At last, Emma’s home.
Kathy and Steve Kubica brought her back from the kennel today. Poor child’s been gone a long time. I felt bad about not bringing her home earlier, but the fact was I was in no shape to deal with her before this. She’s a very good girl. She’s also large, strong, and energetic.
But I’m stronger now, and we’re all together. Even coaxed her to try the new couch – suitably covered with a sheet and a fleece – a little while ago. She was pretty dubious at first but settled in quick enough.
She’s a bit uncertain about the new arrangement of the house. She knows her pen’s now in the back bedroom. But she’s not yet used to it no longer being in the office. She’ll adjust. If the cats did, she can.
Now she’s on her other fleece on the floor by the office door. I sit on the reclining chair writing. The cats, who I think have mixed feelings about all this, have retired to lie on the bed.
Life is good.
And here comes TJ Cat to help me.
We just finished watching Bolt on Netflix streaming video. I’ve wanted to see it since I first saw the trailer in the theater. It’s a wonderful movie, quite clever, funny, and endearing. It was also a very good movie to watch tonight. If you don’t know why, you should watch it.
My heartfelt yet totally inadequate thanks to Steve and Kathy and my other friends who paid to board Emma during my sickness and recovery. Their incredible kindness and generosity amazes and humbles me. I am very grateful.
As I’m grateful our family’s whole again.
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Heard about your recent health problems from John J. Miller on the Captain Comics board. I hope you’re feeling better, and please let your fans know when you are back to full speed. We’re thinking of you!
Thanks, Rich! I appreciate your wishes and concern.
Not back to full speed yet, and it’ll be a while before I get there. But I’m getting there!
Also heard about your recent health problems, and please let me be probably the thousandth to say: THINKING OF YOU and sending you good thoughts!
Going to be starting some Spring reading soon, and in honor of you being back, it just might have to be none other than The Cybernetic Samurai!
Thanks for the good thoughts, Ward.
If you went ahead and reread Cybernetic Samurai, hope you enjoyed it!
When will you be sufficiently recovered to engage in some goofing off?
About Real Soon Now. Last week I had to engage in a truly brutal paperwork marathon (something I hate and fear) which wore me out and caused nasty upper back pains, where the big incision was and where I’ve always been inclined to muscle pains.
So now that I’m recovered from that, how about in a day or so, thank you very much? When works for you? Tuesday afternoon’s out (as is way earlier Monday morning than you’d possibly be interested in.) Other than that my calendar’s remarkably clear.
Now that you have some free time, what do think you will begin reading?
My problem with reading hasn’t been free time so much as mental focus.
Until I was at least halfway through my recent hospital stay I had neither the ability nor much desire to read. Staring into space was about what I was up to and enough to content me. My brain chemistry was messed up by an array of factors including (long) out-of-control blood sugar, massive antibiotics, and of course, anesthetics from two surgeries. I was spacey.
My good friends John and Gail Miller brought me a couple of graphic novels. As they thought, these were about the right speed for me: entertaining, not too challenging. Also when I was able to read again, and interested in doing so, I read some old novels of The Shadow by Walter B. Gibson writing as Maxwell Grant. I love me some old Shadow novels.
Since getting out of the hospital I’ve gradually, if incompletely, been regaining my mental focus. I started reading Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe novels, which I really like. Inspired by that, and interested in the period, I read a book on the War of 1812 and am finishing up another on Sharpe’s regiment, the 95th Rifles. When done with that I’ll probably go back to C. V. Wedgwood’s history of the Thirty Years War, since that period, a long-time favorite of mine, was a major source of inspiration for the political background of The Dinosaur Lords.
Yes, I read a lot of nonfiction these days. Some of it’s directly in service of my writing. But then again, everything I do is at least indirectly in service of my writing.
As for SF & fantasy I’ve been reading submissions for our writers group, including finishing up some completed mss. that we got sent when they were submitted to agents or editors. Good stuff. But I can’t give details. Well, except one I reread recently just sold as the first volume of a space opera trilogy, and I’m currently reading S. M. “Steve” Stirling’s A Taint in the Blood. Other than that, my lips are sealed.