Tuesday was a rough day, Wednesday was marginally better, today seemed so long but now, at 10:30 p.m. I'm wondering where the day went. Third day of steroid treatment for the husband at a local medical office. His slurred speech is slightly better, no improvement on walking yet but then again, that's always taken longer anyway. He's good about using his canes; one for upstairs, one for downstairs. Yes, he's got MS and lives in a two-story house. He had it built in 1999 and two months later, he was officially diagnosed with the disease. Someday we'll need to move to a single-level home, but not yet.

I received two rejections today, both nice ones, one better than the other. Both of them were for my least favorite short stories, one was for the story I read at last year's OryCon Open Read & Critique, a hard-sell writer bored with writing vampire story, and the other is the monster in the back yard tale. Naturally, I'll toy with retiring both of them, in reality, I won't. As soon as I can find a reasonably close market, these hard-working stories will go out into the world again.

For anyone keeping score, that makes four stories still out, two back home only long enough to do a load of laundry. A seventh story, formerly known here as YAWT, is gathering critique from my writing group, INK. So far, so good. I agree with most of what's been suggested, still not sure on that ending but something tells me when it comes to this story, I'm probably never going to be okay with it. Sometimes, it's best to just let it go. I've got a couple of places I'd really like to send this one when I'm done polishing it but one isn't accepting anything until later this year, another isn't accepting anything without a query first and the understanding that they won't be publishing anything until 2010 or later, and the third place, well, I'm not sure the story is right for that market but I so want to try. I'd just have to wait almost a year before I'd hear back from them. I know, I know, send it out and forget about it, Keep writing, keep creating inventory.

Working outside in the rain yesterday (it was a warm rain) I was able to finish a small cobblestone patio area I needed to have done in time for a storage shed that we're having delivered here tomorrow. I still need 35 more cobblestones to completely finish the project but that section can wait for now. Today even though my back was killing me and I was irrationally tired, I found spots in our tiny backyard for about three full wheelbarrow's worth of dirt from where the cobblestones were laid. I still have a dozen bags of bark mulch to spread and three roses to dig out and pot up before I can finally call it good but it's not like the back yard is a mess or anything. It's beautiful out there. A writer could be inspired to write their fingers to the bone back there. I ought to do just that, and I will...just as soon as I get it all finished.

YAWT is up to 1300 words. I gots me some heavy thinking to do in order to tie up the loose ends. In a perfect world an ending will find it's way in there somewhere too. I really like the story so far. It's fun.

Saturday looks to be a perfect world here in my smidgen of the Pacific Northwest. In preparation for such, tomorrow will be all about heavy manual labor. Because I missed the boat on ordering bark mulch for this warm, dry weekend thanks to everyone and their mother doing just that thus allowing the only time left for delivery around 10 P.M Sunday evening (I kid, but just barely), I'll be using Friday to finish laying retaining wall block along the east and west side of our back yard. That will completely finish the project I started two years ago.

I've got a pallet of gray block coming, 126 blocks to be exact at 41 pounds each, plus half a pallet of cobblestone block, 113 blocks at 25 pounds each. You math-heads can work it out on how much I'll be lifting out of the front driveway, carrying down cement steps, and lugging between fifty and eighty feet into pre-position spots.

It'll be just like back when I used to lift weight for fun. Miss those arm muscles.

If the block gets here in early enough like they assured me would happen but frankly, I know better, and I get all the block moved out of the driveway and into the back yard quickly enough (so neighbor kids don't steal them), I then get to dig out the spots each block will rest in. That part is relatively easy and I don't mind doing it. But then there's the mini patio I'll be digging out and laying the cobblestone for so the trashcans and yard debris bin will stop sinking and we can finally keep our feet out of the mud. I'm really looking forward to that part...when it's finished. Ugh. Who likes to dig out wet clay-ish mud? At least I've got a place to dump the muck.

Finally, after I die or at the very least, shower and lie in bed wondering if Cirque du Soliel will hire me now that my arms will have stretched a few extra inches in length (that's got to be good for something, right?), Saturday when it's supposed to be 76 degrees F. and dry, I'll plant those red geraniums I finally got. And the Basket of Gold and a couple dwarf Pteris and another Rock Cress. I've got three landscape roses and a white flowering shrub I love but don't know the name of to move too, a three-foot potted lilac, a tall, orange-colored grass, and two nine-year old pots of tiger lilies to plant as well as a hanging basket to create.

Only then will I truly be ready to bark mulch the entire place.

But that will have to wait until the next dry weekend because not only will my arms and back need a break, I have YAWT and Working Title to finish. In the meantime, c'mon subconscious. I'll keep a pen and note pad handy. Get cracking on those story endings, 'k?