First of all, congratulations to my father and his new wife, Gail. While I'm happy for him, I would also like to mention that a little advance warning might have been nice. Finding out a relative got married through a Facebook post might be very modern, but it's still a little jarring. But, he's seventy-seven, so he's going to enjoy the time he has left with someone he loves. Good on you, Dad. Here's some advice, though. When you're talking to your son days before you're going to get married, it's perfectly acceptable, even normal, to let him know. Just FYI.
Alright, where was I? Oh, right...Prince Edward Island. What in the name of God was I thinking when I dragged my family out here? I mean, I know it's winter and all, but holy crap, it's cold. I know, I know...the people in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are pointing and laughing at me as they defrost their dogs after they go out to pee. But still. Southern Ontario spoiled me, I guess. I'm just not used to this weather anymore. And I never liked cold to begin with. I can't even jump in a pool when it's less than eighty degrees. Ninety would be better.
It's not so much the temperature, which doesn't drop below -11°C at its worst. But the winds...dear Lord, the winds. I walked the dog for ten minutes and couldn't feel my face anymore. I had to check in the bathroom mirror to make sure I still had it with me. I didn't even bother walking the other one, because he just stared at me and let me know in no uncertain terms that he could hold it until spring if he had to. At least the older dog has a fur coat; Dexter, the beagle, is short-haired, and spends half of his days under a blanket cuddling with Momma. The rest of the day is spent barking at leaves blowing by the window.
The rink didn't work out. It's half-iced, but I'm certain there's a leak somewhere that is preventing the water from staying in long enough to freeze on the other side. I just can't find it. It's frustrating, but it's also a learning experience; we'll get it right next year.
I'm still struggling with finishing the Cameron Vail mystery; I hate doing rewrites for this exact reason. But I'll get it done at some point. I'm also working on another Meterra book, which I want to have done by the end of the month. However, we're almost halfway through the month, and it's not halfway done. More frustration.
I'm still reading the Thousand Nights and a Night; I'll do a follow-up post to cover a few more of the stories tomorrow. At three or four every other day of posting, I should be caught up by next Sunday. We'll see. It's a good read, no question. I'm enjoying it quite a bit, in fact. It's a very different cultural touchstone, one that I'm having fun exploring, even though there is no way on God's green earth I would ever consider becoming a part of that culture.
Oh, one more bit of news: We're getting chickens for the farm. We're going to start with six to eight, and maybe a rooster to keep them company. The wife wants to get an incubator and hatch some of the eggs instead of eating them. Hey, as long as we can make it work, I'm fine with it. It's too cold to do maple syrup right now, so that will have to wait. But we're going to start building the chicken coop as soon as the tools stop shattering in the cold.
So, a fairly random entry today. All kinds of different things going on. In reflection of that, I'm going to recommend my anthology of stories, A Universe of Possibilities, which includes ten stories in a wide variety of styles and genres. It's a good sampler of my work, and includes a Bard Conley story for the sci-fi fans, sort of a teaser for the whole book. Check it out, and enjoy!
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