Mythoclast Monday

mythoclast ~ destroyer of myths

You know, I came to a conclusion yesterday while I was cutting the lawns. It's not the cutting I hate, it's the lawns themselves. And the lawn mower. The back yard, even though it's bigger, isn't so bad. But the front yard is bumpy and pitted and you really don't notice it unless you're walking back and forth across it. It's gone beyond rolling to fix it. What it needs is a load of topsoil spread over it to smooth it out.

The lawn mower now . . . I swear this lawn mower was one of the first ones that ever ran on gasoline:

Okay, maybe not quite as old as the one in the picture, but it's pretty darn close. It's wobbly and rickety and held together with spit and a prayer. Even the hubby's having trouble starting it these days. But year after year it keeps hanging in there, despite all odds and oodles of neglect. You kind of gotta admire a machine that faithful, but that's not going to stop me from doing a happy dance on its grave when it finally does give up the ghost. ;-)

Now there's an interesting idea for a story . . . the ghost of an old lawn mower comes back and haunts the family that replaced it with a spiffy new one. Sort of like Stephen King's Christine, only on a smaller scale. LOL

Happiness would be a hover-mower. One that glides over the grass as it cuts. It would respond to your slightest touch - no more struggling and man-handling it to get it to turn. And it would have a push button start so you don't hurt something pulling on those stupid cords.

Somebody get right on that, 'kay?

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

Last week was a pretty good week for getting stuff done, despite my extremely grumpy mood. I added another 5,000 words to Lucky Dog, got some editing done, finished knitting my fingerless gloves, and got another few rows added to the baby sweater.

I keep thinking the end is in sight with Lucky Dog, but every time I do the characters hare off on some other side trip. Right now Jessica is having an intense, but necessary, conversation with her dead mother. She really needs to just shut up and get back on track. ;-)

The fingerless gloves turned out perfect, which is saying something because I didn't use a pattern. Too bad the weather has turned warm so even first thing in the morning I don't need them. They were great for working on during TV time 'cause I didn't have to pay such close attention to what I was doing. Unlike the baby sweater I'm doing. I'm almost finished the main piece, then I just have to add the sleeves and do the booties and bonnet.

In the meantime, though she appreciates the effort I'm putting into the pink one, the daughter has requested a white one as well, just in case. Apparently the doctor who told them it's a girl is known for being wrong . . . about 50% of the time.

She's also put in a request for cowboy booties, which look simple enough to do, and there's even a crocheted cowboy hat to go with it.

Good thing the new season on television's started, I might have a chance at getting them all done before the baby comes. LOL

What I'm Reading

Once again it was pretty slim pickings on the reading front last week. I had a bunch of stuff that took me away from home which made it a little hard to squeeze some reading time in. But I did manage to buy a couple of books from a thrift store. ;-)

Electronic Books

I had every intention of paying some attention to George last week, I even had the opportunity. However, what I didn't have was any juice in his battery. But never fear! His battery is all charged up now and next week is a new week.

Tree Books

I haven't made much progress in Eyes Like Leaves, by Charles de Lint. Don't for a minute think I've lost interest in it, the truth is I just didn't have time.

One of the books I bought at the thrift store was The Anthology of Love and Romance, edited by Kate Alexander. It happened to be in the car when the battery in my Kindle died, so naturally I started reading it. It was published in 1994 and has some really, really, old stories.

This book has love stories by such names as Rudyard Kipling, O Henry, Charlotte Bronte, and Georgette Heyer. Like I said, old stories. ;-)

I'm actually finding it pretty interesting. Don't judge. :-P

Re-Reads

I'm plugging away with Swords Against Darkness V, edited by Andrew Offutt, but it's been slow going. Once again, lack of time is the culprit here.

And that's pretty much it for the reading last week. I honestly don't know if next week will be any better, but one can only hope. ;-)

Muffineer Monday

muffineer ~ dish for keeping muffins hot

You know, I feel like I talk overmuch about the weather, but you have to admit it's been pretty darn interesting lately.

We had a couple of perfect fall days - sun was shining but it wasn't overly warm - followed by a couple of really cold days - to the point where I even turned the furnace on one morning to take the chill off - and these last couple of days have been downright muggy.

So last week when I said the cooler temperatures were here to stay? I lied. Or more specifically, the Weather Network lied. But then we tend to expect that kind of behavior from them, don't we? However, if they could be wrong about the cold weather being here to stay, maybe their predictions for the coming winter will be wrong as well.

*knock on wood*

As well as being a mixed bag weather-wise, last week was a bit of a mixed bag of accomplishments too. A little of this, a little of that . . . a couple of migraines . . .

I think my biggest accomplishment is my consistency with the words on Lucky Dog. I'm now up to 80,000 words, which is both a good and a bad thing. Good because wow, that's a lot of words! And bad because whoa, that's a lot of words and a great many of them are going to have to be cut. But the end is near. Two more major scenes, but a whole lot of little stuff in between too. Will I finish this week? I have no idea. At this point I think I just keep writing so I won't have to start editing it. ;-)

I have another baby sweater about half done . . . this one is for my grandchild to be, due at the end of January. It's in optimistic pink and I will definitely be doing the booties as well as the hat to go with it. The daughter put in a request for a boob hat (also known as a breast beanie), but that is so not going to happen!

No. Just . . . no

In other news . . . I also got a little reading done, some editing, and some more books loaded into the nook. I have a large basket that I use for gathering the books that are going in there, and I figure if I even do one basket full a day, I should have the book part of the nook finished by the weekend. Then it just needs a few finishing touches and - cross your fingers - I'll be able to do my nook post next week.

The temperatures this week are supposed to be moderate and sunny, which will be perfect for giving the gardens a clean out in preparation for the coming winter.

Yeah, right. Even I don't believe that one. LOL

What I'm Reading

For anyone keeping track of such things, I never did get around to starting to get caught up on Goodreads. Okay, I totally forgot about it. Just one of the many things I need to leave a note to myself about.

Oh, here's a thought. Why don't I write out a note - red marker on white paper - and tack it to the cork board that runs the length of the bookcase that backs onto the far side of my desk? There. Done and done. :-)

Once again it was pretty slim pickings on the reading front last week. When I wasn't busy doing other things, I was too tired. A lame excuse, perhaps, but it's the only one I got.

Electronic Books

No electronic reading to speak of. Poor George. I joined a gym, so I'm not using the stationary bike at home any more, and I haven't been on any appointments to speak of where I need to wait. I'd better check to make sure his battery hasn't run down. And then maybe make an effort to dust him off once in awhile like, say, reading at breakfast or lunch.

Tree Books

I started reading Eyes Like Leaves, by the amazing Charles de Lint. Mr. de Lint is better known for his urban fantasy, but in the beginning he wrote mythic fantasy as well.

I actually bought this book a few years ago, but had a hard time getting into it. Lately I need to be in the right "mood" for mythic fantasy and after reading The Wood Wife, by Terri Windling, I found myself ready for Eyes Like Leaves at last.

It's reminiscent of a couple of his earlier works, The Harp of the Grey Rose, The Riddle of the Wren, and Into the Green. In fact the names of the two characters I've been introduced to so far sound familiar to me. This is not one of your quick reads. This is a book to be savoured and savour it I am. Which is another way of saying I'm not very far into it as yet and I refuse to be rushed. ;-)

Re-Reads

I finished Swords Against Darkness IV, edited by Andrew J. Offutt, and have begun Swords Against Darkness V. It's more heroic fantasy than mythic, but fantasy none-the-less.

I appear to have gotten away from the science fiction and romance altogether in my reading lately, which is probably why I've been writing full steam ahead on my fantasy novel whilst having trouble with my sci/fi romance. Hmm. Something to think about.

On . . . New Poles . . .

Normally something as mundane as the neighbourhood getting new hydro poles (telephone poles, utility poles, call them what you will) wouldn't really be post-worthy, but for some reason the whole process fascinated me to the point where I even took pictures. That and it was noisy as all get out and I kept going to the window to see what they were doing.

It started a few weeks ago when men with cans of spray paint descended on the area and left their marks. There was blue for water, yellow for gas, and a mysterious pink one. After contemplating this for several days, I figured the pink marked the spot where we were getting new hydro poles.

My suspicions were confirmed when a few days later a truck deposited a pile of hydro poles in the circle of our crescent. Ha! I was right.

So about a week after that a truck came around for the first step, digging a hole for the new pole:

Actually, they dug two holes with their nifty machine. The second one was for the wire that braces the pole:

They dug the holes throughout the neighborhood over the course of two days.

The next step was planting the new poles. First, they used a baby digger (I forget what these machines are called) to drag the poles, one by one, from the pile to where they were going to be placed.

They used a cherry picker on a hydro truck to place the pole in the hole:

Then they back-filled the hole with gravel:

And the final step was planting the anchor for the bracing wire:

And . . . I didn't realize until I started writing this post last night that I didn't have a picture of the pole firmly in place. *sigh*

Oh, well. They still need to move the wires over from the old pole to the new one. Guess that'll be a post for another day. ;-)

Moriform Monday

moriform ~ shaped like a mulberry

Are you ready for Autumn?

The first couple of days last week were hot and humid, but by the end of the week I had an afghan on the bed and the windows were closed. Even the one in my office, and you know it's cold when I close that one. Fall is definitely on the way.

The hubby gave up the hope he'd get one last swim in and closed up the pool on the weekend. And the really funny part about that is, a couple of hours after he did so we heard a duck out in the back yard. Apparently Daphne approved of the tarp being on the pool. LOL

I checked with the Weather Network to see what the temperatures were going to be like this week - okay, I confess. I was checking to see if the hubby was justified in closing up the pool or if he was being a little premature. Turns out he was right. The cooler temperatures are here to stay.

Anyway, I couldn't help clicking on the Winter Preview while I was there, and I kind of wish I hadn't. While the east coast and the west coast are predicted to have above normal temperatures this winter, the central part - you know, the part I live smack dab in the middle of - is predicted to have below normal temperatures. *sigh*

In fact, the weather guy is saying the "pattern resembles last year." Really? The cold I can live with - I have lots of blankets and I enjoy being able to wear a sweater once in awhile. But I could really do without another ice storm. So could the tree in our front yard that never quite recovered from the one we had last year.

See that branch hanging beside the car? It never did spring back up quite like the rest of the branches. The hubby wanted to hack off a bunch of limbs - okay, maybe he might have suggested trimming it back - but I'm a notorious tree hugger and there were enough trees being desecrated in the neighborhood.

So . . . not being one to put a lot of faith in the Weather Network - sorry, but when they're telling me the rain has been ongoing for a couple of hours and it's dry outside, I tend to lose confidence in them - I checked the tried and true Farmer's Almanac.

It also predicted below normal temperatures for the long winter, as well as above normal snowfall. Just how far above normal are we talking? And may I request that this snow not fall on our driveway or sidewalk?

Okay, so the freezing rain may have shut things down for a few days. But at least we didn't have to shovel it, not like the snow.

Maybe it was a good thing I joined a gym after all. ;-)

What I'm Reading

Anybody out there use Goodreads?

For those of you who aren't familiar with it, in a nutshell Goodreads is sort of a reading/book lovers community. It's free to join, and once you set up an account you can use it to keep track of the books you've read and give reviews of them. You can even join in discussion forums for your favourite genres/authors.

Anywho, I've been a member for a couple of years now and although I started out remembering to list the books I've been reading on there at the beginning of the year I kind of fell off the wagon. Then my backlog got so big I figured, what's the point, and decided I'd just start fresh next year.

However, as an author myself, I know the importance of reviews, so in fairness to the books I've read and enjoyed I think it would behoove me to go back and start closing up the gap in my list. If I do a few every day, it shouldn't take me too, too long to catch up. And the nice thing about Goodreads is you can backdate your entries to when you actually finished a book, not making it seem like you finished twenty-seven books all at once. :-)

Electronic Books

No electronic reading to speak of, but I did download a few more free ones offered by Amazon through Pixel of Ink. I did have a wait in a doctor's office last week (which is where I usually get some electronic reading done) but I worked on some crocheting instead. Poor, neglected George. I'll have to see what I can do about the sorry state of my electronic reading this week.

Tree Books

No progress to report on Hunting the Corrigan's Blood by Holly Lisle. Nor was there progress made on Water For Elephants, by Sara Gruen.

However, I did finish Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It was Neil Gaiman at his best. If you enjoyed Coraline and Neverwhere, you'll love this one. I don't know what else to say, other than I was sorry when it ended. It was one of those tales that you wish could go on forever.

Re-Reads

I am about three-quarters of the way through Swords Against Darkness IV, edited by Andrew J. Offutt. Even more than the Sword and Sorceress series, this book brings home to me why I love the genre so much. I'm just about finished the longest story in the book, The Fane of the Grey Rose, by Charles de Lint who, as you know, is one of my all time favourite authors, and who went on to turn the story into a full-length novel, The Harp of the Grey Rose.

I also had the need/urge for some comfort reading - you ever have the urge to re-read an old favourite, just because it makes you feel good? In any case, my go-to book for comfort reading is The Wood Wife, by Terri Windling. It's urban fantasy, mystery, romance, and magic, all rolled into one. How could it not be one of my favourite books? I'm only about a third of the way through it because I'm only reading a little bit of it a day, just to make it last. :-)

So what are you reading these days?