everybody talks about the weather – Page 3

Anything can happen day

What went before: Wednesday. Sunny and cold. Snowed a couple in on the overnight and today the beans are calling for temps near 50F.

My lap is Cat Central at the moment with Tali and Firefly, bumping, purring, prancing, and putting my tea in peril.

The plan for today is to write, write the small breaks for chores and meals. I really really want to get this book done.

What’s everybody doing today?

Dictated with some difficulty to my phone
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Firefly, Queen of the Toys

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I have Done Work. I’m not how much work, because I am now entering the squishy bit of the narrative, where I was just writing stuff down to hit a stopping point.

Tomorrow, I think I need to go back and mumblemumble, which will in theory help me to see the firm ground to the Real The End.

In the meantime, Steve’s computer is upgrading to COSMIC DESKTOP, which is reported less quarrelsome than GNOME. Not that I’ve noticed GNOME being particularly quarrelsome, but I’m not a developer or a programmer, and System 76 does all the quarreling on their side of the transaction before ever it gets to me.

The cats are politely rampaging all over my office, in a gentle attempt to point out that it is Happy Hour.

Spoiler: It is not.

God She knows how we’re going to weather the time change. P’rhaps I’ll lock myself in the basement at 4 pm.

And so glad to hear, as I emerge from a day of staring at words, that congress doesn’t care to stop the little man from burning the earth. So I guess that’s fine, then.

Sigh.

Everybody stay safe. I’ll check in tomorrow.

I hate this timeline.
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Oh, dear. So not a fan of COSMIC, which has sorted my desktop files into a configuration that possibly makes sense to it, but does not make sense to me, and — I can’t reorder them. This is not only Not Cool, but it’s actively upsetting. I need to have the files in a Certain Place that makes sense to me.

Sigh.

Also, I lost my cool wallpaper, which is a shame, but not fatal.

Have written to System76 Support. They’re gonna love me, over at Support.

Office Closed Tomorrow

Exercises in Futility Number Five Thousand Four Hundred Thirty-Three.

Google Home Assistant: And! I can do more things now. You can ask me complex questions and I’ll be able to answer with help from Gemini!

Me: Hey Google. Why did the AI companies steal my life’s work?

Google Home Assistant: . . .I’m sorry. I don’t understand.

Yeah, me, too, Google. Me, too.

Well.

The WIP currently stands at 129,943 words. I’m still fixing the baby fixes. Once that’s done, I need to write some scenes and put them where they belong. Deadline is April 15.

I have Remarks for my event on Saturday. I have also a Reading.

It is not supposed to snow on Saturday, but it will snow on Friday night.

In the meanwhile, and as much as I haven’t been around this week — tomorrow, February 20, the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory will be closed. Thank you for your understanding.

Everybody stay safe.

Tali and Rook, birdwatching

Wednesday on the move

Wednesday. I was not prepared to find 6 inches of snow on the ground when I got up this morning. I had been informed that there would be snow showers today, but that last night would be “clear.”

So, anyway, got up to find 6 inches of “clear” on the ground, and had literally just gotten my boots on to go out to deal with the steps and making a path to the garage so Tali could keep her appointment with her doctor, when the plowguy swooped in and started in to work.

Best. Plow. Guy. EVER.

Relieved of snow-clearing duties, I had a cup of tea, some cottage cheese, and grapes. Then I gathered Tali up from her bird-watching post and bore her, not without complaint, to her appointment. Tali is pronounced healthy and beautiful. She Officially Weighs 13.0 pounds, and she has had her 3-year distemper shot. Her toes were also cut off, all the way around.

For those interested, it is still snowing, very lightly, and is expected to stop around 11:30.

My business today is to finalize my Remarks and choose passages to read. I will probably make broccoli potato soup for lunch, and use my new! food processor to make a batch of hummus. I have two lemons, though I’m not sure I possess a juicer, anymore. I had a glass one from my grandmother, but I haven’t seen it in a while. Of course, I haven’t needed to juice anything in a while.

Tomorrow will begin another 5-day sprint on the WIP, taking beta reader comments into account. I think I have chicken breasts in the freezer. Might be I should bake one or two so that I’ll have easy lunches to draw on. There’s a plan.

Upon arriving home, and being freed from The Cage, Tali relieved her feelings by smacking Rook in the head several times, and then having a mouthful or two of dry food to replace the resources depleted during Her Ordeal.

I made myself a cup of hot chocolate, and considered the question of whether or not I’m going to try to install my blindster today. If it works, I can order in three more and there’s the sliders dressed.

Remarks first.

How’s everybody doing?

Here is Tali, post-Ordeal:

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Made hummus. Had to check the interwebs again to figure out how to make it do, since just sliding the switch to “puree” did not evoke the desired motivation. Turns out you need to press the handle after deciding between “chop” and “puree”.

Despite which, much the easiest way to make hummus so far discovered by this household. I did not find the old glass juicer; I’m of the opinion it left the household sometime back (Note to self: buy juicer), but the lemons were easy enough to squeeze by hand.

Having now accomplished an Accomplishment — Remarks.

Tuesday morning, with biscuits

Tuesday. Sunny and cold. How cold you ask? Five-Fahrenheit-feels-like-minus-five-Fahrenheit.

Trash and recycling are at the curb, boxes of books are in the back of the Subaru, I’m sitting in the comfy chair in my office getting a dose of sunlight, and Firefly is marching around on my lap slapping my face with her tail.

No, wait, now she’s laying on her side making biscuits, no — now she’s tucked up under my chin and gazing soulfully into my face. She’s purring really loudly. So I guess that’s my good morning.

Last night, I watched the first episode of Riot Women and I’m having a good time with it. For values of a good time. They are, after all, talking about a subject that interests me greatly as an old woman, which is the sudden facility to become invisible once you’re past a certain age. This is especially interesting to me because I passed most of my early life as an invisible person, when I wasn’t being told I was lazy and stupid.

Firefly, for those keeping score, is now sprawled across my lap, smiling up at me, purring, and continuing to make biscuits with one paw. I would say that this is a spoiled cat.

In a few minutes I’ll be getting up to get breakfast, which will be oatmeal, chocolate chips, and almond butter and then I’ll get on the road to get my haircut and to deliver books.

What’s on your schedule today?

Late Saturday check-in

Well, then. That was Saturday.

I drafted my Remarks for my library event. I think they may be the wrong Remarks, but you can’t revise what you don’t write down. Still need to figure out how I’m going to handle the reading/what I’m going to read. I’m torn between several small scenes or one big one. May have to resort to flipping a cantra piece.

Spent part of the day loading the apps I usually use on my phone to my Samsung tablet, where they will be larger, which — in theory — will help with this current bout of eyestrain.

I also made a couple more adjustments to the new toy. It did a very credible job of reading several chapters of Getting Rid of Bradley to me last night while I just laid in the dark with ninetyleben pounds of coon cat on me, eyes closed and listening. Rookie, predictably perhaps, has really bonded with Zach.

What else? Oh, Had an email from the owner of Oliver and Company who will be handling the sales table during my event, and it seems we Have A Plan. Always good to have a Plan.

Happy Hour was a touch early tonight, and now the cats have scattered. In solidarity, I have a glass of wine with me here at the computer, and my stomach is informing me that I need to rustle something up for dinner RSN.

Tomorrow starts a Warming Trend, with temps soaring into the mid-twenties and thence into the! thirties! By ghod, it’s practically summer!

Speaking of tomorrow, next week is going to be busy. Yes . . . busy.

Tomorrow, now that my knees and hips don’t hurt enough for me to notice, I’ll change out the cat boxes, only a couple days late.

Monday, first thing, I have a PT appointment. Tuesday morning, I have a haircut scheduled, and needlework in the evening; Wednesday, I need to visit the vampyres, which may be an excuse to have breakfast out; Thursday, I have a podiatry appointment, and I should probably go to the grocery somewhere in all of that. Friday morning Sarah comes by to clean, and in the afternoon, I want to go to the tea at the library. I have a pretty flowered skirt and a top hat, so clearly the sartorial part of the venture is well under control.

Tomorrow, I will also be starting my read of the WIP, so that’ll be fun.

And that? Is the state of affairs at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory.

Weather or not

The Long Back Yard

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Monday. Snowy and cold. Swept the snow off the front steps so I could open the door. About 7 in of really light fluffy stuff so we’re fortunate it’s so cold.

I am presently in the comfy chair in my office which doubles as my pillow fort, watching the snow fall with the happy light on, drinking my tea and eating a blueberry breakfast bar.

Pretty soon I’ll start in to finish proofreading the page proofs and then I can get going with my day.

How’s everybody doing?

Dictated to my phone
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Page proofs are done. I still need to get together a list of errors, and send it to Baen, but that can wait a minute.

Did PT homework, ably assisted by Firefly, who tells me that she’s Scared. I told her that I’m Scared, too, but that I’m going to do the best I can to keep her and the other kids safe, as long as I can.

Swept the front steps again, to clear the door — it looks like we’re up to 10 inches on the ground here at the Confusion Factory. The plowguy came by around 9:30/10 last night to clear the drive to that point, but he didn’t do the steps — an observation, not a complaint — so that’s where I’ve been taking my readings.

The city plows were running the road last night, even after I went to bed, around 10:30. I think I’ve only heard one team go by this morning. The road looks sanded, none of the (very few) vehicles that have been past seem to be having any trouble. I’m not up on whether we’re expecting sleet to finish this off, but we’re not supposed to see the end of the storm until early tomorrow morning.

I believe my Plan going forward into the day is to clean up the piles I did not get to yesterday, do my duty the cats, warm up something for lunch — oh, there’s soup. Good deal. — then start in on making my list of corrections. Tomorrow, I’m going to have to face the taxes again, but — I just can’t at the moment.

And that’s the more-or-less midday report from Central Maine.

Stormy weather

The Long Back Yard

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Saturday. Sunny and bright and just as cold as you can want. Minus one now as I sit in the window under my heated blanket. Minus five when I got up.

I am dressed for success today in heavy sweatpants and Steve’s red wool drover shirt and alpaca socks.

Breakfast was potatoes fried with onions and a side of cottage cheese. Speaking of things I need to remember, I need to remember that I really don’t like Daisy cottage cheese. It’s not them. It’s me. WAY too creamy.

I’m intending to make black bean soup or black bean chili or something soupish for lunch today. It’ll work out.

Speaking of alpaca socks! Right after Christmas, I ordered a bunch of alpaca socks from a local business and apparently hit the wrong button, saying that I would pick them up. A couple weeks went by and they called and said when are you picking up your socks? and I made arrangements to have them mailed to me which they have been. Their trail has gone from Lincolnville to Belfast to Nashua, and now they’re expected by the post office to arrive. Oh Monday. Quite an adventure for a bag of socks.

Today’s plan is to read Page proofs this morning, make soup, and do some taxes.

I’m looking for ways to get some rest in between all of this because I really need some rest right now but it’s not being easy. Well, the snowstorm may actually help with that goal.

How’s everybody doing this morning ?

Dictated to my phone
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Soup’s On

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Moving right along. Biscuit baking to have with the soup — which is kind of a black bean, mushroom, veggie, sausage thingy with a crushed tomato/veggie broth base. Smells yummy. And yes, there are going to be leftovers.

My duty to the cats has been performed. I signed up for two “courses” from the local Adult Ed — a couple-hour Zoom discussion of Maine’s Death with Dignity law, in March, and a three-hour (yeah, yeah) cruise of Messalonskee Lake, in mid-July.

After lunch, I’ll stare at the taxes for awhile. This morning, the cats and I proofread two short stories from LUC6, and may I just say that “The Last Train to Clarkesville,” turned out really well.

What’s for lunch at your house?
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Rookie had some after-lunch advice to give me.
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And that? Is enough fun for one day.

The tax paperwork is a zoo. For last year, Steve of course was TAXPAYER, but this year, I’m TAXPAYER, which the CPA has already gotten wrong once. I foresee a serious boondoggle, if I try to use their damned online form.

Well. Another phone call in my future.

In any wise — Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe.

I’ll check in tomorrow.

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Addendum:

And I see the weatherbeans have adjusted the timing and upped the stakes of the incoming storm. Now predicted to start tomorrow evening and go through to the early hours of Tuesday, 10-18 inches for a projected total, though it looks to me that we’re still looking for 10ish inches.

Which is enough, really.

Still calling for Pretty Dern Cold tomorrow, after minus 10 on the overnight.

Tomorrow may be a pillow fort day, after I cope with the various piles. Might be I’ll bring the page proofs with me into the fort and finish those. At least that’s a task I feel like I have a firm handle on, and which won’t cause me headache inducing amounts of angst.

Well. Plenty of angst to go around. The snowmen apparently came into Maine with a quota, if not an actual shopping list. They aim to disappear 1,400 people, and they’ve taken to threatening observers — following one woman home, pulled a vehicle across the bottom of the street, another at the top, and a third at the curb, rang her bell and said, “We just want you know that we know where you live.”

Stopped another guy who was following a car, and told him he was “impeding” them and that they were delivering his first and only warning. If he “impeded” them again, he would be arrested.

And, because the Portland Police Chief was mean, and said they weren’t behaving like real Officers of the Law, they took 50 or so people they had stolen off the streets and stashed in the Cumberland County Jail out of the Cumberland County Jail and I’m not finding that anyone knows where they are now.

Not to mention the random killing of folks in Minnesota.

They’re trying to start a war, just like the bully in the schoolyard, pushing you and pushing you and pushing you until you break and launch into a fight you can’t win.

God, I hate this timeline.

I do believe I’ll serve up Coon Cat Happy Hour, and have a glass of wine.

Catching up and getting behinder

Summing up: Many many people have applied for the beta reader slots. I can’t possibly accommodate everyone — it’s me, not you — but I am truly amazed and honored by the outpouring of generous offers of help. Even more are the little catch-up notes some folks have included. I love you all. Thank you.

Because the Universe is aria performed by Chaos, yesterday afternoon the page proofs for Liaden Universe Constellation No. 6 landed, sending all my happy thoughts of glass art and gathering up the tax documentation in a non-crazy kind of way out the door. I did, however, bake a loaf of bread. Damn, that’s good.

This? Catches us up to Friday morning

Sunny and chillier than yesterday. The ‘beans have been moving the /f/u/r/n/i/t/u/r/e atmospherics around to achieve a more favorable feng shui. We’re still looking for colder’n a frog’s ear starting tomorrow, but the snow has been shoved over to Sunday/Monday, with a forecasted accumulation of 8-13 inches.

PT may not happen on Monday. I think I’m OK foodwise for the cats and myself. The generator light is showing green, and I’ve got plenty of blankets to snuggle under while I sit in the window and read page proofs.

Breakfast for those keeping count was fresh-made bread-n-butter. Because I am an adult.

Sarah’s due in realsoonnow to defur the joint, which will be much appreciated. I need to make some hot tea for my thermos and another mug, and then I’ll be heading back to Steve’s office to!

Yep. Read page proofs.

How’s everybody doing this morning? Weather, much?

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:

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.