Sometimes you get what you don't ask for...

Look out. Another full week in the nineties with no rain in sight. Grass is already looking a little crisp. Hope it doesn't get whacked too hard in the next ten days.

Up early. Read through yesterday's revisions and made a few more. Slogging ahead. Hoping.

Got a new story kicking around in my head, but need to finish the project at hand before I jump in. Meanwhile, must have ten or eleven pieces in the mail waiting on responses. Summer turnaround is even slower than the rest of the year. Not holding out hope I'll hear from anyone anytime soon.

A first. Was on the home stretch of a visit to the park, young M in the wagon, and thought, Wait a minute, I know that sound. Turned out I was right. Next door neighbor was hard at it in his yard, balling a jackhammer, knocking down some of the artistry the previous owner left behind.

Long hot day. Mostly lost. The last hour with M & J always an exciting. No one's lost an eye--yet--but we came close tonight.   

Apres the Gingerbread Meltdown...

Man. Haven't had mosquito bite in years and now have seven on one arm. 

Long day at the keyboard, but not quite as productive as I might have been. Next door neighbor was power washing his house with a noisy compressor. Took a long time to find the groove. Even so, progress.

Got a brief workout at the gym before wasting the better part of the afternoon driving out to the metalworks shop and attempting to have a coherent conversation with the guy who made the hinges for our other back patio gates. All I can say is, we have the same talk ever summer and it never gets easier. You can't get a straight answer to save your life. Not even to the question, "Do you want the job, or not?" 

Tried to get a little more work out of the way when I got home, but no dice. More interruptions. Guess God's skywriting.

Not sure what the rest of the week is going to bring, but pretty sure it isn't going to be cool weather. 

There it is...

Beautiful morning. Woke later than usual, about 6:00, typed a little, then moved the garage sale goods to the font yard. Sold the bikes, but the baby stuff didn't interest anyone and it's back on the front porch awaiting a new life at the ARC.

Helped H.B. lay a concrete pad for his new AC unit, then went off to the gym and grocery store. 

Soup tonight. Something new, and I hope not entirely wretched. Made it up with long-in-the-tooth veggies, black beans, choirizo, fresh corn and some other odds and ends. 

Figured I'd get more accomplished today, but what the hell. 

Tired, tired. 

Sometimes there is no antidote...

Long day. Out of bed on wrong foot after a night of unsettling dreams, and the rest was a small, uneven rollercoaster.

Managed some work on the long ms., but not much. Had a good morning at the park with young M, but failed to keep him from banging his lip later in the day while horsing around in the back of the pickup. First blood in four years. Felt pretty bad.

Hot one today. Mid eighties and no rain. Weekend doesn't look much better.

 

Blues Legend...

Long time since I've gone to a concert and heard the headliner tell someone in the audience to "Shut the f#ck up!" But that's what happened at last night's show when a fan interrupted Buddy Guy while he was waxing nostalgic about his musical beginnings. Weird. Good show, but all the personal asides proved problematic. I think they encouraged the bozos in the audience to act out. That, or maybe I've forgotten how painfully annoying most rock concerts can be. Anyway, enjoyed the music, but could have done without the shenanigans. Glad I can add him to the list of blues greats I've seen live over the years, but it equally glad the evening's over.

Much progress on the ms. today, though I didn't get to the keyboard until after six owing to the concert last night. Pressing to stay on schedule. Want to finish this particular read-through by month's end. Ten days.

Drove over to the gym around 1:30. Managed to get my workout in, but it was a tough go today. Guess I need a re-boot. Been feeling slightly out of sync with almost everything (except the writing) for over a month now, and not sure how to get the timing back.

Beat. Calling it quits for the night. 

Economies of effort...

Up early after bad dreams. Just as well since it meant an early start at the mss. Another good day, though it feels like tomorrow might be hiding a speed bump or two. We'll see. Trying to stick to a formal page count, though just as willing to abandon it if necessary. Anyway, pleased with the progress and knocking wood it continues.

Had a nice two-hour conversation with Mom yesterday over the phone. Good to catch up. Sounds like she'll be coming for another visit before long, but no definite plans yet.

Guessing I'll head up to Wyoming mid or late July, depending on everyone's schedules. Hope to get in five days if all goes well. Split my time between fishing and writing. Long afternoon naps.

Father's Day was tough this year. Glad I've got the little guys to help put everything in perspective. Guess I need to spend more time in meditation and reflection. Worry less, and adjust expectations. It's all about balance, which I'm sorry to say isn't a strong element in my genetic makeup.

 

Friday. Yeah...

Up and writing by five. Took a break around 1:30 to hit the gym, then back home to cut the lawns, prune a tree branch or two, and replace the line in the weed whacker. Yeah. Replace the line. A major accomplishment made possible by the use of reading glasses. In the past, I considered those things disposable. When the line ran out, I chucked them and bought a new one. But this is the new, environmentally conscious me. Also, the prices went up.

R comes home tomorrow. Block will be back to what it was. All's good with the world.

Hamburgers tonight. That proves it.

Hit and a miss...

Another early start. Some good writing in. First interruption: tile man, second, Tim the Plumber. Good news is, it looks like tree roots were the problem. Bad news is, tree roots come back. Gotta start pumping copper sulphate down the drains.

Rain last night. Not much, but some. Folks on the south end of town got pummeled by hail. Nice to have avoided that particular chalice, but man, we need some moisture. Maybe the new Gulf hurricane (Bud?) will send some water this way. Meanwhile, skies are full of crud from the fires.

Tomorrow's Thursday. Small stuff, yard work. Who knows what else. R coming home on Saturday. Need to get over and cut the lawn, do a little pruning. Gonna be nice to have her back. Block wasn't the same without her.

Praying for rain...

Back to reality.

Up and working by 5:30. Again made good progress with the long piece. Opened R's place around seven, spent a little time with the boys, then came to look after small stuff. 

The 416 Fire down near Durango is burning out of control. The sky had a red haze to it from the moment the sun rose. Another blaze started this afternoon in Summit County. They're calling it the Buffalo Mountain Fire. Evacuations are already in place. Weather folks are saying rain tomorrow, but I wouldn't bet on it. It's gonna be a long summer if this keeps up.

Brought the door from the Meigh place out of storage yesterday. Moved it to the back patio where it's going to serve as the gate to the yard's west side. Had the ornamental ironworks guys out last summer to work up a bid. It never arrived so we'll have to give it another try. The piece is damned near a hundred years old and still looks beautiful. Must weigh over a hundred pounds.

Slipped off to the gym a little after 1:00 and had a nice quiet workout. Only a couple of other folks there. The heat must be keeping everyone away.

 

 

The good life...

Settling in after a long weekend.

Up at 6:15, and off to the cottage and the keyboard. Making progress on the long piece. Near the halfway point.

Haven't been getting much sleep for one reason or another, but hasn't seemed to matter. Up early yesterday and off with J. to Green Mountain Falls for his first fishing expedition. Spectacular time. He caught his first fish--a nine-inch rainbow on a Shakespeare "Thomas the Tank Engine" edition 3- foot rod with closed faced reel--and was so overcome he couldn't speak. Never seen such happiness! Were there for hours, and his concentration held the entire time. Was really proud of him. Really proud.

Joined J. and K. for an early dinner, then off to see Tommy Emmanuel at the Pikes Peak Center. Christ, that guy can play. Went to bed late after prosecco on the back patio. What a day. Couldn't have been more perfect.

The ebb and flow of things...

So, 5:00 am seems a long time ago. 

Started early at the keyboard and had the most productive day of the week. Was forced to give up early, but for a good cause. Had a nice morning with R's boys, then came home, did a little free-styling and went off to the gym.

Cut my lawns this afternoon, edged, trimmed, and sprayed. Hot day but things look good. A little toasty around the edges, but good.

Sad new about A. Bourdain. Real sad. 

Young J coming for a sleep-over tomorrow. Fishing Sunday morning. Gotta make a run to the sporting goods store tomorrow, make sure we have everything we need.

Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown...

Can't say my circle of influence is getting any bigger. Woke early this morning and was hard at it by a little after five. Pounded away for a few hours, then spent the rest of the day looking after small stuff. Managed a wagon ride around the neighborhood, and a visit to the boys across the street, but spent most of the time making sure nobody got into trouble. There was a brief engagement with the kiddy pool, a short trip to the grocery store, but it was an uneventful day all in all. Got a much needed rain around 4:00 pm. Hope the lawn appreciates it, because there isn't supposed to be another in quite a while. Looking at clear skies and temps in the 90s for the next four days or more.

Been thinking about the long piece, worrying there isn't enough direct scene in the opening narrative. Hope I'm wrong. Most of the backstory reads like direct scene so maybe I'm good. Then again, it could be too early to tell either way. Still have a long road ahead and a lot of other issues to attend to first. Rome wasn't burnt in a day, right?

Excited about the fishing trip with J. Hope he likes it. Think it's gonna be a good day. If nothing else, it'll be nice to get out of town.

 

Be the mountain, not the monkeys...

Up early. To the keyboard at 5:00 with a steady run until 7:00. Put in some good work today. Spent the rest of the morning chasing after small stuff. Picked up groceries, took a spin around the block with the wagon, then goofed off around the house. 

Made it to the gym around 2:00. Hardly anyone there. Afternoons are looking better all the time, though it's nice to get the workout out of the way early, too. We'll see what the rest of the summer brings. Point is, be adaptable.

Drove up to Green Mountain Falls yesterday to check out their lake in the city park. Looks like the perfect place to take young J. fishing. Picnic grounds, playground...shade. Gonna make our first expedition on Sunday. 

Hot today. Skies were pretty clear until about 5:00, then something blew in. Saw what looked like smoke drifting up from the south, but now it's just overcast. Some bad fires burning to the south. Praying for rain. 

Boys across the street are doing well. Looking forward to spending some time with them tomorrow, and maybe finish writing a few reviews. Could use a few more hours in the day.

Footloose...

Took it easy today. Up at 7:00, coffee, some time at the keyboard, then off to visit with R's boys. Read a couple of N stories, made notes, had some quality visiting time with S & S, threw together a chicken for a new soup recipe and finished the day at young J's dance recital. All in all, a pretty busy Sunday.

Got a chance to piece through the longer work and do some rethinking on a specific bit of scene/character development. Wouldn't call it a breakthrough, but think I hit on something useful. Hope so anyway. Will start experimenting tomorrow.

Putting together ideas on the coming weekend's fishing trip. Weather permitting, might take a jaunt up the mountain.

Feels like summer...

Slept in this morning. Not out of bed until 7:00. Lots of goings on. Keyboard time, reading and editing, yard work. Brief meeting with the electrician. 

Not sure where the day went, but it went. Didn't get to the gym until four. Surprised I had enough to make it through a full workout. Hot again. High eighties. Don't see rain in the forecast for another four days.

Like to get an early jump on the writing tomorrow. Shoot for a 6:00 wake up call and see how far I can go before noon. After that, more yard work, and whatever else comes down the pike.

Boys across the street were really sweet. Made my day spending time with them.

One big adventure...

Up at five and out the door to the gym. Home early to get in a few lines at the keyboard. Rest of the day looked after small stuff. Young M. finally "wagon broke." Took a lordly stroll over to CC this morning with him and loafed in the grass under the trees.

R's place is looking good, the boys happy. Got a little rain last night and the grass is happy for it. Warm today (in the 80s) but a nice breeze kept things from getting out of control.

New story came in yesterday from N. Eager to read it. Still haven't found that work groove I've been looking for to make up lost ground. Maybe things will start clicking tomorrow.

Young J on his way over for an hour or so. Understand he has a dance recital this Sunday, so I know where I'll be. Still searching for the right place to take him for his first fishing trip. We'll see if I can't get that wrapped up over the weekend.

 

 

Looking to turn the corner...

Another near miss. Found a contest rejection in the box saying my joint had made it through three rounds into the final ten. But no cigar. Screw it. Had a productive day nonetheless. Up at five to the gym, home early to write, and managed a long afternoon cutting the lawns and trimming the trees. Rome wasn't burnt in a day, right?

Last day of May tomorrow. Hard to believe. Need to start making plans for the next fishing expedition. 

And then today happened...

Just when I thought I was going to get back on schedule. Guess I'll have to give it another try tomorrow.

Up early, but out to Kairo's for coffee with G, not the gym. Always nice to catch up. Always. Stayed an hour longer than usual, but had a great time and terrific conversation. Heard a funny story about a two-year-old in diapers, unattended, running up the middle of the street on Memorial Day.

Got in some middle of the morning writing time, but spent most of the day looking after small stuff. Made a couple of long wagon rides around the neighborhood. Weather was perfect. Sunny and cool. 

Going over to R's house again in a few to look in on the boys and maybe catch a little news on TV. Been having a nice time with the guys. They're a couple of good eggs.