Eagles Over the Kennebec

What went before: 500ish new words, bringing the total WIP to +/-21,750 words.

Knocking off a little early today, mostly because I have correspondence to write and a house to visualize.

Tomorrow, it looks like I'll be in, unless the weather revises itself again. We have gotten nothing like the pretty bad storm the 'beans were predicting. So far. It's supposed to be warm and rain tomorrow, but a lot depends on timing. Right now, it's looking like Tuesday is my day out, in between Monday's warm-and-rain, and Wednesday's -- wait for it -- snow.

Also tomorrow, I need to bake bread. I bought some harvest grain mix which I'm going to add to the Standard Whole Wheat Loaf to jazz it up a bit. There's nothing wrong with the Standard Whole Wheat Loaf, mind you; I just prefer something a little chewier.

Tuesday, of course, is Book Day. It may also be a day to take a short drive and test the proposition that using bluetoothing both googlemaps and sirius xm from the phone will result in my having both things, with the map program interrupting the music as necessary. I'll also see if the car's map program will speak to me when there's a CD in play. I would also like to speak to the person who thought that drivers only need a map or music. Must be a non-driver.

In. Any. Case.

Everybody stay safe; I'll see you tomorrow.

Monday. Cloudy and ... there's something weatherly going on outside -- frizzling, I guess.

Breakfast was the last waffle with sausage gravy. Waiting for one of my extremely rare cups of coffee to brew. I have a choice of leftovers for lunch.

The dry ingredients for today's loaf of bread are mixed together, the other ingredients assembled and ready to be added as soon as everything warms up a bit.

Aside the bread, I have a couple of minor tasks to attend to, but today is, one! more! time!, devoted to writing and to ASL homework.

Has anyone here read Alibi by Sharon Shinn? May I have your no-spoiler impressions?

Unless I knock off really early today, or for some reason choose blanket forting, I will not finish the Honey Pot Plot today. But I probably will finish it tomorrow. It's a spare little trilogy, but I've been consistently amused. I am especially amused that the Myth of the Winged Russian has leaked over from RED (now RED One)-- and for all I know RED's writers got it from somewhere else. The Winged Russian really deserves a place beside Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner. For those who haven't read it, the first book is Rocky Start, by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer.

I've been rotating between reading on the couch in the evening and reading in bed. The cats are trying to work with it, but I get the sense that they prefer reading on the couch, which, after all, has History behind it. Last night was a couch night, and they all four came in to join me. Tali took the top platform of the cat tree, so she could overlook the whole room. Trooper claimed his usual corner of the couch. Firefly snuggled in hard against my hip, and Rook got up on the back of the sofa and put his paw on my shoulder.

And that's the Monday morning report from the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory.

How's Monday treating you so far?

Today's blog title brought to you by Mr. Warren Zevon, "Roland, the Headless Thompson Gunner."

What went before ONE: The taxes have come home. I need to rearrange money so I can write some hefty checks and get them in the mail while we still have mailmen in the state.
After I've done the rearranging, I do believe I'll have a scone and a cup of tea.

Trooper has had his first dose of prednisone.

TWO: I have written the hefty checks. I have moved money around, including setting up the quarterly tax reminders. Nerve-wracking work. After I did all that, I went back to Steve's office, as per protocol and explained what I had done and why, and asked if that agreed with his understanding of how we had agreed to handle the finances.

I didn't hear an objection, so I guess we're good to go, and I will be having the extra glass of wine this evening.

Tomorrow, I need to call the insurance and ask them what the heck they've decided about the bill from the walk-in clinic that they were going to get right back to me about, given that I now have a nasty-gram from said clinic informing me that my bill is past due.

Other than that, I'll be baking a loaf of the Russian Black Bread and transcribing/expanding the scenes I wrote out by hand today. A quiet day -- knock wood. I could really enjoy a quiet day about now.

Friday. Chilly. Raining like a hootenanny. Apparently this will be our day, except it may rain harder.

Breakfast was tomato and cheddar cheese sandwich. This used up the last two pieces of rosemary bread, which means -- yep. Today, I bake.

I'm going to be baking a new loaf for me -- Russian Black Bread. Back in the Before Times, when Steve and I were living in Lowergate Court, and were oh-so-very-broke, I used to bake a black bread that was awfully tasty. I long ago lost the recipe, and the only thing I remember is that it called for a cup of Strong Black Coffee and molasses. Today's recipe calls for espresso powder and cocoa as well as molasses. So, well see how it goes.

In addition to baking a loaf of bread, I need to call the insurance, as previously noted, and I should probably start the laundry, but, honestly? -- that may not happen, since I also want to write. Lunch will probably be fish of some kind. Maybe salmon cakes.

So, that's what's happening with me.

What's happening with you?

What happened since: The bread's in for its first rise.

The Police have graciously provided the title for today's blog.  "King of Pain."

What went before: Yeah, that bread isn't gonna rise, but I'm giving it a chance. I Did Something. Or Failed to Do Something. We'll see, but I Will Be Surprised.

In my own defense: I was sidetracked because a bag fastener exploded into my face when I was unsealing the plastic bag around the flour bag.

That was bad enough, but it deconstructed as it rebounded. I found the two big plastic pieces, but? I didn't find the spring. As those of you who have read the syllabus will be aware -- I have cats.

So, I went into overdrive, looking for the damned spring, got out the mop, the vacuum cleaner, and finally found it -- far, far outside the kitchen (good spring), and then I got back to the dough, which was cold, and 'way too sticky.

And, I expect I'm going to have a bruise on my cheek where the plastic casing hit, so that'll be worth a Look with the Do You Feel Safe At Home question at the doctor's office next week (answer -- no. My Things are trying to murder me.)

Bread dough has been dismissed.

Now deciding if I'm going to push my luck and make a plain vanilla, so to speak whole wheat, or break out the Emergency Loaf from the freezer.

In other news, I've made an appointment to get a COVID booster on Monday, which is sooner than I had wanted, but an allowed move, since my last booster was in September, and I'm over four months. I'm hearing that COVID boosters may no longer be A Thing, and I am going to Baltimore in May...

SPOILER: I made a quick loaf of "plain vanilla" whole wheat. It turned out great. Photographic proof:

Saturday. Sunny and chilly.

Woke up at 6, went back to sleep until 7:30, laid there for another half hour trying to think of a reason to get up. I did not actually think of a reason to get up, unless, "Oh, for Goddess' sake, don't be a crybaby," is a reason to get up.

Breakfast was toast (the "plain vanilla" whole wheat makes great toast -- just a note for those playing along at home), cottage cheese, the last of the grapes. Finishing up the first mug of tea. Lunch will be, it says, here, That Yam you meant to eat last week.

I have a few chores to do, and I may pull out the scrapbooks that I'd been putting together last year about this time, and see if I can recover any idea of what I thought I was doing.

A quiet day, in other words, with nothing much on the schedule. Except putting the kettle on for another cup of tea.

Who has a schedule today?

Saturday morning cat census:

What Went Before: Yesterday, I changed out the cat boxes, vacuumed the basement, made bread, and wrote, all against a background of snow, then sleet. The plowguy came by in the late afternoon to plow the accumulation, leaving a skin of snow for the sleet to fall on, rather than taking it down to the asphalt and turning the driveway into an ice skating rink.

I also posted a snippet, which is reproduced below. Before we go there, however -- A Word About Snippets: I often snippet from the WIP. I do this to share the joy of the work. In my mind, it's analogous to my having baked a batch of cookies and offering you one. I am aware (sigh) that some people are ... offended by snippets for various reasons that seem Good To Them. If you are one of those folks, and you see SNIPPET in one of my blog posts -- skip over that part. You don't need to write to me to explain how offended you are; I'm fine with not knowing. Both of our blood pressures will thank you.

SNIPPET: He sighed, and tapped the screen, swearing to himself that if it was anything less than news that the twelfth quadrant had disappeared, he would allow it to languish unopened until he had – and froze, staring at what was assuredly one of the rarest items in all the universe.

He had a letter from Theo.

Rarity though it was, he made no move to open it. Such things ought to be treated with respect, if not active alarm.

Monday. Windy and V. cold. Right now, it's 17F-feels-like-7 (-8C-feels-like-minus-13). Avalanche warning for the White Mountains (in New Hampshire, about 120 miles from the Cat Farm) through Tuesday mid-morning.

Trooper is sitting on my lap helping me write this.

It snowed another inch or two on the overnight. Somebody was kind enough to plow out the berm at the end of the driveway last night. I know it was last night because a fresh-plowed pile would be dirty, and this one is white, so it was snowed upon after it was created. Dunno if the plowguy will be by for the last couple inches; time will tell, and as previously advertised, I'm not going anywhere.

I hereby declare that the trash and recycling will not be going out to the curb tomorrow. I cleared the trash containers in the house Saturday before it started snowing, so we're all good here.

Breakfast was oatmeal with walnuts and raisins. Second cup of tea to hand. Lunch will definitely be leftover stew.

Last night, I again tried the reading-in-bed thing, eventually joined by Tali, and then Firefly. Rook did a check-in, but it was too early for him to go to bed. Trooper was in the big cat ring, and I don't blame him for not wanting to leave it -- that thing is cozy.

I was not particularly restful after I turned off the light, and even after Trooper joined me. He finally grumped, got down -- and about five minutes later came back with Firefly, talking all the way. They both got on the bed, Firefly took up her position on my hip, Trooper on my ankle, and that did the trick. I slept until the late, luxurious hour of 6:15am. Cat magic FTW.

Dishwasher is doing its thing; I have my duty to the cats, a few pieces of correspondence, and some banking on the to-do list, but mostly, I'm free to write. I'm very interested to see where these letters lead us.

Apparently, I'm expecting a UPS delivery, but no mail -- oh, wait. It is, in the US, President's Day. No mail delivery. That's fine.

How's Monday treating everybody so far?

Today's title brought to you by The Eagles, "Life in the Fast Lane"

Yesterday's bread -- this is a Pullman loaf, swiped by the US train chefs from the French pain de mie.  Its chief attraction is that it makes a uniform square loaf that's good for same-sized sandwiches, with very little waste.  Mine is whole wheat; the original is a white bread loaf.

What went before:  Though the poolish survived, the bread . . . was not perfect.  The dough stayed sticky, rather than firming up, and trying to slash it before putting it in the oven was an exercise in comedy.  The loaves came out of the oven looking like two very large potatoes.  The bread does taste good, though the crust is too chewy, and I say this as someone who likes bread that fights back.  So!  A learning experience.  I'll be trying again.

Onward!

Monday. Cloudy and 20F/-6C, heading for the tropical high temp of 36F/2C. <fe>I may have to open the windows.</fe>

Ate the second banana -- which was soft and sweet. First cup of tea brewing. Need to seek out the rest of breakfast, which was!  A blueberry muffin and cottage cheese.  I have no idea what's for lunch.

Today is straightening up the house, which I never got round to the other day, getting some vacuuming done, taking care of computer domains -- which I also let slide -- and sitting in a chair with a pad of paper and a pen, staring at nothing.

Full day, right there.

How's Monday treating everybody so far?

Below, an action shot from last night's Cat Dancer tournament.

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.

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.