Sunday evening coming down...

Pretty morning. Coffee on the front porch.

Put together a reader draft of a new short. Calling this one “Mr. Finley’s Silver Flask,” but praying a better title manifests itself before long.

Got in a nice mid-morning workout. Not a soul around. Had the whole gym to myself.

Grabbed a latte when we got home and went out scouting potential grave sites at the westside cemetery. Yeah. Come to that place and time where I wanna know.

Everything else moving along under its own steam.

Hope the tile guy can put an end to things this week. Would really like to take a shower in my own home. Stall looks all but finished. Now comes the floor and the new door.

Sticking close to home...

Productive day—probably because I wasn’t writing.

Went to work early on the yard. Revived, patch-seeded, mowed, prepped, burlapped, and watered the lawn. Then got to painting the garage.

Cleaned up at the gym. No workout today.

Don’t have any energy left for cooking, so…hotdogs.

Going into the sixth week without a shower upstairs. Hoping the workmen can put an end to it this week, but don’t want to jinx it by saying anything more.

Figure to take it easy tonight. Real easy.

End of week epiphany...

Hoped to see the work in the shower stall finished today, but no luck. Near done, but still a day’s labor ahead before they get around to the floor. Still. One step closer.

Winds were still around today, but no where near what they’ve been. Weather forecast is for more of the same all the way into next week. No rain in sight, which is making the fires worse, and there’s nothing to be done but bear up under it.

Fire up in Teller County doubled overnight, spreading west into a rugged part of the mountains. Zero containment. I hope we get some rain up there or it’s going to be a long, smokey summer.

Downtown fire in the mobile home park on north Cascade was started by a cigarette. Woman who touched it off died in the blaze.

Got in a good hard workout this afternoon with Sol. Making progress with the rehabbed shoulder and bicep, and even the neck feels better.

Gonna start in painting the garage tomorrow, weather permitting. Not sure how far we’ll get once the prep’s finished, but hoping for a productive day and a good start. Need to get this beast in shape before the plants bloom all the way and complicate things.

Wind and smoke...

Day started well enough, but the good vibes didn’t last.

It’s 6:05 and there’s a fire out near the Amazon plant. Another one in Teller County near Cripple Creek. Both are being fanned by the heavy winds and dry weather. Not worried so much about the one in town, but deeply worried about the one in the mountains. It’s heavily treed up there, and won’t take long to spread. Don’t see it contained anytime soon.

K was on a return flight from NY. Plane was rerouted to Denver, owing to the high winds. Now the airport’s been evacuated because of the fire near the Amazon plant.

Welcome to summer in Colorado—and it’s still only May.

A setback here, a setback there.

Day started out okay. Got a reader’s draft in place for my newest story, “Long Player,” and a near finish on a longer, untitled story. Things were clicking along pretty well until, as we were enjoying a cup of coffee, water burst through our dining room light fixture. Tile guy hit a line with his cleat. No water for the rest of the day, and no electricity in a quarter of the house. Good news is, the plumber just came and repaired the hole. Water’s back on. Leaving the electric off until things dry, but at least we can water the flowers we just planted and save ourselves an expensive re-do.

Also on the good side, managed a halfway decent workout at the gym, a second Covid booster on the way home.

Not sure how the shower schedule looks now that the wall had to be dismantled, but figure we’ve lost at least two days and won’t see it finished until late next week. And that’s the tile work. The new glass door looks like a two-day operation in and of itself.

Oh, well. On to tomorrow.

And so it goes...

Busy day today.

Made some nice headway with my short pieces.

Put in a hard workout at the gym, and followed it up with some serious rehab. No nap today, but could’ve used one. Planted the new rose bushes instead and got a little more yard clean-up out of the way. Still haven’t revived the lawn and patched the new seed with burlap, but figure to do that tomorrow afternoon.

Pretty day compared to some of the recent ones. No visible dust or smoke in the air, but the breeze is still drying everything out. No rain in the forecast and none in sight.

Tile dudes made progress with the shower stall today. Looks to be about a third finished. They’re projecting Friday for a completion date, but I’m guessing they won’t get around to grouting until next week. We’ll see. New door’s going to need to be installed, too.

Looking for another early turn-in time tonight.

The way things went...

Big wind today. Very nasty. No trees were blown down this time, but the dust it raised all but blotted out the Peak. I actually wondered if it wasn’t a fire it was so bad.

Wrote early, then went off to Starbuck’s for the first of our Monday Morning Situation Reports. Later, locked up the kitties and headed out to the gym while the tile guy did his thing. Trying not to get ahead of myself, but the brief site inspection I did makes me think he might finish by Friday. Fingers crossed.

Went to an audiologist for a free hearing exam. Turns out I’ve got great ears and piss-poor hearing. Sixty percent loss in the upper registers. Figure to get another exam elsewhere and compare notes.

Still haven’t managed to get my second Covid booster, so I’m making it a priority for tomorrow. Tonight, I’m kicking back and looking for an early night’s sleep.

A hodgepodge of doings...

Put in some good work on two stories this morning. Also sent the Outskirts collection off to Tin House.

Took a break mid-morning to clean the house. Wanted to get ahead of the mess the tile guys are gonna make come Monday. Upstairs shower’s been out of commission for over a month now. Hope we something resembling the end in the next two weeks.

Day started out cool, but heated up pretty quickly. Last I checked we’d broken eighty. Which means we’ve probably got another hot, smoky summer in store for us. May and June used to be mild here. Not anymore.

Yard’s coming on line. Everything’s greening up nicely, the flowers are finding their way into pots, and the lawn needs cutting already. Might pull out the mower tomorrow if the temps sink. If not might head to theater and catch a movie.

Pizza tonight.

Done, done, and done...

Lovely day. Wish I’d gone for a walk. Spent most of it writing or out picking up yard goods.

Was up early writing, then off to the gym for a long workout while the tile guy laid the hardy board for the new shower. Picked up bags of garden soil at Costco this afternoon, and returned bags of less desirable topsoil to Lowes. In between, did a little grocery shopping.

Hard to believe that constituted the whole day, but it did. Except for a brief, late-afternoon nap.

Tomorrow, more of the same.

That's right, there's always tomorrow...

Spent the better part of the morning catching up on correspondence, then went off to the gym.

Quiet, pretty day.

Stopped by the grocery store to pick up fixings for chicken marsala. On the way back, found a clematis to replace the dead one on the side yard.

Took a small nap early afternoon, but never got quite back up to speed after I woke. Put in some decent revisions on the new, as of yet untitled story, and that was as far as I got.

There’s always tomorrow, right? Until there isn’t?

Guess I’ll have to look to get an early jump tomorrow.

Rain, at last...

Good day.

The writing went well, and I’m one day closer to finishing my newest story. Had a solid day at the gym, too.

Paid the vet a visit to pick up Kit’s meds, killed an hour at the park with a Starbuck’s, and came home to a nice easy rain—the first in a long, long time.

No big doings planned for tonight. Just a quiet stay-at-home.

Omelets for dinner.

Putting together a new week...

Woke early after a good night’s sleep, and hit the keyboard with all fingers firing.

Made some solid revisions to the newest of the stories I’ve been carrying around, took care of a few submissions, then headed off to the gym for a nice, early-week workout.

Made a trip over to K’s later and helped with flowers. Short nap on the return trip.

Skies were overcast and gray this morning, but the wind blew most of the badness away and left us with a pretty evening.

No plans for tonight. Just taking it easy.

Saying goodbye to Sunday...

Decided to bag the yard work today and run off to a movie instead. Not sure if we wouldn’t have been better off staying home.

Made a pot of beef stew this morning after an early start at the keyboard. No big plans for the evening.

Got some correspondence out the door, and hope to finish up with some more paperwork tomorrow.

Meanwhile, taking it easy.

K comes home tonight after her long odyssey in France. Looking forward to hearing a few stories once she’s rested up.

Everything's easy at the moment...

For every day that goes to pieces, the cosmos always seems to deliver a winner in compensation.

Woke from a good night’s sleep, had a great day at the keyboard, put in some solid work around the yard, and got a chance to kick around the hood.

Weather was absolutely gorgeous. Sun, blue skies, and a nice cool breeze. If I’d planned ahead, I could’ve packed up my fly rod and hit the Arkansas.

Plumber came mid-afternoon and is nearly finished with the new install. Next week carpenter comes back to fix the floor, and after that, the tile dude will be on the clock. Looking forward to having this beast of a job behind us.

Taking it easy tonight. Tomorrow, a movie.

Friday musings...

Windy day, today.

Wrote early, went off to the gym for an early workout, came home for a nice mid-afternoon nap.

Resurrected some old work, looking to refashion it into a short. Think I might have hit on something. Should have a better idea of where it stands come tomorrow.

Looking forward to getting a jump on the yard work. Have a lot done, but a long way to go.

Plumber bagged on us. Supposed to come back tomorrow. We’ll see.

Meanwhile, just looking to kill time and have a nice evening.

Chugging along...

Headway.

Up around six, and out to the cottage not long after. Put in some good revisions on the Christmas story, and figure to let it sit now.

Good workout this afternoon. Patched the lawn with seed and soil, then ran off to take care of a few errands. Pretty day. A little breezy, but not bad. No rain in sight, but as long as the temps stay manageable we should be okay.

N queue is empty, K is off to Paris, Kitcat’s thyroid numbers are holding up and young Jack has managed to stay out of Covid’s way for the moment. So, for the moment, life is good.

Lifting with Sol tomorrow. Maybe getting my second booster tomorrow afternoon.

Tonight, wine and antipasto.

Back at it...

Crazy day.

Pretty day, too.

Grass is greening up, and the skies are blue.

Got to work early, put in time on a new short, then off to the gym and rehab. Made progress all the way around.

Kit goes to the vet tomorrow for blood work and a check up. He turns 17 on Saturday.

Tonight, omeletts.

Rolling along...

Another short entry tonight.

Up early to greet the carpenter. Worked on the laptop while he went about his business. Hit the gym late afternoon and put in a halfway decent workout.

Came home, cleaned up, and went back to the office to take care of some paperwork.

Passed along an N critique today, advancing (fingers crossed) one of the better stories I’ve read all year. One story left in the queue. Will take care of that tomorrow.

Cool weather.

K still stuck in France.

A rumor of rain...

Quiet day, in all.

Up early to the cottage to write, then off to a movie in the afternoon.

No gym today. Took a nap instead.

Big winds here, back to back, stoking at least three fires in different parts of down. A bad omen for what’s to come, I’m sure.

Weather people give us a small chance of rain tomorrow. Hope it shows, cause we can use it.