Tag: life after the apocalypse

Out and About

Wednesday. Grey and looking cold outside. I have not yet been outside by reason of the plowguy (All Hail, the Plowguy!) came by when I was still  snuggled in bed under a pile of blankets and three coon cats, to plow the drive and clear the steps.

Looking out over the Long Back Yard, it does seem like we might have gotten another couple/four inches after I threw the towel in last night, so the weatherbeans have redeemed themselves. A Long Slllloooowwww Snow.

PT at 8:00, then the grocery. I need gas before I go to Brunswick, but that doesn’t have to happen today.

Let the calendar show that today was the First Official Donning of The (short) Snow Boots, and the winter jacket (not to be confused with the Big Coat).

And that’s all I got for the moment.

Hope everybody’s having a good morning.
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Aaaaand back.

It is now sunny and bright and the snow is melting off of Surfaces, which is all good until it freezes up this evening.

PT was PT — did a couple laps on the sit-down elliptical (it has a name — NuStep? — but it wasn’t important and I don’t remember it), had tutoring in at-home exercises. I do have an appointment next week, oh! and the week after. So, not so bad with the timing as I had imagined. That’s good.

After PT, I went to the grocery store, where I bought more than was on the list, though not a wreath, because really, Hannaford? Those are some flea-bitten wreaths y’all are wantin’ the earth for. Instead, I brought the groceries home, put them away, and went over to the Agway in Winslow, and bought a on-clearance wreath, then, since I was out and spacing around anyway, I put gas in the car.

Let the record show that I used the Google Wallet for the first time to pay for my wreath at Agway.

Came home and had a mug of hot chocolate and a cookie (I see cookie-making in the future), which maybe could spoil my lunch, if I had any idea what lunch was gonna be, but since I don’t, that’s not an issue.

The cats and I will decorate the wreath this evening.

Speaking of cats:

Tuesday evening post-snowpocalypse

Welp, that ain’t nine inches. Or even six. More like, oh, inch-and-three-quarter? Maybe two? I feel pretty comfortable saying that Physical Therapy tomorrow morning at 8 is a go.

While I’m out tomorrow, I should probably stop at the grocery store, which means I should probably make a list this evening.

Right after I serve Coon Cat Happy Hour. And pour myself a glass of wine.

No progress made on glass today — it was words all the way down. You will also notice the lack of a wordcount. This would be because the WIP is currently in about half-a-dozen pieces and God She knows how many words — or whole sentences! — are sneaking out for a drink when I’m not looking.

Tomorrow, after PT and grocery shopping, I’ll be settling down to write until Saturday morning when I’ll be driving to Brunswick to have an MRI. Or maybe TWO MRIs. My PCP’s office seems confused on this point. I do need two MRIs, and the information I’ve received from the PCP’s office is that they are helpless to add the second MRI to the Saturday appointment, but! If I ask the folks at the hospital nicely on Saturday, they’re sure to do the second one on my say-so, because it’s “in the system.”

Yes, yes, it is a variation on the Secretarial Nightmare: “Call this number and tell the guy who answers this. He’ll know what it means.”

SPOILER: He never knows what it means.

So, Saturday’s looking to be fun.

Local peeps! Where’s good to eat in Brunswick on Saturday? I’ve only ever eaten at The Great Impasta, which is fine, but I’m feeling like I should branch out. Oh, no, I’m wrong. I’ve also eaten in the Bowdoin College cafeteria, but I don’t think that’ll be an option on Saturday.

With all that said! Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. I’ll check in tomorrow.

 

Winter in his snowy white coat

So! As I was saying — it’s Tuesday.

I woke up ‘way too early, ate an English muffin with cheese, sat with the Happy Lamp over a cup of tea and was at work on the WIP before 8 am, which is, coincidentally, when it started snowing. I decided to leave the trash and recycling in the garage; they can make their spiritual journey to the curb next Tuesday.

I’m taking a break from the WIP to make phone calls, and am now waiting for the PCP’s office to call me back about whether I can squish both MRIs into one MRI on Saturday, or if I’ll have to be rescheduled.

I will not be going to needlework this evening. In fact, I doubt that there will be needlework this evening.

Tomorrow first thing is my PT appointment. If I’m plowed out. If I’m not plowed out, Imma be right here, writing. Yeah, you might say I’m conflicted.

It is, as I write this, still snowing, and the ‘beans are sticking tight to their 6-9 inches, slowly petering out around 4 am.

While I’m taking my break, I’ll go downstairs to do my duty to the cats, and start warming the oven for lunch. Then back to work. I really want to finish this draft from the end of the month/year, being as I missed finishing it by the end of November.

buys the boys in the basement those special pretzels they like — and another keg of beer. Always with the beer, those guys.

And how’s the weather where you are today?

Soup for breakfast

Monday. Sunny, windy — let’s just agree to call it cold.

Breakfast was leftover tom-yum soup from lunch the other day. I think I have the name right. Lately, I’ve been trying to order one thing I’ve never had before, so instead of egg drop or wonton, I got this other soup. It’s sweet and sour, with chicken and veggies, garnished with peanuts. Makes a good breakfast on a cold morning.

Lunch was the last of the (unfrozen) Thanksgiving chicken with gravy and dressing. There’s a little bit of dressing left. It’s in no danger of getting wasted.

Trash and recycling is in the garage, meditating on its journey to the curb. Which may be delayed until next week, depending on when the storm starts tomorrow, and if the weatherbeans remain adamant in their 6-9-inch predictions. I don’t have to be anyplace until Wednesday morning, and I have plenty of milk for hot chocolate, not to say stuff to keep me occupied, so, yanno, I’ll be fine.

Finished watching Maigret last night (I had been going to finish the night before, but it was (sadly) clear to me how this was going to have to go down and I wasn’t up for Maigret finding out exactly what his roll of the dice had bought him.) Still, all’s well that ended well, though I fear for Louise and Jules as a couple.

As a writer, I do need to have a Word with Maigret’s writers. Guys? You don’t give a character a Defining Quirk, like, for instance HE DOESN’T DRIVE, and then, when that Quirk becomes inconvenient, suddenly! he DOES drive. Points off, writers. Do better going forward.

My to-do list says I have some phone calls and banking stuff to deal with, but what does it know? I’m gonna go play with glass for an hour, because I am reputedly An Adult. Also, having sat with the manuscript for four hours this morning, I need to think. Actually, I need to talk to Steve, but since that’s a non-starter, thinking it is, and so the glass.

How’s everybody this afternoon? Weather good? Whatcha watchin?

The Long Back Yard at 6:30 this morning:

Easing back into RL

I hate to waste a Buzz Lightyear stamp on the quarterlies (yes, I pay my fourth quarter in December), but that’s all I seem to have.

Also, it’s almost 11 hours from here to North Towinda NY, which — I’m trying to remember how we did that? Surely we didn’t go through Canada? I mean, we might — Oh. Wait.

We went via Pittsburgh.

Maine to Pittsburgh for Guest of Honor gig at CONfluence, then to North Towinda to the Herschell Museum, then to Niagra Falls, late, because that museum is awesome and we got lost for hours, and if you’re ever near enough for it to be even a tiny bit feasible, Do. It.

I remember coming home via Saratoga Springs, so that would have been 90 to 295.

Well. I’m glad I got that straightened out.

Looks to be more snow than mix outside, so, yeah, that’s still happening.

Maybe a cup of hot chocolate before I go down to cut some glass…

Firefly shared her blanket with me, even though I did not share my hot chocolate with her.
So that’s today’s fun with glass. I’d like to say I’m getting better, but what I’m actually doing is less “man that was awful” and more “that was a good cut.”

It’s now raining, and I’m thinking I should investigate the theory of lunch.

 

 

 

 

 

I think I’ve had enough fun for one day. I’m going to sign off, watch the last installment of Magriet, serve up Happy Hour when it’s time, read and go to bed on time. Tomorrow — is tomorrow.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. Watch out for black ice.

I’ll check in tomorrow.

Sunday Snowing

The below is apt.

Yesterday, I did needed chores, ordered in from Asian Cafe, set up my Happy Light, took a shower, dressed in snuggly clothes and watched the penultimate Magriet, cats in attendance. I plan on doing more of the same today.

This morning starts a new winter tradition as I have my first cup of tea with the Happy Light and read FB on Steve’s tablet.

Hope everyone’s doing well.

If there’s a God up in heaven, he has a Silver Thunderbird

So, Thanksgiving.

Went to work early and wrote, eh, 700ish words on the story that woke me up yesterday.  Closed that and wrote another 800ish words on the WIP.

Made a fancy dinner — two chicken breasts, stuffing, gravy, asparagus, San Pellegrino Limonata with a splash of Pinot Grigio.  I had dessert on hand, but I went back to write some more, at which point, there was a BOOM! that shook the whole house and the windows in their frames.  The cats leapt up.  I leapt up.  Honestly, I thought a tree had hit the house, and ran outside — but all was well.  Did a quick tour of the house, including the basement — all was as it should be.

Turned out that a propane tank had exploded in Oakland (Maine) about 5 miles from my house.  People on the neighborhood list on Facebook were saying they heard the BOOM! in Winslow, across the river — call it 8 miles away.  The house was reduced to flinders and flame, one guy was lifeflighted to Portland.  A dog was found in the area, badly burned; people passing by took him to the emergency vet.  Fire departments from at least five towns were called in.  It’s a right mess, and I’m glad I was no closer than five miles, because it was plenty scary right here.

Tomorrow morning, Sarah’s due to clean.  After, I intend to devote myself to My Art for the rest of Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

I do still have one burning question to resolve today, which is!

Do I want to have a chicken sandwich for dinner?

Hope everybody had a good day, whether or not it was a holiday.

Thanksgiving Day in pictures

Today’s blog post title brought to you by Marc Cohn, “Silver Thunderbird“

Smol Update

I would have told you I didn’t write anything today, but in fact, I wrote about 1800 words, so there’s that.

I played around with my glass for an hour or so, straightened up the house, and weighed the livestock, to wit!

Rook weighs 13 lbs
Tali weighs 12.6 lbs
Firefly weight 12 lbs

The coon cats have just had Happy Hour and after I finish this smol update, I will pour a glass of wine and open the mail.

Everybody have a good evening.

Survivalism PSA and writing report

PSA RE: (1) Survivialism/Survivalist (2) Cancer Survivorship Program

. . . on account of I’m tired of answering the question “What is a Survivalist?”

Those who have been with me for a little while know that back in 2020, I was diagnosed with cancer and had my left breast removed. Just about a month ago, after about 5.5 years, my surgeon declared me “cancer free,” and cut me loose from her care.

This makes me a Cancer Survivor (also, apparently, “a warrior”; make of that what you will).

At the Lafayette Cancer Center in Brewer, Maine, when one has achieved 5 years cancer-free, one is given over to the Survivorship Program, which files under Oncology.

The head of the Survivorship program has been called in my hearing the “Survivalist.” At the Lafayette Cancer Center, this person is a Certified Nurse Practitioner; there is also a Nurse Navigator attached to the program, and of course the backing of the entire Oncology Department.

The mission of the Survivorship Program is to provide education and support to help cancer survivors maximize their health and quality of life after having had cancer and treatment for cancer. The program is individualized, and covers such things as a yearly examination — physical, mental, and emotional — referrals to other specialists sometimes needed by surviving warriors, such as psychiatrists or nutritionists; connections to social services, and support groups. Advice about diet, exercise, and all those other tiresome things is available.

The Survivorship Program also keeps track of my mammograms and orders the next one for me; and is just another cord in what is, in Central and Northern Maine, at least, a Very Thin social health network.

You now know everything I know about Survivalists, Survivorship, and Survivalism.

Here ends your PSA. We now return you to your irregularly scheduled flights of fancy.
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Managed to trim +/- 2,000 words from a section of the WIP which probably needs to lose some more words. There’s an “obvious” bit that I can rip out that will lose me another 500 words, but I’m … reluctant to do that. It’s more than I just like the bit (though I do, and “kill your darlings” is not Eternal Wisdom, so nobody go there, ‘k?), so the bit gets to stay.

For Now.

Did a little bit of house straightening this afternoon and will shortly be heading out in the Stygian Darkness of 4:30 pm to go to needlework.

Tomorrow will be writing in the morning, some more straightening of the house, and a bit of playing with glass.

I’ll say goodnight for now, and see y’all tomorrow.

Stay safe.

Here, have a picture of Rookie overseeing my shoddy impersonation of a working writer: