Bring on tomorrow...

Up early. Spent most of the day painting the front of the house. Wanted to get things prepped for the coming of the new rose bushes, and needed to clean up the bay window before planting. Ended up painting the entire architectural bump-out, but caved in part of the flower bed in the process. That’ll make for some interesting work tomorrow.

Didn’t get to the gym, but did get in some decent writing time this morning and a chance to look at some of the revisions I’ve been making.

Took a late afternoon jaunt to Starbucks, and spent some time in the park. Weather’s warmed up considerably from what it was last week. Not sure how hot it got, but standing on a ladder with the sun to your back wasn’t any picnic.

Like to get at least one of my new shorts out the door and into circulation this weekend. No big plans other than that.

Nice to see the sunshine again. World was feeling a little lost there for a while.

Mid-week missive...

Squeezed a few extra miles out of this one.

Up early (5:30) and straight to the keyboard. Put in some good, steady edits, finishing the last (most recent) pass on the long pieces. Gonna give it a rest for a few days to revisit the shorts I was working on, and then, with any luck, see whether I can’t wrap everything up with a final pass.

Went to the gym for a light workout after cleaning house. Thought I might get a walk in, too, but it didn’t happen. Went to Starbucks instead, then drove down to the park to relax a while.

Nothing much going on tonight, so figure to retire early and get in some reading.

If the weather holds like it’s supposed to we’ll be washing the windows and painting tomorrow. Getting a start, anyway.

Punching back...

Back at it.

Slept, got up, went to work, and got one day closer to putting the long piece behind me. Took a break mid-day to skip rope and lift weights. Felt like a nice change after two weeks riding the stationary bike.

Ran a few errands late afternoon, then back to work.

Weather’s been a bit persnickety, overcast and spitting again, but the grass and flowers are enjoying it so I’m not gonna complain.

Saw my girl, R, across the street is having plumbing issues again. Bummer. Made me feel less bad about having the cottonwood in the back yard taken down. Some days you just can’t win.

Within you and without you...

Worst night’s sleep in a long time. Couldn’t make it happen. Needless to say, an early rise.

Worked away at the novel revisions, happy with what I accomplished. Went to the gym early after a two-day hiatus, and got in a decent workout.

Weather pretty much the same as yesterday—overcast and breezy. The lawn is greening up nicely after after the rain and clouds, so here’s hoping I can keep it that way for a while.

Wish I could summon up a little more energy. Feels like I’ve been dragging ass for a week now. Been trying not to look too far into the future, and stick to what’s in front of me but one tactic seems to defeat the other.

Ten days until we see the boys. Wow. Hard to believe I’m even able to say that after all this time. The world keeps shrinking, doesn’t it?

Busy, busy, busy...

Ran the circuit today.

Early morning writing and revising, mid-day work in the yard, afternoon at the Sherwin Williams store picking up paint, and home to more yard work.

Took a break somewhere in the midst of all that to run to Starbucks and kill an hour in the park, talking.

Got to FT with Jack and Matty, too.

Gonna be a busy week, I think. Hope so, anyway. Meanwhile, think I’ll sit back and see what the evening brings. Looking for quiet. Had enough surprises for one week.

Over, under, sideways, down...

Not sure where this one went.

Did okay at the keyboard for as long as the morning allowed. Gave up the late morning to scrape the trim and windows in front so we could do a little painting before the roses arrive. Edged the lawn, too, and managed some cleanup before going to the gym.

Finished two novels and started a new one. Fiskadoro.

Cooked up a pot of beef stew when I got home.

Looking ahead to a quiet night.

Honestly wish I cared...

Well, hoped better for this one. But maybe it was just me. The whole day was off kilter.

Won’t go into the ups and downs, but will say it was good to wake up and see there weren’t the five inches of snow the weather bureau predicted. We got a wet, crusty bit of stuff, but nothing spectacular.

On the positive side of life, Mr. Kitcat’s blood work is good for a gentleman his age, though by the sound of it his thyroid may have been hiding a renal issue. We’ll see. Pills for now, more blood work in three months, and fingers crossed in the meantime.

Got a nice workout mid-afternoon, and some reading time, too.

Hoping for a better night’s sleep.

Forecast: winter...

Dreary day. But we needed it. Mists all day with the promise of snow this evening. Forecast went from five inches to three with temps falling into the low thirties.

Covered all the flowers this afternoon, and moved the ones yet to be planted into the garage. Feel like we should do all right providing the snow doesn’t get too wet and heavy.

Good day on the short fiction front. Got to the end of the new story. Have the feeling it’s going to do all right out in the market. With three fresh ones behind me, I think I can get back to the novel. If not this week, then next.

Made it to the gym and got in a decent workout on the stair master, but forewent any heavy lifting after yesterday. Thought I’d give my arm a break.

Tree surgeon’s supposed to show tomorrow morning, but if the weather goes south I’m not counting on it. Expect to be up in the middle of the night brushing snow from the bushes.

Nice talk with my buddy, S this afternoon. Real nice.

Tomorrow, Kit goes in for more blood work. Curious to see what the meds have done for him.

Lazy Sunday...

Up at sunrise, out to work.

Continuing to move ahead with the new story.

Gave up yard work for a late morning movie, but probably would have done better staying home and pruning the shrubs.

Salvaged the latter half of the afternoon at the gym trying to get the shoulder/arm back in shape.

Weather took a turn. Gray skies and falling temps. Guess it’s supposed to snow tonight, but we’ll see. Weathermen are only batting around .300 this spring.

Looking at getting a few things cleared up tomorrow. Digging in and seeing if I can’t get back to the novel soon.

Till then, this is it.

Saturday, 6:07 pm...

Up before four, thanks to Kit. Not sure what his deal was, but he and the little man had an action-packed night that ended in an early rise and demands for an early breakfast.

Put in some good clean work at the keyboard. Made a nice run toward the end on my newest short.

Cleaned up the front yard before noon, shoveling up the last big piles of topsoil. Took the dirt and yard debris off to Rocky Top, and stacked all of the old retainer stones from the garden in the alley.

Made a trip to Costco after all else was out of the way, then showered and turned in for a late day nap.

Pretty day today. Cold and maybe even snow coming before the weekend’s out. Feel like we’re making progress. Lawn’s looking good, and so are the trees and shrubs.

Think I've got it figured out now...

Just back from the doc. Looking forward to leaving the day behind.

Did some good work on the newest story in terms of edits, but had to shelve it earlier than expected to attend to other things.

Finished out the morning catching up on correspondence, then headed off to the gym for rehab.

Met R’s new beau today. Seems like a nice guy. Guess I’ll be turning over my second lawn to someone new soon.

More yard cleanup tomorrow.

What could be better?

Time to push a little harder...

Well this one didn’t go as planned, but what does?

Put in a couple of hours at the keyboard this morning, then left for the gym to get in an early workout. Was trying to stay ahead of the tree surgeon, only to have him call late this afternoon to reschedule the removal.

Had plenty of yardwork to finish, so got on that instead. Cut the lawn(s), too, though only as a preemptive measure before seeding.

Everything’s finished now for the time being—including the burlap work—so now it’s sit back, water, and see what comes up.

FT’d with Matty late in the day. Got to see the work in his new art “exhibition.”

Doc appointment tomorrow. Ain’t particularly looking forward to it, but can’t put it off any longer.

Got this much further...

Busy day from the get-go.

Out to the cottage early, made some decent revisions on the newest story, then spent two long hours on a zoom call with our financial advisor, re-visiting the red line of death we’ve been walking for twenty years now. Learned a couple of things, so that was nice, but afterward there was nothing to do but retreat into yardwork.

Finished the edging on the new flowerbed, set the foundation stones for the new pots, and took care of the clean-up in anticipation of yet another mess tomorrow when the tree reapers come to remove the old cottonwood in back.

Nice day today. Cool but sunny. Not sure what tomorrow’s supposed to bring, but we’ll be ready for it.

A step or two behind...

Didn’t sleep for a damn last night. Woke a little after two, and never quiet found the sweet spot afterward. Too much on the mind, I guess.

Went out to the cottage early and picked up where I’d been the day before. Made headway on a few fronts, then took a break and headed off for the gym.

Yard reconstruction is coming along. S picked up some new pots for the front, along with a million dollars worth of flowers. Looks like I’ve got some digging and edging in front of me before seed. Anyway, there’s no turning back now.

Lots of unanswered mail in front of me.

Need to shoot for an early rise and see if I can’t get some work done before the interruptions begin. Many goings on this week. Financial dude tomorrow, tree surgeon the day after, the doc the day after that. I see cutting, pruning, and poverty in the future!

A Day of Reflection...

Too much on the mind lately.

Or maybe not enough.

Late start today. Later than usual, anyway. Put in time on the newest of the new stories, and spent a little time catching up on my reading and research.

Made an early trip to the gym, then the grocery store, then home to some family phone calls, and a nice long FaceTime with the boys.

Behind on few things, ahead on a few others. If I get a good night’s sleep maybe I can make tomorrow into something all my own.

Trees are beginning to bud. Flowers too. That’s something—right?

Shoulder to the wheel...

Trout dinner last night was outstanding. A great time all around.

Roving bands of teenagers made for a tough night’s sleep last night, but it’s spring, juices are flowing, and folks have been cooped up for a long time, so tried not to sweat it.

Woke at a decent hour and came close to staying in bed rather than work. Sad to say duty won out.

Worked the newest story a good part of the morning, then went off in search of pots for the front yard landscaping project.

Came home, took a long nap, and now here I am—back at the keyboard.

Submitted an early copy of Born Blue to the ABR Jolley Prize. We’ll see what happens—but not for a long time, of course. Meanwhile, plugging ahead with all the other projects.

Cool, rainy weather coming in tonight. More of the same tomorrow.

Looking forward to the start of a new week.