writer
Up early, but stalled out fast on the revision work I was hoping to accomplish. Took a second shot a little later on and made some headway. Meanwhile, cleaned up the N drama from yesterday and put my queue to rest.
Hit the gym mid afternoon. Afterward, loaded the back gate in the truck and ferried it out to Ancona to have it fitted with custom hinges. Was told to look for a three week turnaround.
Did a little grocery shopping, and ready to put the day in the rearview. Start fresh tomorrow.
Wow. Crazy week, and here it is almost over. Mom left for Albuquerque this morning. But not before young M. arrived. Wild day.
Yesterday, my dad's birthday. Would've been 92. Lifted a scotch in the Broadmoor Bar to toast him, then came home and grilled steaks. Had a fire out on the patio and stayed up too late drinking wine. It happens, right?
Other things to celebrate: an acceptance from Whisky Island for "Dancing with the Devil."
Didn't get any writing done today, but did get some new hardware on the back door after the old set went south last night. Also put three N stories to rest. Back at it tomorrow.
Thought I was being lazy getting out of bed when I did, but when I got downstairs and saw it was only 5:45, I felt a little better.
A lot of client stuff today, but got in a reasonable amount of work anyway. Rain drifted in early on, and some hail, too, but the trees and flowers managed to survive. Got a late start to the gym, but it was good to be back working out. Felt some of the juice return.
Mom coming in tomorrow for a two night stay. Young M's birthday this weekend. Gonna be a busy week.
Dad's birthday Wednesday. Would've been 92.
Back from the Bighorns. Not the best time I've ever had on the mountain, but that was as much on me as anything. Just couldn't settle in. Overcast a good portion of the time, rainy, poor air quality owing to the big fires in California. Still, managed to get some good work in until the gas for the generator ran out.
Saw some pretty night skies and enjoyed the quiet. Nothing like it anywhere else I've ever been. Heard one plane the whole time. Otherwise nothing but squirrels and birds and the occasional deer. Saw a lot of pronghorn while I was up there. Spotted a handful of rock chucks, too, one of which raced me on the road to the middle fork. Came on four game hens as I was leaving.
Hoped maybe my dad would pay me a visit, but there didn't seem to be any spirits up there this summer. At least none interested in talking to me.
Spent an hour and a half driving cow trails to fish the Powder on Wednesday, and was got up in my vest and waders before I realized I'd left my rod at the cabin. Wasn't about to turn around, so I cut a willow switch with my hatchet, dressed it out with a flyline and leader and spent the afternoon roughing it. Caught a small rainbow from a dead drift, so the day wasn't completely lost. Still, a willow switch isn't a flyrod. Was reminded of that early and often.
Off to the Bighorns tomorrow. Gear's accounted for, ready to be stowed. Jeep's gassed up and ready to roll.
Meant to drop by the library and pick up a few audio books but missed my window. Probably won't be the last thing I forget before pulling out.
Looking forward to seeing the mountain again.
Said goodbye to the boys a little while ago. Will say goodbye to Colorado in the morning.
Signing off for a while.
Got a good night's sleep, but woke hard and never really got started. Even so, managed a few good revisions before young M was delivered.
Got away for a workout after 1:00, then home again to look after small stuff.
Muggy most of the day. And yet, better than smoke.
Gathering up my gear for the trip north. A lot to remember. Hope the weather that meets me is kind. Not ready for one of those crazy, gumbo-inspired drives up the mountain.
In the interim, gonna try and relax. Not think so much.
Rain!
Day was mostly sunny and breezy, but we caught another thunderstorm this evening and it's cooled everything off and damned near brought the lawn back to life. Been waiting all summer for the monsoons. Hope they're here to stay.
Put in some good work at the keyboard today. Came to the end of the current batch of revisions and look to change gears tomorrow and work on a piece of short fiction. Got a story in progress that needs and end. Think I may have found it. Meanwhile, gathering up the reading/writing material I intend to take with me to Wyoming. Might stop by the library before I go and pick up an e-book or two too.
Young J back for a bit of late afternoon convalescence. He's on the mend and much better than yesterday. Had a nice time looking after him. Dropped his brother off for school this morning, and figure to see him again tomorrow. Bright and early.
Felt fallish today after the rain moved in. Don't want to wish the summer away, but the cool felt nice. Looking forward to a good sleep tonight.
Long day, late entry.
Wrote early, cleaning up what I wrote yesterday. Young J over with a fever. Sent him off with his father early afternoon, then headed out to the gym and the barber. Picked up M. later in the afternoon and kept him for dinner.
No strep. That was the good news.
Tomorrow's schedule another mishmash. We'll see what the day brings.
Late showers tonight. A long, light misting rain.
Taking off for the Bighorns on Sunday, weather and whatever else permitting. Looking forward to seeing the mountain again. Having some time to reflect.
Checking in a little earlier than usual. Big storm coming in, tornado warnings and all. Shut down the laptop for safety and finishing up out here in the cottage.
Up early--was it the weather, or has it begun to get dark earlier?--with a hatchet and pruning shears, trying to get the back end of this long ms in order. Thought I had a pretty good notion of how the last thirty pages would go, but spent the better part of the morning cutting and pasting. Need to slow the narrative. Relax and get a little more expansive with the themes. Ease into the closing chapter.
Looking out the window at lightning. Might think about shutting down here before I fry a board.
Sloughed off yesterday's post without realizing it. Back in the saddle today.
Young J spent the night, had his first marshmallow roast. Temps were close to ninety, but we sweated it out in front of the back patio fireplace and browned up half a dozen each before calling it quits.
Up early this morning, and off to Ihop for pancakes. By the time I saw the keyboard most of the good energy was gone, but lost in a nice way. Got some decent revisions in place and a few new mailings sent off just the same.
Hit the gym early afternoon. Didn't have a lot in the tank, but put in a good hour's work on the bike. Home after that and, for the first time in a long time, a nap. Man, that was nice.
Getting some rain tonight. Not a lot, but a good slow, steady drizzle. Temps are supposed to drop tomorrow. Have to wait and see. Wonder what's doing up on the mountain? Heavy smoke from a couple of fires converged today and sat over the town and it still looks gray out there. Need a good breeze to come along.
So it didn't start out like a Friday, and by the time I finished paying the handsome Italian locksmith for wrenching open the door to the Jeep while stranded a the grocery store gas station it could well have been Monday.
Meanwhile, the hot sticky weather continued.
Glad I got up early and managed to work through the revisions I'd set out. Made pretty good progress before getting stumped and deciding to shut it down. Not sure what'll happen at this point, but gotta believe it'll work out.
Quit and went off to the gym around 1:00. Mailed off my contract off to Louisiana Literature. Been so steeped in mss, haven't found time to do much else. Need to correct that. Maybe the balance will come back while I'm in Wyoming.
Another early rise. Another hot day with temps close to a hundred.
Did some good work at the keyboard then wagoned young M down the park for a couple of hours. A nice morning despite the heat.
K paid a visit before noon and stayed for coffee and cookies. Bought me a little more time with the long ms. Much appreciated.
Got an acceptance slip from Louisiana Literature for "Sweetheart of the Rodeo." Made my day. Liked that story and was hoping it would find a good home.
Hit the gym mid-afternoon, then drove out to Lowe's to pick up some roasting forks (marshmallows) and up to the school to spring J from his pre-school class.
Days keep flashing past.
Early rise.
Looked over yesterday's revisions and was cheered to see they weren't as rough as I'd first thought. Wrote till mid-morning then drove downtown for a latte. Haven't been to Starbuck's for a while. Felt good to get out and sniff the pavement. Sent out mss when I got back. Hit the gym after that, then came home and mowed the lawn.
Still hot. Not getting as much rain as predicted either. Guess this is what summer's gonna be from here on in. Gotta keep reminding myself to keep eyes forward, but not too far ahead.
A little after six and flagging from a long day.
Up at the crack of dawn and straight to the keyboard. Worked hard but felt like I wasn't quite getting what I was after. Forged ahead anyway. We'll see how it reads in the next pass through.
Looked after small stuff most of the morning, then made a quick jaunt out to the metal fabricator to leave a schematic for the back gate hardware. Hope to get a quote from them before the week's end. Like to get everything in place and the door hung before Mom's next visit. Maybe get Vern working on the front wall at the same time.
Muggy today. Not as hot as it might have been, but hot enough. Decided to hold off mowing the lawn for another day or so.
Looking forward to getting up in the mountains. Do some fishing. Hard to believe we're this deep into the summer and I have so few trout to show for it. Shame on me.
Back to Monday.
Had a good morning laying out revisions. Made a lot of progress. Took a break a little after noon and hit the gym, then came back and wrote some more.
Looks as if we might get rain again tonight. Be nice if we did. The grass is making a minor comeback after being fried most of last week.
Talked to Mom yesterday. Think I'll try and talk her into a longer stay the next time she comes. Looks like a 28th departure for the Wyoming trip, so it'll be August before I see her. Good travel weather.
Lots to do this week. Lots to think about. Need to breathe deep and try and take it as it comes.
Crazy.
Just came back from an accident scene. Before that, an aborted attempt at fixing bad electronics. Before that, the keyboard. Before that, coffee.
Not sure how the night's gonna shake down, but the day already feels surreal.
Busy day. Many comings and goings. Wrote a while, cleaned house, met with Vern the mason, and made a brief jaunt to the gym. Doesn't sound like much, but it was.
Digging a footer for the new wall tomorrow. Fun. For a second I thought I might be doing a little fishing. Guess it'll have to wait.
Up early to cool weather this morning after last night's soaking. Grass made an overnight comeback.
Managed a couple of good hours at the keyboard before the real work kicked in, then spent the rest of the day looking after small stuff. Took the wagon around the block, but it was so hot and muggy it wasn't much fun. Stayed inside after that. Even missed getting to the gym.
Read one of the my new N pieces, but wasn't terribly enamored. Started a second, but got waylaid before finishing it. Critiques will be tomorrow projects. Feel as though I'm falling behind in my reading and probably am.
Rained mid-afternoon. The saving grace of the day. Gotta raise my expectations.
Seems like a long time since morning.
Got together with J&K and friends for dinner and concert last night. Lamb off the grill, home-made ice cream, prosecco. Didn't get home until close to midnight. Still, up around 5:30 this morning to work.
Tile guy came amidst client sessions and did his thing. Mural up, grouted...the whole nine yards. Between had a meeting at CityWalk.
Started losing steam around noon, but managed to make it to the gym before 2:00. Thought I might get more writing time in when I got back but the doings of the night before caught up with me. Took a short nap instead.
Neighborhood's been quiet. Scary quiet. Everybody's off vacationing, or maybe just given up on being neighborly.
Hot today. Peaked somewhere close to ninety. Woke up and it was raining. Raining! Forecast calls for more, but I'll take this as it is.
So. Back at it this morning. Good writing time, then away to the gym, then home to mow the lawns.
K paid a visit tonight for dinner. Brought a fresh blueberry pie. Nice.
Read an interest essay by Tom Jenks in the recent issue of Narrative. Whether or not to pursue a post grad writing career. Good stuff about workshops and the like.
