Quote by gillianleeza

We've had wild weather here but no tornadoes. In Maryland, at the height of the storm last night, 30 utility poles fell onto cars. I thought I heard the number wrong, but it was correct. People were trapped in their cars for hours while the power company ensured all the power was off so they could safely exit their vehicles. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt. The sky turned an eerie green right before the most significant storm. I'm amazed our power has not gone out in any of these storms; it used to go out for almost every storm.

I am happy there are no storms predicted tonight. I'll grab a few cookies and share a pitcher of fresh limeade I made.

Cheers everyone!

Those pictures are bonkers! That looks frightening. I’m glad weather will be calm for a change.

Nice day here, no storms (though these thunderstorms can bubble up out of nothing in mid-afternoon, one of the reasons I love summer here so much).

My writing has taken a temporary left turn. I’m writing a short non-fiction essay, but if it gets any traction I may shoot for a piece of longer non-fiction: autobiography. I already have 60,000 words in rough draft. It is a description of a hard time in my life, but I haven’t looked at it in nearly a decade, I finally opened the file yesterday. We shall see. Right now, I am focused on a 2000 word essay.

Anyway, appreciate the setup, and I would love a coffee and a cookie!

Tame

Make

I’m listening to The Lonesome Jubilee by John Mellencamp a lot lately. It has aged well - I had forgotten how much I liked it.

Cat cookies! Yum! Thanks! My heart goes out to you on the anniversary of your Mom’s passing, Sara. I know you must miss her.

Hey, the Mets actually won a game. It’s about once a week these days.

I forgot to say yesterday, but we had THREE tornadoes just east of here, as we were driving to Denver. Talia saw one of them! I didn’t, I was too busy driving to even look - it was pretty intense.

Writing non-fiction about my first wife’s passing. Just a short specific scene. Try to get the details exactly right.

Anyway. Thanks for the setup. A cat cookie and a coffee please!

I’ll have some of that horsie coffee!

Denver was fun. Lots of chicken and beer! I got into it a little bit with one of my best friends (who is also a Trumpie). We weren’t actually arguing about Trump, we were talking about the writer’s strike and things got a little heated. I don’t think the friendship is damaged, we smoke a peace pipe in the garage, and talked over breakfast the next morning. Still, fraught times. And he’s a good friend. The next 15 months in the US are going to be crazed.

Enough of that. Not making this up: 4 rejections in the last week. Admittedly it’s because I’ve been sending out a lot of stories. Still. It’s a LOT of rejection.

Nothing coffee and cookies won’t cure. Enjoy your day everyone!

walks in whistling. Coffee today: Beany Bounce, our teas are Sleepy Siamese and Bouncy Chihuahua. Cookies are out on a platter. Whew

I hope everyone is looking forward to the weekend. We're driving up to Denver to hang out with friends in a place called Chicken and Beer. Good weird fun will be had.

I'm tired today, didn't sleep well, but perky. Talia's first week of work seems to be going pretty well, if a little overwhelming. I am over my rejection slip funk. Onward!

A coffee and a cookie!

Quote by Mendalla

I hear you have some expertise on the subject. 😉

And don't worry, we won't reject you. Tease you, taunt you, and maybe gossip behind your back, but never reject. 😊

(And you do know I'm kidding, right?)

I know you are kidding.

Here's the little newsletter thing I wrote about the spiders, if anyone is interested: https://jeffwood.substack.com/p/downtown-spiderville/comments

Quote by gillianleeza

Jeff, I'm sorry about the rejection email. I love all of your writing! I hope you had a great birthday. I saw a blurb about "grandpas growing tentacles" I'll have to scroll back and see what that is all about, or do I want to?

My son and daughter-in-law left yesterday. It was a wonderful visit, but I am exhausted. Instead of having a second wedding ceremony in Germany (they had a small one already with her family), they want to have it at our house. That way, all of my son's friends and family can attend. There will be about thirty guests. Our backyard is going to need some work between now and May. It's an excellent excuse to spruce up things and work on the deck we had been putting off. It will be interesting.

I hope everyone is having a good summer. Thankfully the heat wave broke here, and it is almost pleasant out, so I can't complain.

Cheers!

That nice of you to say, Gill. It really did mess up my day, to get rejected first thing in the morning.

I’m always glad when company leaves. . The wedding at your home, homemade and personal, sounds lovely.

I could do with a McCoffee.

So yesterday began with a very kind rejection slip to a sale I really wanted. The day ended with a rejection (purely form letter) THREE HOURS after I submitted. Bookends of rejection. Writing is hard, man.

Mets fandom is hard as well. I think we are about 20 games out of first place. Sara’s Braves have quite the lead.

Newsletter writing today. Writing about…wait for it…spiders!

McCoffee and a McCookie please.

Good morning everyone. Awesome cookies Sara. Perks up some Costco brews steeping some Harmonious Hedgehog and Tasmanian Devil. Sara’s cookie on a platter

I went for a walk yesterday afternoon, came hom, and found the Mets had traded away SEVEN players. Yikes. Tough to be a Mets fan these days.

Tough to be a writer too. Got a very kind rejection email this morning, but it’s still a rejection. I am becoming disillusioned with this writing thing of late.

Oh well. Enjoy the day all. Peace.

mind

damn

Driving to Albuquerque for an eclipse in October.

Next big trip: sleeper car up the left coast to Vancouver. Cruise from there to Alaska.

Drive, if I have the time

Drive all day like a loon, or take it easy?

I have blathered elsewhere about all the black widows I encountered this weekend, so I won’t re-recount it here. But I’m not dead! Had a wonderful birthday weekend.

Still working on the Grandpa’s growing tentacles stories. I’ll try to sneak in a walk between the thunderstorms.

Thanks for the setup! A coffee and several cookies please!

Thank you for all the Happy Birthdays. It was a fun day. Today, back to the grind - I am listening to the Grateful Dead and dismantling a hot tub with crowbar and screwgun.

Enjoy the day! I'll have a coffee.

Quote by JamesPBear
with a nice, low number!

That train has, sadly, left the station.

You ate an octopus!? For breakfast!?

Hey all. Hope everyone is well. I'm having a good day here - Talia is home today! And it's my birthday (as I hinted broadly earlier in the week). I'll write, and walk, and then do the dinner and presents thing. I predict Mexican food.

We might go see either Barbie or Oppenheimer this weekend - like everyone else. They both look REALLY good, and worth seeing in a theater. Other than that, a pretty calm weekend.

Coffee and a cookie please!

Quote by Mendalla
A demon imprisoned in a volcano is involved. A journey through a lava field, a night or two living in a lava cave.

Great ideas. Dramatic and really visual, and now you have the details in your head.

Thanks for the set-up Ape.

Just submitted a story to a comp on another site this morning. I too gave up on mine, but then a new story idea kinda dropped in my lap, thanks to Sonic the Hedgehog!

Hey Sara, the Braves pulled off a TRIPLE PLAY last week! Deeply cool.

Hot today, with an afternoon storm, my favorite kind of day. Starting a new story, the day feels full of possibility! And my birthday is tomorrow!

A coffee and a cookie please.

Good morning all. Thanks for the setup Ape.

Hot and sunny today, though we should get an afternoon shower - my favorite kind of day. I love watching storms roll in over the mountains..

Wrote a comp entry for another site. Going to go over it today and see if I like it. Other than that, I will walk, maybe visit the herbal libations store to prepare for the weekend.

Mets beat the Yankees. They might improve to mediocrity for the remainder of the season. I harbor no playoff aspirations.

A coffee and a cookie please.

Is anyone watching the reboot of Justified? I’m loving it- really gets the tone of the original.

I know Green Onions! (Don’t know the other.)

Would you rather be excited or peaceful?

All these birthday wishes are premature - it's on Friday. In case you wanted to bake a cake, smiling or otherwise.

Glad to have you back Ape. Iceland sounds like a marvelous adventure! Tell us more when you have time.

Things are unchanging here. The cats and I are trying to get used to No More Talia on weekdays.

But we are coping. Hot af today. Yet I will walk! I kinda enjoy walking in the heart. I make sure and take it nice and slow.

A coffee and a cookie would be swell!

Thanks for the setup James.

Nothing new here. Hot and sunny, write and walk, watch the Mets lose. I grilled salmon chicken and corn last night - we are noshing on that all day. Or rather, I am, Talia is at work. Just me and the cats.

It’s my birthday this week!

Enjoy the day everyone.

trek

perk

Quote by Molly
In honor of me watching Godzilla (1954) here are some cookies.

A religious movie then: the birth of our savior, Godzilla.

Talia is home today! I won't get used to it, it will become rarer and rarer. But nice for today.

Write, walk, a nice dinner and maybe a movie. Sounds like a plan.

Coffee and a Zilla cookie please!

spay

pray

Quote by DenimAngel
Off to Phoenix its gonna be freaking 117°F ... yay for hotel pool and ac

Why would anyone voluntarily go to Phoenix during this heat wave!?!?

It's hot here, bug rain, this afternoon, what else is new?

Ape, I hope that volcano didn't swallow you up. I hope you are able to get close.

I have therapy in 5 minutes, so must wrap this up. A coffee and one of those doggo cookies would hit the spot.

slaps some yummy Costco blend into the perk, steeping up some Languorous Lemur and Bubbly Baboon, serving some delish cookies from Molly and Sara

Warm-to-hot today, and an afternoon of sporadic thunderstorms I will be dodging my way through as I walk. Just finished writing a nasty story about a guy killing his father-in-law (who has more than a little in common with my EX father-in-law). He uses a circular saw.

And on that sunny note, off to nuke up some (not making this up) Costco lasagna up on the microwave.

Coffee and cookie please!

Quote by gillianleeza
My daughter-in-law asked if we could go to Walmart and Costco.

Not a big fan of Walmart, but Costco is FUN!