Wordless

 

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Time for me to fly!

 

They always know when I'm traveling, even though it's been years. I use a whole roll of tape to get cat hair off this bag and my navy hoody. Took a shower and found cats again roosting on everything. "All haired up for you, mom." 

They will be in good hands.

If FB is good for nothing else, the Memories feature brings sweet surprises. These two pictures were taken six years apart. 

Of course, going home means going to where memories were made.  There is nothing like an old polaroid for time travel. He was teasing me about something and I had clearly taken the bait. I do remember that those overalls were so tight that sitting was an act of masochism. There were no babies yet. I drove home in my underwear not caring if I got pulled over. 

This is happening too. But I won't be shipping anything until after I get back, maybe the 24th, give or take. Flex is good.

My season

Yes, it's even more vivid in person! I use the bare minimum of chlorine during the season and ran out of pills for the plastic Ducks in September so this is just water and some very healthy algae. 

This will be the first year that there are no trees hanging immediately over the water so the natural chemistry is a first. This is the same liner that we bought in '98 so I must be doing something right. Keeping the pool filled keeps the kevlar-based liner from drying out and keeps the frame from flexing inward. Come Spring we are due for replacing the main hoses. All we have to do now is make sure it doesn't get any significant ice. 

I have to float some wood scraps in case a bumbling critter falls in. I have watched deer browsing inside that chain link fence and have been in the water when one hopped up on the deck for a drink. 

The rabid Purslane continues to rout out any pot mates. There's a rather pitiful nasturtium struggling along on the fringes. I'm wondering if I cover this with dirt or straw will it over winter? I hope so. They are hard to find.

 The grape hyacinth finally gave me some blooms. Turns out I overfed the poor thing. Too much nitrogen? You get leaves galore but no flowers or fruit.  I'm going to add another panel or two to the arbor next year. No fertilizer for you! 

 

We had a lovely mid-week get-together because school was closed for some kind of break. He's a thoughtful child open to the world and other creatures. I've read that seven is the age of reason without really understanding what that referred to. I see it as awakening to the fact that one is not the center of the 'Verse and that all beings are connected. 

a Sale

 The whole birthday month things peeves me. One day is plenty for me. The only thing I'm doing for my birthday month is clearing the decks. Making space. Cleaning house. Changing course. Having a sale!

Click on the link up there for the details. Email me with your picks. As ever, first come first served.

days of yore?

Right now, Facebook and its mutant offspring are down. Dick-in-the-dirt down, and it's an interesting turn of event that this happened while a FB representative named ANTIGONE was defending the company against some pretty damning allegations made by a whistleblower. FB did what lined Zuck's pockets regardless of how it stoked political divisiveness and misinformation. NO SHIT!! 

                                                                         

I do miss Instagram. Bailey was a star yesterday.

Ah, technology. The new version of Scrivener sucked into the big laptop today with no issues. Now I'm going to force myself through the learning hoops. I limped along only half using this powerful tool for the first three books. I'll try to work smarter this time and pretend I paid to sit in a classroom and get the most out of it.

Just this morning I bought an 18-month planner because a web-based calendar tool that I've been using for years is saying goodbye so it can become another silly I-phone app. Dude, I think you may have chosen poorly. Anyway, I will clean my fountain pens tonight. I already have a bunch of stamps that I'll have to do the math to use, they are so old. I can do that with a pencil and paper too. 

the prosy stuff: I bought my first-ever set of dishes. Mom's hand-me-down Corelle was good forever, but even Corelle is not indestructible. I have three of the four coffee mugs that my sister-in-law gave us for a shower gift. Number four paid the price when Jimmy took it to work with him one day.  Joked to his buddy that they were supposed to be unbreakable and banged it on something as if it was a hammer.

The new stuff is gorgeous, huge, and heavy. I will probably wind up putting the dinner plates under my house plants. The bowls and dessert plates are perfect.

galaxies under the grub

 

churning the scrap basket

 

conversations

Going forward, posts like this about the writing life will go to Cooking the Hook. 

Art and fiber-related posts will stay here, but damn, I can crossover on a whim. Nice being a landlord.

  It was much too early for that kind of conversation. Let's just call that a fever dream. I had my booster Monday and ran a little hot that night. 

Here's a sweeter conversation. A dear friend called out of the blue. We've known each other forever. Two human beings could not be more at odds, but the core of our relationship was our good fortune of having had decades-long marriages to good men. 

Time and distance did their thing but Barb and I still had the biannual hour-long catch-up calls. This time she shocked me. My dear girl has always been straight as an arrow and charmingly old-fashioned. How we meshed remains a mystery. She called to tell me that she's bought my books, read them and loved them and when was the next one coming out.  

I guess I had better pick up the pace.

Extravagance

 

Let a fine day begin with long-awaited new shoes arriving just in time. AND, miracle of miracles, they fit and do not offend my fashion insensibilities. In the past month, I have bought four pairs of shoes online and sent all of them back. Shopping in person is even harder when you wear 10W.  

The crown and heart of this day was a surprise ice cream social for my co-pirate and his bestie since pre-K.

We scarfed up the ice cream, wished we had brought sweaters, and just watched these two spiral around each other. She will be moving away in a few weeks, but for now, the joy overcomes the sorrow of the days ahead. I think they will keep in touch.

I bought myself a traditional derelict bouquet from the nearly dead bin and cooked for myself something that was not whatever slammed between two slices of bread.  

 

You can see my hairy friend waiting for me to look away so she could lick the plate.

I wish there had been wine. Still, I corrected my chemistry, put on some music, and stalked the internet boyfriend for a while.

All of this in an effort to NOT keep checking on the stats of my first ever advertising promotion for the book. This screengrab for book one of the trilogy was the peak. Color me thrilled.

Voices in my head.

 

"What do you remember? Don't close your eyes." He touched her forehead. "Look at me. What were you feeling?"

"Fury."

Characters in conversation can take the story to places I never anticipate.

I've been reading a book about the importance of outlining (in a very specific way) and I just can't feature doing it.

Free is good

 It's back to work Monday. All kinds of work. Here's some fun stuff. 

All this week, the Kindle version of Out of Step, book one of the Prophets Tango trilogy is FREE !! 

I feel a little like a crack dealer though, 'cause I promise you'll be back for the other two to complete the story.  Go here for that free taste.   

Turns out that little snip of conversation that I started the other day is going to be in book 4. 

I love it when they let me eavesdrop.

of a Sunday

  

We flung ourselves across the bed and read comic books, taking turns with the panels. Stopping to research things that were unknown. Kilroy was here. Inconsequential. He has a phenomenal vocabulary grasping the nuances of words mostly from context. "Where they live."

I am re-watching the most amazing film adaptation of a novel- Cold Mountain with Jude Law and Nicole Kidman. I'm in the mood for pure love and stone heartbreak. Don't know if I'll make it all the way through.

There's a book waiting for me, too. 

Not so very social media

 Starting this conversation with a long, hard look at some things that are hanging all around me. 

That they are here is not so much depressing, but an indictment of my scatteredness.  

Between homeless pieces of art and peddling Prophets Tango, it seems like lately most of my ram is devoted to marketing. I am out of ram this morning. 

I was geared up to a small promotion on FB tomorrow - a group of 90K+ potential readers- BUT the Zuck threw me in jail for a comment that Violated Community Standards. I'm sure many of you belong to Guerilla Sewing. Someone posted a set of fabulous gallery shots of her work. Large, in-hoop embroidered pieces that included LED accents that illustrated online icons and images. Wonderful, engaging work. Once piece done on vintage doilies had SEND NUDES. It made me laugh out loud. 

I commented "SEND NUDES....hilarious and wonderful" and was instantly banned from FB for 24 hours.  Zuck would be getting on my last nerve, but I won't give him the power.  Fuck you FaceBook.

You go first...

 

No, you start.

 Okay. What do you remember?

not humpday

 

What a fine day yesterday was. Clear skies, warm sun, picnic with a live friend. A long overdue visit. Marked for a repeat soon. 

Today, a spell of grayness sets in. Perfect for some quiet cloth shuffling. List making. Music listening. Plotting.

I'm packing up orders to take to the post office tomorrow. Thursdays at 1:30 seems to be the magic hour there. Few cars outside, no lines. Staff back from lunch looking to get on with their day. In and out in five minutes has been the rule.

My co-pirate was here for a little bit on Sunday. As soon as he got home his other front baby tooth fell out. Here he is dreaming about the tooth fairy. Photo by his Dad. Tinkering with it by me. If I leaned toward painting, I'd make this one huge.