Friday. Raining like heck, heading for the mid-50s. All the dampness will freeze overnight of course. I am so not looking forward to driving to Brunswick tomorrow in the early AM. Yeah, chicken, here.

Dishwasher doing its thing.

Half hour with the Happy Lite has been had while I made notes for the Unending WIP. Breakfast was oatmeal with walnuts and a handful of semi-sweet chips, because I had them. Lunch will probably be soup, to celebrate the rain. That may not be the right word. Oh, and I bought a bag of those lovely little oranges, so I can have an orange for dessert.

Today’s to-do list includes Glaring at the WIP; stripping the bed, washing the sheets, and putting the bed back together; changing out the cat boxes; getting the WIP and all its attendants onto a portable hard drive so it can be attached to my laptop and work can continue in the face of progress. Also, the usual fidgets of hanging stuff away and poking at piles.

I am remiss in reporting that I really like my new glasses, and am wearing them. The old glasses — and I should’ve minded this better — had gotten to the point that I preferred not to wear them; they just made everything worse.

Someone asked where I got my glasses — apparently places like Lenscrafters no longer carry titanium frames, which — What? I get my glasses at the retail side of my optometrist’s office — Eye Care of Maine. SPOILER: They cost the earth, and I’m not really sure how much of that is the blue light coating and the no-line progressive lenses, and how much is the frame.

All that said, and the to-do list, I better get myself busy.

What’s happening with you today?

Monday morning drive-by

Monday. Sunny and cold. Tea and sunlight have happened.

Scrambled eggs with spinach and onions with whole grain toast for breakfast.

Today will be Upside Down Day: Chores/RL in the morning, writing when I come home from the bookclub. Already done the banking, where I was pleased to see the on-signing for Liaden Universe® Constellation Volume 6 sitting demurely in the account. Ms dea’Gauss will likewise be pleased.

Next up is proofing the reprint story and bio for Adversity and Audacity. Then, one’s duty to the cats, and staging the trash, by which time it’ll probably be time to go to the library.

Someone asked Why I was going to read the Liaden Universe® novels in publication order.

Setting aside that, “Because I want to and it’s mine to decide” is a completely legitimate reason, I am reading them in publication order because!

Agent of Change was published in February 1988 (written in 1984). Diviner’s Bow was published in April 2025 (written in 2023/2024). I want to see both the progression of the authors’ skills, and their perceptions of their life and world as reflected in their work. This is, I note, a chancy game when played by critics, biographers, and reviewers, but I know these authors as no others can, so I feel fairly confident in my ability to read their work correctly.

And on that note! Imma proof a short story.

How’s everybody doing today?

Who’s the hunter, who’s the game?

View the pre-Sarah cat census here

Now, where were we?

Ah.

Friday.

Sarah has departed and the house is much cleaner. She reported that Firefly flirted with her to the point of offering chin to be rubbed, which is really new. Usually, Firefly booked to Steve’s office the minute the door opened for the cleaning person. Of course, that was when we had Trooper to stand between us and all invaders. Firefly had apparently settled on a soft approach to invaders (Trooper satisfied himself with Keeping A Close Eye). I did think I saw a memo come in regarding adopting Sarah, but any such Resolution needs to be unanimous, and I, at least, cannot sanction making Sarah’s cats into orphans.

Wrote a little, my intention is to write some more, but also to quit early and watch the first episode of Miss Scarlet.

After Sarah left us, I made hummus, and then I made some toast to so that I could properly sample what I had wrought — and yes I will be making that again. And when I do, I’ll be using the blender, because my food processor is just a little midgy thing, and not up to an entire can of chickpeas. Though it worked fine doing it in sections. Messy, but fine.

While I was in the kitchen, I made some cookies to address the catastrophe reported the other day.

Remaining on the to-do list, one’s duty to the cats, a brief walk, Part 2 of PT homework, eating lunch, and hitting the WIP again.

So! That’s the news from here.

What’s the news from there?
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Well. Knocking off for the day. Didn’t get much writing done — only about 700 new words, but I did a lot of plotting and staring into space.

On the RL front, I had apparently hit the Land’s End sale hard last year. I had no idea that I had this many mock-necks. OTOH, it’s winter, so — yay! mock t-necks FTW.

I forgot to mention that I did go out to meet ‘n greet the new town manager last night, but it turns out that many people wanted to do the same thing, the new guy having grown up in Waterville and graduated from the high school and all. Long story short, his fandom turned out in such numbers that there was no place for me to park, even if I’d been willing to walk from the other side of the Concourse, which — SPOILER — I was not. So I came home. Mayhap I will write a letter after he’s officially in his office.

I see in my email queue a short story galley to proof, news of a check having landed, which should be in my account on Monday, and — oh. The library wonders if I’d like to do an Author Event in February. That might be fun.

The post office mail hasn’t been delivered yet, which is making me slightly cranky, since there’s a parcel due in that really can’t just sit out in the mailbox and freeze overnight.

My Plan for Saturday and Sunday — tomorrow and the next day — is to write, as next week is Quite Complicated, and that’s before we get to the crack o’dawn double MRI next Saturday. If I don’t check in over the next couple of days, it’s because I’m working.

And on that note — everybody have a good evening. Stay safe.

Today’s blog post title brought to you by Patty Smyth and Scandal, because I heard it yesterday as I was out and about, and it’s a decent song and Patty Smyth can really sing. And I remember — yes, I do remember, the first time I saw the music video, and then trying to explain — er, no — describe it to Steve. WARNING: If continuity errors bother you, don’t watch this video. The Warrior