Working off of fumes...

Rotten night's sleep, but up early anyway. Walked a mile and a half first thing, then home for coffee and work at the keyboard. Did a quick read-through of the new manuscript and decided, yeah, it's okay. Gonna let it rest five or six days before going in for another edit. Meanwhile, time to resurrect "Love Triangle" and maybe get it in the mail. 

Spent the early afternoon on research. Noodling a few concepts for new clients. Felt good to jump back into the commercial work. Hope it continues to come. Enjoy working with people who understand what the game's about and actually want to accomplish something. Makes the whole process a lot more enjoyable.

Hit the gym late afternoon, but felt it in those late-in-the-week ways when everything's catching up with you.

Met the new twins across the street this evening. What beautiful babies. Can't imagine what it's like looking after four small ones at once, twenty-four seven. That's a job that takes youth and fortitude. Looking after four kitties is a much easier time.

 

Small victories...

Been drifting along for a few days, working and hoping for the best, trying not to think too hard. Paid off this morning when I came to the end of my new story, "If Wishes Were Horses." Believe I've got something good with this one.

Truck was towed into the shop this morning. Let's hope the mechanic's bill won't put me in the poor house. Got the laptop back yesterday, a new battery all it took to fix it. That and a pocketful of cash. Need to start thinking ahead, budgeting for new technology. It keeps getting cheaper, but so do my clients so I've got to find some middle ground.

Sunny this morning, rain this afternoon. All in all a pleasant day. Weather people are calling for temps in in the high eighties and low nineties come end of week. Looks like it's time to uncover the AC.

Midway through June come the weekend. Hard to imagine.

 

 

Walking out...

Haven't traveled more than a few miles from home for months now. Starting to make me crazy.

Cut the lawn(s) today. Everything still looks good owing to the rain. Steve finished the shed late this afternoon, so it's time for the great move of garden equipment from the garage to the side of the house. Mercifully, the annual neighborhood garage sale is just around the corner, too. Like it says in Ecclesiastes, a time to live, a time to divest.

Worked hard on the new manuscript today, but haven't quite managed a reader draft. New images and words keep popping up during each reading. Have a good feeling about this one. Trying to walk the line between holding on because there's more to explore, and holding on because I can't let go.

More later. 

 

A do-over kind of day...

Lots of street traffic tonight. Birthday party or something going on next door. 

Nice day today, and probably should have gotten out and done something worthwhile. Instead, plowed ahead with revisions on the new story. Was interrupted by the carpenter somewhere around ten, who informed me the next door neighbors were whining about the noise. Need to write a story about these losers someday. They take the cake for being selfish.

Ended up going to a movie.

I don't know. Things just feel clunky. Gonna try and get back on track tomorrow.

Typical working Saturday...

Up early. Knocked out a few lines at the keyboard while the carpenter framed out the new tool shed on the west side of the house. Worked until just afternoon, then went off running errands. Lowes, the nursery, the grocery store, liquor store. Finished the trellis work over the bay window, too. Hoping to set the trumpet vine on a southeastward migration. We'll see how it fares.

Read the new Sherman Alexie story "Clean, Cleaner, Cleanest" in this week's NYer, and enjoyed it. Whole issue's devoted to "labor." Richard Ford's joint is next up. 

Long day's journey into illness...

Today. Did nothing, had nothing. Slept a few hours last night, and spent the rest trying to buy a lungful of air from whoever or whatever might be selling. Went to the doc mid-morning and got a new RX for antibiotics and steroids. Crud. Back to that again. Feeling like hammered sh!@#$%t. Gonna hit the rack early tonight, hope for some improvement.  

Almost June...

Feels like a long week already. Sinus infection isn't helping, though I'm sure that's only part of the problem.

Frank Deford died yesterday. Been a bad week for writers. Listened to him on NPR for years and always enjoyed his take on things. Gonna miss his voice.

Worked on revisions most of the morning. Interrupted by tech badness toward noon and went off to Starbucks in search of a latte. Ironically, came home exhausted. Wrote a little, then went off to the gym and grocery store. Uneventful day. Quiet day.

Upside is, it rained again. Grass looks good, and the trees are starting to leaf out.

Doesn't feel like a Sunday...

Up and writing by 6:30. Reached the end of a new draft before noon. Have what, now? Three ready to go out soon? Sounds more productive than it's felt, but I'll take whatever comes my way. 

Off to Lowe's at noon. Picked up fourteen bags of concrete for the tool shed pad on the west side of the house. Mixed and poured it, finished it, then went off to the gym for a light workout.

Stopped to check out the truck, and on a whim tried starting it. Don't know how or why but it turned over and I was able to coax it home, though I wasn't sure I'd make it all the way. Gotta check it in with Stanley after the weekend. Have them run some diagnostics. Ninety percent certain whatever happened yesterday is going to happen again.

Dinner at K's tonight. Saw a rhubarb pie go into the oven. Not sure what sort of main course we're looking at, but the pie may have rendered it superfluous. Guess we'll see.

Waiting for a winner...

Had a strong urge to drive down to Bighorn Sheep Canyon and do some fishing this morning. But bad weather moved in, so stayed home and worked on a new story instead. Turned out to be the smart decision. Went to the grocery store and the truck died. Gonna be staring at a towing bill for sure, but at least it won't be from Parkdale to Canon City. God? If you're listening? This would be a really good time for me to win the lottery. Doesn't have to be the Powerball, okay. Lotto will do fine. But something, anything.

 

Comings, goings, and all the rest...

Denis Johnson died yesterday of liver failure. Can't put into words how bad I feel about that one. Great admirer of his work. Gonna miss his voice.

Some good drafting this morning after an early walk. Then a bit of cleanup across the street with the shop vac. Plumbing issues.

Wrote a bit more, then went off to the gym for a long, leisurely workout. Wound down with a jaunt to the grocery store.

Not much of a day on paper, but it had its moments. Feeling better than I have in a couple of days. Stronger. Hope it lasts.

Hump day...

Bunch of kids playing in the alley. Kinda fun to hear them.

Up later than usual, but not too much later. Went for an early morning walk, then came home for a couple of cups of coffee and some time at the keyboard. Put in draft-work on two new pieces. Midmorning spent some time looking after little things.

Hit the gym early afternoon, then home to cut the lawn(s). Still got that thyroid monkey on my back. Energy level not where it should be.

Gonna call it early tonight. Blue skies, high clouds, cool weather. Digging it.

Playing catch up again...

Woke early, left for gym before six. Don't remember much after that. A bit of editing, a long morning looking after small stuff, and home for a thyroid crash. Got in a good nap while strangers came and went, capering through the house. Oh, well.

Back in the saddle...almost...

Sun came out strong today, but temps were still cool so gave up on fixing the front trellis and went off to a movie. Good to get away from books for a while, though did spent a few hours at the keyboard this morning, drafting and revising.

Still in a bit of a fog after letting the thyroid RX lapse. Got some of my energy back, but it faded pretty quickly. This cold I'm nursing, or whatever it is, isn't helping either. Sore throat keeps waking me up in the middle of the night. Takes fits and starts to get back to sleep again.

Letter off to D today, but have once again fallen behind in my correspondence. Spent part of the late afternoon researching, looking for an article worth writing. Can't believe how haphazard my work routine's become. Always prided myself on being able to write pretty much anywhere, and anytime, but a steady, reliable schedule is still best when you can manage.

Was hoping for a different shade of day, but what the hell. If I wishes were horses, beggars would ride. Always tomorrow, right?

Upping the intellectual ante...

Up early, getting in some good revision time. Worked back and forth between stories. Took time to run a few errands, regroup, read a few pages from the Kittredge novel. Hit the gym mid-afternoon. Home again to run a few more errands. Had a thought while driving around, but lost it in the interim. So much for trying to elevate the conversation. 

Most of the plants and trees seem to have weathered yesterday's snow and rain. Keeping them covered, just the same. If they make it through the night they should be all right for a while. Warm temps supposed to be drifting in.

Looking forward to tomorrow. Bumming the death of Chris Cornell. Need to learn how to put stuff like that behind me.

Hostage to the Weather...

Odd bit of a day.  Hardly slept (sore throat). Up early, into the gym a little after six, then home to look after small things. Shipped off both N critiques, and read Tom Jenks's terrific new short story "Come, Labor On," on The American Scholar.

Didn't accomplish much of anything in the way of writing, but did manage to upgrade my submissions bin.

Cold, blustery day. Snow fell this morning, and there's more to come this evening. Saw a feed from The Lodge at Willard Spring up on the Bighorns. Snow, wind, and an inhospitable looking sky. In another month it'll look like an alpine paradise. Can't wait to get up there.

Drive time...

Let's see. Woke up three times during the night with a sore throat, then got out of bed, hit the gym, hit the keyboard, and hit the road with errands. 

Finished the drafts of the N critiques this afternoon. Daydreamed a while, then worked a little more.

Back and forth on a construction-riddled Uintah today more times than I care to think. Third time around hoped to stop at the drugstore and pick up the RX I've been out of for two days. Got all the way out to the store before I realized I didn't have my wallet.

Came home, found wallet, but by then the drugstore was closed. Went to the liquor store instead. Like they say, life's a series of trade-offs.

Another storm on the way tonight.

Tuesday, 5:18 MST...

Up before six. Got in a good mile walk through the neighborhood, then home to the keyboard for revisions, etc. Looked after small things mid-morning. Read second N story and made notes. Need to try and get the critiques off tomorrow before anything new drifts in. Spent the early afternoon policing the yard and catching up with the neighbors. Afterward, went off to the dump to jettison what I can only hope will be the last of the major yard cleanup. Air cooled toward late afternoon and some rain fell--those big, sloppy drops--and I held my breath that it wasn't going to be a hailstorm. Which, mercifully, it wasn't. Cooked up a pot of spit pea soup in the midst of all these doings, and by virtue of that small accomplishment am calling the day a winner.   

A new week...

One of those mornings where the air's so sharp and clear it almost hurts. Sunny, cool, beautiful. Took another pass through "Love Triangle." Feeling really good about this story. Think it'll find a good home, or hope so anyway. It's one of those pieces you want to hang onto because you know you're just a few small changes from taking it to another level. Not dinking just to dink, but heightening it with each pass.

Looked after little things this afternoon, then took a break and read a new N story. After, drove off to gas up the truck and do some grocery shopping. Heard it's going to get cold again before the week's end. Hope that won't mess up the yard. Just got it policed after that big snow.

Was in the gym before 6:30 this morning. Had a sore throat, restless night, and was happy to climb out of bed. Crowded today, but managed to make good time despite the traffic. Don't mind rising early, but hate fighting for time on the equipment.

Heard the president divulged classified information to the Russians last week. What next? Guess I'll finish up here and go check out the news. Sigh.

Just remembered. P coming in a couple of days. 

Sundry labors of love...

Think I got it. Put in a good last run "Love Triangle," and managed to get all the pieces in place. Worked at the keyboard until noon, got in half an hour with the new Kittredge novel, then set to work clearing the side yard and building a form for the concrete pad that's gonna be the foundation of the new tool shed. A lot of heavy lifting. Had to move about a hundred and fifty bricks into storage behind the cottage. Glad to have it all policed and ready to be poured. Warm day. Think maybe it hit 80. Not sure what tomorrow's gonna bring, but hope it doesn't get any hotter. Gonna kick back with a beer now. Watch the world go by.