Tag: coon cat logic

There’s a man with a gun over there

Sarah came, she cleaned, she left. The cats all came back to Steve’s office with me, and we read the first 50ish pages of LUC6.

My duty to the cats has been performed. The oven is heating for lunch.

After, I’ll work on the taxes for awhile. I’m not sure if everybody is being Very Diligent about their 1099s this year, or if I’m in a time-slip. Or, yanno — both. In any case, those columns of numbers ain’t adding themselves.

This year the CPA had opted to go Electronic Only for its fact-finding questionnaire, and I hate it with a Deep and Abiding Hatred, leavened with Frustration. Also, the upcoming snow event is weighing on my mind. I think I may not be ready for a blizzard. And February lies before me. I’m not particularly sanguine about February this year.

Also, yanno, ICE is in Maine doing its damnedest to make the False Narrative that we are a hellscape of crime and brutality into reality.

*raises hand*

May I fast forward to April 25, please?

No, didn’t think so.

How’s everybody doing at midday, Eastern?
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So, I called the CPA and the poor young person who answered the phone had to tell me that, nope, I can’t download the questionnaire until it’s filled out, adding that she is compiling A List for the people who market this program to CPA firms, because I am not the first one of their clients to have blown a gasket.

The solution was to go to the office — which, thank ghod, is only ten minutes away — to pick up a paper copy to work from. I have done this.  I have also, hopefully, provided the necessary encouragement to change the name on the account to Sharon Lee, as today was the third time I was asked if the account might be under another name.  I was Not Nice.  “Why,” I said, “maybe it’s under my dead husband’s name?”  And, yep, that’s where it was.

On the way home, I picked up a chocolate milkshake. With whipped cream.

I am now going to go drink said milkshake and then make several copies of the paper form.

Technology. It will make everything easier.

Yeah…
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In all, this has been . . . a trying day. I’m exhausted. Did get some things accomplished in a taxward direction. It just seems so unfair that you have to do all this work only to have to write a check at the end of it. Yes, yes, I know — some people get money back on their taxes. That? Has not been my reality for a Very Long Time.

Poor Rookie is starving.  Happy Hour is days late and he has Composed a Poem regarding this tragedy, which he is shouting non-stop from all corners of the house — testing the acoustics, I guess. The girls are occupying various High Places well out of the Poet’s way.

I briefly thought about hiding under the bed, but then I remembered that I have a Captain’s Bed, so that’s out.

Tomorrow will be more of the same, and the day after that, as well. I do find that some places are stating that they’ll issue the damned 1099s on January 31 and not one minute earlier, so that’s good to know, and I can’t for the life of me remember what I did about BN; as in, if I closed that account entirely. I can’t seem to get into my publisher account there. OTOH, they did sent me $150 last year.

I need to remember to write things down. And then I need to remember where I wrote them down.

It may be I’m losing this whole Going it Alone Thing by Slow Attrition rather than A Bolt from the Blue.

And on that cheerful thought, I bid everyone goodnight.

Be careful, stay safe. I’ll check in tomorrow.

Today’s blog post title brought to you by Buffalo Springfield, who first sang it in 1966. “For What It’s Worth.”

Monday and Tuesday, too

Monday, condensed

The Long Back Yard

1 Monday morning. Snowing lightly. And the sound of chainsaws from next door.

I expect it will be my turn when and if the guys get here with the equipment since they have to take down two big pines for me.

In the meantime, since I don’t have any work to do today, I’m sitting in the comfy chair in the window in my office with the happy light on, dictating this note to the world.

How’s everybody doing today?

2 My mission today, aside from staying away from chainsaws and falling logs, is to change out the cat fountains, and catch up with friends at Front and Main this afternoon.

I will also, today, or tomorrow, be posting Explanatory Notes to the Read-Along thread on Splinter Universe, explaining why I fell off the wagon, and offering some insights to the rest of Agent of Change and Conflict of Honors.

I am now reading Carpe Diem, aka Val Con and Miri go to Madison, Maine, which I’ll note that they arrived there before we did. We finished Carpe and mailed it to our editor before we made our own migration to Maine, where we fetched up in Skowhegan, which is right handy to Madison.  The first time we drove through Madison’s shopping district, I said to Steve, “This looks really familiar.” And he laughed at me, the rat. Which is when the penny dropped, and I said, “It’s real?”

3 Well. That’s a different look. I purely hate taking down trees, and, yes, I know that these were in fact very sick trees, and a danger to the house in the next high wind, and that the top of one had already (previous to our tenancy) snapped off in a windstorm, but — still.

Trees.

4  So, that was a nice visit before the group splits for winter vacations. Front and Main has an amazing lobby. There was a woman at one of the tables all set up with her papers and her laptop, and honestly I think she’s on to something. The tomato-veggie-lentil soup was very good, and so was the company.

Went to the grocery after, but forgot to go to the hardware store. Ah, well. I’ll be out again tomorrow.

I believe I will putter for the rest of the day. Maybe make a frittata and see how that goes. I should freeze the second pork chop so I have something to draw on; I let the freezer get a little low. I made a fresh batch of hummus a couple days ago, so that’s not quite gone. Maybe some time this week I can bake bread. Oh! And I can finally finish my second glass piece.

So this is what people who don’t write books do. Wow.

Still snowing, just enough to be pretty.

While the tree guys were doing their thing, Firefly and Tali went back to Steve’s office, but Rook vanished, so he missed the play-by-play. When I came home, he had a lot to say about how the trees are gone, Mom, while he was sitting on my lap, banging his head on my chin. I think we’ve managed to agree that it was probably for the best, since he’s had a wee dram of dry food and wandered off to the bedroom window.

And so, the midday report.
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The Long Back Yard:


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Tuesday. Sunny and cold. Trash and recycling are at the curb. The space where the trees used to be is noticeable, but not raw, thanks to the snow.

Breakfast was leftover soup. Lunch with either be leftover frittata or leftover pork and sauerkraut. Prolly pork; frittata will go better in the evening, after needlework.

I have errands this morning, because! not only did I forget I needed to go to the hardware store yesterday, and even though I was there, I forgot to pick up my meds, so back to the grocery for me.

I woke up at 5, and said to Tali, who happened to be sleeping next to me at that time, “I don’t have to get up now.” She knocked her head into my chin — I’m not sure if she picked that piece of communication up from Rook or he from her — and started to purr. And I went back to sleep.

I thought I was going to update the Read-Along blog last night, but I wasn’t able to get into Splinter Universe. That’s been fixed, so I can get with that today. Instead of updating, last night I carried on with Carpe Diem, where I’ve just now gotten to the point where Val Con is introducing his kin’s theme songs to Miri.

And that’s what I’ve got this morning.

What’s everybody doing today?

Is it drafty in here?

The Long Back Yard

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Was hitting the keyboard by 7 am, taking a break now to take trash out ahead of the Winter Weather Event that’s rolling in. I think that most of the accumulation will be on the coast, and so does the tree guy, who thinks he’ll be by tomorrow to take down my two dead pines and do some tree work for the next door neighbors.

I have a date downtown with friends tomorrow, and I hope we won’t be snowed out.

How’s everybody doing this morning?
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Cardinal (male, for those who don’t see cardinals in their back yards):

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Added about 1,000 words to the WIP this morning. Breaking for lunch. Still hoping to be able to have a Good Enough Draft by the end of the day. Can’t type with my fingers crossed, though.

I am somewhat confused by the weather report. Seems like now we may just get a few flakes, which would be OK by me.

Tali tells me that she Very Much Likes pork and sauerkraut. I take leave to doubt this intelligence.

And so the midday report.
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Upcoming Author Event
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That’s it. I’m calling this the Good Enough for Rock ‘n Roll Draft. It does not properly end; it stops. This is not particularly unusual in our Good Enough for Rock ‘n Roll Drafts, and I might as well stop here.

I wrote just over 3,700 words today, bringing this draft to +/-138,880 words. For comparison, Salvage Right was turned in at 132,000 words.

I will, oh, on Wednesday, put out a call for Beta Readers. If you’re thinking you’d like to do this, bear in mind that what you will be reading is a draft — which not only means that it likely has holes in it, but there are without a doubt misspellings, ugly sentences, disreputable punctuation and a shipload of other errors present.

What I’m saying is that beta reading is not for the faint of heart, the short of patience, or, really, the short of time.

This is not, notice, the Formal Call; that will come on Wednesday, when I will also explain what the nitty-gritty of beta reading means to me.

Rookie has been running up and down the hall like a crazy man for the last hour, looking for Happy Hour. Happily, I have Happy Hour right here in my pocket, and realsoonnow, I’ll be serving that up.

The weather beans have abandoned the whole snow idea up here in the center of the state for right now. We may, it says here, get an inch on the overnight. Which is, actually, very good news.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe.

I’ll check in tomorrow.

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.