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  #ScribesAndMakers 19 'Are there any jingles you remember from your younger days?' I could probably come up with dozens. The first one that comes to mind is "Rice-A-Roni, the San Francisco Treat!"

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  #WritersCoffeeClub 19 Tell us about some unwanted critique you've received. Someone posted a review saying I should kill off Cordwainer and let Hugh take over, because Cordwainer is such a grumpy, unlikeable character.

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  #WordWeavers 19. What does your MC keep that they probably should have thrown away years ago? The sword he fought with in Gascony many years before. The balance is off, it won't keep a decent edge, and he saved for and purchased a very good sword that he uses when he needs one. But Rownt just can't bring himself to get rid of the old one.

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  Good morning! Another cold morning for my walk at 35F (1C), but with clear skies and no wind it was really quite pleasant. The rest of the week will be a bit warmer, they're saying. #Today I'm staying home and housecleaning and reading. I might jot down a few notes for a new Cordwainer book -- I have an idea in my head that wants to come out, but I'm letting it simmer for a bit. This writing business never lets you rest... Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keepi...

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  The worst habits of Philadelphia drivers. All absolutely true. It's a gift article, so you should be able to read it. I remember seeing someone in Canada pulling one of these bonehead moves once, and I said out loud, "Philadelphia driver." When I caught a glimpse of the license plate, I saw I was right. https://share.inquirer.com/GWfeQO

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  The Informant: A Gavin Rownt Medieval Mystery Westminster and London: 1252. When a wealthy wine merchant is found dead in the garden of one of King Henry III’s counsellors, Gavin Rownt is summoned to investigate the murder, making certain that neither the London nor the Westminster authorities hear of the death. For the murdered man is not merely a merchant. Rownt’s investigation takes him into the murkier side of thirteenth-century politics, where spies and informants work for their noble mast...

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  Well, I got the hardest part of the housecleaning done: I vacuumed. I hate vacuuming. My vacuum cleaner is too heavy and it's old and parts have fallen off it. The wand part is stupidly difficult to use. My back hurts during the vacuuming and after it's done. Even getting down on the floor to scrub the toilet and bathtub is easier. But it's done now, at least for a while. I think I'm just going to read for the rest of the day. #Today

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  Somebody hacked my (android) phone, I guess, because suddenly the screen showed a message -- not in any app -- saying that an automatic payment would be processed soon, with a timeline counting down. I couldn't see how to get rid of it. There was a button saying "dismiss" and I clicked it. The message disappeared. Do I need to be worried? I don't see how anyone could get a payment of any kind from my phone. Neither my credit cards nor my bank is linked to any o...

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  I'm cold and unhappy, so I need to think about #3GoodThings 1. I did a lot of work on my WIP today, and I believe I made it much better. 2. I don't need to go anywhere tomorrow, so I can be here when the heating person comes to fix the furnace, and I can work on my WIP while I wait. 3. Trump's $90 bribe appeared in my bank account today and I donated it to the Democrats.

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  I was just tagged in a post from something calling itself MSTDNSecure, saying there has been "irregular activity" on my account and with a link to fix it. I'm assuming this is some sort of new scam and will block and report. Am I right to do so? #Scam #MSTDNSecure #Today

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  USA friends over 65: I just got a letter saying that my Medicare Part D prescription plan is being discontinued at the end of the year, and I will need to enroll in a different one. I'm looking for recommendations for what I might switch to. #Medicare #PrescriptionInsurancePlans

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  Being an American during Trump's first term was butt-squirmingly embarrassing. Being an American during Trump's second term is humiliating, terrifying, and a constant struggle against despair. If the Dems don't win the midterms, it's going to be worse. If you're a US citizen, VOTE. And protest. And be loud about it. Please.

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  Good morning! Definitely a jacket day for my early-morning walk at 48F (9C). I saw deer this morning everywhere I turned for the first time in a number of days. There was a thoroughly magnificent stag, the largest deer I've ever seen in this area, with antlers rising at least a foot over his head. I got a bad photo of him and a better one of two the younger deer. #Today I'm staying home to write. I really want to get this second draft of The Informant done and sent off to my beta read...

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  Well, #today was a pretty good day. I weeded the flowerbeds and deadheaded the plants that needed it. And then I got started on editing/revising my Gavin Rownt novel, spending several hours on it. Now I'm just going to relax and read until bedtime.

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  #WordWeavers 31 Aug: What's one thing you hope readers remember long after they finish your story? The characters. That's what will bring them back looking for another story, another mystery for Cordwainer or Rownt to investigate.

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  #ScribesAndMakers Aug 6 - Tell us about a drummer whose work you appreciate. When I was young a very long time ago, I would have said Ginger Baker. Then I started listening more to folk and folk-rock, and my favorite drummer was Dave Mattacks. Nowadays? Probably Michael Jerome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jerome

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  #3GoodThings 1. I made progress on my WIP. 2. Walking and doing my PT exercises helped my back & hip pain. 3. Theo and I got along well -- no scratches or bites today.

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  Good morning! Cool, clear but very humid morning for my walk. I went out and trudged along the paths despite the 96% humidity. The full moon was visible in the morning sky and I actually managed a photo of it with my phone camera, which was nice. Everything aches today, partly from the humidity but mostly from my overdoing it yesterday as I moved furniture and got down on hands and knees and up again, again and again, trying to get this house cleaner than it was. I'm glad I did it, but oh...

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  @Uncleharvey@universeodon.com Hurrah for sunshine and a low dew point! I hope the muggy-stickies go away and you can enjoy the rest of the summer. Yeah, I know, not very likely. But we can hope. Have a good TGIF!

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  If you love the Middle Ages and read mysteries, check out my two medieval mystery series, the Matthew Cordwainer series and the Gavin Rownt series. Available as ebooks on Amazon. #medieval #mysteries #books https://www.amazon.com/s?k=joyce+lionarons&crid=10D46F9EBUCDH&qid=1785446926&sprefix=joyce+lio%2Caps%2C133&xpid=FmwbDd1FnXApX&ref=sr_pg_1

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  Good morning! Only 57F (14C) for my early-morning walk today. Tomorrow is supposed to be much warmer, but I've really been enjoying the cooler temperatures. Today is another day of Mythcon. I heard some very good presentations on Tolkien yesterday, and I hope today's are just as good, although some of these won't be focusing so much on J.R.R. The whole thing is a nice break from writing every day. Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on. #Today

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  Emily Wilson, whose translation of the Odyssey has received a lot of attention since the movie came out, has added a new contact button to her website in response to right-wing assholery. You can now contact her for "Interviews/Speaking Engagements," "General Inquiries," "Misogynistic Trolling," or "Kind Words and Praise." https://www.emilyrcwilson.com/home

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  Today I read an email from the publisher of one of my academic books asking if I wanted to opt IN to having my work used to train AI. If I did nothing, my work would automatically be kept out of the AI training. I had to respond in the affirmative to have it used. All I could think was that if anything at all was to be used to train AI, this is how it should be handled. An automatic "no" unless the author deliberately decides to agree. Considering that I rarely even look at the email...

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  Why can't I buy good coffee in a can any longer? To get coffee worth drinking I need to buy it in a packet. Where are you supposed to put used grease or cooking oil if not in a coffee can for disposal? Once upon a time I could get good dark roast coffee from Trader Joe's in cans. Now if I want a coffee can I need to buy coffee I don't want to drink, like Folgers or Maxwell House. Is there any good coffee that comes in a can? #Coffee

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  Good morning! Decent air quality in the moderate range but much too much humidity for my early-morning walk today. It felt like a sauna. We're supposed to get major thunderstorms with very high winds this afternoon. I hope that will clear out the humidity while leaving my power alone. Today I hope to spend at least several hours writing and to make some good progress on the new Gavin Rownt book. My giant hydrangea (the bush is about seven feet tall right now and will get taller as summer...

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  Good morning! At least I hope it's a good morning for you. Mine hasn't been the best. I woke up to find Theo walking around the house vomiting -- five times. Once I had it all cleaned up, he was on my desk, happily destroying anything he could find, ripping up papers and knocking small items onto the floor. Then he went into the kitchen and ate all of his breakfast. Fingers crossed it stays down. Bad, bad back and hip pain, but I went out walking anyway. And in a couple of hours I ha...

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  Good morning! We had another thunderstorm overnight, and this morning when I got up our AQI was way down in the Green-for-Good category at 25. I opened all my windows and put the ceiling fans on, then went out for my early-morning walk. Today I'll do all the errands I put off because of the smoke, then home again to write. Maybe I'll even pull some weeds from the flowerbeds if it's not too hot. Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on. #Today

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  This morning I decided I need to exercise my brain a little more than I've been doing. I haven't wanted to go to academic conferences since COVID although I used to go to (and generally present at) two or three every year. So I signed up to attend two conferences virtually via zoom: Mythcon is next weekend, and VICFA (Virtual International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts) is in September. I need to look into which medieval conferences have virtual offerings. I'd like to mo...

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  Well, poo. Earlier I posted that our air quality was supposed to go back to "moderate" from "unhealthy" tomorrow, but now they've changed the forecast. Tomorrow we move up to the "very unhealthy" category, or Code Purple. This is still far better than what people farther north and west of us are suffering through -- people in the "hazardous" category and beyond -- but I'm not happy about it. I'll be fine. I can stay indoors and keep the air p...

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  For those of you in the smoky areas of the US and Canada: I just learned from another post that you should check your AC if you have a window air conditioner. It should be on "recirculate" mode, so that it is recirculating air already within your house instead of pulling air from outside. If it doesn't have a recirculate mode and it's pulling air in from outside, turn it off to keep the smoke out. Central air conditioning systems always recirculate, so if you have that, you do...