Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Anniversaries, ocean, sociability, sinuses

Otherwise known as a series of random topics!

Sunday was our elected anniversary. Seven years ago we were married on Midsummer, and since then, we celebrate our anniversary whenever Midsummer falls.

The weather here in New England has been remarkably odd this season, and the first day of summer was no exception. Saturday was quite pleasant, but Sunday was cool and rainy, with fierce winds. Knowing this was coming, we decided not to spend the entire weekend in Maine, which has become an anniversary habit. Now, yesterday would have been a more reasonable day to hit the beach, but our younger niece (Himself's brother's daughter) just graduated from high school and we needed to stop in at her graduation party. This was a surprisingly pleasant experience--Bro-in-Law's a dear, his wife and I have finally gotten comfortable with each other, their friends are nice enough, and the socially lubricating adult beverages flowed copiously for those of us who are adults. Anyway, the party was pleasant. We'd guessed it would be relatively late when we left, so we opted to go to our friends in New Hampshire for their Midsummer Bardic party rather than head to Maine.

We saw folks, we drank yummy things, we chatted, and I even sang. (Poorly, but I did it.) Fun was had by all.

And today we headed to the ocean.

Oh, it was wild. Roaring waves and driving wind and rain that, while it wasn't heavy, was sideways, and it made me squeal with delight. I'm no sailor and wouldn't like to be on a boat in such weather...and yet she wants me to be. Or wants me to throw off my skin, put on my selkie shape, and come play. (In any case, we walked, and I drew energy, and then we ate lunch and walked some more.

And then something very odd happened. Maybe the air pressure changed dramatically. Maybe we were both so underslept we were imagining things. Or maybe whatever was making me feel so fey warned us of ....something. But we both got a very strong time to go feeling and we did. Maybe it was just weather sensitivity, because the rain turned from light to insane on the drive home.

And the rest of the day...is none of your business, darlings. It was our anniversary, after all. Let's just say it's been fine and lovely.

Unfortunately, all that romantic walking in the rain finished doing in my already embattled sinuses. Yesterday was...not pleasant. Ever reviewed final line edits slightly dizzy, feverish, and with a raging headache? Don't, if you can help it! Today, which is equally cool and gray, I'm functioning by sheer will because I don't have paid time off at the day job. Otherwise, I'd be noodling on Foxes' Den and napping, and probably more of the latter. I may yet get into work and decide the money isn't worth the suffering. Something about the lighting there is particularly foul with a bad headache.

Monday, June 08, 2009

Edits and gardens and new books, oh my!

(chanted to the "lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" cadence from The Wizard of Oz, although, being the sick little thing I am, I can't help thinking furry convention? when I hear that.)

Lions' Pride
, round 2, just went back to the editor.

Today it's on to PUM (the Sophie Mouette with the ghost in the Victorian hotel, the sexy handyman, and the beleaguered hotelier) and maybe some of the novella currently known as Foxes' Den. Some promo might also be wise. Not good to forget the books I already have out.

When I need a break from the writing, I have a lot of garden and house stuff to do. I have buds on about half my tomato plants, and boy do those tomatoes need staking. I have beans that need bigger poles to climb on. I have kale that needs to be cut down and frozen so more kale can grow. I even have baby peppers on some pepper plants. (OK, that's because I grabbed a four-pack of "Cherry Red" hots over the weekend and lo, some of them had little peppers forming.) I have lots of snap peas--yum, snap peas!--and so much arugula that I need to mow it and make pesto. I should probably take a few pictures of how lush and good everything looks, and how pretty the flower garden is, weeds and all.

I also have weeds. Boy howdy, do I have weeds. And I'm losing one of the raised beds because I need to weed-whack around it or persuade Himself to do so. (And we won't talk about the mess on the inside of the house. I was a bit obsessed with those edits but now maybe I should mop the sticky kitchen floor and do the laundry.)

You'll notice, of course, that I'm sitting here writing a blog entry instead of doing any of those things.