Tag: chop wood carry water

Thursday at home

Thursday. Rainy and cool. Sitting in the comfy chair in my office with an orange cat on my lap. Drinking my first cup of tea.

First load of towels is in the washer and in a minute, when Tali lets me, I’ll get up and get some breakfast and then I’ll go write for a while.

Yes, that’s boring. I can probably use some boring.

How’s the day shaping up at your house?
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Lunch break. I have done my duty to the cats, and also due diligence on my new medication, which leads me to believe, given the other Real Medication that I take daily, lisinopril needs to be taken at lunchtime. Since linsiopril holds out the tantalizing possibility that it may induce dizziness and I should be cautious on stairs*, cat box cleaning is hereby shifted to before lunch, rather than after.

I’ve had a pretty good morning of writing, and intend to go back to it after lunch, since I haven’t finished my scene yet.

I don’t know that I’ve mentioned this before, but Rookie da Cookie has taken to curling up with his head on the pillow next to mine at bedtime, which I’m at the moment finding adorable, and also canny. Tali sleeps tucked up under my right arm, and Firefly sleeps across my ankles. This way everybody has room, nobody gets swatted in the face with a tail (including me), and there are therefore very few midnight squabbles.

. . . and it looks like lunch is warm.
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*I remain amazed by the people who scold you for being Old and At Risk for Falling who then prescribe med after med that “may make you dizzy.”
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And that’s a wrap. For local definitions of “wrap.” One thousand six hundred fifty-five words, bringing the WIP Entire to!

+/- 10,660 words.

Time for a cup of tea and a cookie, is what I’m thinkin’…

Accomplishments accomplished

And back from Wal*Mart, where I’m becoming a regular, and Washville, where ditto.

Bought the cats ping-pong balls, a scraper, 3M sticky tabs, rubbing alcohol, popcorn (it’s been, um, years since I had popcorn), puzzle stickem sheets, fusing material for an embroidery project, and some gel pens, because gel pens travel easier in a pocket or purse than an ink pen.

Came home and used the scraper, alcohol, and sticky tabs to re-affix the dashcam to the windshield. It decided to fall off while I was at the ocean, happily before I put the car in gear, and has refused all attempts to restick it. I’m not entirely sure that the sticky tabs I bought are up to Conditions, but! we can only try.

The cats greeted me at the door and are now hanging around the desk — apparently somebody put out the rumor that I would feed them when I got home, rather than after got home.

Maybe I’ll apply stickem to the back of my puzzle until it actually is time for Happy Hour. There’s a plan.

Everybody stay safe. I’ll check in tomorrow.

Writing along…

Where are we? Wednesday? That sounds right.

So! Wednesday, sunny and gonna be hot, again. I’d thought that tomorrow I’d declare a Writer’s Day Off and go view peonies, but tomorrow the ‘beans are calling for thunderstorms. No sense going to a peony farm in a thunderstorm.

Was up and writing a little early, which actually works well for the balance of the day, since I have a noon-time appointment.

Today is an exciting day as the WIP breaks Three Grand! We’re currently at +/- 3,340 words, and have visited two master traders at their letters, including one from Master Trader’s pin’Aker’s cha’leket, who’s a fashion designer. And also Midys Herself.

Next up is Jethri at Sactizzy. I hope to get him off of Meldyne as quick as I credibly can.

Steve had gotten hung up with the details of the conference, which — boy, do I empathize. I had suggested a clean break in one of our how-do-we-make-this-book-work conversations, which he rejected, and, looking through his drafts, I can see why. I think involving the master traders early and getting some of the backstory from them will move things along on Jethri’s line, and let him get moving.

I think.

I tell you what — it’s good thing that writing is easy.

I may need to go out this afternoon, and pick up tag board so that my class, if I have a class, can make themselves name cards, just like we do at cons, and thereby make the teacher’s life easier. Also should look for some puzzle glue or tape or sticky backing so I can display my jigsaw puzzle and remember that I can too work jigsaw puzzles. It just takes me 15 times longer than anybody else.

So! What’s happening on your edge of the world today?

And so it’s June

Business first! The Fey Duology, including dark fantasy novels Duainfey and Longeye, is now available for purchase in electronic format from!  Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Smashwords, and Baen.

The paper edition is for sale at the Amazon link.

Go forth, Big Book, and Find Your Audience.
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So! Monday. Sunny and cool-but-not-cold.

Did some good start-up work on the new novel. I still have to find a few names of planets and locate a couple spaceships, but so far, all the Signs and Portents are positive.

The cats were very supportive.  Photographic proof.

A couple people asked me what I “usually” do with a completed jigsaw puzzle, and the answer is!

The puzzle the cats completed for me yesterday is, I believe, the very first jigsaw puzzle I have assembled as an adult. My spatial sense — by which I mean, the ability to recognize what will fit into where — does not exist. So! While it’s very lowering to read that a 500-piece puzzle ought to take, eh, up to five hours to assemble, I’m kind of astonished I actually got one together At All, despite it very likely absorbing 3 times that many hours (I didn’t time myself, really, but I do know that yesterday alone, it took 4 hours to finish.)

The completed puzzle is taped up safely in its portfolio. It being an Accomplishment of its kind, I may glue it together eventually, as a trophy.

Lunch has been et, and in a moment or two I will start in with emptying trash cans, and staging the trash bags and recycling, so that it can easily be moved from the garage to the curb tomorrow morning. Also up for my exciting afternoon is doing my duty to the cats, taking a walk, and making two phone calls. Sigh.

Since last week, I’ve listened to Georgette Heyer’s Cotillion and Black Sheep. Yesterday, I started listening to The Talisman Ring, and I’m … a little shocked at how very menacing Basil “The Beau” is, listening to him being read, professionally. Of course, I read Heyer as comedies, and the narrators are obliged to read them as if they were serious.

So, that’s me caught up on the first day of Back To Work.

How’s everybody doing?
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So, that’s enough excitement for one day. All the to-do list items are crossed off, including the one where I had to remove Steve’s name from the sock-drawer credit card (new cards arrived in the mail today; I’d forgotten he was even on it).

Also? The altered state that newly bereaved people exist in is an impressive coping mechanism. I made dozens of those calls right after Steve died, and they were hard, but today was gut-wrenching.

And, apropos of nothing much, I don’t talk to many people from Texas, and that accent falls odd on the ear.

So, anyway. Knocking off for the day, having Done Great Deeds. I have a mid-morning dental appointment tomorrow, and after that? We’ll see.

Everybody stay safe. I’ll check in tomorrow.

Vacation winding down

Sunday, chilly so far, and slightly cloudy. The weatherbeans are calling for rain a little later.

Slept badly, which is becoming A Theme, and am therefore a mite muzzy-headed. Which reminds me that I ought to put the kettle on.

The Plan for today, insomuch as &c, is to finish the laundry, finish the puzzle, talk nonsense to the cats, have a good night’s sleep (sigh), set the alarm (!) and be ready to go back to work tomorrow morning. This will consist of reading my notes, deciding on sections and maybe even making a start on listing scenes to be written for each section.

Trade Lanes, here we come.

Tomorrow, I will be returning to the New Work Schedule of writing in the morning and tending to blogs, business, housework, shopping, baking, and various whatnots in the afternoon. I am, going forward, planning to make any needed appointments in the afternoon, though I have a long-standing dental appointment on Tuesday morning.

I’m told I need to send a “picture” to Adult Ed to accompany my course listing, but I’m not completely clear on a picture of What, so I will be writing that email today, as well. If it’s a picture of me, I’m thinking I’ll send along the portrait that was taken with Zander and Obie.

Else?

. . .

Nothing else occurs — ref putting on the kettle.

What are your plans for the day?

Home again, home again…

While I always enjoy other people making omelettes for me, I did miss the homestyle breakfast conversation while I was at the ocean.


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Saturday. Rainy, cool, and blowy. I guess a piece of the gale that was bearing down on OOB yesterday found its way inland.

Station Air off, heat on. First cup of tea brewing.

First — many thanks to everyone who has offered to adopt, and in some cases, buy, my Stuff, but — I’m not selling. I still want my jar of marbles. What I  don’t want is for them to be treated like the Incomprehensible Garbage collected by A Crazy Old Woman after I’ve gotten done. I wish, in a word, to provide honorably for them. I also have a jar with some bits of sea glass in it. I feel less strongly about it, but still want it to be creditably established with someone who knows sea glass — especially sea glass that isn’t brown (beer bottles) — for the small miracle it is.

We can do a tour of the marbles at some point, if there’s interest, but I’m not adopting them out, just yet. I need them.

This is related to my determination to stay in this house. Though Steve and I didn’t live here anywhere near as long as we did in the house in Winslow, Steve made sure to create a space that would help us both remember ourselves. It’s also the reason he took so many pictures of just everyday life. This house is my memory palace, if not actually a carapace, that keeps me from ‘sploding out in all directions at once.

Well. It’s Saturday, as they say, and I’m just back from vacation so that must mean!

Yep. Laundry.

What’s everybody else doing today?

Below, the jar of marbles. You may be able to see that some of those items? Aren’t marbles.

Radio Rolanni Off-Line for Scheduled Maintenance

Saturday — sunny and cool.

I have finally found the Sekrit to making an enjoyable (as opposed to merely an OK) cup of Harney’s Chocolate Chai Supreme, which is! (1) Realize that there is more than one cup, but less than two cups of leaves left, and just brew it all, leaving the cup 1/3(ish) empty. (2) After tea is brewed, fill the rest of the cup with milk, and dump in the last spoonful of Ghirardelli’s Cocoa Powder. The result is something like spicy hot chocolate, and really quite tasty. That said, I will not be re-upping my supply of chocolate chai.

Today, as previously reported, I’ll be finishing my packing, making sure the laptop is functional, and flipping a coin to see if I’ll be taking one of my crazy keyboards. Speaking of over-packing. I’m really bad on a flat keyboard anymore, but! I don’t intend this to be a Writing Retreat. On the Gripping Hand, if I’m suddenly Struck by Inspiration (which is almost guaranteed to happen exactly when one is intending Not To Write), I want to be able to type, not flail. I think I have Steve’s Special Flipping Coin around here somewhere…

Also today, I need to swap out the cat fountains (not the cat boxes; I did that earlier in the week), and decide how to adjust station air for the cats. It’s going to be in the mid-50s a couple days, but what worries me more is the warmer days in the middle of the week. I believe I’ll be setting station air at 72 COOL, which should keep things comfortable for them. They really don’t get the Go Downstairs strategy when the upper house gets too warm, and they have plenty of blankets, not to mention each other, to snuggle with if it’s cool.

I think it fair to say that from this point on, Radio Rolanni in all of its iterations will be transmitting intermittently, and possibly not at all. The conference areas will be open, and the kitchens stocked with snacks. Feel free to meet and talk among yourselves, or bring games and crafts.  We’ll be back on the air next weekend.

I append a picture of The Long Back Yard, with lilacs and those low-growing purple weeds that the bees like so much. I’m pleased to see such a lush patch of those.

The grape escape

Business First: Draft2Digital this evening has let me know that The Fey Duology is available from Kobo.

. . . and, indeed, it is listed here

No, I have no idea what’s going on
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Today, in my capacity as General Factotum and Cat Mom, I have retrieved from under the bed and the bureau, thirteen springs and one floofy pink ball.

I went to Marden’s and purchased half-a-yard of material that I hope will form the basis of a future embroidery project. I also topped off the gas tank, and stopped at Hannaford for a smol run of supplies — wherein lies a tale.

One of the things in my smol run of groceries was a plastic cup of grapes, so-called KidSnaks. As I was putting my stuff on to the conveyor at the cashier’s station, the cup of grapes staged a Thrilling EScape, darting from the cart to the floor, where the cup exploded and grapes went everywhere.

Surprisingly enough, I did not swear. But I did say, “Well, there’s a tragedy,” as I creakily began to bend over to gather up the carnage.

And the guy behind me said, “I’ll pick those up for you, ma’am.” And so he did, putting all the escapees back into the cup, and standing up to hand it to me. “If that’s the only thing goes wrong today, we’re both lucky!” he said.

I thanked him and waved him ahead of me, since he only had two beers and a pizza, and I was discommoded. Besides, who am I to stand between a helpful person and their well-earned treat?

When it was my turn with the cashier, I explained what happened, and she told me that I didn’t want those grapes, took the cup out of my hand, and dispatched “Ben,” to “go get this lady another cup of grapes, please.” And so it was done.

I have not got any reading of Trade Lanes done today, so that will be tomorrow’s task. Right now, since I’m finished retrieving springs, I’m going to go make the bed.

Everybody have a good evening. I’ll check back in tomorrow.

Look at the stars; look how they shine for you

Thursday. Sunny and pleasantly breezy. Weatherbeans calling for a high of 64F/18C. And there was much rejoicing. The cooling units are OFF, the windows are OPEN.

Breakfast was leftover pierogi. This finishes the bag. Lunch is uncertain as of this moment, because my math was off, or I was hungrier than I had anticipated, but I need to Consider My Options, a task for which I am uniquely unsuited.

Before I get to that, though, I’m onboard for changing out the cat boxes, and vacuuming the basement. Following that, I have two unexpected errands to run, to which I either will or will not add a swing by a grocery store, pending the results of Considered Options.

I slept late, though not, so the Garmin Watch tells me, well. The Garmin is quite worried about me; low sleep and high stress triggers its protective instincts, poor device. I told it I’ve had a lot on my mind, and that a change of scene, not to mention good sea air, will do me good. I’m not sure it believes me, which is fair enough, as I’m not sure I believe myself. One can only do one’s best, after all, even if entropy is winning.

What else? Ah. The Fey Duology — 200 preorders at Amazon this morning.

Baen will be publishing the ebook edition on June 1.

I note on D2D that Apple reports 30 preorders, BN 8, and Kobo 16. This despite BN reporting (same page, different column) that it has “delisted” the title, and Kobo as “publishing” the title. At the bottom of the long column of delists, I am told that the vendors accepting preorders are Apple and Smashwords.

Now you’re as confused as I am.

Thanks to everyone for your support of our work, and for your company as we navigate the unkempt paths of our bold new reality.

Does anyone else feel especially oppressed by the Stupidity, Cruelty, and Crassness? I feel, perhaps wrongly, that I could bear the entire world being set on its side, if the oppressors were at least, you know, more like Regency heroes — Suave, Intelligent, and Charming. No less cruel in their policies, certainly, but prettier to look at.

Well. My second cup of tea is gone, which means! the basement calls.

Today’s blog post title brought to you by Jacob Collier.  Yes, it’s long, but it’s worth your time.

Here, have a picture of Rookie in the Window, to cleanse your palate:

Sunny Wednesday

Well. Wednesday. Sunny and already warm.

We here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory have gone from oil heat to heat pump cooling. Yesterday, we broke every single record for high temps on May 19 — 92F/33C in Portland. We here in Central Maine only hit 90F/32C.

Breakfast was the last of the yogurt with strawberry jam and wheat germ. Oatmeal cookie already lined up for Second Breakfast. First load of laundry is drying. Need to get the second load in the washer.

I realized this morning that, in my considerations of what to take to the ocean, I had forgotten to choose a traveling companion. I therefore put the matter to Sunny, who is an Old Orchard Beach native, adopted into the Lee-and-Miller household years ago, and he has agreed to ride shotgun. Sunny’s paw pads used to change color under the influence of Solar Rays, but I don’t think they do that anymore. So does age toy with us all.

Last night, I found the last draft of Trade Lanes, which Steve had set aside in frustration. I say “the last draft,” but what I have is about 35,000 words, and a bunch of it is notes, rather than narrative. My job today, while all of the previous Jethri books are fresh in my mind, is to read this document.

With the help of System76, I have resolved the problem of the two computers that would not update. Honestly, System76 has the best help-desk people in the known universe. And now Fezzik the laptop and Steve’s Short Meerkat/Sharon’s Writing Computer have up-to-date POP!_OSes.

In addition to reading the incomplete draft of Trade Lanes, I have some correspondence to catch up on, and the laundry of course, so I can commence in to packing the purple duffle bag.

What’re you doing today?

Here, have a picture of Sunny: