Wooden butt!

I wake feeling pretty darn awful, aching all over and dragging my butt out of the bed to let the dogs out. What with my lower back aching, my shoulders pulling, I spend several minutes doing some basic stretches in the full sunlight on my porch in hopes of removing kinks and stiffness as I ponder the night past.

Instead of interesting, cheering dreams, my mind has been replaying yesterday’s editing over and over again during a night that was far too short after getting to bed at 6.30 in the morning…and that when I’d planned to make it an early night. Drat! Too little sleep again. Why can’t I get to bed on time? Is it fate?

Moving my joints smoothly and deliberately, the shoulder pains disappear, as do those in my legs, but the one on my lower back stays persistently as I groan and slowly start to get dressed for the day. Whatever it was that caused this feeling, I’m not happy about it.

I take the dogs down to the main house, depositing my bag on the kitchen counter before heading right back out into the courtyard to get the dry laundry down, and then lug the new batch out grumbling at the dogs constantly.

It isn’t fair, I know, but it is not like they understand anything but my tone, which I try to keep mild on my way back in the house for a quick breakfast that tastes like sand in my mouth.

Rather than start with the planned editing session, I decide to do some cleaning first. What with the past week of 10-12 hour days behind the computer, things are starting to look more than a little awful.
Removing gigantic spider webs from dark corner and ceilings before I finally settle down to worry about book details once more. Having decided to skip my messages for the day, big brother and I start with work immediately and spent the next eleven hours, reading, changing and shifting around page after page until at long last our second edit is “done”.

It went surprisingly well, considering my mood upon awakening. The first fifteen pages went very smoothly, bearing testament that our previous session was intense, accurate and very adequate. It is a cheering thought, to say the least.

Intense “love” scenes, sinister atmosphere, vampire violence, deep emotions of tortured characters that find understanding and love together at last.
I love the protagonists: Silent Rash (the lonely vampire) and bubbly Addie (the Irish witch) who was based on a dear friend of mine. She “adored” (her words) the idea that I was basing the heroine on her, and has been reading her daily updates on the story diligently…and thoroughly enjoys them.

“’T is grand!” she’ll write back every day, going into detail how she cried at some parts and laughed at others. Good stuff that: Always a pleasure to hear such raving responses about one’s efforts.

But anyways: Depending on how we feel about the changes that were made today tomorrow the morning, the story will probably be send out to the publisher before we have to go to town for the groceries and such. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Clue is doing well today, and Trin Trin, who received her last injection for Leishmania just two days ago, is looking vibrant, with her fur shiny and soft at long last.

Hunger, though never much of a problem when writing or editing, was taken care of today by the sibs, who made a wonderful meal of vegetables folded within large thin pancakes. Now that today’s session is over, however, hunger gnaws at my stomach, warranting a quick sandwich before I head to my room. Though the bread and cheese doesn’t set well, and neither does that orange juice going with it, I do need the nutrition and manage to keep it down as I head out the door with the dogs dashing on either side of me.

Once I get to my bedroom, I am startled to find a dead rat on my bed, from the looks of him having been caught by Sitabah around the time I got to my cabin, busy with feeding and such, and leaving the door open for the dogs to roam. Not smart.
It is a wonderful present for sure, but I could have done without finding it on my bed, in all honesty. I think I’m going to have to have a little chat with the dogs about the protocols of giving gifts. This simply won’t do, no matter how much I appreciate the sentiment.

And with this the day’s end arrives. It’s a chilling night, a clear starry sky and to my relief no wind. It was a long day and though it was spent on my butt, I feel more tired than I would have been after intense physical labor. Still there is a certain sense of “a job well done” at least.