And so it begins...

Behind in my posts.

Boys arrived on Sunday and been busy ever since. Small obvious observation: five and seven year olds are an endless well of energy. Up before six, full throttle. Wore them out yesterday with a full day of fishing, but they were back at it early today.

Getting a few hours off this morning—I think. S and K volunteered to take them to the movies for a 9:00 show. If I can wheedle an hour and a half of good writing time while they’re gone, I’ll be amazed.

Missing my time away from the keyboard, but enjoying the company.

Weather’s been cooperating, too, so that’s nice. Got a little sprinkling of rain yesterday afternoon while we were down at Quail Lake, but nothing that lasted.

Bowing out now, to try and get in some revision time.

Tonight's the night...

Boys come tomorrow. 10:30 flight. Driving up to DIA to pick them up, kick off the three-week adventure in front of us.

Got in some editing this morning. Nothing serious, but progress nonetheless. Also started collecting photos of my grandfather’s belongings, memorabilia, etc., in the hope of putting together an exhibit for one of Casper’s museums or galleries. We’ll see how it goes. Would like to start a couple of conversations this summer and see if I can find any takers. The Nicolaysen seems like a good starting point, so I’ll probably contact them first. Sure hope I can get them to bite.

Cut the grass this afternoon, finished up with the shopping, and turned in a late evening performance at the gym. Gonna be interesting to see what comes now.

Thunder rolling in as I write. Hope we get more rain before the next heat wave.

...it's Friday again.

Feels as if I spent the day wandering in a fog. Maybe I did.

Got up an hour later than usual, and spent the morning working on submissions. Put in an hour and a half at the gym, then came home and worked out some kinks around the house.

Made a trip out to Walmart in Security to pick up some air mattresses. Sun finally came out. Still a bit muggy from all the rain, but no complaints.

Tired. As in really tired. No excuse for it, but it’s the real deal and I can’t seem to shake it. Wish I could get this neck thing figured out. Maybe if I wasn’t so sore, I’d have a sunnier outlook on things. Probably not, but it’s nice to think so.

Well, that’s about it.

We’ll see what comes from here.

Finished for a while...

Long day putting finishing touches on the new project. Was up and at it at 6:30, thought I’d be finished by 1:00, but didn’t close the file until 4:30. On the upside, I still managed to get my haircut.

Big rain came around 4:00. Haven’t seen the grass look this good since I first laid it down. Not sure how long it’ll last, but determined to enjoy it while it does.

Not from the Belmont Review late this afternoon. They’re doubling the $ for “Devotion.” Pretty cool. Haven’t had too many firsts in the writing world for a while, but that’s sure as hell one of them.

Two more days before the boys come. Lots to do in the meantime.

Missed getting over to the gym today, so i’m going to hit it early tomorrow before my luck runs south.

Of Mice and men...

Tired, man.

Up at the crack of down and down to the cottage to work. Made good headway with the S project, but was sidetracked on a number of occasions and eventually lost all my steam.

Did a little more cleanup around the house, then headed out to the gym for a mid-day workout.

FaceTimed with Jack when I got home.

Not much more to the day except to say a baby mouse ran into the cottage, panicked and needed to be extracted. Caught him with the pond net and released him into the alley. Hope his people find him, or vice versa.

Haven’t done any fiction writing for two days, and am enjoying the break. Sort of.

All manner of things...

Another busy day.

Up early, off to Kairos to spend time with my buddy, G. Had a nice visit. Real nice. After, came home, had a cup of coffee on the front porch, then went to work on the symphony gig.

Stopped by the gym for a quick workout a little after one o’clock.

Later, drove over to the UPS store to send off some packages. Picked up the long table, too, for the patio.

Wish I felt like I were getting more accomplished, but it is what it is, I guess.

Have some kind of blue-black cloud hanging over my head, but can’t quite figure why.

Need to call the doc tomorrow and see about this neck thing.

Wanderings...

Day got away from me again.

Started pretty strong, putting the last of the revisions in place on my newest story, “Sister Moon,” which I dropped in the mail to Harper’s a little later in the day.

Punched away at the symphony website after that. Made some decent progress. Hit the gym a little after one, then drove the truck down to the carwash to have it tidied up.

Doesn’t sound like much of a day, but it took the wind out of me all the same.

Neck is tightening up something fierce. Range of motion has atrophied to about half. Gotta make an appointment tomorrow to see the doc, try and talk her into prescribing PT.

Meanwhile, house is one step closer to being perfect for Caitlin and the boys.

Early morning coffee with G. tomorrow. Won’t be long now before his show debuts.

The lost weekend...

Another day of cleaning and purging.

Up later than usual this morning—cat snuggling on arm prevented any escape—but still managed a bit of writing and editing before taking up work on the fountain and grill.

Scrubbed down the entire unit, burners and all, and got everything back in working order between rain showers.

Spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the guest bedroom and sorting through old files. Happened on handful of letters from my grandfather to my mother written in the early 60s. Some great stuff. Some sad stuff. Stories he lived or picked up in cow camps and cattle outfits.

Have a lot more errands to run this week, so will need to stay sharp. Guest arrive Sunday, and there’s still plenty to do. Tonight, just going to look for a comfortable chair to get lost in.

Small doings...

Day was a blur.

Up early to write, then took time off for the gym and some much-needed purging of things past. Cleaned out closets, drawers, nooks and crannies…. Then made a trip to the Ark. The second this week.

Gotta look for an early rise and then get back at it. Lots to accomplish before the boys get here.

Enjoying the rain. Grass enjoying it, too.

Excellent end of week...

Up early after some tortured dreams.

Spent the earliest part of the morning making revisions on the new stories, then put down the keyboard and picked up the fly rod.

Drove up to the South Platte where I spent the afternoon fishing. Had a terrific time. Caught and released five or six fish, and took home a nice brown and a good looking rainbow for dinner tomorrow night.

Scouted the campsite we reserved for the overnight with the boys. It’s a beautiful spot near the river, high up in the trees and boulders. Should give us good access to fishing, wading, exploring and all the rest.

Need to put in some time on the Symphony website tomorrow. That, and start making plans for Wyoming. Try and decide if I’m up for a side trip to Heart Mountain. Meanwhile, need to finish getting ready for the boys.

Been thinking about my mom and pop a lot lately. Guess that’s a good thing.

Scattered thoughts...

So, another one that slipped by. Or felt like it.

Got up early, and put in some good time at the keyboard but abandoned the writing before noon. Headed out to the gym afterward.

Trying to get things in order before the boys arrive. Think we’re doing okay, but probably need to pick up the pace if we want to have everything in place when they get here.

Best part of the day was the nap I got this afternoon. That, and the rain that greeted me when I got up.

Need to bear down the work for the Symphony over the next couple of days, and make sure I don’t have any loose ends when the boys show up. Keyboard time’s going to be at a premium for a few weeks.

Might go fishing tomorrow. Eleven Mile. Think I will, just to get away from things for a while.

Gettin it done...

Putting in time around the house again. Getting everything in order before the boys come. Also taking the time to jettison a lot of clutter that’s accumulated over the past couple of years. Happy with the progress, but there’s still a lot do.

Got up early and noodled through the two new shorts I’ve been working on and have to say I’m hopeful about both of them. Be great if I could finish them up and get them in the mail before the first of July, but things happen when they happen.

Made a trip out to the oral surgeon, then looped around to Macy’s, then headed over to the west side to drop a few boxes at the Ark. Hit the grocery afterword to pick up fixings for a pot of potato leek soup.

Commercial work coming my way tomorrow, and that’s always good. Help defray the cost of the new sleeping bag!

Yesterday’s cool weather vanished by afternoon, and we’re staring in the face of another 90 degree week. Heard there’s rain in the forecast, but we’ll have to wait and see. Skies are smoky from the fires, the mountains hazed over. Hope the forest service can keep a lid on things. Kind of early to have the whole summer ruined.

Taking it easy...

Woke to a nice quiet morning. Was hoping it might have rained overnight, but no such luck. Still, the yard’s holding up.

Worked on one of the short pieces today. Feeling pretty good about it, though this one’s still some days off from being a reader draft.

Had scones and coffee on the back patio with K. Enjoyed the morning before the sun started bearing down. Spent the rest of the day at the movies. Hit the gym in between, but nothing too crazy. Had a short FaceTime with the boys, too.

Don’t figure to do much around the house tonight except hang out. Thought about going for a walk, but the temps are still pretty high. Guess we’ll just hang back, go to bed early and look for an early rise.

Seems like more was accomplished...

More crazy dreams, and another early rise.

Worked on a new short this morning, then abandoned the keyboard for a paintbrush and set to finishing the potting shed on the back patio. Everything went as planned.

Took a break a little after noon for cheeseburgers at Sonic. Came home to a nice rain.

Taking it easy tonight. Having K over tomorrow for scones and coffee.

Gliding into the weekend...

Slow one.

Up early after bad dreams. Put in the last of the revisions on Lucky Tom, and sent the ms. off to be copied. Giving K the first shot at a reader draft. Gonna take a break from it and get back to some of the short fiction. Hope to get some new things rolling over the next two weeks.

Rejection from CR this evening. Another twelve month wait. What the hell is it with these guys they can’t cough up a ‘no’ in a reasonable time?

Re-reading The English Patient. What a piece of work. Even better now than the first time, but that’s the way it works, right?

Missed one call today, caught up on another. Old friends.

Wish I were either smarter or dumber. Knew how to fix things, or stopped giving a damn.

And there you have it...

Up 5:45.

More revisions, another sweltering day.

Hit the gym around noon, and put in a better workout than I thought had in me.

A strange, muggy, mid-afternoon rain came along to cool things down, but the humidity hung on. Temps are supposed to break soon, but no one knows when.

Tired. Really tired.

Calling it. Going in to cook dinner.

Under gray skies...

Well, here it is nearly six o’clock, and here I am still behind on pretty much everything.

The edits on the long piece are getting shorter and easier. I think I’m coming close to where I want to be. Meanwhile, plans for the boys visit need to be taken care of, phone calls and letters need to be made, painting needs to be done, and other, unnamed and unremembered chores need to be addressed.

Punching as hard as I can here, but falling way short of where I want to be. Weather’s part of it. Temps are well into the nineties, and there’s a mugginess is something I haven’t felt since leaving the Midwest.

Went to the gym early this afternoon, but called it quits after a long bike ride. Even there the humidity was too much. Read there’s a break in the heat come Monday, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Meanwhile, gonna make the most of the time in front of us.

Finished Fiskadoro today. Enjoyed it very much. Surprisingly good.

First real dog day of summer...

Slept through the night for the first time in weeks. Woke fresh and went to work with a purpose.

Revisions throughout the morning, letter writing and other correspondence before noon, then off to the gym for a long workout and, afterward, personal time with a book. Doesn’t seem as monumental as it feels, but the weather being what it was—hot, muggy, unbelievably enervating—was pleased to get anything accomplished at all.

Got a letter from young Matt today. What a splendid surprise! Need to call him tomorrow and tell him how it made my day. Also got an early father’s day card from Dylan. Gonna hold off opening that one until the day proper. But again, what a nice surprise.

Gonna kick back this evening and wait for the heat to lessen. Open the windows and look for another good night’s sleep.

Out of the gates and into a new week...

Rowdy day after a crummy night’s sleep.

Got up early to meet my buddy, G, for coffee across town. Had a nice visit. His SYFY show is due to premier in about a month. Excited for him.

Went to work after I got home, getting in a few stray revisions. Wrote a blurb for my buddy S from the gym, too.

Worked out for the next hour and a half, then stopped by the grocery to pick up some things for dinner. Cooked a corned beef yesterday, figure to turn it into Reuben sandwiches tonight.

Close to finishing Fiskadoro. What a strange, but likable novel. Haven’t ready anything quite like it before from Johnson.

Temps are now solidly in the high nineties and low one hundreds. Heard Grand Junction was expected to hit 107 tomorrow. I know it’s going to happen—it always does—but I’m hoping like hell we make it through this heat wave without a fire.

Lots to do this week. Lots of catching up to do, too.

Regrouping...

Beginnings of another hot stretch, I think. Strange day weatherwise. Hot, humid, rainy. Made the most of it, though. Was up early to work, finished the draft/outline of the long piece, then spent the better part of the afternoon painting.

A lot accomplished around the yard over the past few weeks. Happy about that. If we can manage to paint the lower half of the house before winter, I’ll be even happier.

Didn’t get out today. Didn’t workout either. Managed a nap, though, and that was enough. Looking forward to a nice quiet evening, and an early rise for coffee with my buddy, George.

Meantime, breakfast for dinner. Scrambled eggs with trout and hash browns. Does it get any better than that?