Lock and Load

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So the lock sets are in and now we have to ask to be let in. Meanwhile the roof is in the back yard and plumbing supplies are showing up.


2nd floor: Lady’s Lingerie

Coming down from the 3rd floor

And as always, check out the new images in the Condo Gallery

After we visited the condo, Leslie insisted we go for a walk and wouldn’t tell me why. But I figured it out just in time.

Margaret Atwood says…

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Margaret Atwood

1. Take a pencil to write with on aeroplanes. Pens leak. But if the pencil breaks, you can’t sharpen it on the plane, because you can’t take knives with you. Therefore: take two pencils.

2. If both pencils break, you can do a rough sharpening job with a nail file of the metal or glass type.

3. Take something to write on. Paper is good. In a pinch, pieces of wood or your arm will do.

4. If you’re using a computer, always safeguard new text with a memory stick.

5. Do back exercises. Pain is distracting.

6. Hold the reader’s attention. (This is likely to work better if you can hold your own.) But you don’t know who the reader is, so it’s like shooting fish with a slingshot in the dark. What fascinates A will bore the pants off B.

7. You most likely need a thesaurus, a rudimentary grammar book, and a grip on reality. This latter means: there’s no free lunch. Writing is work. It’s also gambling. You don’t get a pension plan. Other people can help you a bit, but essentially you’re on your own. Nobody is making you do this: you chose it, so don’t whine.

8. You can never read your own book with the innocent anticipation that comes with that first delicious page of a new book, because you wrote the thing. You’ve been backstage. You’ve seen how the rabbits were smuggled into the hat. Therefore ask a reading friend or two to look at it before you give it to anyone in the publishing business. This friend should not be someone with whom you have a romantic relationship, unless you want to break up.

9. Don’t sit down in the middle of the woods. If you’re lost in the plot or blocked, retrace your steps to where you went wrong. Then take the other road. And/or change the person. Change the tense. Change the opening page.

10. Prayer might work. Or reading something else. Or a constant visual­isation of the holy grail that is the finished, published version of your resplendent book.

More writers give you helpful rules…

Artemis unveiled!

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Apparently Artemis has some American Ragdoll blood in her and that explains the fact I can roll her like a snowball with nary a peep…

Why are Ragdolls called “Ragdolls”?
The name Ragdoll comes from the cats ability to become totally relaxed and limp like a child’s toy ragdoll. This characteristic is true. It is even more prevalent in mature Ragdolls than in kittens.

What are some of the characteristics of the Ragdoll?
Ragdolls are by nature a relaxed, loving, docile cat. They love to have their bellies rubbed and sleep laying next to you. Ragdolls are very responsive and intelligent. They enjoy being with people and other pets, as they are very social. Many owners report they have little privacy since their Ragdolls follow them everywhere. The Ragdoll is simply an easy-going cat.

Is the Ragdoll a “lap cat” ?
Well, some can be, but remember this is a BIG cat and at most times it will feel more comfortable at your side or your feet. That is not to say that a Ragdoll won’t use you as a cushion.

Sound familiar?