work update, and Sunday sundry

Daughter of the Sea, start of week 4
Still averaging about 800 words a day. No pressure, no stress, just seeing where the story goes.



"Strong Earth"

Pulled off the bookshelf for research purposes:
A NEW WORLD by Arthur Quinn
REDCOATS AND REBELS by Christopher Hibbert
IN THEIR OWN WORLDS: THE COLONIZERS, collected and edited by T.J. Stiles

You may gather from that where/when "Strong Earth' is set.

I've missed having to do period research (as opposed to place-specific or targeted-item research). The chance to just open the floodgates and let information come in is, well, fun.


I also poked around a bit with the copy for Retrievers 5, which is due back to Madame Editrix on Monday, along with a new title (the original being deemed 'not inspirational enough' and I'll spare y'all my WTF? reaction to that). Will finish that off later today, after the hike and various chores.


I also, for reasons I cannot understand, dreamed last night of two Hispanic men, one of whom was impersonating queen Elizabeth. Successfully, I might add. Also the NYC subway tunnels as they don't actually exist, and my parents' old and once very-expensive green shell chairs. Yes, all in one dream. I think. No frigging idea where the subconscious was going with that one. Anyone want to take a whack at it?

Play. Work. Eat. Sleep. Rinse, repeat.

Note to self: when someone asks "which trail should we take?" "Oh, whichever" is NOT the right answer. I could have done the distance and I could have done the terrain. The combination of distance and terrain (4.5 miles over rocky ascent) has done kilt me.

(this is where we were: we started at the head and hiked to the heel, more or less, and then back again).

That said, it was lovely, and we had incredible views, with several flora and fauna spottings (hawks, a snake, showy ladyslippers [which are apparently endangered in Connecticut], etc). And by the time the hiking season is over, I'll be able to take that trail without hesitation -- that's what saves me every year, the knowledge that I'm out of shape, not incapable.

Next time, though, I'm wearing shorts, no matter what the weather forecast says.

Came home and, after a needful nap, went back to work. Discovered that the laws of physics may be bendy, but the laws of history must be respected. But you can still maneuver around them, if you do the right research. Fewer new words than I'd hoped for, but a lot of scribbled notes, marked pages, and bookmarked sites to work from. I feel like I'm back in school, except we didn't have sites back then. We barely had e-mail. And we had to wait until after 10pm to chat online. Uphill. In the snow. Both ways. How on earth did we survive?

(can you tell I found another silver hair this morning? Age, age, I am aged!)

And, because I am easily guilted by her Momness, the 'meme of disclosure' from barbara_ferenz. ( Go on, disclose! )