life after the apocalypse – Page 16

In which there will be the baking of bread

What went before: Still not finished the story, but! I feel much better about the story as a whole. It’s a rare wonder what the Active Voice will accomplish. I know I keep saying this, but! Maybe I’ll finish it tomorrow.

Also, I could really feel my brain clicking along, rather than struggling for each paragraph, so, yanno, I may be able to write a book sometime realsoonnow.

Onward!

Saturday. Sunny and the ‘beans are calling for a high of 24F/-4C.

Breakfast was eggs scrambled with ham, cheese, onions, and toast. Kettle’s on for my second cup of tea. Lunch will be chili.

Today I’m working on the story, but, also! I intend to bake French bread this weekend. I was going to get into making bread every week, but the Lightning Turnaround on Diviner’s Bow, followed by getting sick, twice, kind of threw those rosy plans into the bin.

This recipe is a little tricky because you have to make the poolish the night before and let it rest overnight at “room temperature.” Overnight “room temperature” here at the Confusion Factory is 60F/16C, which is a little cool for dough, and of course the silly electric stove doesn’t have a pilot light (yes, yes, still bitter about having to give up my lovely propane stove). I guess I’ll just cover it and set it in the microwave to rise.

Assuming all goes well, and the poolish rises as should, this will be the inaugural use of the baking stone. I really hope I can pull this off; the batards I made at King Arthur Flour school were amazing, and I’ve been wanting more ever since I ate the last slice.

I also have a recipe for oatmeal blueberry lemon breakfast muffins that I’m wanting to try, but not today. I need to seek clarity of the differences between the “quick-cooking rolled oats” called for in the recipe and the Red Mill Old Fashioned Rolled Oats which is the household go-to.

Yeah, looks like I’m pretty much back online.

Those who follow the writing schedule should be aware that the deadline for the book after Diviner’s Bow (deadline=when I am to turn the book in) is April 15, 2026. This means there will probably not be a new Liaden book in 2026 (unless Baen opts to do the Lightning Thing again). I’m sorry about that, but I really need to protect my brain, which, aside the coon cats, is the Number One resource of the House.

Regarding The Big Cat Hunt — there is a cat show this weekend, so planning is on hold until next week. Watch the skies.

I think that’s all I’ve got.

What’s on the books for you this weekend?

Oh, hey, let’s do the Time Warp, again. Sharon Lee at Boskone 45. Photo by Steve Miller.

Cats, Technology, Writing

What went before: I did not finish the story yesterday. There were several reasons for this.

Reason One was details necessary to The Great Cat Hunt. I went from no one answering their email to four people answering with varying degrees of “we might be able to make this work.” This required some Examination of My Wants and Preferences, because, no, I could not take them all. We’re still working out travel arrangements for the winning candidate.

Reason Two was that I had realized that I was being Too Damned Timid, and not wishing to get up close and personal with a Bad Thing that certainly had bearing on the character. Also, I needed to clarify the stakes. So, I have to rewrite a couple of scenes, and then write the last scene.

Reason Two-Point-Five is that my keyboard was — lagging. Honest, I was getting two sentences ahead of the words appearing on the screen, which — I can’t tell you how crazy that makes me.

So, I unplugged the keyboard I had been using, and tried to set up the wireless keyboard. Only bluetooth on the computer will not play nice with the wireless keyboard (Message one: Connected! Two Seconds Later, Message two: Disconnected!). I’m very disappointed in this keyboard, and I had such high hopes. For one thing, it’s supposed to light up — which it did at first, but then it stopped and the folks I bought it from want me to do things that I fail to understand in order to MAYbe? get it to work again. And now this thing which essentially means I have a wireless keyboard that has to stay plugged in.

Onward!

Friday. Sunny and already as “warm” as it got yesterday.

Breakfast was a two-parter. I grabbed a banana (I thought it was ripe; it was still — crunchy. Hate me a crunchy banana, but I was committed by that time.), answered a letter, then got dressed. Sit down breakfast was oatmeal with raisins and walnuts. Lunch will be fish.

Today, aside from emptying (and refilling — honestly, who threw a party when I wasn’t looking, and left all the dishes in the sink?) the dishwasher, one’s duty to the cats, on-demand scrubbles, and playtime, will be All About the Story.

I have been pointed to the large, sulky river, where there is an Incoherent Review of Fair Trade that also includes a large swath of a scene from the book, (which I’m willing to guess is exactly 1,000 words) but! that aside? I can’t do anything about it. Despite its delusions to the contrary, I don’t work for the waterway, and they long ago stopped allowing mere writers to ask that troll reviews be removed. Thank you for your understanding.

Pro Tip: If I’m shopping a book and come across an incoherent review, or a review that’s clearly a hatchet job? I skip along to the next review. Works a treat.

Is anybody else having Crazy Times with their FitBit? My watch was charged to 100% before I went to bed last night. This morning, I woke up to a frantic email, demanding that I charge my watch Right Now! I looked — and, yeah, it was down to 6%. When FitBit actually ran the show, the watch perked for a week, and if a power-devouring update was coming down the pipe, they sent a heads-up, so you could plug the watch in. Since Google’s been running the show, it’s like they randomly drain the battery for giggles.

In regard to The Big Cat Hunt, transportation details are under discussion. I am cleared to say that the new director is a Maine Coon.

I finished reading Ties that Bond in Gretna Green, and am still reading Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent in one-or-two chapter bites.

And that? Is all I’ve got to report.

How’s the end of the week shaping up for you?

Low Goal Thursday

Shameless Self-Promotion: Remember! In Just! Five! Days! the audio edition of Sea Wrack and Changewind (ALL of the Archers Beach stories), by Sharon Lee, narrated by Alex Picard, will be available from Tantor Media. Here’s the link.

Thursday. Dim and warmer. By which I mean it was 5F/-15C when I woke up. Supposed to hit the dizzying high temp of 24F/-4C before quittin’ time.

Breakfast was ham and mustard on an English muffin, with grapes. Second cup of tea helped me write a letter. Lunch will be…damn, I knew the answer to that question — oh! Yam stirfry. Good day for it, looks like.

As reported elsewhere, I have an appointment to get my hairs cut this morning. Since I’m letting the tax packet rest, I intend to get with “Core Values” and finish the last scene. After that, maybe some straightening up of the living room, which still has laptops and notebooks scattered ’round. So, not a big day, goal-wise.

What are your goals, today?

She thought of heat; she thought of time

What went before: I worked on taxes yesterday, which was more challenging than I had expected. It’s not like Steve did the taxes, after all. But, in a normal year, this is the place where I would have started nagging him to get me those items and expenses that I did not have through doing the general house and business accounting. This would have gone on for . . . a while — there was some math involved in how long he would put me off before he believed that I was serious — and then the info would appear.

It just feels really wrong that I — have all that information in hand. Right now, and can proceed with adding/subtracting and filling in the blanks.

Onward!

Wednesday. Sunlight an orange glow behind the trees -9F/-23C. Weatherbeans calling for a high of 18F/-8C.

I’m evaluating my need to go out today. I don’t need anything from the grocery store that can’t wait until tomorrow, and while I really *do* need a haircut, I’ll not be receiving today. I haven’t been to the post office in almost two weeks, but I’m not expecting anything urgent, and the post office lobby, where the mailboxes are, is toasty warm, comparatively. On the other hand, tomorrow’s high of 25F/-4 isn’t going to be *that* much warmer. And on the gripping hand! I do *have* a Big Coat. Heck, I have TWO Big Coats — Steve’s parka, and my knee-length puffer coat.

It may come down to a coin flip at 10 am.

But, first! Breakfast. Which was! Cottage cheese with a side of muffin. And tea. Lunch will be leftover split pea, lentil, and ham soup. Kettle on for second cup of tea.

Cat search update: Three inquiries written; 1 answer in the negative received.

I feel — well, and am theoretically TNC (Theoretically Not Contagious). Hoping to stay that way. Though I will be masking when I go out.

If I don’t go out and do errands, then I’ll finish what I can of the taxes with the information in-house, after which it will be the long game of waiting for other people to get their acts together and send me paperwork.

If I do venture out into The Elements to accomplish my errands, then I’ll possibly take the rest of the day off, or maybe see if I can discover that last scene for the story that’s been in progress far too long so I can put it up on Splinter Universe.

. . . one of the things that’s been coming around on the guitar, as the vernacular has it, is the realization that I have wanted to be a writer since I was aware of “wanting to be” something. This predates Steve and cats, and I got to wondering how common that is, that people have known for their whole lives what they “wanted to be.”

So, I’m throwing it out to y’all — when did you (if you did) realize what you “wanted to be”?

Today’s blog post brought to you by Bill Morrissey, “Birches”

Rook joined me for breakfast. Not that he had any of my breakfast; he likes to sit on my lap while I finish my tea, and take a bath, because, yanno, bellies don’t clean themselves.

Herding Cats

What went before: Under Old Business: There have been ongoing discussions between the stakeholders here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory regarding whether or not to bring on a fourth cat. This continues a topic under discussion last February before we jumped from the Timeline That Made Sense to our present position on the Timeline That Doesn’t Make Sense.

Yesterday, the question was called, and all present voted ‘Aye’ with the provision that said new hire would be an older cat, which is to say, not a baby kitten, but a retiree or so-called “older” kitten. We also confirmed that said new hire should be a “kind” of cat — that is to say, a breed. This is nothing against shelter cats; Nicky, Hypatia, Kodi, Max!, and Scrabble were all shelter cats. However, it was felt that, with current crew in-house all being Maine Coons, it would be best to stick with a Clan that’s known to be mellow.

The Secretary of the Board has been directed to seek out possible new hires of the breeds Birman, Maine Coon, Ragdoll, Siberian. One such letter was written yesterday, and has received a reply in the negative.

And that brings us to!

Tuesday. Sunny and cold. Trash and recycling — isn’t that much, I’m lazy, it’s cold — so — next week.

Sun is pouring into my office, but it’s still chilly enough to warrant wearing The Big Fleece Sweater.

Breakfast was an English Muffin with seedless raspberry jelly, an orange, and tea. Kettle on for second cup of tea. Lunch will either be leftover soup, or something else.

I feel — fine. I still do have one day’s worth of meds to finish out, and knock wood that will be the end of that.

I’ve written to a cattery that we had spoken with before Steve died, and have a couple more, non-cat-related, letters to write, but today is mostly going to be dedicated to hitting the Tax Paperwork and seeing how much — and what — Stuff I still need before I can send it on to Gary the Accountant.

Firefly and Rook enjoyed an early game of tag, which Trooper opted out of. Trooper is presently on my copilot’s chair, snoring; Firefly went back to Steve’s office, and I believe I saw Rook heading down the hall to join her.

Summing up — a quiet day planned here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory.

What are your plans for the day?

Pay no attention to the cat behind the curtain

What went before: Yesterday was reading, and noting, and diarying, and playing with cats. I transcribed some handwritten documents from the Revolutionary War for the National Archives — which was interesting, as well as relaxing in its way, and also feels like I’m doing something useful.

Moving on. . .

Monday. Cold and said to be getting colder. Snowed on the overnight, but not the 4-8 inches the ‘beans had called for; there’s maybe 2 inches on the front step.

Breakfast was eggs scrambled with potato, tomato, and onion, toast-and-jelly, and tea. Lunch will be ham and pea soup, starting with a can of split pea soup, and some of one of the little canned hams that Steve laid in — yes, I do have Plans to build on that, and will likely wind up with soup for the freezer. The kettle’s on for second cup of tea.

I’m feeling OK — like I’m just getting over a cold. Looking for the plowguy to come by eventually, because I don’t want to have to shovel snow. I do have to do some laundry today, and I want to look at my notes, and also the short story I was trying to write, to see how far I actually got. I have some phone calls to make, but, as it’s a holiday, maybe tomorrow for the phone calls.

I should also review the accountant’s letter, to remind myself of his deadlines, since I have obviously not been working on the taxes this while.

And that’s it for me.

Over to you.

Gamesmanship

Sunday. Bright, damp, and warm. As mentioned elsewhere, the Long Back Yard is mostly showing grass, with a little snow, no thicker than a heavy frost, where the house casts its shadow.

We here in Central Maine currently rejoice in a Winter Storm Watch, in which we will start watching the snow fall at around 4pm. Expected accumulations of “heavy, wet snow” are between 4 and 8 inches.

Breakfast was oatmeal, because I Couldn’t Decide and I had gotten up latish and needed to eat SOMEthing. Lunch will be leftover potatoes.

So some of you know that I “play” a game called Finch. I’m not particularly good at it, as the game rewards you for changing stuff up, and I like to get everything the way I like it and then leave it there. It also rewards you for nurturing pets, which I find alternately stressful and irritating. Some of the pets are blobs of jelly, or clouds, or drops of — something? — and I have a hard time relating to them. I’m supposed to be hatching more pets, but I’ve stopped because I don’t feel that I can properly take care of the ones I already have.

Now, I did score a cat a little while ago, and my character, young Perry Wink, has been keeping company with her, and saw her safely from kitten to full grown. Honestly, I’d’ve been perfectly happy to just stick with the cat. But — I also had a baby fox in my menagerie, and a couple days ago I linked him up with Perry to have some adventures.

The pets make sounds — the cat purrs, the blob says, “BLOORP,” the llama says, “llamaLLAMA,” and the fox — howls.

I didn’t know that the fox howled, until this morning, when I rubbed his ears and he did just that.

Rook immediately leapt out of the dining room to the Big Intersection, and froze, ears up, tail straight and stiff behind him, head turning slowly from side to side. Firefly came rushing down to join him and the two of them did a sweep of the dining room, the living room, and the hall.

Oops. Won’t be petting the fox any more, I guess.

In health news, I have now reached the Challenge Stage. Which is to say, I feel — OK. My head isn’t stuffed with cotton, the niggling nasty little headache is gone, my teeth don’t hurt, and I feel like I actually have some energy, and could maybe Think some Thoughts.

However! Having had one relapse, I really don’t want another, and I still have meds to finish out. I will therefore attempt to be Smart this time, and continue with the whole rest thing. I will add the Next Novel Planning Notebook to my cache of couch amusements. Just in case, yanno, I do manage to Think something Useful.

So, that’s my news.

What’s yours?

Nought’s had, all’s spent, when our desire is got without content

What went before: I felt somewhat better yesterday afternoon, and managed to attack the Mess on my Desk. I also finished the second Gretna Green book, and got sidetracked into Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent, by Judi Dench and Brendan O’Hea, which is being delightful, restful, and shaking some of the dust out of my brain. I haven’t thought about Shakespeare, to actually, yanno, think about Shakespeare, for decades, and I was never an actor, so not only shaking off the dust, but a new perspective, too.

Onward.

Saturday. Grey and warm(ish). If the weatherbeans are to be believed, we’re in for a spate of crazy weather. Temps in excess of 40F/4C are being called for today, with rain starting this afternoon — which is really unseasonable.

But, wait! We are also under a Winter Storm Watch for Sunday, with a possible fall of 6 inches of heavy, wet, snow. After that, we’ll be in the Deep Freeze for a bit, with highs on Monday around 14F and lows around -4F, warming back up into the 30sF by next weekend.

All winter in a week, and a fine thing it is that I was planning on staying in at least until the antibiotics are gone.

Getting back to the order of the day — breakfast! was a use-em-up meal — the last of the tuna fish, the last of the Dreamberries, and whole wheat toast to keep them company. Lunch will beee……oh. I have veggie burgers. Veggie burger onna whole wheat bun with tomato (but not a slice of cheese, curse you, antibiotics!)

I slept in this morning, in part to make up for the hour of hacking my head off at around 3:30am. I’m feeling significantly better than I did last night, so I can almost forgive the antibiotics for taking my cheese away from me for seven! days!

I have some business to take care of here at the desk this morning, but I’m still on light duty — that seems prudent, given It All. It also means, of course, that I don’t have very much to talk about, so!

What’re you doing today?

Blanket buddies:

It used to seem to me that my life ran on too fast

What went before: I’m looking to reacquaint myself with Gordy Arbuthnot and posted a Scavenger Hunt on FB, to make sure I had all the places where he has appeared and/or been mentioned in the Universe So Far. This brought up a splinter — what had a very long time ago been thought by its fond authors to be the start of the second novel staring Shan and Priscilla (this being before we learned that “nobody” wanted to read about traders), and where it might be found. The splinter is entitled “Shan and Priscilla Ride Again,” and it is collected in Pinbeam Books chapbook Splinter Universe Presents: Might-have-beens and first thoughts from the Liaden Universe®. Amazon link provided as a courtesy.

Moving on . . .

Friday. Sunny and cold enough.

Breakfast was a blueberry muffin with a side of cheddar cheese. Lunch will be … potatoes. Potatoes have potassium, which is good for what ails me, so I’m told.

I was going to Just Get To Work Today. I mean, that was the plan, but having eaten breakfast — I don’t feel so hot, so I’ll just be taking my second cup of tea to the Command Chair and continue with yesterday’s modest researches. Normally, I would do this from the comfy chair in my office, but the antibiotic I’m taking forbids me “direct or indirect” sunshine. Sigh.

Perhaps later I’ll be able to address the Mess on my Desk.

What’s everybody doing today?

Today’s blog title brought to to you by Steve Winwood, “Back in the High Life”

Tete a tete:

Yeah, still sick

Thursday. Blue skies, cold, tiny glittering snowflakes drifting about in the light breeze.

Yep, still sick. In fact, I feel somewhat less well than I felt yesterday, when I felt sick enough to go back to the clinic.

The plan for the day is to drag the laptop and a couple of research books to the Command Chair, in order to make some notes in between staring out the window and drinking tea. I’ve already set up the timer for med intakes.

Breakfast was oatmeal with the last of the cranberry nut mix as inclusions, with a side of cottage cheese. Lunch — I have various soups, and also salad things, so lunch will be Something.

And that’s all I’ve got. Hopefully, the meds will start kicking viral butt, and improvement will be swift.

What’re y’all doing today?