Eagles Over the Kennebec

So, recovery is a strange country.  I'm not in the habit of thinking that I actually do very much of an ordinary day, so it's a little -- no, make that considerably -- annoying when I can't complete what I consider to be a normal day's to-do list.

Yesterday being a case in point.  I went to the gym, did my strength training, pushing a little, because you're supposed to challenge yourself, amirite? -- walked 1.11 miles in 21 minutes (this includes the cool down), and tried to feel that this was a success*.  Then I went to the grocery store, came home, and -- smashed right into a wall. I was exhausted.  Steve made lunch, and after I still couldn't keep my head up, so I jettisoned the rest of the to-do list and spent the afternoon under a shifting blanket of cats, reading.

Man, I hate hitting walls.

Today, it's snowing (the Weatherbeans are calling 4-9 inches), and is any way a non-gym day, and here we have the to-do list:

1  Keep front steps accessible

2  Make refrigerator soup for lunch

3  Get with the accountant's tax packet: at least print it out and get the letter in the mail

4  Strip bed and wash sheets -- already in process

5  Hit the Command Chair with the Mead 5-star notebook** and a pen and organize the short story I've been working up scenes for while I should be thinking about something else

. . .It seems a very slight list, but the idea is to Hit No Walls, and if that means vacuuming tomorrow, then -- the cats get an extra day of peace and quiet.

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*(This was after the first treadmill I was on spontaneously leapt from 3 mpg to 14 -- I hit the STOP realfast, youbetcha, but wow, what a rush.  The scary part being that the Planet Fitness associate on the spot couldn't figure out Why It Had Done That.  I hope it doesn't catch somebody else.)

**Apropos of Nothing Much, I've been chewing through the Mead notebook, which is lovely to write on with the fountain pens. Anticipating its final page, I bought a six-pack of Smart Campus "subject notebooks" by Kokuyo, offered by JetPens, which are supposed to be the bee's knees for fountain pen use. We'll see, eventually, I guess. Maybe even soon, given the fact that there's this OTHER short story I really want to write, too, and have been putting it off because its a Maine Coast story, in the Archers Beach universe, but not set in Archers Beach, which no one will want to read, but sometimes you gotta just get stuff out of the way.

No checks in today's mail, either.

Well.

*looks at pile of bills on desk*

This is going to be interesting.

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Moving on -- Answers to questions from the Roll Call!

*Sword of Orion was written as a work for hire -- that means the publisher owns the copyright, the ideas, and the characters. The publisher went out of business after releasing the first books in about six series, one of which was the Sword of Orion series.  Therefore!  No more Sword of Orion stories.

*Er, no, I actually wouldn't move to Liad, if I could.  For one thing, as a non-Liaden, I would be beneath most people's notice, not to say contempt, except if I managed to insult somebody, which the odds are good that I'd do so within ten minutes of achieving the Port.  I'd rather go someplace where my life expectancy would be longer than ten minutes.

*The Gathering Edge will not be published until May 2017, that is correct.  In the larger scheme of things in publishing, that's really hardly any time at all.  No, I'm afraid we can't write much faster than we already do.

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Today, I learned things.

I learned that orange sticks (aka "cuticle shapers") are now made out of plastic.  They used to be made out of orange wood, but apparently not anymore.

I learned that I can prop my tablet up on the little ledge built into the treadmill at the gym and read as I walk.  And! I don't have to worry about walking into a wall, when I do.

I learned that Microsoft thinks that a $1,000 tablet can "replace" my laptop, which costs 1/3 of that amount.  Research indicates that it does neither the dishes nor laundry, so I fail to see the advantage.

I also learned that my fingers -- my fingers, not my wrists, which is usually the case -- apparently took a beating yesterday, and if I'm a Schmott Guy, which really isn't the way to bet, I'll give them a break today.

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Do I have any Hollywood historians here, or perhaps a Mae West aficionado?  I was wondering if she actually needed the stick she often had with her, or if it was only a fashion accessory.

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Don't forget that Steve and I will be at Flights of Fantasy in Albany, New York on Tuesday, July 5 to celebrate Alliance of Equals' book day!  Be there or be somewhere else!

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In other news, I wrote about 2,200 words yesterday, for a net gain to the manuscript of. . .33 words.  I think that we are now at an end of Backward Growth, and will be proceeding from here on in a forwarder direction.

You heard it here, first.

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Progress on Book the Next
36,569/100,000 words OR 36.57% complete

"I believe it wished me to know that Theo might be in a pickle."

Miri snorted a half-laugh, and he smiled.

"Yes," he said.  "Precisely so."

Today's blog title comes to you courtesy of Mr. John Parr, "St. Elmo's Fire/Man in Motion".  Here's your link.

I forgot my mp3 player this morning, so I listened to the Oldies station in Skowhegan.  What's really a shame is how many of the lyrics I knew from this morning's sampling of songs.

The Plan, insofar as I had a Plan, was to got for an early walk along one of the trails the Kennebec/Messalonskee  Trail Association have been so busy identifying and whipping into shape.  My first choice was the 1.5 mile "easy" loop at the Winslow Elementary School, down to the Scott Park next to the Town Office and through the streets back to the car.

This Plan was scotched when I found the sign indicating that a trail existed in this direction, but failed to locate the trail head.

Plan B was a slightly more challenging walk along the Kennebec, aka the East Kennebec Trail, starting at the Benton-facing side of the old Scott Paper Mill.  The directions for getting to the trail head were to park in the old lot, and walk down Scalehouse Road, accessing the trail through a "gap in the fence."  Which, yanno, sounded just like old times.  The trail was billed as a 1.5 mile loop.

I am. . .somewhat chagrined. . .to have to report that the "gap in the fence" is a very well constructed gateway to the side of the various chains and metal bars that are meant to keep cars from continuing where there is no road.

The trail itself was a pleasant stroll along a wide grassy trail within sight of the river.  I can't remember now if I never knew that there were two dams across the Kennebec at Waterville, or if I had known about the one behind the train yard, and the unusual perspective made it seem new.  But, anyway, a pleasant enough little walk, that ended in a parking lot, with the option of branching off onto another trail, for an additional 1.6 miles, which would have taken me into Deepest Benton.

I opted not to add the extra mile and a half today, and closed the loop on my original walk -- and learned something useful.

The East Kennebec Trail is an easy 1.5 mile loop.  But!  The walk along Scalehouse Road, necessary to arrive at the head of the trail, which adds an extra half-mile, isn't counted in that 1.5 miles.  Exercise being exercise, it wouldn't have mattered, except that (1) today I did not get out as early as I ought to have done in order to completely beat the heat, and (2) I'm whoa outta shape and the climb up from the river to the parking lot was more challenging than I had bargained for.  My legs are gonna hurt like a sonofagun tomorrow.

I did finally arrive back at the car, winded and sweaty, but intact, and proceeded with the rest of the day's errands, including doing the grocery shopping, swinging by the post office, dropping a note with the Formulary's Letter at my doctor's office for her perusal, stopping at the CVS to chat with the pharmacist on the same topic -- she hadn't heard anything about the change, and couldn't speculate as to whether the copay will go up.  After lunch, I'll decide if I'm curious/aggravated enough to call the health insurance company.

Speaking of the post office -- someone kindly sent me a birthday card, which is much appreciated.  However, I feel obligated to point out that my birthday is in September; Steve's birthday is on July 31.  He's a Leo; I'm a Black Knight.

The Plan, going forward, is that I will go for another walk on Wednesday morning, choosing another short and easy trail.

And now, Virtue having been served; it's time to go to work.

Today's blog post brought to you by Eddie Grant, "Electric Avenue."  Here's your link.