Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

Slowly getting better.

Smoke

Mid afternoon outdoors. Air quality is 300+, deep in the red zone. Last night we were hazardous for the first time. Really, really tired of being stuck inside.

http://www.spokesman.com/…/air-quality-quickly-deteriorati…/

"Normal" smoky today, less of a "zombie attack imminent" feel. Air purifiers blasting, vaporizer going (big help!). Everyone has sinus issues, I'm recovering from bronchitis, but yesterday we got apple pie filling and salsa from our garden made. The steam helped, kept everyone occupied, plus house smelled amazing! Today we're doing Asian pear BBQ sauce, rosemary maple pear butter...and canned pears. Couldn't do it without my amazing family. My husband and kids are the best!

Been sick. Smoke, wheat harvest, construction dust, etc. equaled massive bronchitis. Recovering.

Computers...loading 98%

300 G of data transfer via "Easy Windows File Transfer" takes nearly 24 hrs. I don't recommend it if the computers are in your bedroom, complete with blinking lights.

Also, it will torment you for 2 or 3 hrs with a "1 minute" to finish screen. Longest minute of my life. Sadists.

I need more memory. How did I use up a terabyte?

I now need a laptop. Granted, I squeaked 6 years out of my laptop (like dog years), but I don't want to buy a laptop and set it up again. Whine.

At least I have a family computer guy visiting. He seconded my bid to get rid of the giant tower my sweetie was saving in the garage.

At least wheat harvest is winding down. I don't think I can handle much more time stuck inside. There's smoke, but that's not as bad.

100 F today, sunny. Plums are about ready to pick, yard looks awesome.

School clothes shopping/supplies upcoming. Last kid in driver"s Ed next week.

Family visiting for a week! Doing family stuff. Yay, my brother-in-law is a computer guy! My laptop might live after all.

Took a few days to recover with the kids from vacation PTSD. Ugh. They've learned the truth about "you can never go home again".

Growing up is hard.

Speaking of hard, I've got some emotional stuff to write in Breaker's story. Been stalling, because I don't want to cry, but this has to happen for the movie to move forward.

Smoky here, so stuck indoors a lot. At least I have a long summer, so once the smoke clears, can still enjoy fine weather sans mosquitoes.

Snippet: Something going on between you two?

Never fails; I get 3/4 through a book and ideas start pouring in for the next one. Distracting, but I'd better get them down before I forget. Shozan needs a story. Framing a title with my hands like a picture frame: "The Sky Lord". Has a nice ring.

***

This is a snippet from Breaker's Ruin, book 2 of the Convergence Series and a work in progress. Book one of the series, Bramble Burn, is available wherever ebooks are sold.

Scott looked between them with interest. “Something going on between you two?”

“Yes.”

“No.” Daisy frowned. “Don’t be stubborn.”

His eyes narrowed. “If Luke will agree to remain in dragon form, ready to snatch you away, you may go. I’ll accompany you. Between the two of us, you should be able to survive an hour.”

Getting a dragon to do anything he didn’t want to was a big deal, so she didn’t try to negotiate. She could do that later. “Great!” She turned to Scott. “Tell me which weeds were a concern.”

He waved a hand. “All of them. I’m no gardener. In fact, I toyed with the idea of paving the whole area, but Juniper talked me out of it. She says grass and trees will deflect the summer heat, and she suggested edible landscaping.” He grimaced. “I don’t want to deal with dropped fruit, but she had a point about the need to hire landscapers anyway.”

“Definitely,” Daisy agreed fervently. “Food security is a big thing.” The Convergence had disrupted transportation and the food supply, and the world was still recovering. Although rationing had mostly ended, there were shortages, and home gardens were important. “You know, with your skills, you could make an amazing greenhouse.”

“Yeah.” He didn’t look thrilled. “Maybe later. Anyway, the weeds tend to disintegrate when they leave the Quarry, so you’ll have to take pictures or video if you want to show Juniper. Let me know which ones I can smother.”

“Sure. I’ll work up a written report. I also brought some special sample bottles that might preserve the plants. I’ll let you know how that works.”

“Great. I appreciate your trouble.” He slid a gold coin across the counter. Pre-payment. Have fun.”

Daisy waited until they were on the roof, safely out of earshot, before commenting, “He doesn’t have many social skills, does he?”