Big medicine...

Restless night’s sleep, early rise to the doc’s office, a cup of coffee and off to the clinic for x-rays. No writing in between. Did manage some submission work afterward, though. Good to get something done before we left for Denver.

Two stories in my N queue that need to be taken care of soon. Looking forward to some reading time. No big pre-Thanksgiving plans, but hope to get to the gym tomorrow morning and address the editorial work after.

Meanwhile, it’s just keep plugging.

Pretty day today. Strange, featherlike cloud formations. Weather guys say it might snow tomorrow, but for now everything still feels like fall.

Just trying to keep track...

Mixed bag.

Rough sleep last night owing to the neck. Up early just the same, first to the keyboard then on the phone with the doc’s office. Hit the gym a little after twelve, and saw my PT while I was warming up. He did a few tests, and wrote a report for me to take to the doc tomorrow morning. Expect I’ll be getting x-rays or an MRI before long.

Meanwhile, got in a short but decent workout. A nap, too, when I got home. Weather nice again today. Sunny, blue sky, high clouds.

Denver tomorrow. Tonight, omelets and veggies.

Sunday evening...

Up later than usual, but still put in a decent day’s work. Most of it on research and submissions.

K came over and spent the early afternoon watching a game. Nice relaxing time.

Went grocery shopping afterward, then took a walk around the neighborhood. Weather was cool, but sunny. Worked a while, took a short nap, worked a little more, and now I’m quit for the day.

Neck’s been sore and acting strange. Numbness now. Gonna call the doc’s office tomorrow and see if I can’t get in for an x-ray. Think I’ll hold off on the rehab until I know more about what’s going on.

Looking forward to a nice easy week. Maybe start a new story.

Just trying to keep my eye on the ball...

Didn’t manage much in the way of writing today, but did get a chance to talk to my buddy S and later, my sis.

Neck’s been bothering me quite a bit of late. Thinking of seeing the doc again and asking for an X-ray. Therapist says there’s a strong possibility it’s a bulged disc, but who knows? Might be arthritis, too. Good with whatever it is as long as I can avoid making it any worse. Went to the gym to try and loosen it up, but didn’t really have the energy.

Boys left for Cancun today. Thought I might hear from them before they went, but i guess they were busy. Maybe they’ll send some pics once they get there.

Cleaned the house this afternoon. Hauled out a few more Christmas ornaments. Feels like we’re on track for the holidays.

Drove out to Voelker late this afternoon to see about an iPad. Forget it. Nothing in stock anywhere. Supply chain issues. Gonna take this a cautionary tale for Christmas shopping.

Made a nice sausage and been soup last night. Take out tonight. Noodle bowl from the Saigon Cafe.

Break out the x-mas decorations...

Ventured back into the long piece this morning after doing as much damage as I could to the latest short story in my queue. Have an idea where I want the narrative to go, but still not entirely comfortable with it after changing narrators, voices, and all the rest in the shorts I’ve been working on lately.

Left for PT just after noon, and stuck around for a workout afterword. Neck’s getting better, I think, but the progress is slow. Just have to keep pushing.

Temps have been dropping, slowly. Felt almost wintry today—in a global warming world. Cooked up a pot of beans and sausage to celebrate the season. Can’t believe we’re close to Thanksgiving…Christmas…the New Year. Gotta start looking ahead.

Watching the wheels go round...

Another action-packed day.

Managed some decent work with a new draft, then spent the rest of the morning with submissions, housekeeping, and correspondence. Wrote another N critique too.

Had an early afternoon meeting with Emmit, our insurance advisor, looking to work out next year’s healthcare plan. Big fun. A few surprises, but nothing unexpected. That is, nothing you can expect to make sense of, and nothing to be disappointed about when it doesn’t.

Was hoping to get to the gym, but it didn’t happen. Did, however, get to sit in on young Jack’s chess lesson.

John stopped by late afternoon to address a few more tech issues. Turns out Mac Keeper is a PUP, and needed to be uninstalled. Good news is, I can drop them from my auto withdrawals and have Amex reimburse me for the charges.

Christmas decorations slowly but surely going up.

PT tomorrow. Maybe more. We’ll see.

There, that's it...

Another one in the can.

Finished the draft of “The Denunciation,” went off to PT, worked out, and took Kit for blood work.

Easy come, easy go...

Made the most of this one.

Banged away at the keyboard for a couple of hours before abandoning everything and heading down to the Arkansas to do some fishing.

Lovely day all around. Warm, sunny, just a bit of a breeze, and no one else around. Action was sketchy, but did take one nice brown home for breakfast tomorrow.

Needed a day away.

PT tomorrow, and a late day appointment with the vet to see how Kit’s medication is doing. Gotta hope we’re making progress, but also have to remind myself he’s old and tired.

Looking forward to a quiet evening.

Putting it all in perspective...

Lost Saturday’s entry to the great dark of cyberspace.

Good day today. Up early to finish the final draft of “Eyes Wide Open.” Made a few last edits, and shipped it off. Also made more headway on the newest story, “One to Ten,” got a letter off to my son, played a game of long distance chess with young Jack, fixed the wing frame of our Christmas angel, read the last of my N stories, and put in a nice workout at the gym where I finished Paul Beatty’s The Sellout.

Pork chops in mushroom sauce for dinner tonight. A movie, maybe.

Looking to amp things up tomorrow, and get another story out the door.

That, or go fishing. Yeah. Fishing.

Friday!

Pretty good day, despite my being lazy.

Woke at a good hour, put in time at the keyboard, then ran off to the gym to try and make up for yesterday’s somewhat half-assed workout.

Should have gone back to work when I got home, but took a nap instead. No regrets. It was the perfect day for it.

Baked chicken tonight. A movie, maybe.

Tomorrow, a last pass—I hope—at “Eyes Wide Open” with submissions coming on Sunday.

Beautiful day today. Cool, and a bit breezy, but beautiful.

It played bigger than it looks...

Pretty day today. A little cool, but plenty of sun and a nice blue sky.

Was up early working on a Christmas project that ultimately went south. Did manage to get some writing in, though, and an okay workout at the gym after PT.

Cooked up a pot of beef stew for dinner. Finished the last of my N reading, too. Gonna sit back and take it easy this evening, shoot for another early rise tomorrow.

Made it this far...

Just back from the gym. Good workout. Lifted, cycled, hit the heavy bag. Was hoping to get a walk in this afternoon, but am being called away for some fixit work at K’s.

Good night’s sleep thanks to a couple of hits of Tylenol. Made it till morning before the neck woke me up.

Put in some good revision work at the keyboard, then took care of a few housekeeping chores including ordering a new driver’s license from the DMV before my old one expires in December.

Weather turned a bit cooler, but otherwise it’s been lovely. Sunshine and deep blue skies. If it stays like this till the weekend, who knows, I might head down to the Arkansas for some fishing.

A lot on the mind. Be nice to shake some of it, but can’t seem to figure out how. Guess I’ll just have to muddle through.

Looking forward to a quiet evening.

A near total loss of ambition...

Shoot. Keep dropping days here lately. Can’t seem to keep up with all the goings on.

Slept in, but not late. Daylight savings time still playing with my head. Anyway, up to work early with pretty good results.

PT this afternoon, and a optical exam after that. Again, pretty good results. No immediate need to fix anything.

Looking forward to a quiet night’s sleep.

Will figure out tomorrow when it comes.

And that's all I have to say about it...

Big day tomorrow. Need to be up early. Didn’t sleep for beans last night owing to Kitcat’s night wanderings, so maybe I’ll make up for time lost tonight.

Nice day. Beautiful weather. Worked early on checking through the last draft of “Eyes Wide Open,” and found I had a pretty good piece going. Need to make a few small changes, and send it off.

Started another N piece—a long one this time—and figure to finish it tonight. After that, gonna sit back and take it easy.

Had a nice talk with the boys late morning. Talked about all the travels ahead of them. Mexico soon, Colorado Springs, on Christmas day. Jack was a little under the weather, but Matt was running at extra strength. Expect they’re both still a little worn down from all the excitement at Halloween.

Not sure where we’ll be come tomorrow night, this time, but hoping like hell it’s here in the Springs with a pleasant week ahead of us.

Put new tires on the hand truck today. Broke out the Christmas decorations too. Onward.

For no one in particular...

Feel like I’ve been slipping in and out of time the past few days.

Got an early rise this morning, and put in some quality time at the keyboard. Worked on some story material, then took care of a few housekeeping matters. Got in some reading too.

Left for PT around noon, and stuck through for a workout afterward. Neck’s felling a little better all the time, though I don’t expect the pain will go away for good.

Wrote a little more when I got home. Mad a pot of mushroom soup, and went for a stroll around the neighborhood afterward. Beautiful evening. Thought the trees might have shed their leaves by now, but a lot of them are still hanging on. Gonna remember this autumn for a long time.

Covid booster tomorrow. Other than that, no big plans. Just taking things as they come.

Maybe if it’s nice this weekend, I’ll go fishing. All options open.

There...

More tech badness. More reinstalling, more problems.

Upside: good work at keyboard, good session with PT, good workout and good talk with my uncle. Ballots mailed. Tomorrow yet to come.

Interlude...

Long day getting back into the groove.

Time off was good.

Ready to move forward again.

Pulling the plug for a while...

Decent night’s sleep, and up early to the keyboard. Morning’s are dark and brisk now, but that’s okay. Makes the first cup of joe all that more appreciated.

Gave the stories a rest today, and spent my time making submissions. Was a little behind, but after two hours sorting possibilities, got caught up again. Haven’t made final edits on the three new pieces. Will set aside some time over the next few days to get them in order. After that, back to the new long pieces.

Cleaned the house midday, then headed off to the gym for a nice workout.

Trees have pretty well shed their leaves. Locusts in back are still waiting for a good wind to come along and clean them, but the ash are bare and the rest won’t be far behind.

Pretty day, nonetheless.

Looking to shut things down for a few days. Get off grid and get my head straight.

And there you have it...

Got going on this way too late.

Early rise, early to work, then off to PT.

Good day at the gym.

Cooked up a pot of navy bean soup for dinner. The rest is lost to history.

A day to remember...

Best Monday I’ve had in a long time.

Out the door early to catch up with my buddy George at Kairos. Talked shop, had a few yuks, the works. Came home afterward, collected my fly gear and headed up to Eleven Mile Canyon for a beautiful day of fishing. Caught two lunker brown. Released them both. Man, it was good to be in the mountains again.