Inspirations, the Stories Space Coffee House: If you're reading this it just might mean I'm back, sorta. If you're not reading this, well, congratulations.

Quote by verbal
What novel are you resding Ape.

Arcanum by Simon Morden. It's an alternate fantasy Europe with no Christianity and wizards called hexmasters. Rome still fell but the Goths had magic as well as force of arms. Story is a thousand years later, so c. 15th century on our timeline, in a German principality in the Alps. Giants and unicorns are involved, too.

"Everybody's working for the weekend," said Loverboy.

Yep, and here we are. Coffee and tea are on. Goodies, too. Got some housework to do and maybe some writing. Took an idea I had for a volcano story (dates back three years to when I visited Iceland) and rejigged it from secondary world fantasy to modern dark fantasy-horror. Or that's the plan. We'll see how it goes.

Someone on another site introduced me to the band Montrose today. Not sure why I haven't heard of them before given they date to my childhood They started in 1973 and their lead singer and rhythm guitarist was none other than Sammy Hagar, later to front Van Halen for a period.

And here's the goodie table for the weekend.

Hi, just popping in to say hello. I've been busy dealing with some serious health concerns with a family member. I hope everyone is doing well. Take care of yourselves and don't put off preventative medical care. Cheers.

Hi, Gil. Yeah, it's important to take care of ourselves and help our loved ones do the same.

New story is progressing but slowly and it's not going to be a short one, I don't think. There's interesting character stuff happening and I am still working out the secret of the volcanic island they are on. Evil spirit? Monster? Just a strange volcano?

Quote by Mendalla
Evil spirit? Monster? Just a strange volcano?

Thetans!

Good morning. Nice weather here these days. Low-mid 20s Celsius, sun, little to no cloud. On the down side, we are coming up on a week with no rain. Fortunately we had lots the previous week so not getting too dry yet.

Story is stalling as I try to figure why I am obsessed with writing stories about women with pasts on tropical islands encountering weird s&&t. I have like three active drafts for different stories that all have that undercurrent. And I never seem to get past getting the woman to the island and setting up the past. The story that started it all was supposed to be for (redacted) but that's long gone now (like, years ago).

I need to find something else to write while I ruminate on this, I think.

I guess I am the first patron for June. I am just going to have some green tea and a red velvet donut. I hope everyone is doing well!

And it's June here, too, and the weather seems to be turning warmer – finally. It could even be hot later on this week.

Funny how that works.

Busy writing non-fiction these days, but wanted to drop by and see how folks are doing.

I have a proposal out to a book publisher, and am waiting to hear back. Wish me luck!

JamesPBear, glad to hear you are well. What type of non-fiction are you writing?

Good luck with your proposal!

I do not know why, but I woke up at 11:00 am this morning. I usually cannot sleep that late into the day. I am drinking Mountain Dew today and eating two bagels with honey. I hope everyone is having a great day!

Hey everyone,

I hope you all are well. I've been popping in every so often these past few months. I figured it was time to say 'hey'. I hope you're all writing. I haven't written anything. Listening to a lot of music, mainly Chili Peppers. The thought of writing a song hasn't left me. Sometimes words to a song will come to mind but nothing comes to fruition. I'll try to pop in more frequently and for now leave you with a nighttime snack. 🍉

Ice Cream with Reeses

Raspberry Mango Coconut Pops

Tropical Mini Key Lime Pie

Enjoy! 😊

Cora, that looks so tasty! Yum... yum! I would like to try all of them. Pull up a seat and join me. I brought mint tea.

Whoa, Roland and Cora both back?!?!? Yippee!! It's been so quiet that I myself kind of drifted away.

Quote by Cora
Tropical Mini Key Lime Pie

drools

I am losing a tooth (too badly messed up to root canal) but, hey, I have plenty more. At the rate I'm going, I won't run out until I am maybe 120 or so. 🤣

Seem to have settled on retiring in 2028, likely July or August so I can collect my bonus for the previous fiscal year.

Writing-wise, I have some projects on the go but the going is slow. One would go here as long as it doesn't get overly long and become another of my gestating novel(la)s.

Quote by Cora
Listening to a lot of music, mainly Chili Peppers.

I listen to music constantly. Mostly metal these days but there's still non-metal favourites that sneak in. New Sara Bareilles coming later this summer for one.

Hi, Scott! Great to know that you still drop by occasionally. I come to this forum post almost every day.

Gooooooooooooooooood morning!! How's things out there. Bit of hot spell in my world but supposed to cool off tomorrow.

Got some nice dark roast coffee going. In the teapots, we've got a Raspberry black tea and Kenyan Kambaa (a current favourite of mine). And I have goodies out.

Tell us about your world.

I would enjoy trying the raspberry black tea, and I brought some donuts, plain and chocolate. I am just trying to survive the tailspin of my Chicago Cubs! But I know (hope) they will make a big comeback and make the playoffs.

Hey, Mendalla and Roland. Thank you for the warm greetings. And hey to everyone else reading.

Roland, I love your optimism and hope for the Cubs. Hope is so beautiful.

Mendalla, yikes about your tooth being removed. I had two teeth removed, well one fell out, I think. It happened about 10 years ago. All due to an injury; I fell while walking. I thought you only listened to metal. Sara Bareilles is a nice change of pace. I started listening to Chili Peppers in college I think and haven't stopped. Thanks for sharing the music video.

Nothing much has really changed with me. Last November, Rose, my beautiful pitbull passed. Three months later my sweet Pinky, miniature pinscher chihuahua passed. I was heartbroken. I still have hard days. Pinky and I were always together. My family and I rescued a Plott Hound pitbull mix (maybe some Great Dane and Malinois), Sasha, a few days after Rose's passing. I think I told you guys that. I love dogs and rescuing them but after losing Pinky, I don't think I could ever have another dog of my own again.

Thanks for the sweets, Mendalla. And thanks for bringing donuts, plain and chocolate, Roland. Yum yum. I have such a sweet tooth, especially for candy and chocolate. I might come back tonight with some nighttime treats.

I hope everyone is having a lovely day. 🪷

Quote by Cora
I thought you only listened to metal.

Actually, I am a relatively recent metalhead and have been a obsessed with it because it is new to me. Used to be rather down on metal with a few exceptions (some of Ozzy's solo stuff, some Metallica). Anna here gets some of the credit since she introduced me to Nightwish, the first metal band I got into. In fact, I have a broad range of musical interests and now that metal has joined the list, country is about the only major musical genre I don't listen to (though even there, I did like some of the New Country crowd in the 90s). If there's a real pattern to my musical tastes, it's probably a fondness for female vocalists like Sara. Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, Sarah McLachlan, Sara Bareilles, and now many of my favourite metal singers are ladies like Floor Jansen (of the aforementioned Nightwish) and Alissa White-Gluz (Canadian singer who left a band last year and is kind of juggling multiple projects right now).

Quote by Cora
I hope everyone is having a lovely day.

I'm on the brink of a headache. Seems to be a Thursday thing. Last Thursday it got bad enough that I booked off sick halfway through the day. This week, it's tolerable so I'm working.

Mendalla, I like your range in music. Thanks for sharing. Sorry to hear you're having a rough day with a bad headache. I hope it goes away soon.

Sorry to learn about your losses, Cora. For many people, a pet is part of a family. Their passing brings great sadness and distress. I hope the best for Sasha.

Scott, your taste in music is as eclectic as mine, but over the last 15 years, I have moved more towards instrumentals like Tina Guo's.

I have a doctor's appointment with G.I. at the VA hospital today, and there is no probing involved!

Have a great day, and may God bless you all.

Quote by rolandlytle
I have moved more towards instrumentals like Tina Guo's.

I love Tina. Have you heard violinist Mia Asano? Similar to Tina in that she's classically trained but leans to rock and metal. Her Viper electric violin has logged a lot of mileage since she graduated from conservatory a few years ago. She's recorded with Tina a couple times already and they will be touring Europe together next year with a project called The Legendary Orchestra that does opening shows for the Swedish metal band Sabaton. It's a new gig for Tina but Mia was on the orchestra's first tour with Sabaton.

And there's some nice medium roast Costa Rican coffee waiting for you in the coffee pot. Teas today are Yorkshire Gold and Darjeeling. Kettle is hot if there's other teas that are more to your liking in our big box of tea. And there's lots of goodies around so I don't think to add any today.

Have good one!

Hey everyone,

Roland, thank you for your kind words. I very much agree. Rose and Pinky were a part of our family. I love Sasha. She's loyal, protective and makes me laugh; just over a year. I don't think I'll ever bond with her as I did Rose and especially Pinky but I do love her. I hope your doctor's appointment goes well today.

Mendalla, I agree with you on many things but saying there's enough treats for now I disagree with. 😊

I hope everyone has a lovely day. 🪷

❤️Cora's Creations❤️ brings you these delicious treats

Mixed Fruit Mini Tart

Puff Pastry Apple Rose Tart

Decadent Pecan Tartlets

Enjoy! 😊

Quote by Cora
Decadent Pecan Tartlets

I'll take couple of those. Love pecans tarts (and pecans in baking in general).

And since Roland and I were talking about Tina Guo and Mia Asano, here's probably my favourite of their collaborations to date. Love how they start on acoustic violin and cello, then whip out their electrics for the guitar solo.

It is good to see Cora and Roland here. Hello to both of you. Scott, I can empathize with your tooth issues. I just had my 13th crown done. My dental history is complicated, and I think my teeth are now one of the most expensive things I own—so many root canals, extractions, crowns, and cavities. I blame genetics.

I am finally back at home after dealing with a family emergency. I'm exhausted, both emotionally and physically. The weather is not helpful, either. It's been 100 degrees the last two days. But better weather should arrive soon. My youngest son is coming from Germany next week to attend a friend's wedding. It's always a joy to have him visit.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Mine will involve trying to catch up on sleep, doing some reading, and gardening. Cheers.

Weekend is here!! Sunny one today where I am, less so tomorrow if the forecast is right (I find Environment Canada is batting well below 1000 these days).

So, I've got Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee on. Teapots are filled to the tippy top with Earl Grey and Assam teas. Kettle is ready if you want something else from our selection of fine teas. Since it is summer, there's now lemonade and iced tea (unsweet) in the fridge and ice cream from Ontario's legendary Kawartha Dairy in the freezer.