Another case of Covid...

A good Saturday.

Up early making revisions to the newest short. Think I’ve got something good going, but won’t know for sure until I get the rest of the wrinkles ironed out.

Made an early trip to the dump to clear the pickup of all the bath and yard debris we’ve been collecting, but still faced a long line when we got there. Got back about an hour later, drank a couple of cups, then went off to the gym for a workout.

Weather’s back to being hot. Probably mid-eighties to high eighties. The snow from earlier in the week is nothing but a memory now.

Talked briefly with our neighbor, Robin this morning. Her guy, Karl, has come down with Covid. Feels like it won’t be long before everyone we know will have had it. Here’s hoping they can navigate the next couple of weeks without too much difficulty.

That's the size of it...

Some good writing this morning.

Quit early to get to the gym, run a few errands.

Was hoping to see the shower door installed, but the carpenter ran into difficulties with the track. Seems the calibration is off. A new one’s been ordered but it won’t show for at least two weeks. One more disappointment for the week. Meanwhile, took a trip to Lowes and picked up a rod and curtain.

Lawn mowed, edged and ready for the weekend.

Heading to the dump tomorrow morning. Jettison all the crud from the bathroom project and the yard.

Thursday, 6:28 pm...

Good early morning at the keyboard.

Took a break from the office mid-morning to reposition the stones in the front flowerbed, then went off to the gym.

Made a trip to the hardware store, a short jaunt to the grocer’s, and even got in a nice phone call with my sis before the day was out.

Weather warmed up quite a bit this afternoon. Near ninety, I think. Not sure what the long term forecast is, but I hope it leaves time for a little more rain and a few cool evenings.

Yard’s looking good. Flowers, too. Will do a little more pruning over the weekend, and after that it should all be maintenance.

Time for some fishing, right?

Coming back around...

Early rise with some good revision work on the back end. Good day at the gym, too. Disappeared for a while mid-afternoon for a nap, but got back at the writing afterward.

Pretty day today, the way it used to be when the skies were always clear and the weather was always crisp and sunny. Hope it sticks around for a while.

Tile guy finished up this morning. Did I really say that? Seven weeks in, and the bath is finished, fixtures installed, with all that’s left is the installation of the glass door. I say this guardedly. The plumbing, it turns out, is in need of a few extra tweaks, which we hope to have resolved this evening.

Hoping for more sunshine tomorrow. Fewer bullets. It’s the small things in life that make all the difference.

Sad day, for sure...

Whatever was good about the day went down the drain with the latest mass shooting.

Wrote a bit, worked out, went through PT, and came home to do a little shopping. Tile guy finished today, and the plumber’s due to arrive in twenty minutes. Looks as if we may have a working shower by this weekend after all.

Weather’s dreary, but that’s okay. The extra rain’s keep everything damp and green, and what’s falling in the mountains is even better.

No plans for the evening. Just hanging back.

Looks like we might break even...

Not sure where the day went, but last I checked it was leaning forward.

Wrote early, then made off for the gym. Passable progress both ways.

Meanwhile, the tile guy came within a few feet of finishing. Looks like he’ll wrap the job tomorrow, or Wednesday at the latest. Plumber comes Wednesday evening to install the fixtures, and miracle of miracles, the carpenter will be here on Thursday to install the door. Not saying anything more for fear of jinxing things.

Rainy most of the day. Same in tomorrow’s forecast.

Got the flowers (pots, planters, boxes, and all the rest.) out of the garage and back in place this morning. Uncovered all the shrouded plants, too. Everything looks amazing given the weather. Even the big branches on the trees are beginning to find their way back.

Taking stock, moving forward...

It’s the day after the big storm and everything’s still in good order. Lost a few flowers, I fear, but no trees and nothing structural.

Got lucky, thanks to all the precautions we took.

Rewrote the opening of the long story I’ve been working on, and think I’ve got it on the right track now. The piece feels exceptionally dense compared to a lot of my stories, but it plays, I think, so I’m leaving it as is for the time being.

“Long Player” is ready to be sent out. Will give it one last look-through tomorrow.

“Woolgatherer” was accepted today by a new publication out of Great Britain.

Spent some time at the gym this afternoon, and took a short nap when I got back. Skies are overcast and drizzly. The perfect day to sit back and do nothing.

Tile guy comes back tomorrow (week seven). Says he’ll finish for sure, but we don’t believe it. I’m thinking we might have a chance to see the fixtures installed and the water back on by Thursday. The glass door won’t be up for at least another week, but if the rest of the shower is operational, we’ll be hanging a rod and curtain.

Digging out from under the big snow...

Woke up to some buried trees this morning.

Started brushing back the snow around six and didn’t quit until ten. Had to take out the tall step ladder and the extension brushes to make the headway I wanted, and walked away with bent limbs but almost no damage.

The neighbor’s tree in back landed on our roof, but it’s gonna take days to figure out how much, if not all, of the tree will need to be taken down. Bummer, because it shaded a significant part of our back patio.

Went off to the movies with K, and killed the middle of the afternoon with a nice show and a box of popcorn. When we came out, most of the residual snow in the treetops had fallen, and the sky was blue and sunny.

Made a pot of soup when we got home. Gonna have a nice simple dinner tonight and, with any luck, an easy night’s sleep.

Tile guy’s nearly finished. Still has a good day’s work ahead, but not enough to keep us from calling the plumber and having the fixtures installed. Fingers crossed it all comes together before mid-next week.

An early Christmas...

So the rain we’ve been waiting for is here. It’s snow now, true. But it’s here, and it’s wet and heavy, and if it doesn’t bring down any tree limbs before the night’s over we’ll have it made. Weather people predicting up to 18 inches. We’ll see.

Cold snap coming...

Eighty-five today.

Tomorrow? Five to eight inches of snow.

Have gathered up all the potted flowers and stowed them in the garage. Will have to look for a way to cover the roses and other plants with contractor bags, and keep the tall ladder at the ready to clear the tree branches.

With the weather as dry as it’s been, I hope the weather folks are right for a change.

Good day at the keyboard, albeit a short one.

Tile on the mind...

Got a sprinkle of rain this afternoon. Not much, but better than nothing.

Was up early, and spent the morning revising. Killed the early afternoon at the gym, and mid-afternoon napping with the kitties while the tile guy sawed away.

Went for a walk later, then wrote a bit more. Not a very exciting day as days go, but I probably made progress and didn’t even realize it.

Need to start punching a few new pieces out the door.

Easy, breezy...

Yet another day with no upstairs shower. I’m told grouting will take place tomorrow, but I have my doubts about everything anymore.

Caught up on a bit of correspondence today, and also finished the last bit of polish on my resume. Didn’t manage much in the way of fiction, but that’s okay.

Had a good workout at the gym, made it through PT, put in some yard work and even got away to Starbucks for a late afternoon latte.

Looking to tighten the screws tomorrow. Maybe see if I can’t push something new out the door.

Meh...

A busy one.

Up early working on a new resume. Got in some good revisions on a story, too.

Pushed papers for most of the morning, then went off to the gym.

Tile guy came late today, and quit early owing to some missing materials. Jesus. Week six of this stuff and no real end in sight. If all goes well, they may be able to grout by Wednesday or Thursday. But then there’s the sealing of the grout and the installation of the new door. Trying to roll with it, but disappointed with the progress.

Drank a Starbuck’s down at the park, looking to unwind. Pretty day, so I’m happy we did.

Chicken marsala tonight. A little Antiques Roadshow.

PT tomorrow.

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.