Surfing the heat wave...

Woke with a sore back after monkeying around in the yard yesterday. Nothing big, but nothing I want to mess with after that round a few weeks ago.

Wrote early, about an hour, then drove off to Rocky Top to get rid of the fallen limbs I’ve been toting around in the back of he pickup for the past week. Eight o’clock, and there was already a long line. Guess everyone else has given up on the city’s clean up crew, too.

Spent the rest of the day teak-oiling the patio doors and furniture, then painting the dining room ceiling. The latter’s going to need some kilz and another coat thanks to the tile guy blowing out the plumbing. Couldn’t get rid of the water stain.

Drove over to Starbucks after we’d cleaned up, then to Goodwill to drop off a couple of picture frames. All in all a pretty productive day.

Didn’t do much outside after the temps pushed into the nineties. Don’t expect to do much tomorrow, either, owing to the same reason. Grass is looking fine, but if the hot dry weather sticks around it’s going to be an uphill battle keeping it that way.

The days of wine and pizza...

Warm, warm day.

But busy.

Spend a quality morning at the keyboard, then went off to the gym. Mowed the lawn when I got home, and trimmed the walks. Mowed Robin & Karl’s too, as they’re both still recovering from Covid.

Took a short drive to the west side to drop off our ballots, and pick up a prescription from the pharmacy. Thought I might get a little more writing in, but between the gym and the yardwork was too tired so I took a short nap instead.

Matthew graduated from pre-school this morning. Even wore a mortarboard and gown. Pic were great, but sure wish we could have been there.

Taking it easy tonight. Pizza and wine.

Walking blind...

How did it get to be Thursday? More to the point, how did it get to be Thursday without my noticing? Thank god for the trash men or I’d never know what day it is.

Worked on a commercial project the better part of the day, but got in a workout as well, and managed a letter to Elena, and post cards to the boys.

Hoped to get back to the story writing, but the break was well-spent and may prove to have been a good thing in the end.

Muggy day, overcast and hot. Weather people say more of the same is on the way.

Looking at a quiet evening.

No idea what’s in store tomorrow.

Mid-week missive...

Picked up some new work today.

Also pushed some revisions out the door. Didn’t make a lot of progress with the new story, but did get to the gym, and later to the nursery.

Lot’s of housekeeping today.

Eager to get back at it tomorrow.

Easing into another weekend...

Still settling in from the trip south.

Great time last night at Stargazers. Edie and the band were right there. Terrific concert.

Late out of bed this morning, but did a lot of good work at the keyboard.

Headed out to the gym early, and got in a nice workout. Planned on mowing the lawn when I got home, but was met with an unexpected thunderstorm. Made a pot of home-made split pea soup instead.

Worked a while late this afternoon.

Tried to call the boys, but no luck.

Settling in for a quiet evening.

Travels without Charlie...

Just back from a three day trip to Los Lunas, New Mexico, visiting my sis. Pretty trip down, though the smoke from the big burn was everywhere. Got a chance to walk her property, see the plans for the new house, and catch up on news, family and otherwise.

Haven’t been down to New Mexico since the night before mom died. Got a lot of road time to think about things.

Weather I met with on La Veta pass was a good reminder it’s not quite summer. Lots of mist and fog. The Springs was overcast and cool when I rolled in, and the lawn still looks great. Gonna try and stay ahead of it this year and see if I can’t keep it from burning at the edges.

Too tired to say much more.

Happy to be home, and I’ll leave it at that.

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.