Eagles Over the Kennebec

Saturday. Sunny. Predicted to be much warmer than yesterday, so the windows are, sadly, closed, and we're on station air.

Breakfast was half a blueberry muffin and cottage cheese. Lunch is as yet undecided. I have pork chops that I need to bake, so I could do that at lunchtime, rather than this morning, and freeze two, instead of three. That might actually be the way to go. Turkey burger chili can happen tomorrow, when the 'beans are calling for really hot, and I will definitely be hibernating in the coolth.

Other chores on the day include answering emails, taking the clean dishes out of the dishwasher, swapping out the cat fountains, one's duty to the cats, taking a walk, doing back exercises, and, well, writing.

Since my best writing time is between lunch and coon cat happy hour (and, if I'm honest, after coon cat happy hour til, oh, 10-ish, but I really don't think I'd better go Fully Nocturnal; things are weird enough around here), the Current Plan is to clear chores/appointments in the morning, and after lunch, to write, even if the chores aren't done. There will, after all, always be chores.

Speaking of chores, I Have Viewed How-Tos on YouTube and am confident that I can keep the shower and surrounding bathroom up to spec without killing myself, so *that's* good. God She knows that I have vacuum cleaners. And dust cloths. The only thing that's still a Puzzle are the basement stairs. I think I can handle the cordless vac on the terrain, but there was something amiss with the cordless vac, pre-BaltiCon, which I will have to investigate, now that I'm home.

. . . and John Fogerty has just informed the Listening Audience of Classic Vinyl that "Down on the Corner," was inspired by Winnie the Pooh, whom he imagined busking on a city corner with his band, Winnie and the Pooh Bears. Strange man, John Fogerty.

I do believe that's All The News.

What music are you listening to this morning?

Today's blog post brought to you by War, "Low Rider."

BUSINESS FIRST: The Uncle wishes everyone to know that there are still signed copies of Diviner's Bow available from his website. Signed books make wonderful gifts!

The preview is showing Fair Trade because the link takes you to a catalog page where all signed Lee-and-Miller editions are gathered into one happy place.

Here's the link.

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Wrote +/-1060 very drafty words, which I am not adding to the Official Count until the scene is finished. Which it ain't.

So, questions on Tali's preferred brush. It's called a Safari brush, and is a soft, two-sided rubber brush. There are Tricks to using it. I use the brush, then I take a towel and just smooth it over the cat to get the last of the loose fur out. Tali likes both the brush and the toweling, which are both very gentle operations.

What's so special about dumplings? someone asks. No, not Bisquick dumplings. Chinese steamed dumplings, stuffed with chicken, or pork, or veggies, or combinations thereof. There are also sweet fillings available, but today I went with the savory -- chicken and mushroom. Very good; I expect I'll be a return customer.

The food truck court is right around the corner from a house that Steve and I seriously considered buying, Some Time Back.  We decided that a house that had three steps between the kitchen and the dining room, and three steps from the living room to the bedroom, one step from the bedroom to the bathroom, and two steps down to the sunroom, might not be so good if one of us got sick. Nice house in many ways, including having a separate office wing,  and an attached garage, but the stairs were a deal-breaker. But, man, what a location, twelve years down the road.

In more personal news, Ashley has left me; she has discovered that she's allergic to cats. This means I'll be doing my own housework (poor writer; like she hasn't been doing her own housework for 50 years), which isn't necessarily a Completely Bad Thing. I'd been looking for stuff to hang a Schedule on, after all.

Also! I will be taking a Social Media Free Day tomorrow in order to Concentrate on the WIP. For those who worry about me not having enough fun, I do have turkey burgers, and buns, and baked beans, so that I can be appropriately festive.

Everybody stay safe; those who are picnicking or otherwise celebrating -- have fun!

Let's check in with each other on Saturday.

Tuesday. Sunny, light breeze, coolish.

Waiting for the painter, who will be doing what he can in terms of painting trim and replacing rotten boards on the garage. First mug of tea is brewing. Will shortly be toasting an English muffin in preparation for a pb&j.

I. Had. So Much. Fun yesterday, of which I will speak in more detail after breakfast.

Today, I need to call the vet on Trooper's behalf. I'm hoping this is not the Last Visit, but I'm . . . I don't know. deep breath

I also have an appointment with the chiropractor, possibly a stop at the homeless shelter (turns out they do need pillows), and this evening is sewing at the library.

What's everybody doing today?

And the vet is closed. Or, somebody forgot to take the machine off the phone.

Will call back in an hour.

In the meantime, the painter is here, but the wood is not.

Let's see . . . yesterday.

Watercolor class was a one-off presented by the events coordinator of Waterville Creates, who is herself a talented watercolorist. She was there, not to teach, but to encourage play, and also to sell the Schupf Center programs, including the Thursday Art Making (which has another name that escapes me at the moment), which is free to everyone.

Since my life has of course been unremittingly frivolous, I didn't feel that the call to play was necessary on my part, and I would have welcomed more structure. However, viewing the results produced by the majority of my classmates (this was a VERY well-attended session), instruction would possibly have been superfluous.

So, I played with my colors and the water, and got frustrated, as I always do with art, because I can't make things round, dammit -- what I want to do is reach into the paper and push this bit back, and pull this other bit forward, but the trick of achieving dimensionality with flat materials continues to elude me.

Maybe I should look at Youtube. God She knows I have colored pencils -- I'm not particularly wedded to watercolor as a medium, though it is forgiving, in its way; I quite liked the way the spiky purple flowers came out.

Anyway, I managed to ride out the frustration and dropped into -- "I Wonder What Happens if I do This" land -- and mostly had a goodish time, with what results you may see below.

After class, I came home, provisioned the car, chatted with the next door neighbor, who has been away for some time, and got on the road to Bath.

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I arrived in Bath around, eh, twelve-thirty-ish? Drove to Front Street, parked in the lot, and ate my chicken nugget sandwich in a pocket park, then went for a walk.

I wish to report that, in Bath, Maine, there is a large library and FIVE bookstores on Front Street, alone. There was also a large Maine Craft store, where I had a lovely chat with the proprietor, and a Reny's where I got my Reny's Passport (remember that?) stamped, and joined a very odd conversation.

A man had just concluded a sale when I got the counter and was quizzing the two cashiers about the amenities of Bath, which -- I'm guessing the accent was Jersey, and apparently he was looking to relocate, and you could tell he was struggling with idea of Bath as a, um, city. He phrased it more circumspectly than this, but, basically, he wanted to know where the stuff was. (From my perspective, there's plenty of stuff in Bath downtown, plus extensive suburbs, but, no, it's not Baltimore (punch line: But what is?)

He said "they'd" been to Waterboro the day before, and there wasn't much there, and produced a quiz about Phippsburg, which the cashiers admitted was nothing there though the fort and Popham Beach were worth seeing. He asked me where I was from, and I admitted to Waterville, throwing in the three colleges for a tease. He was briefly interested until I also admitted it wasn't on the water, then turned back to the cashiers with the notion that if he was looking for the stuff, he'd probably be looking to Portland, then? They shared A Look, then one glanced back at him, and allowed, very seriously, as how that was probably so.

I took my package and left, walked up to the top of the street, avoiding the temptations of both ice cream and the cooking store (something to do on another trip!), walked back down the street, got in my car and headed for the Maine Maritime Museum.

Interlude: Reached the vet, left a message for Trooper's doctor.

From yesterday's mail -- the new property valuation, from which I learn that this house has nearly doubled in "value" since we moved here in 2018. Which, of course, means that everything else has at least doubled in value, so moving is Not An Option. Not that I was looking to move, but it's sort of expected that a Person of My Age and Condition will be Downsizing, and -- nah.

I had never before been to the Maine Maritime Museum; I expect I will go back. It's sited on the land that used to be occupied by the Percy and Small Shipyard.

(I am reminded here of the fellow at Reny's and his inquiry after the stuff; Maine used to be full of stuff; and Phippsburg, where there's "nothing much" but the beach and the fort, used to be a shipbuilding mecca, as well as an ice harvesting center -- Kennebec River Ice was popular in Europe. Bath was an international seaport. This was a repeating theme of the day, including on the tour, where we were reminded of history, along with wildlife, sea, and lighthouse lore.)

There is a museum building, but I opted to spend the time before my boat left touring the grounds and some of the outbuildings, which is well worth the time. I particularly liked the display of lobster floats, which reminded me (I think I had known this at one point), that each fisherman had a distinctive float attached to their traps (yes, exactly like brands on cattle), so if you were filching lobster, you knew who you were stealing from.

Mostly, though, I just enjoyed being outside. It was a glorious day -- warm, but not too warm, breezy on the land, but not windy. I chatted with a couple of other tourists, and when the time came, I was first on the boat, and climbed topside.

(Metaphysical notation; feel free to skip. I hate ladders. I can go up ladders, but not down. Prudence therefore dictated that I stay on the lower level and watch the river go by from behind windows.

(But I didn't wanna. And as I was sitting on the dock, waiting for boarding, I had been weighing Prudence against Adventure, and during that conversation with myself, I heard Steve say, very clearly, and as he had done on numerous previous occasions, "I'll do down first, and you just follow me; it'll be fine." He had never let me down before, and there was no reason to think he would let me down this time -- and nor did he -- so, top deck. Best Choice Ever.)

I had noticed, when I was sitting on the dock that it was, er, cooler by the water, so I'd put on my Bug Light sweatshirt (which is winter-weight) -- and that was a good call.

I sat on the backest bench, portside, and that was also a good call, as I could turn around and see the whole of Merrymeeting Bay behind us as we progressed.

We had a full boat -- 50 passengers. On the upper deck, we were all grownups; I can't speak to the passengers below. (The tour before mine did have at least one very small boy, who had a screaming tantrum when mom told him they were leaving now -- speaking to the point made by someone that taking a small child on a river tour would be silly.)

Just as we got underway, a huge fish broke water -- I was apparently the only one who saw it, and I had no idea. "Salmon?", I thought (no fisherman, here), but our guide later told us that sturgeon leap, and if we saw a big silver fish come out of the water, that was a sturgeon.

I can't begin to do justice to the experience. The wind had come up, so it was ... a little ... choppy. I was not uncomfortable, and my fellow top-siders seemed comfortable, as well. We saw Doubling Point; the Kennebec Range Lights, Squirrel Point Light, Pond Island, and (from a distance, the only ocean light) Sequin Light. We saw seals, bald eagle, cormorants, heron, house and woods, and passing towns. It was worth far more than I paid for the experience, and yes, I will be doing it again.

Ten stars out of Five. Highly recommended.

Wrapping up: I can't remember the last time I spent a day almost completely outside. Must do that more often.

Also, one of the reasons I took this particular (2 hour) tour was to try to get a handle on if I could, maybe, tolerate (physically tolerate; bench seating is not kind to bad backs) a whale/puffin watch, which I've been wanting to do forever, and no time like the present. My back does hurt a little today, and I'll talk with the chiropractor when I see him this afternoon.

I talked to a lot of people yesterday; just casual conversations. Usually, I didn't talk to people -- Steve did. See metaphysical note, above.

Yes, I did take millions of pictures, and I'll post . . . a few, as time allows.  Here's a couple:  Doubling Point Light and Seals at Rest: 

Here ends my tale of yesterday's adventures.

Addendum: Information about the Kennebec Estuary, and the six rivers that run together to the sea.

Business first! This just in from Tantor Audiobooks!

To celebrate Barnburner's fifth year as an audiobook, Tantor is knocking 75% off of cover price, which means you can get this fine cozy mystery set in Maine, written by Sharon Lee, narrated by Traci Odom for only $4.00.

The sale ends on July 12.

Please share this news widely. Here's your special sales link

What went before: Still playing chapter jigsaw.

I strung my lights. I couldn't make Plan A, over the bookshelves, work, so we've gone with Plan B. Of course. Plan B being over the windows. It will be fine.

Paid the bills and accounted them, and getting ready to pour a glass of wine and sit down with my headset and my tablet and see if I can't reconcile their sudden differences.

Everybody have a good evening. Stay safe. Stay strong.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Friday. Sunny and cooler. Friday the Thirteenth.

Breakfast was half a blueberry muffin, with a side of cottage cheese; tea. The idea that I had no idea what I was going to eat for lunch woke me up, which seems unfair, though, really, it was almost 8.

Went to sleep listening to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day -- the chapter where she Speaks with Tony at the cocktail party, which is -- so much fun.

I have a haircut scheduled for 11, so I have to decide if I want to keep my hair at what passes for "long" nowadays, or if I want to chop it all off until it stands up in terror. I will before that time of reckoning refresh the cat's on-demand bar and perform my other duty to their felineships.

I have a chiropractor's appointment at 3, and in-between I shall be continuing my solo game of chapter jigsaw, which is necessary because I find Good Solid Blocks of Narrative Here, and then There, and then Over Here, and Then -- is boring, flat, and annoying. I'm aware of the complaint of our books that there are too many characters in too many places, doing too much, but -- nobody wants a bored author. At least, I don't want a bored author, so here we are. Chapter jigsaw to mix things up and keep them interesting.

What're y'all doing today that isn't boring?

What went before: So, I've read 108 out of a possible 197 manuscript pages. Will finish that tomorrow.

Otherwise, a Very Quiet day here at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory (except Now, because Trooper is yelling for Happy Hour NEOW!). I am for some reason Just Exhausted, so it will be an early night hereabouts.

I watched "Rogue" last night from Dr. Who. The Doctor did look ever-so-tasty in his Regency duds, though I'm going to be very disappointed in him if he doesn't find the lad.

Hope everyone has had an enjoyable Friday.

Stay safe; I'll see you tomorrow.

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Saturday. Cloudy and cooler.

Slept late. Thinking about sleeping some more, but! Today is change-the-cat-boxes day, so -- duty first, then nap, if I'm still So Inclined.

It rained last night -- a lot -- and the 'beans are calling for more, off and on, during the day.

Tali and Rook did engage me before breakfast in a vigorous game of Spring, which presently goes like this:

1 Rook and Tali Gather Round, looking up at me Expectantly.

2 I Produce a Spring and show it to them.

3 They wriggle.

4 I throw the spring.

5 They chase it at turnpike speeds (Tali runs faster than Rook, but this isn't an advantage, as she often over-shoots the target).

6 Rook (usually) recovers the spring (if Tali manages to get to it first, he takes it away from her), and brings it back to me, so I can throw it again.

6a If Tali retains the spring, she bats it around until she loses it, then comes back to me, eyes wide, waiting for me to Produce a Spring. However!

6b The game ends when the spring is lost.

7 VARY: Rook hides the spring and then comes back to me, eyes wide. I go find it and throw it again. This Variation has a three-throw limit or ends when 6b is invoked.

So, that's the news from the Cat Farm. I note that this time last Saturday, I was driving twisty little roads through tidy Vermont towns in the Pouring! Down! Rain! and wondering if it just made more sense to pull over, buy a house, and never drive anywhere again.

What're y'all doing that's interesting, today?

What went before ONE: So, I report a Tragedy. There was a traffic jam between me and home about an hour ago. So, I was forced to turn off at Gifford's Ice Cream and partake of a chocolate milkshake (yes, with whipped cream) while I sat on top of a picnic bench, and watched the traffic sort itself out.

Alas. O! Alack.

What went before TWO: So, sewing was fun; I got a good start on my next project.

It's going to be Summer tomorrow, really Summer on Thursday, Summer on Friday, and! rainy and cool on the weekend. Guess I'd better close the windows and crank up the heat pumps.

Everybody stay safe; I'll see you tomorrow.

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Wednesday. Sunny and heading for the mid-80sF/20sC.

Breakfast was the last of the noodles with an egg scrambled in, tea on the side. The rest of the eggs that vacationed in the fridge while I was away are on the stove for hardboiling, because lunch? Will be a summer meal: salad with tomato, and potato, and olives, and tuna, and egg -- I think that's all I've got that can go in a salad, but yanno? That actually sounds good enough to eat.

I slept long and hard, and did not dream of zombies, which has been the default for the last week, and let me tell ya -- I'm not a fan. I did dream of having to escape through tunnels, but I attribute that to the book I'm reading.

Woke up with a determination to, yeah, sign up for the watercolor class at the senior center. I mean, it's been proved many times over that I Am Not An Artist, but I haven't tried watercolor in half a century or so, and at the very least, I'll learn something about technique and philosophy.

I also have a couple of errands to run -- to the vet for Trooper's Special Sort, and to Uncle Dean's for some dried lavender, and to the bank to tell them that, no, I do not want them to just roll the CD-about-to-ripen into another CD of similar length, but Sekrit Interest Rates.

Then I thought I'd go to Agway and see about buying a rose bush, which has blossomed -- or do I mean exploded? -- into this notion that, since I'm so often at the back of the house overlooking the deck -- could I grow roses in containers on the deck, so I could see them from my windows?

The answer is -- yes! This is possible. I need pot(s) and probably wheels for the pots, so they can be moved at need; the deck is plenty sunny, and -- this is no longer a Case For Agway. So, I'm guessing I'll go out to Fieldstone Gardens and see if I can get the ear of an expert.

So that's the morning taken care of, and I'll be getting on the road as soon as the eggs are done.

Who else is Exploring Art today?

Oh.  I hung the plaque in Steve's office; there was space on the wall behind his desk:

What went before: So Ron Currie's presentation at the library was interesting. He spoke and read to a Very Full Room of appreciative readers. He chose to talk about culture, history, what motivated him to write the book, and to set it in Waterville's South End, which was at the time the book is set, largely French. It was a good talk; I learned things. So! An afternoon well-spent.

Came home to answer some correspondence, and now? I'm kinda beat for some reason, so I believe I will leave the form that arrived in today's mail for a Sunday activity, perhaps with my second mug of tea -- flips through questionnaire. Ah. My second and third mugs of tea.

Everybody stay safe; I'll see you tomorrow.

Sunday. Rainy and cool. Argh.

Breakfast was oatmeal with cranberries and walnuts, second cup of tea in process. Lunch will be a fish sammich with, um -- grapes.

First thing on the day's agenda is Basement Cleanup and Cat Box Change Out. After, I can look forward to a lovely hot shower, a pair of soft old jeans, a sweatshirt, and! A lengthy medical form to fill out. I think I have enough milk to make a mug of hot chocolate, if I really want to get decadent.

I also want to finish getting the laptop updated and the duffel bag with my Corning Adventure Clothes packed (the overnight bag for Cooperstown is all set to go). That will leave the Big Wheeled Convention Bag to be sorted out, and a cooler to pack. I should maybe run the car through the car wash, too, just for fun.

All four cats visited me at the breakfast table, as I sipped my first mug of tea and redecorated Perry Wink's house in Finch. Perry and the pig will be finishing up their tour of the Rain Forest tomorrow, which is the day the pig becomes an adult. I need to decide which "pet" to bring to adult next, or if I'm just going to grab one of the cats send Perry to New York City.

The "pets" in this game, I just ... I got a PILE OF ROCKS for a "pet." I don't know who needs to hear this, but a PILE OF ROCKS is not a "pet." It is either a pile of rocks, a portal to another space/time location, or a conduit for magic. That's it; those are your choices, and you seek to make any of those into a pet at your very great peril.

Yeah, I gave the rocks back.

So, I'm reading The Elusive Earl and Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language. Everyone... continues to fascinate, but I'm getting a little Impatient with the Earl. I liked The Mysterious Marquess, despite the, um, airiness. The chemistry between Lucian and Penelope, the charm of the family that had worked out how to go on even with the head of the household long absent produced a comfortable feel-good air. I was happy while I was reading it, and that's all we ask of any book.

The Earl, however -- not nearly as charming in the telling; I don't feel the frisson between the leads. It broods, this book. Also, there seems to be an actual murder, if not several murders, to be balanced. Perhaps it's Scotland. Macbeth has a lot to answer for.

And -- fair being fair -- I had somewhat assumed that this book would bestow some well-earned good fortune upon our friend the Heir Finder, and I'm somewhat disappointed to learn that this will probably not be happening, at least in this book. I suppose there are still more heirs to find.

I think that's all I've got for the moment; my tea is gone; the skies have opened, and I? have a basement to clean.

What're you doing today?

Convention Business: The BaltiCon Program is now live. Word is that it's still being tweaked. I was, for instance, double booked for Saturday evening, and have been moved from the panel discussion of how to make your characters relatable. Here's the link. Note that you can search the schedule by day, and by person, and you can create your own list of things to do and see.

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What went before: So, that's 636 new words on the day, along with some retrofitting of old words. The WIP Entire now weighs in at +/-39,597 words.
For a book that has quite a large cast of characters, Salvage Right is amazingly tight, and I have to keep going back and refreshing myself on what happened when and to whom, as well as what was left over.

Also, prep for BaltiCon, including the travel details, and speeches, and reservations at Corning -- not to mention the stupidity with the insurance company and! something else that landed on my desk today -- is all kind of borking my concentration on the story. Well. Maybe I'll have time to write at the con.

Yeah, who am I kidding?

The rain has stopped and the wind has come up. Word is that tomorrow will be sunny and beautiful.

We'll see, she said darkly.

In the meantime, everybody stay safe.

I'll see you tomorrow.

Sunday In Two Parts

ONE
Oh, my gods and goddesses.

Rookie fell out of the bathroom window.

SPOILER: He's OK; I'm -- a little stressed, and so very VERY pleased that he didn't run away, but just sat in the garden under the window and YELLED. Firefly and Tali came to get me, both looking very worried, and I had heard a cat calling, but thought it was Trooper singing the song of his people downstairs, as is his habit.

But Trooper was on the copilot's chair. I ran to the bathroom; the screen was awry and I could hear a cat YELLING. I closed the bathroom door, ran outside -- and there was Rook, staring up at the window and YELLING. I called him and he came to me, just like the spoiled kid he is, and I picked him up and told him how brave and smart he was, and brought him back into the house, where we both collapsed onto the couch. He's only just gotten up to grab a snack.

I pushed the screen all the way out, closed and locked the window. I'll figure out how to put it back in later.

Offerings to Bast are in order.

TWO
Sunday. Sunny and still a little chilly, though warm enough that I opened the bathroom window for the edification of coon cats.

Breakfast was ... eggs scrambled with tomato and onion and rice. I guess I ate about half of it before Adventure overtook me. I hate cold eggs. I did finish my toast and jam. Lunch will be chicken tender and mashed potatoes out of a bag and, oh, peas, why not?

I have a letter to write, but mostly I want to write. I really hope that isn't too much to ask.

I ... am still a little shaky, and so glad that Firefly and Tali came to get me instead of following Rook out the window. I might've talked Firefly in, but Tali'd be halfway to the mall in Augusta by now. Fans of Trooper will be pleased to hear that he slept through the entire thing.

So! Who's up for Adventure today?

Picture of Rook after the fall:

What went before, short form: So, yesterday morning I discovered a new and disturbing discoloration on the back of my calf, about the size of my palm. I spent some time thinking about that, my inclination being to Just Ignore It. Had it be Steve, now, I would have nagged him to go to the clinic, or at least call his doctor, and finally I decided that -- in all fairness and in the spirit of While One Stands Both Live -- I should do the same for me, so! to the clinic I went.

Examination, measurements, conversation, and ultrasound later -- nobody knows what caused the broken blood vessels, but the discoloration is not a sign of a DVT -- that's a blood clot -- and that's really all that interests me.  Oh, and the disturbed area may be treated with warm compresses, elevation, and Tylenol.

It was not a very productive day, otherwise. I rewarded myself with ice cream and going to the local Reny's to buy socks. Because buying socks is always in order.

Thursday. Sunny! Going to be warm(ish), though not so warm as it eventually got to be, yesterday. The windows are open. For now.

Breakfast was oatmeal with cranberries (a fat free food! it says on the package) and walnuts. Lunch with be a sweet potato.

Consumers for Affordable Health Care called me back as I was at breakfast and they too! gave me the number for Legal Aid for the Elderly, which is on my list to call as soon as I have my second cup of tea to fortify me. I can't wait to hear how they can't help me, either.

I have more things to do than I have time to accomplish, but I'll see what I can make happen.

Window wash/gutter cleaning scheduled for noon. ASL at 5:30. Cat bowls have been refreshed.

Rookie came up into my lap after I finished my oatmeal -- we have this thing where he visits me after breakfast (and after lunch, if his schedule allow), and this morning, Tali came by, saw the lap was occupied and jumped up anyway. She snuffled Rook's ears; he snuffled her cheek. She stood there on my knees, a little uncertain, but unwilling to get down -- so Rook got down and strolled off to have a bite of cat food. Tali turned around a couple times, bumped my chin with her head, tried to eat the blood pressure cuff while it was doing its thing, then bumped me again and jumped down.

So -- progress.

What's progressing in your vicinity?

Oh -- Proof of sunshine, and! How many cats are in this picture?

What went before: 707 new words today, bringing the WIP total word count to 35,147.

I printed out Blays and Majel's Excellent Adventure, and will now have to time it.

Trooper is insisting that it is Coon Cat Happy Hour neeOW!, and he is, alas, wrong. I will therefore torment him by straightening up my desk and staring into the abyss of next week, which starts off with a bang! -- a 7am appointment at the car dealership to get the Subaru ready for hitting the road. And! I need to remember to take the backway, because the ramp off the expressway to the dealership is closed (again) for repairs.

Sixteen people have committed to the Friends of Liad Breakfast at BaltiCon, which is certainly enough to warrant making a reservation.

It's started to rain again; apparently, this is expected to continue through tomorrow night.

And Firefly has just come by to remind me about watching Dr. Who tonight...

Everybody stay safe; I'll see you tomorrow.

Sunday. Raining. I'm chilly, but I don't think it's actually chilly. Anyhoot, sweatshirt on, and the dishwasher is doing its thing.

Breakfast was a cup of cottage cheese with a spoon of blueberry/ginger jam stirred in, this being the compromise after I informed myself that "I'll just skip breakfast" was Not Acceptable. Lunch is easier. I have some tomato soup left over from the other day, into which I shall place a meatball or two and maybe some lentils, and, hey-presto! -- rainy day soup.

<aside>I managed last year by riding the wave of Habit. But the wave has struck, and broken, and it's becoming noticeably harder for me to keep on track. I haven't lived by myself for nearly 50 years, and I'm finding I'm not very good at it. OTOH, I don't really want to live with anybody else. Honestly, there's no pleasing the woman.</aside>

So, last night, we watched Dr. Who. Firefly watched most of the Space Babies from the top of the cat tree, with Tali, but she came down when the bogeyman almost got Eric, and cuddled up with me, so we went on and watched the Music Thief, which I quite liked. (Apologies for not recalling the official titles of these episodes.)

Today, I need to time my (proposed) reading, and do some writing. Also, I need to make rice to have against need; it seems I've been eating a lot of rice, somehow, and remember to set the alarm for Omighod so I can be in Augusta (going the back way) by 7 am. I may grab breakfast at Lisa's, after, and forage on the way home.

Looking out over the Long Back Yard -- it's amazing how quickly the leaves and flowers get one with it, once they've decided the time is right. I swear that two weeks ago, I had skeleton trees...

How's everybody doing today?

Today's blog post title brought to you by e.e. cummings, "In Just-"