Kung Fu Jesus...

Well, the cool spell didn't last long. 90 something today. Same for tomorrow. Good news is, the Spring fire's now 45 percent contained. 

Had a good run at the keyboard this morning, but ran out of gas by noon and turned to yard work instead. Finished shingling the shed, which was something of an accomplishment given it was started over a year ago, but hey, you've gotta take your victories where you can.  On to green woods and pastures new!

Gonna hang back and take it easy tonight. Can hardly think straight after spending the afternoon in the sun. Maybe a movie. Maybe not.

Heard about a new Bruce Lee biography today. Sounded kinda cool. Might have to check it out. Big reading list in front of me. Gonna take going to Wyoming to ease my way into it.

 

Rain!

Staring at rain as I sit down to write this. Best thing I've seen all day. 

Another morning of good revisions, then some time with young M., and a trip to the gym. Got a nice note from my buddy G this morning, too.

Looking forward to the weekend. Like to go fishing Saturday or Sunday. Take a break from the keyboard.

Keeping this short. Shorter than usual. Wanna go out and watch the rain.

Enjoying the quiet...

Spring Fire just under 100,000 acres. Fourth biggest fire in Colorado history. Feel sick for all the folks who've lost their homes, all the others who are about to. No real rain in the forecast. Looks grim for the rest of the summer.

Got to work around six this morning and kept at it until 8:30. After that, headed out to the Kid's 4th of July parade with the boys.

Early afternoon, caught a movie. Did a little more yardwork, too. 

Writing went a little better today.  

Back to civilian life tomorrow.

3rd of July...

This one went by in a hurry.

Caught up on some edits I couldn't manage yesterday while E. was here. Trying to stay optimistic about the arc of the story, but have lost so much aesthetic distance at this point, the only thing to do is press on. 

Fourth of July tomorrow. Gonna wagon the boys down to the park to be in the kids parade. They've got their patriotic top hats and boas and pompons and pinwheels ready to go. Should be a fun time.

Hot one today. Whatever greening up the lawn did after the last rain was set back after the past two days. Not sure when to expect any relief, but have nothing to complain about compared to the hundreds who've lost their homes in the fires.

Glad it's been wet in Wyoming.  

Living the dream...

Did I mention it's hot?

Another toasty one today. Got a little writing done this morning, then helped Eric the Reluctant with the new/old gate for the back patio. Removed a set of 100 year old bolts without breaking or stripping even one. Didn't figure on that kind of luck. Eric did some work with the table saw and we bolted the thing back together and now it's all up to the metal works folks and Vern the mason. Can't believe after all these years it's going to be a door again.

Hit the gym about 2:00, and got in a nice workout. Thinking about trying an earlier time slot, but there aren't many people around at that hour and anything earlier is cutting into prime writing time. 

Rejection from TriQuarterly today. Would rather have had an acceptance, but it's nice to see anything after the long dry spell.

 

Down in the dirt...

Yeah. 

Made some good revisions this morning, then went back to work on the yard. Moved a lot of stone and brick...policed the area behind the garage, planted new three new trees, moved a few hostas...

Started the morning in a jacket and flannels, ended it in shorts and a tee shirt.

Too tire to much of anything now except hunt down a beer and take a shower.

 

Disappearing act...

So yesterday's post disappeared. All right. Not the first time. But where the hell does it go?

Sheesh.

Up early to the keyboard. Managed to accomplish what I wanted while realizing I've still got a long way to go. Took a long break to do some yard work, cut my lawns and prune the trees on the back patio. Things are looking pretty good, despite the fact we've been living with temps close to a hundred most of the week.

Finally got some rain. Heavy late afternoon showers. Hope the mountains saw some too. Fires are bad and getting worse by the day.

 

 

Hot, and not in a good way...

Lots not worth noting, so I won't try. 

Long day, short on accomplishments. Did manage an early morning wagon ride around the Old North End, but temps were well into the 80s even by 9:30 am. Hung out upstairs most of the afternoon, prepping mss and putting in research. Got a few things out the door, but fewer than expected. Didn't make it to the gym, either.

Weather folks say the heat wave won't break until Saturday or Sunday. 

New fires burning. Fireworks banned in Manitou and Woodland Park for the Fourth as a precautionary measure.

Mid-week missive...

So here we are, another Wednesday. Another early rise. Another decent day at the keyboard. Not great, but decent. Wrote till noon, barring a few unexpected interruptions, then went off to the gym for an abbreviated workout. Came home and spent the rest of the afternoon talking retirement with the financial advisor--always an interesting time.

Geez. Only a couple of days before the end of the month. Thought June would last forever and now I'm staring down July. Gotta start working on my Wyoming plans. The whens and hows. Gotta start thinking about new tires for the truck, too. Old ones won't get me out of there if I run into a hard rain.

 

 

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.