Tag: coon cat logic

The Writing Life

The Long Back Yard:

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Saturday. Snowing, but lightly. There may be half-an-inch of new stuff on the ground.

Breakfast was cream cheese on toast with a side of grapes. Breaking now for lunch and to bake pork chops, so I can have something to eat tomorrow (today, I’m having the other half of yesterday’s sandwich and a bowl of lemon-orzo soup).

Wrote about 1,200 words this morning. Intend to go back after lunch and write some more.

Did PT Homework Part One, and my duty to the cats. Prepped the pork chops that are now in the oven.

The cats are in Steve’s office. Tali’s feeling feisty today, she threw Rook off of the top of the cat tree, and then took over his box on the desk. He has retired to Scrabble’s Basket, which resides on its own stand in the V made by the sliders.

Speaking of sliders, I need to take measurements so I can order in some up-and-down blinds from Blindster. They promise me no-tools installation, so I’m in.

And? I think that’s all I’ve got. I have not looked at the news today, and that seems to be working well, so I’ll be continuing there.

What’s happening at your house today?

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Tali’s new PR photo:

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Saturday evening. Still snowing. Might be an inch out there by now.

Wrote just about 3,100 words today, bringing the total wordcount to +/-135,155. I may actually finish this draft tomorrow, for values thereof.

All cats have had their front claws clipped. Two out of a possible three cats cursed mightily at this indignity and have sworn to File Complaints. Firefly was Stoic, today.

Speaking of Firefly, her fans may recall that she really doesn’t “get” the whole spring thing. Tali is a very enthusiastic player. Rook, who really is Scary Smart will chase the spring, and either bring it back to me so I can throw it again, or will guide me to where it’s gone, so I can throw it again.

Firefly — eh. The spring bounces over her head, she shrugs and walks away. It lands at her feet and the only thing she does is sit there. Unless Tali careens into her, whereupon she’ll pound Tali in the head.

So — no chasing the spring for Firefly.

She will, however, barter them. It goes like this: she does understand that the springs have value, and she will occasionally go find one, and then come to me, making her “I caught one!” sound. Which is my cue to? Get out the Cat Dancer or the blue octopus, so she can play in her preferred manner.

What’s also interesting is that the other two recognize that she has purchased this time, and, while they’ll watch her play (sometimes, they don’t even bother to attend her play session), but they won’t intrude on it.

And they say cats are dumb.

So! Time for a glass of wine, I think.

Everybody stay safe; have a good night. I’ll check in tomorrow.

In which the writer writes

The Long Back Yard:

Thursday. Got up at 5:30, because that’s when I woke up.

Rained all day. Except for short breaks for PT homework, and eating lunch, doing one’s duty the cats, and moving laundry from the washer to the dryer to the bed, I spent all day on Catalinc Station. Wrote about 2,100 words, WIP stands at something more or less like 132,000. And I still haven’t gotten to The End.

Speaking of laundry. I was just now sitting on the bed, pairing up my socks, under Rookie’s close supervision, when he stood up, grabbed a sock off my lap and headed west with it. I did catch him before he took it down to the cellar.

The spine doctor’s office called today to gather information ahead of tomorrow’s visit, and I’m feeling encouraged. The person I was talking to actually listened and asked follow-up questions that actually followed up on what I’d said.

So, I’m about done for the day, excepting a look at the email to see if there’s anything I have to answer. If not, I’ll read for a while, grab a sandwich and a glass of wine and call it day.

Tomorrow’s going to be V. Cold at the ocean, but I believe I will time my trip so I have time to swing by the Actual Ocean and breathe in some salt air.

And that? Is all I’ve got. Writing being boring like it is.

What did y’all do today?

Oh! I am remiss in saying that the heated foot pads are awesome and I don’t know how I lived without them.

 

Write the day away

The Long Back Yard

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Writing is all about the clothes

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Tali decided to go full paws-on

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So, that was a day. What day? Wednesday!

I slept “late” because I was exhausted from all my carrying-ons yesterday, and beyond that, I can’t tell you where the day went. Well. I can actually tell you where the day went, but that would contain spoilers.

In broad terms, it says here that I wrote +/-3800 words today, a figure I take leave to doubt. I’m thinking I probably missed a word count somewhere along the line. I sure of +/-2000, so let’s leave it there. The WIP entire now stands at 128,270ish words, and we are at that fun part in the proceedings where the more words you write toward the resolution, the further away the end gets.

Also, I made the mistake of answering the telephone — I have got to get with Fidium and find out wtF they’ve done to my landline, someday when I have three hours to sit on hold, which isn’t happening this week.

Anyhoot, I answered the phone and as a result of this hasty action, I have an appointment at Neurosurgery and Spine (no, not a law firm) on Friday at 2pm. It would appear that Neurosurgery and Spine is in Scarborough. Maybe I’ll go down early and hit up OOB. Oh, wait. I think I know where this place is. Sort of. Which is why the gods in their infinite wisdom gave us GPS.

So! I have tomorrow to write all day, then Friday I’m traveling, then Saturday and Sunday to write.

It’s an odd life, but mine own.

How’s everybody doing?

Today’s blog post title brought to you, sideways, by Van Halen, “Dance the Night Away“

Long day

What went before:

Saturday. Sunny and warm. Snow is melting apace.

Breakfast was, as planned, the leftovers from yesterday’s chef salad scrambled with two eggs, which made for a pretty big meal. Not sure what lunch is. Cheese and crackers? Could be cheese and crackers.

Got to work early despite having to stop and fix the toilet in Steve’s bathroom. I should say, mostly fix. It’s stopped the constant running, but the float seems to have sprung a leak, so there’s still a little water running out of it. I’ve been resisting calling a plumber, becau$e, but that may be a false economy.

Wrote about 700 words, and taking a break because that last scene reduced me to, um, tears.

It occurred to me that there ought to be heated mats to go under desks, and there are, byerlady! So — retail therapy FTW — a mat for Steve’s office, a mat for the studio — a mat for my office? Oh, why not?

After shopping, I’ll go back to write some more until lunch time, after which it’s track changes, which, with the application of a bit of elbow grease, I may finish today, and wouldn’t that be nice?

Also? Despite having been doing nothing for days, the desk in my office is once again overflowing with stuff. I hope the goblins haven’t found another way in.

I bought a very nice “beginner” demonstrator pen from JetPens — it arrived yesterday. My only beef is that it’s a cartridge pen, but there’s getting to be some days when I oughtn’t be left alone with a bottle of ink, so there is that.

I can’t really tell you much about this pen, since the packaging is completely in Japanese. I can say it’s a Pilot pen, and it’s name appears to be kaküno. Writes nice and smooth; very light in the hand. I haven’t dropped it yet, so can’t report on its durability. Cheap, too. Under $15US. I got the medium nib, because that’s the way I roll. If you’ve been thinking about trying a fountain pen, this might be worth your time to explore.

Thanks to everyone who suggested anime worthy of watching. I remember I was looking for Spy Family the day Steve died… This is not to lay blame or to invoke the Sad, but to say that I had apparently thought we’d enjoy it, and while I have Crunchyroll, I might as well have a look-in.

And, yes, I am talking about trivialities while the world is on fire. The only thing I can do at this point, is what I always do, and be a witness for civilized behavior.

deep breath

How’s everybody doing today?
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So, yeah — cheese and crackers and an orange. That’s lunch, innit? Am drinking “figgy pudding” tea from my Christmas teas. I had not been sanguine, going in, but it’s quite tasty and delivers the warmth that the rest of the meal lacked.

On the writing front, that’s +/- 1,340 new words. WIP stands at +/-124,785.

As soon as I’ve finished my tea, I will do my duty the cats, then clear a space on my desk so I can track me some changes.

The cats think I ought to take a nap, and they’re probably not wrong…
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Toe bean break:


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Yeah, I should’ve taken a nap. OTOH, the track changes are done and returned, and! I managed to turn off the water running into the toilet, go me.

I had made a comment the other day in my rant about the cost of Sssses and the prevailing wisdom of adding a “third” S to perfectly good words. Sometimes, in fact, the prevailing wisdom only adds one extra S.

Example: Chaos’s

That? Is an ugly something or other.

In my day, believe it or don’t, when you had a situation where you needed to show that Chaos was being possessive, you indicated that by this: Chaos’

Which looks much better to me than all these random Sssses wriggling all over the page.

All that said? I’m tired, and Rookie is insisting that it’s Happy Hour, so it must be time for me to wash the pots ‘n pans.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe.

I’ll check in tomorrow.

The Friday Report

So, I woke up at 5:45, and my neck was swollen and sore again and I addressed the universe in a disrespectful manner. Then I took the Command Decision to FTS, got up, got dressed, made a cup and a thermos of tea, took that and a KIND breakfast bar back to Steve’s office, woke up his computer and got to work.

I broke for lunch around noon, having written about 800 words — lunch being a chef’s salad from the deli. I ate a little more than half with a serving of soup I’d had in the freezer. Tomorrow, I’ll put what’s left — some meat, cheese, tomato and onions — into scrambled eggs for breakfast, so that’s ONE meal figured out for tomorrow.

Returned to Steve’s office after lunch and wrote some more. Got tired eventually and quit for the day. Did my duty to the cats. Waiting for the mail to arrive so I can bring in the package that’s supposed to be included before the ink freezes, then take a shower and probably collapse.

I should report that I feel somewhat better than I did when I woke up. I did take the combined Motrin, and if the kind of pain I woke up with this morning is what it’s keeping at bay — all honor to it. Also used hot compresses on my neck.

The cats have been hanging in all day, which was! Cloudy and warm. Snow is melting, or at least compacting. I’m really glad I asked the Magnificent Plowguy to sand the driveway. HUGE improvement.

Finished watching The Apothecary Diaries last night. My *goodness*, that was some tight storytelling! Well done, writers.

I can now cancel Crunchyroll. I do, yes, realize, that there’s a ton of anime offered there, but the chances of my stumbling upon anything actually worth watching are, um, low. If anybody had a rec that’s worth keeping Crunchyroll around for — by all means speak. My taste, apparently, runs to stuff like AD. Back in the day I liked Fruit Baskets and … the one with the duck — ah. Princess Tutu. Writing Anime. If that’s not a subgenre, it ought to be.

And the mail’s in! And Rook is chasing Tali around my office because it’s all her fault. I’m pretty sure I don’t want to know what “it” is.

Writing stats: New words written (I think not all of these today, but honestly, what do I know?): +/-2,190. Total words in WIP: +/-124,117.

And that’s the beans.

How’s everybody holding up?

Earlier today.  Firefly had ennui.

Thursday. . .

The Long Back Yard

So. Thursday. Grey and on-and-off snow showers. Yes, that means I now have a icy driveway with a coating of snow.

I went to bed more or less at my regular time, and got up more or less at my regular time. Tali came to keep me company while I sat with the Happy Lite, and after breakfast, all three of the cats hustled me back to Steve’s office, with three very high tails: Oh, Good! Mom’s gonna work!

Breakfast was — all together now! — oatmeal with peanut butter and chocolate chips (Note to self: get more peanut/almond butter). Lunch was chicken in butter masala over rice with grapes on the side (Note to self: get more chicken breasts). Before anybody gets too excited the sauce came out of a jar, but I quick defrosted the chicken and browned it, so, yay! Cooking.

I had to name a ship and a Scout Archivist team, so I only wrote about 700 new words, though part of that was:

“Is that humor?”

Jen Sin thought for a moment. “Do you know? I’m not certain.”

Next up is putting away dishes, washing pots ‘n pans and writing some notes for the next section of Agent of Change. I’ll post a link when it’s up.

How’s everybody doing today?

Last post of 2025

2026 accounting set up. Got sidetracked on the swapping out of files by the recollection that Dead River was supposed to have delivered oil yesterday and?

That didn’t happen.

Called, and the dispatcher is temporarily unavailable, and someone will call me back. Staved off a panic attack by stripping the bed and putting the sheets in to wash. Tali came to sit on my lap, and assured me that she’d go get oil for me, just as soon as she got in all her scheduled naps. Won’t do to get behind schedule.

So, I’m guessing I should finish with the files, then heat up my leftovers, and hope somebody calls me back, or yanno, just sends an oil truck.
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The oil truck has arrived, and the young lady in charge has knocked on the door to make sure that “This is the house, right?”

And another praise well-earned, the young lady did not bring her truck down into my still slidey drive, but parked across the top. While she was minding the hose, the mailman came by, so I put on my ice grippers and my jacket. By the time I was ready to brave the tundra, she was coming back with my receipt and my mail — “Oh, no!” she said. “I didn’t want you to have to do all this. You stay safe, and stay warm!”

The home office at Dead River couldn’t exactly tell me why my oil has not been delivered on schedule, but they sent their A Level to fix it.

For whomever was wondering about the price of oil — Mary Carol?

268.1 gallons #2 heating oil @ $3.299/gallon. $884.48.
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Files changed out. 2026 accounting set up and awaiting entries . Desk put into neatness, and the dining room table, too. Remade the bed. Dishwasher doing its thing.

I am a tired woman, and I have a glass of wine in hand.

I either will or will not stay up to usher the old year out. I’m hoping that the Accounting Department sends us something akin to Mad Delm Theonna for 2026, because the Gods They know, we’re gonna need that kind of energy on our side.

Tomorrow, as has been my habit for many New Year Days, I intend to begin as I mean to go on. Which means I will be writing.

Possibly I will watch a movie, tomorrow. I had thought I would do that this evening, but, yeah, I’m too tired to be patient with a movie.

Everybody stay safe; if you’re partying, be careful. Oh, hell, be careful even if you aren’t partying.

I’ll see you tomorrow.

Wrappin’ up

What Went Before: Tuesday

Total WIP +/-118,724. The cats were a great help.

I? Had forgotten there’s a Zoom business meeting this afternoon at 2, so I’d better get my chores done and my lunch et.

The driveway, as predicted is a sheet of ice. I’ve figured out that all I actually have to do is get inside the garage, so I can get in the car. I can stop on my way out (in the car) to needlework, to collect the mail, which is small snowy tramp. It’ll work. Ghod, I hate ice.

I did not try to take the trash or the recycling to the curb this morning, ref “ice” above. Maybe next week.

How’s everybody doing at midday on Tuesday?
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So, that was exciting. I was getting ready to leave for needlework and!

The garage door was frozen shut. By luck, I had been heating water for tea, and went out and poured the kettle along the inside the door and it opened. Sadly, I did not think of this before I had called my excellent plowguy to see if he had any ideas, and disturbed his evening, but I think I did catch him before he got on his way to my place with rock salt.

I went to needlework, and came back. The car is in the garage, but I don’t dare close the door because I have a PT appointment at 7:45 tomorrow morning.

This is why I hate ice. In addition to the whole sliding situation.

The coon cats have had happy hour and I have poured a glass of wine.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe.

I’ll check in tomorrow.
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Wednesday, sunny and cold.

Back from my early PT appointment, from which I have gained a lot more homework, which I’m supposed to do many times a day. I’m going to have to put a lot of thought into how I’m going to accomplish all this and, yanno, write, read, play, with the cats and all those other extraneous things I do. I obviously don’t want to be crippled with back pain, but I’m thinking there’s a middle ground here, and I need to find it.

After PT, I treated myself to breakfast at Governor’s where, I kid you not, one waitress was handling the whole room, and busing too, until somebody else came on shift. It wasn’t over-crowded, but it was busy enough, and this is where it pays to be a long-term employee in a business that thrives on regulars. She knew just about everybody, we all knew her, nobody was in a hurry or on their way to a Big Freakin’ Meetin’ or anything — and between us, we made it work.

I stopped by the Post Office, collected the mail, stopped by the crosstown Hannaford, which I’m going to have to visit more often, as they seem to have more of what I’m wanting than the one round the corner, and came home to get one of the bags of Emergency Ice Melt Steve had stashed in the back of the garage onto the sled. I opened it with my trusty shovel, then we all half-skated out to scatter melt-crystals over the driveway.

. . . I’m getting down to the bottom of things that Steve stashed away against need, which is a somewhat melancholy realization, along with the other melancholy realization that I’m going to have to be advertent regarding these things.

Ice melt disposed, I came inside, made myself a cup of hot chocolate and checked on the cats — who are all in Steve’s office, because That’s What We Do in the morning.

Excellent cats.

Today, is making 2026 files, which I didn’t have the oomph to do earlier, and setting up next year’s accounting. I have leftovers for lunch, and a good book to read when I’m done my chores.

How’s Wednesday at your place?

Wednesday morning cat census:

Rain, rain go away; come again in May

The Long Back Yard

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It’s being a rather difficult day. Went to bed late and unhappy; woke up about 4:30, still unhappy, whereupon the Coon Cats leapt into action — or at least, onto the bed. In less time than it takes to tell it, I had a cat on top of me, a cat to the right of me, and yes! a cat to the left of me. These guys know their job; I went right back to sleep, and didn’t wake until after 8.

It was very nice to sleep and wake up rested, but it has kinda thrown the whole day sideways.

I’ve done a little bit of writing, and will maybe do some more, later, if I don’t just decide to make a blanket fort and read. I did manage to call Dead River to find out when my next oil delivery is, because we’re coming up on another multi-day interruption in the Usual, and my oil tank is down to less than a quarter. It’s a big tank, but I don’t want to test exactly how big. The good news is that my next delivery is!

Tomorrow.

It’s looking some miserable out there in the Real World. There’s water pooled on my driveway, which will this evening become an ice rink, and it would just be better all around, if, once Winter was Declared, we just stuck to snow as our default precipitation.

Well.

I’ve done some writing, one round of PT homework, more or less decided what lunch will be, though I still need to turn on the oven. Still need to do my duty to the cats, which I guess I’ll do while the oven’s warming.

And then? We’ll see. Though honestly, that blanket fort is looking dern good.

How’s everybody doing today?

The cats agree with the blanket fort idea:

Apologies

Press of business yesterday meant that I forgot to update y’all on the ever-fascinating details of my life.  I now make amends.  Thank you for your patience.

What went before

SATURDAY
Wakened early by Tali cursing the universe and the gods who had fashioned it.

Got up to find Rookie in the hall with a mouthful of orange fur, and Tali sitting on the edge of the dining room table (yes, yes, where No Cat is allowed, and it’s possibly worth noting that Rook did not follow her up there, so at least somebody pays attention to the treaty). Firefly was squinched under the standup desk in my office.

So! I don’t know exactly what the disagreement was about. Possibly Tali told Rook he had a stinky butt — and if so, she was not wrong. So, we did some cat clean up, and then I took a shower to finish waking up and here we are.

Kettle’s on, and Happy Lite also.

And how’s your morning going?
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It says here that I’ve been playing Finch for 500 days.

. . .not sure how I feel about that, actually. . .
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Wrote about 800 words, WIP currently weighing in the vicinity of 115,790. Stopping to do PT homework, one’s duty the cats, and um. I should eat something. I guess. Maybe a piece of leftover ham onna leftover biscuit. That’s lunch, ain’t it?
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Do I look healthy to you?

Time to talk to the virtual-visit nurse.


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SUNDAY

The Long Back Yard


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Well. 2:30, hey?

I got Involved. Wrote +/-1,335 words, did some tinking of former words. The WIP entire now weighing in at +/-117,180. I think I have eight more scenes to write.

My Plan is to write those eight scenes, and then put out a call for Beta Readers. NOTE: This is not that call. I’ll tell you when.

In between new words, I bought myself some on-sale alpaca socks form a local alpaca farm, and did a couple loads of laundry. I really thought I’d done laundry last week, but — maybe not. Whatever.

The cats were with me all day — that would be from 8:15 am until just a couple minutes ago. In fact, they’re still in Steve’s office, because once you get a good sleeping place primed, you just don’t walk away from it.

Though it be late, I have dinner/lunch/whatever on the stove — leftover chicken in gravy, peas, and mashed potatoes. I may actually have a glass of wine with that, because I am done writing for the day. (Breakfast, for those keeping score was oatmeal with almond butter and chocolate chips mixed in. Yes, again. I’m as baffled as you are.)

What else? Oh. I’m doing an Author Event at the Waterville Library on February 21, so I may start giving some thought as to what I’ll be wanting to talk about. I will be reading from Diviner’s Bow, and taking questions, along with the talking.

So! How’s everybody doing this afternoon?