Yes, at the height of postseason baseball drama, the Mets and Braves are rained out for two days! Talk about anticlimactic! I am helping my daughter move tonight anyway, so am glad there is no game.

Almost time for Halloween month! We should have a just-for-fun scary story contest. Micros or flash or something.

Thanks for opening up the place 6 years ago Ape!

Sorry about your Blue Jays Bear. I know all about empty promises from team owners.

And thanks for all the cookies Cora, and the baseball deets.

Coffee and cookies please!

Quote by Molly

Done! 😊 Thank you all again for your patience with me. I'm in Europe without my laptop. I'm a bit lost without it.

You're in Europe!?!?!? Have fun!

Yeah, tough night in the ballpark last night. There is word the next two days might be rained out due to the nearby hurricane. Maybe the Mets could use the break.

Nothing much new here. Warm walking weather again, which is good. Still writing about Baptist churches down south in Oklahoma.

Woke up early! Lots of coffee! And cookies!

Quote by Mendalla

Now that is good timing. 😎

It's just marketing.

James, I’d be happy to write a review. It’s a good story. I will even reread it - I think I missed a couple chapters in the middle.

Cora, it is indeed a big series. I wish Sara was around to enjoy the competition. Or Red to be bored by my talk of baseball. And Anna! Where did they go? I still have to read your poem, Cora!

My Weird Western story is coming out on Halloween! And I have a chunk of memoir coming out by the end of the year. It’s been a good year (though I almost quit writing in the middle of it).

Seize the carp, everyone!

Slept well! Mets won 3 of 4 from the Phillies! It’s a sunny day!

It rained all weekend, and was actually COLD out yesterday. We stayed inside. I will be able to take a walk today.

Lately we’ve been seeing movies on Friday afternoon, when NO ONE is there. Saw Alien Romulus. It was good, not great. I liked it better than Talia did.

Thanks for the set up Ape. Coffee and a cookie please.

Look forward to reading your poem, and especially stoked to see your memoir, Cora!

Slept well! Yay! Mets won! Yay! Today, same old thang. One of our bannisters broke so I will have to mess around repairing that today, maybe the weekend.

My daughter won an essay contest, but they are late announcing the winners and it is p***ing me off. It’s disrespectful to the most important part of the chain: the writer. Ah well. She’ll have to get used to it.

Thanks for the Mets cookies! A coffee too!

Quote by Molly

It's great so far.

Is it about an actual cat?

I am reading Horror Movie, by Paul Tremblay. Slow burn so far, but good.

Gil, my heart goes out to you. I am sure it must be exhausting, as well as emotionally draining. You are providing a blessed service, though it probably doesn’t feel to blessed now. Hugs.

Didn’t sleep well last night, so I am laying low today. I think I am going to cancel physical therapy and just make it a nice relaxing day.

Mets won again! Huge series starts tonight. I wish Sara was around, the Mets and Braves are neck and neck.

Oh ell. Nice to see you in here, Cora and Apeman.

Coffee and a cookie please.

I'm toe-tally happy

Yay! More baseball cookies!

I sold the memoir story! And to think I was ready to quit writing two weeks ago. It took me three rejections before they finally accepted it. I really worked hard to get this right. And I feel good that perseverance paid off.

Mets won last night! A week and a half to go in the regular season.

Coffee and Mets cookies please!

I slept well for a change. Yay!

Sending off a memoir today that will be big if they take it. I’ve gotten two complimentary rejection slips from them thus far. We will see if the third time is a charm.

I am also writing about—not making this us—itinerant preachers in the 1930s preaching in rural Oklahoma. One of my great-uncles is among them. It’s ambitious, we will see if I can pull it off.

Man those are some good looking cookies! I’ll have two Mets and two Blue Jay cookies please! And a coffee!

Oh, I will gobble down those Mets cookies Cora.

Not up to much today. Dentist appointment at 1:30 (I always try to make my appointments at 2:30–tooth hurty, ha!—but didn’t get the time I wanted), but it’s just a fast check.

Other than that: writing, watching an game, and a long walk.

Coffee and many Mets cookies please.

Yay! Happy to be sharing the winner’s circle with Kat and the Thespian! Congrats to everyone who won, and everyone who entered.

We saw no movie last night. May hit one this afternoon. Something scary, I bet!

Big baseball weekend! Let’s go Mets!

Coffee and hundreds of cookies please.

Good morning everyone!

I woke up way too early, but I am pushing through. We are probably going to see an afternoon movie today - scary, of course! Speak No Evil appears to be the pick.

Other than that nothing new. My last writing rejection kind of took the wind out of my sails, so I am not writing much. I will get my mojo back eventually.

LOTS of coffee please!

Nice cookies Cora! Let’s hope the Mets can make the playoffs.

Quite the debate night. Talia and I huddled nervously in front of the tv with wine glasses in hand. Glad it’s over - I was nervous. I hope the country can watch and come to peaceful conclusions. I’m content.

Today? Writing and physical therapy. My tooth is fine - yay!

A coffee and a cookie please!

I now have an implant in my jaw - it’s like a little nut into which they will screw in a new tooth in six months. I am a little woozy but okay. Mets won, Braves lost, so we have temporary control of second place. I wish Sara was around, I would place a bet with her. Hope she’s okay. Red too!

Big debate tonight! The whole world is watching!

Thanks for the setup!

Coffee!

Good morning all.

I have a dentist appointment today. It should not be pretty. Talia is driving me. When I get home I plan to crawl into bed and chill until the pain goes away. Atlanta and New York are tied for 2nd place - I imagine I will watch baseball.

Things’ll be fine other than that. No complaints worth mentioning.

Coffee please.

Nice you have a portable AC unit there, Kat. Too bad you have to drag it around with you. Does it vent through a window?

Not much going on today. Write / walk / baseball. Talia and I just got the Shudder channel and have been watching a lot of horror. The original Salem’s Lot! Slow and cheesy but with the occasional big scare. The Devil’s Candy, which is surprisingly good.

Thanks for the setup, Simian! Coffee and some kind of Canadian maple cookie. Hmmm….

Cora, so sorry you are dealing with feeling unwell. My heart goes out to you, and I hope things ease. I hate fatigue, and have been battling it a bit myself (along with the stupid foot). Hugs.

It’s cold and rainy out, which is fine with me. Nice change of pace, and I LOVE watching clouds.

Writing today, all day. Mets have won 8 games in a row! Half a game out of playoff contention! And No Man’s Sky has a new update that lets us fish! There’s too much cool stuff vying for my time!

Where’s Sara? I need cookies!

Coffee please?

Quote by gillianleeza

Hello everyone. I've been away for a bit. My Mom is in hospice, and my brother and I have to stay with my father because he can't be alone. Thankfully, my mom is in the medical care unit in the same place as their retirement community. For now, my life is caretaking, filling out stupid amounts of paperwork, and waiting for a place for my father at the memory care unit in the same place as well. Dementia and cancer are awful. Trying to deal with both my parents simultaneously is exhausting.

Sorry for that depressing description. I hope everyone is well. Take care. I'll be back eventually.

I am so sorry to hear what you are dealing with, Gil. Dementia and cancer are heartbreaking on their own, but dealing with them at the same time…. My heart goes out to you.

Now much going on today. Write and walk and watch the game. Play No Man’s Sky. Hang with the wife.

My foot is better.

I hope everyone is well.

Up early again - it’s what I do now!

Writing and physical therapy today. My feet did well during that marathon of a concert on Friday, so I imagine I am healing nicely. I cannot sing the praises of physical therapists enough. They seem to know exactly what they are doing. As opposed to, say, neurologists, who seem to only barely remember who you are.

Should be a nice day. Warm and sunny. I may even try to get I a walk.

A coffee would rock! And are there cookies?

Does that rhyme scheme have a name, Ape? I asked in the comments too. I wish I knew poetry better.

I think I am all caught up with reading the comp entries. Woke up early again - my new jam - so I am reading and commenting as Talia and the cats sleep.

Grilling today - salmon and burgers and hot dogs. My daughter is coming over. We aren’t supposed to say anything yet, but she just got first place in a national essay competition and won actual money! We are so proud of her. The official announcement is the 19th - I will be more forthcoming then.

Enjoy your Labor Day!

Saw this band as the first opener for Dierks Bentley. Really top not notch

https://youtu.be/cOKHBwNPQKo

Whew! 5 hours of country music last night. The last two hours standing! My dogs are barking. Taking it easy today.

Zach Top, Chase Rice and Dierks Bentley. Dierks was good, but Zach blew them all away.

I'll have a coffee.

Dang, that looks tasty.

Woke up early again today. I am getting used to it, and learning to enjoy mornings. Still tired af. I may have to learn to get used to less sleep,

I sold a story a few months ago, and it appears the magazine has gone under, the month they were going to feature me. Sigh. I tried contacting them. Crickets.

Big concert tomorrow! Dierks Bentley! Great seats! Huzzah!

Cover looks great, James. Good luck with the book! I had always pictured the background of the stories as all white ice and snow, so the pic surprised me! That I had so strongly imagined the scenery is a testament to how immersed I got in the stories. I hope the book does well.

Me, I woke up too early, so I may go read a few comp ent while Talia doses beside me. We have plans to go see Twisters today!

Hope everyone is well. A coffee and a monkey cookie please!

Quote by JamesPBear

So Verb's poem has been published, and it is lovely.

It reminded me of a Zen saying…

But you'll have to read the poem first:

Rainbow Geometry

Thank you so much for the signal boost, James. I’m not sure it is really poetry, but I did enjoy writing it. I will get to the other entries soon. How goes Girl and Bear?

And those monkey cookies are delightful, Cora. I’ll try one.

I hope Sara returns before baseball playoffs start! We need her treats!

Physical therapy today. It’s helping, so I shan’t complain.

Coffee please.

Quote by CuriousAnnie

Poetry? Seriously!

Lol, well I channeled that Welsh git, you know the one ...

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And there's a villanelle loaded under my name which I will tinker with over the next couple of days. It's not Dylan, but that's not surprising, after all I'm no poet. Many new writers start with poetry; why, I ask, it's literally the hardest writing task of all?

Good to see you will be entering CA! And a villanelle no less. Looking forward to it.

I remember that Larry used to work with different poetry forms. I always learned from them. We miss you, Survivor.

Thanks for the set up Ape.

I’m in the comp! All my poetry reads like prose, but I wrote a poem! I’ll get around to reading the other entries soon.

Slept pretty well. Yay! Off to the dentist today. Wah! But life is just a series of Yay’s and Wah’s, right? Should be a fine day.

And I’m walking again! That’s a big win.

Anyway. Have seen Sara or Red around of late. Hope you guys are okay. We have to keep an eye on each other.

Coffee and a cookie please!