Pizza time...

Slept like a dead man last night thanks to two bottles of wine and a couple of Aleve.

Had a spirited dinner with K the night before, and it set the right mood for the weekend.

Up early writing, editing the new novel, and cleaning up old files. Held off taking a walk after seeing what a nice day it was and how many people were taking advantage of it, but got in a nap and little bit of reading time.

My god, what an extravagant waste of a day!

Got a facetime call from Jack mid-afternoon, and a walk later on, so things went about as well as you could have asked.

Saw some new sprouts coming up in the lawn. Let’s hope the fungicide is doing its part, too.

Kicking back tonight, like always.

Tomorrow—to fresh woods and pastures new.

Yeah, another Friday...

Man, oh man. A Friday that felt like a Saturday.

Didn’t sleep last night. Arm hurting too much. Fell out of bed early and did what work I could until I called it quits and went for a walk.

Rest of the afternoon wasn’t much better. Had a nice talk with my buddy Smith, but the rest of the time I was busy trying to find a comfortable way to move around.

Anyway, gonna pour a glass of wine tonight and see if that helps.

K coming for dinner.

Wish I felt better.

Thursday...

Hey. Here. Present and accounted for.

Pushed ahead on all literary fronts before taking a break to work out.

Rest of the day—small walk aside—talked FaceTime with Jackie. In other words, a nice satisfactory afternoon.

Got a sterling rejection from the New Yorker for “Aftermath.” There was “much to admire.”

So, onward and upward.

Seems like only yesterday...

Got a little rain last night. Not much, but some.

Slept pretty well, given the arm’s still bad.

Spread out the writing between the new shorts and the novel. Did a little bit of research, too, and made a couple of new submissions.

Can I gripe for just a second? I know this is getting to be old hat, but today I discovered a story of mine—one that had been under consideration more than a year—in rejection pile, this time without even a note to accompany it. It’s only because I cross-reference the hell out of my work that I even noticed something was amiss. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is BS business. Glad I like writing, or I might quit.

Worked out early this afternoon, and got in a lot of exercise. Even so, can feel the difference not having weights.

Nice day. Wish I’d gotten out for a walk, too, but you can’t have everything.

Gonna take it easy tonight. Get in some reading. Like that.

Coasting along...

Two pretty days back to back. Supposed to get some rain, but it’s never materialized. Overcast again tonight, so maybe after the sun goes down.

Put in a good morning’s writing, then went out to the garage to work out for a while. Sure missing the weights at the gym, but glad I have my jump rope and medicine ball.

Got a call from the boys just after noon. Nice catching up with them so much lately. Enjoying it in the event the COVID-19 crisis clears up and they start going back to their old routine.

Read a couple of states are going to start opening up again. Hope it doesn’t kick off another wave of illness, but can’t see how it won’t.

No walk today. Maybe tomorrow.

Meantime, giving myself over to the same old, same old.

Here's to us...

Woke from a bad dream at five, rolled out of bed at six, brewed a pot of coffee and went to work.

Close on the new stories.

Took a couple hours off around mid-afternoon to clean the house. Got in a trip to Costco, too, to pick up water and a bottle of Jack. After that, a long walk downtown to the Post Office.

Anniversary of my dad’s death today. He would’ve been a very cranky ninety-four. Gonna watch Singing in the Rain tonight in his honor.

Can't Quite Get Started...

Well, today makes two in a row.

Up early, but couldn’t find the muscle to make it more than just another quiet day at home.

Got some good revisions in early, then put up the keyboard and settled into yard work. Doused the lawn with another application of fungicide and laid out new grass seed, top soil.

Had a sprinkling of rain, but nothing like the weather folks promised. Maybe it’ll happen tonight, we’ll see.

Went off on a two-mile walk, then came home to some Cicero and a small nap. Also looked over the proofs of “Morphosis.”

That’s it.

Will give it a better try tomorrow.

Getting lazy, and liking it...

Another amazing day in quarantine.

Hit the keyboard early, but got distracted by an amorous squirrel couple mating on the fence. Was just hitting stride again when we got a call from the boys. After that, there was a long walk, and after that we closed the blinds and blew the rest of the afternoon watching Dr. Zhivago.

Wild times, indeed.

Pizza tonight. Yard work tomorrow—providing it doesn’t rain.

Not bad for a Friday...

Arm still giving me fits. On the positive side, it’s an excellent alarm clock. It goes off a little earlier than I’d like, but once it does there’s no going back to sleep.

Hodgepodge of goings on this morning, but managed to get in some good writing time anyway.

Decent workout, too. Plus a three-mile walk.

Made brief trip to Safeway to pick up some food, and came back with a headache. Gotta say being out among people isn’t so much fun right now.

Taking it easy tonight. See if I can’t beat this arm thing long enough to get a decent night’s sleep.

Tax day, deferred...

Gotta get this arm repaired. Woke up at two and couldn’t get back to sleep until four. Tossed, turned, nothing helped. Been popping Aleve like it was dope, but it doesn’t help. First thing I’m gonna do when this COVID-19 stuff is behind us is see my doc and get an RX for some physical therapy. I may have to wait a year, or two, at the pace things are going, but I’m sure it’ll be worth it.

On the positive side of things, had a pretty good day writing. Found the end for one of the short pieces I’d been working on, and put in some decent revisions on the other. Things are coming along more slowly than I’d like, but at least they’re moving.

Took a walk downtown to the post office around noon. Streets were empty. Construction guys over at CC were working away on the new arena, but the rest of the town was dead and a long way from looking for resurrection. Weather was nice again, but it’s not supposed to last. Been hearing reports of snow all day.

Made a pot of tomato soup for dinner. Seems like a good night for it. Boys called late in the day, and that made everything even better.

One last thing…

Told myself when I started this journal I’d keep politics out of it. Other things too. If these writings outlive me, just know there was a reason for that decision, and that the past few years have proved it to be a sound one.

Battling back...

Could have sworn I wrote an entry last night. Maybe it’s my imagination. Wouldn’t be the strangest thing that’s happened in the last month, would it?

Anyway, back now.

Put in a long day at the keyboard, working two short pieces side-by-side. Took a nice walk early afternoon, then got in some workout time in the garage. Rope, straps, medicine ball. Did it all.

Monkeyed with the computer for an hour or so and discovered my aptitude for technology is wanting. Managed to download something that disabled something else that left me unable to download pics from my phone. On the bright side, I didn’t shoot the computer. Yet.

Pretty day. Woke up to snow, and now it’s gone. Temps only made it into the thirties, but the sun was out and the sky was a perfect blue.

Saw they saved City Lights with a GoFundMe campaign. Nice. Would’ve been a smaller world without it.

Happy Easter, world!

Quiet day on the homestead.

Put in some decent work this morning. Snow started falling out a cloudless blue sky around nine, then thought better of it and quit.

Caught up on a little bit or correspondence, a little bit of housekeeping. Later, read a nice story on Narrative, “East Beach” by Steven Potter. Also caught up with an essay in the New West anthology before settling in for a nap.

What a day!

K came over for dinner tonight. Nothing fancy, but it felt like a feast. Cheeseburgers and corn, key-lime pie for dessert…

Gonna leap in with both feet tomorrow.

One big adventure...

Woke up around five with my arm pounding. Decided to get up and write. Made some decent progress on the newest story and did a quick sketch for another. Gave away the keyboard to go grocery shopping and pick up some grass seed at the hardware store. Took a while to get in and out, but it wasn’t as bad as it might have been. People are being pretty civil, and most are willing to follow store orders. So here’s hoping we dodged the C bullet yet again.

Thought I might get in another hour of writing after we got home and disinfected the food, but mom called just as I was sitting down and that, as they say, was that.

Spent the rest of the day de-thatching the lawn. Need to get another application of F-stop down to kill the fungus, but will have to wait until a sunny day comes along. Weather folks are predicting snow tonight, cold temps for most of the week. We’ll see what comes.

Kids across the street are having an Easter egg hunt. Dave’s running his leaf blower. Cherry, our neighbor on the corner, is in the hospital recovering (I hope) from a broken hip. Sounds like a scene from an Hieronymus Bosch painting, doesn’t it?

Tired from the fresh air and general lack of activity. Took a walk tonight, but barely made it around the block. Looking forward to a nice movie.

Invisible day...

Up early, real early. Went to work on the philharmonic stuff and didn’t quit until I had it all in hand.

Not much else to speak of.

Got a letter off to the boys, braved a trip to costco, then came home and took a walk.

Pretty day. Wish I’d seen more of it.

Feeling it today...

Well, this one started out with a sigh and never got any better.

Woke around three with my arm talking to me in a big way. Couldn’t make the ache go away and eventually signed on for some Aleve. Helped a little, but not much. Got out of be around six and went down to the cottage to write but was so tired, I’m not sure it was worth it.

Plugged away till mid afternoon when we got a call from young Jack. He was killing time, waiting for the official start of his birthday party.

Tried to write a little more, but gave up in favor of a walk.

I’ll leave this one in the loss column for the time being. But no point in bitching. With some sleep tomorrow might prove to be better day. Hope so.

Easy, easy...

All over the place today.

Up late last night. Couldn’t sleep. John Prine’s passing got to me. Went to bed later than I should, but still managed and early rise and some productive time at the keyboard.

Good to be busy.

Took a long walk around noon, then came home and worked a little more. FaceTimed with Matty.

Needed some odds and ends from the grocery store and went off in search of the despite my better judgment. Stood in line at the checkout counter behind an old woman who decided to argue over coupons and everything else under the sun. Came close to stealing her cane and beating her to death with it.

Took another walk when I got home. Beautiful day, so no reason not to.

Attitude’s good enough, but still haven’t managed to put a schedule together that works well with the stay at home orders. Nothing to do, I guess, but keep experimenting.

Jackie’s birthday tomorrow. Were supposed to be celebrating it here. Maybe next year.

Who hates technology, raise your hand...

Goddamnit. Post I just wrote disappeared. Well, that’s it. I’m through for the night.

No victory lap for me...

This one started out fast but fizzled.

Close to having a reader draft of the new short. Working title, “An Existential Threat.”

Picked up some new commercial work today from the Philharmonic. Good to see some paying gigs come through the door. Spent too much of mid-day reading the news, but enjoyed a nice palate cleanser when the mail came and there was a letter from Jackie in it. Man, do I miss those boys.

Spoke to mom later in the day, and got updated on all the news from Albuquerque, which didn’t amount to much. Went out for a walk afterward. Enjoyed a short virtual concert staged by John and his guitar buddy, Mark when we got back.

Looks to be a quiet evening.

Hope to get in some reading tonight.

Saturday comings and goings...

Missed putting up an entry yesterday and can’t recall the reason.

Not sure it makes much difference, yesterday and today being so close in look you couldn’t tell one from the other, but here I am hoping to fill in the blanks.

Up early to the keyboard, working on my N assignments. Put two critiques in my queue before taking some time off for scones and coffee with K and S. Had a nice chat, then went back to work. This time on the short piece I’ve futzing with for the past week.

Found time for a decent workout yesterday, but had to settle for a long walk to the post office today. Three miles there and back. Not bad, though I sure am missing the weights at the gym. Them and the heavy bag.

Got another story picked up, too. The fifth, I think, since January. This one by DASH, out of Cal State Fullerton. The piece is flash fiction, titled “Morphosis.”

FaceTimed with J on the way home from our walk. His birthday’s Thursday. He called to say he’d gotten our package.

Got a hole in my pocket...

Up early, but nothing to show for it. Not sure how I let the day slip by, but I did. Managed some edits on the new story, a short walk close to noon. Not much else.

Three new N pieces came in while I was napping. Read two, and saved the third for tomorrow.

Trying to map a new workout, but still haven’t nailed the logistics. Everything’s new now. Figured a way to hang straps from the interior garage door, which is a good start, and commandeered the mats we used to put beneath the boy’s pool for a floor cushion, but the whole deal’s still a work in progress.

Finished another essay in the New West writings. Some of the most enjoyable reading I’ve done in a long time.

Virus is picking up steam from what little I’ve read. Supposed to peak this month. We’ll see. Meanwhile, caution, forbearance and the rest.

Time to get back to the new novel.