Quiet day. Sunny, blue skies. Wrote early then took a long run in the park.
breathing out...
…took a long autumn drive down to San Luis today to lay mom’s ashes on the hilltop shrine of the Stations of the Cross. Beautiful day for a melancholy ritual.
...small doings
…feeling a little slow today owing to the vaxes I got yesterday. Wrote early, and went on a walk downtown. Had breakfast-for-lunch at a little cafe across the street from the college. Took a short nap when we got home, then did a little more fiddling with the novel. Looking forward to a quiet night. Maybe a good night’s sleep for a change.
...changes
End of long but interesting week. Weather’s been beautiful of late, if a little warm for October. Trees are turning, and the grass is fighting its way back from the summer sun. Been plugging away at the novel all week, and have rounded the corner toward the end. Making progress. Feeling as if I’ve got the bones in place and the rest is going to come together in long, but manageable passes. Arm is coming along, too. Was informed by my PT, the sessions have run their course and I’m on my own from here on in. Meaning, the next six months. (Can it really take that long?) Flu and Covid shots this afternoon. Hope we can navigate our way through the weekend without any bad reactions. Going out to dinner tonight. Looking forward to a quiet night.
Thursday. Kept it small...
…wrote, hit the gym, went to PT, and came home again. Meh, day.
Take the wins where you can...
…good day. Good day writing, good day revising.
Made headway with the shoulder, I think. Time will tell. But my only feeling is to push ahead with the weights, etc.
...letting the week sort itself out.
…woke at 4:00 and never got back to sleep.
Drafted a new story this morning. Most of one, anyway. Stopped just short of the end. Hit the gym a little after noon, then off for PT. Arm’s feeling both better and worse. Maybe that means it’s getting better.
This medical stuff cuts deep into the day. Be glad when I can cut back on the therapy. Meantime, onward.
Sunday evening coming down...
…been plagued by bad, desperate dreams the past couple of weeks. The kind that, once dreamed, insist on sticking around. So, yeah. No rest. The bum shoulder doesn’t help, but I’m only five months into rehab with probably seven more to go. Stabbing pain all night long.
Screw it.
Enough complaining.
Stayed up and watched Kubrick’s Paths of Glory last night. What a film! Hadn’t see it before. Echoes of Breaker Morant. Or vice versa. But a story of its own.
Read an interesting story in the NYer the other day. “Dark Horse.” Admired what the author did with the piece after a showy opening.
Finished a short of my own this morning. One I’ve been working on for a couple of weeks. Calling it “Old Flames.” We’ll see what comes of it.
Falling behind....
Lost this one in the sun, man. Up later than usual, only marginal luck at the keyboard, banjaxed at the gym….
Gottta turn my eye to yardwork tomorrow. Something tangible.
Live, and learn--to enjoy...
…saw Robert Plant at the Pikes Peak Center last night. Mesmerizing. Roots music, including Celtic, folk, country, blues, rock. What a show.
Spent a nice part of the day at the keyboard working on the novel. So deep into it, it’s hard to know if I’m making progress. All you can do is put your head down and believe.
Made some final revisions on my new story too. “Old Flames.” Hope to send it out tomorrow and have done with it.
Got a late afternoon rejection while I was at the gym from the North Dakota Review. The story in question was a piece they’d held for twenty-one months.
Bringing it all back home...
Back from three fabulous days in and around Creede. Spent time in four national forests (Pike, San Isabel, Gunnison and San Juan), and two nights in a terrific cabin on the Rio Grande. Weather was great, aspens were lovely. Hiked, drove, had dinner al fresco and took in a play. Gotta do it all again soon.
Sometimes, that's how it goes...
back to wondering what it’s all about.
Coffee with my buddy, George this morning. Good to catch up as always. Bitterssweet.
Squandered the rest of the day.
Quick entry...
Short day, but got in some good work.
Nearly finished with my newest short, “Castles in the Sky.”
Put in some decent time at the gym, then some hard time in rehab, then some quiet time when I got home again.
Coffee tomorrow morning with my old buddy, George.
Lots to do before we take off for Creede. Looking forward to all of it.
Easing by...
…quiet Sunday.
Up late, wrote a little then went off to Harding to buy a new shrub to replace the dogwood we lost yesterday.
Spent most of the afternoon reading and writing. My newest story, “Cold Reckoning” went live on the North Meridian website today.
Happy to see it find a home.
Tonight, chicken and pasta.
Tomorrow, back to the gym.
Holiday hang over...
Was hoping for a more productive day, but sometimes you get what you get.
Spent most of the morning with revisions. Then off to the gym for rehab. After that, PT. Next thing I knew, the afternoon was gone. Guess I’ll have to give it a another try tomorrow. Tonight, a date with an ice pack and a heating pad.
True story...
Saw a bear this morning. Across the street. Came charging out of the Lutheran church’s gates at dead run.
Sigh...
Late start this morning. Have to remedy that tomorrow.
Spent most of the day rehabbing.
Top excitement: getting the washing machine back on the rails.
What's next is what's next...
Quiet Sunday. Still catching up.
Went to a movie this afternoon following a good morning of revisions. Getting closer with both the new short and the novel.
Big week ahead. PT, haircut, coffee with Sol, S’s birthday. Should keep me on my toes.
A fine-looking Saturday...
Been losing track of the days. Lots of comings and goings. Rehab, keyboard time, letter writing, phone calls from old friends…. All good stuff. Some of the best of it was making friends with Gus, our neighbor Allie’s little Tabby. Took care of the boy all week, and never met a sweeter cat.
Weather’s been cooling off a little, though it’s still hot. Thank whoever for the evening rains and cool breezes. Lawn’s looked better, but then again it’s looked worse, too. Just happy to be on this side of the fall weather to come.
A lazy weekend so far. But my recently-repaired shoulder needs a break, so no complaints.
Looking ahead to a quiet night at home and an early rise so I can send off the new short I’m calling “Terminus.” Have tickets to an afternoon movie. If all goes well, might even find some time late in the day to lay down a few more edits on the novel.
Short note on a Thursday...
Don’t know where the week’s gone, but it’s near the end.
Coffee on the front porch this morning, then across the street to look in on our buddy, Gus. Worked hard on the novel until noon, then packed up and headed off to the gym. Afterward, to PT.
Trying to get the new story into a submittable state, but it might not happen until the weekend. The memoir? That’s on my mind, too. Just wish I had a few more hours in the day.