Retrograded

[dancinghorse]

Yes, long time no post. Astrological agnostics may laugh, but when Mercury goes retrograde, my life tends to fall apart in impressive ways. It's been getting funny in a Book of Job meets The Perils of Pauline sort of way.

Welcome new readers and friends, notably deire who asked if it's OK to join the crew. Which of course it is. Anybody else who wants to step on up and introduce yourself, feel free. I don't always know who the handle is, so if you're an old friend (hi, John! wonderful to see you again!), give me a hint.

In the midst of the Great Revolving-Door Extravaganza, my hard drive started to die and the oven did die. The clothes dryer wasn't doing too well, either, and the kitchen faucet decided to quit. After the last guest left, things really started to get interesting. I spent 14 hours on Dell Chat trying to get the computer sorted out. That was too much fun. Then the following day, when I went out to feed the horses lunch, I found a lake on the side of the arena. The pipe coming up from the well had let go. I dug for hours. And hours. In wet clay. And found nothing. Ended up having to call the well guy and plead for help, which he provided (for a reduced but still not insignificant fee)--he found the bloody thing five feet down, and took him and his buddy two days to fix it, hanging upside down for part of it. No way I could have done that.

As I was struggling with water hose (to fill horses' barrels before I shut off the water to the farm) and gates, Pooka took exception to my being between him and his mares (along with an escalating series of other issues related to going away for a week, reasserting his status on the farm, and starting up with spring hormones), came up behind me, and nailed me good. There was no way I going to the ER, between lack of funds, lack of time or willingness to wait hours to be looked at, and lack of ability to drive there anyway (he got me in the middle of the back--bled rather nicely--and trampled my left side and lower back), so I picked myself up, killed him as best I could, then finished evening chores. In slo-mo but they got done. Patched myself up enough to last the night; with casacorona's help the next day, I got patched up further. With ibu, giant band-aids, and frozen peas, I survived the siege. Wasn't driving anywhere for a while, however, and I'm still at a range of about 40 minutes before the owies hit the wall. This allows for grocery runs and trips to town, but longer expeditions will need to wait.

Computer problems continue. Despite assurances that I could have new memory added to the backup, I sent it in for repairs and it came back with new keyboard but sans new memory. I have yet to find the energy to fight that war, but have to do it in the next day or two. The main machine is working mostly, though the cursor is a bit skippy and I haven't found a photo editor that I can stand to use; the one I had did not get included with the new set of CD's for the new hard drive (but they did upgrade me to XP Pro, so that's nice) and costs $80 to start over. I may do that anyway, if I can't find another solution. (I like Corel. I hatehatehatehate Picasa and the Adobe freeware.)

Still can't ride worth a damn. I'm all crumpled up. Tried a lesson with Teacher on Thursday and she made me stop--I was turning into a comma. But I persevere. Capria and Pandora are patient. Pooka just has to live with it. It's his fault anyway. I do have my seatbones back, which is good progress, and gradually am straightening out. I'm hoping to be back up to speed by the last weekend in April, when TL is due back for a clinic that is already yay full: at 1east 12 rides a day. Good thing she's got energy to burn. Everybody who has ridden with her previously wants more lessons this time, including our import from Oklahoma (who this time will be hauling her two Lipizzans all the way here, bless her, and that will be a blast), and we keep getting additions. This lady is amazing. (April 27th-29th for anyone as wants to come and play.) I'm hoping to manage a full 3 days on both Pook and Camilla. They'll love that. Capria is booked and Pandora will be, I'm sure. There will be horses all over the place, lots and lots of Lipizzans, and 'way good teaching happening all day long.

Meanwhile life isn't all that bad, really, all things considered. The writing part is finally showing signs of life. The Serpent and the Rose, which I have yet to see in book form, which is a broad hint to those who know who you are, is officially out today under the name Kathleen Bryan. It's had great reviews and a Very nice sale (especially since it's in euros and the dollar has tanked) to Verlag Random House in Germany, for which I am supposedly going to be paid this week. Shades of old times. I've handed in the revision of the second volume, The Golden Rose, and it's been accepted--that's mainly where I've been, frozen peas and all; one thing about being laid up, it's more time to write. Volume three, The Last Paladin (which just working-titled itself last week), is in the works and due in June. It has to be done as the Germans want to bring the series out very quickly, at 6-month intervals. Tor will be doing the US versions a year apart--March 08 and March 09.

We are working on new projects, she said mysteriously. L'Agent has finally approved some project ideas; he's brutal but effective, and the projects he beats out of me are always better than what I started with. I have to do proposals and sample chapters this month to get those in the pipeline, along with pages of TLP. One thing I'm hoping to get going is a new Brennan series--I've got all appendages crossed for that one.

And yes, passages and mentees and such continue. Horse Camp pricing and structure is about to change--it's clear that the group format with set dates isn't happening, but individuals and tiny groups with choise of dates do happen, and successfully. So, we'll be working that out in short order. Last week's camp with birdhousefrog was great fun for all concerned, including horses. She's reported, with illustrations, in her lj. To that I'll add, lunch at the good restaurant at the Desert Museum, and a stop to visit the hummingbirds, who are nesting--we watched one little lady finish building her nest, and a second be fed by the male while she sat on her eggs. I do love the hummingbirds.

Spring may be finally springing here. Last week was cold and horribly windy--culmination of that was Sunday's 40-50mph gale that blew apart one shelter and ripped a second. They've been repaired for now, will be more completely fixed once I get paid and can order new tarps. (Paid. Such a concept. Especially after a two-year run of tiny payments that barely cover the current bills and leave me gasping for air in between driblets and drablets--writers are used to big chunks at a time instead of intermittent dolings-out with coffee spoons.) (If I can get caught up on obligations, and make a nice sale of proposals, the next big purchase is truck for the farm. Yes. Oh yes.) At any rate, now it's high 70s and not so windy, and horses are shedding and maybe things will start to grow and bloom and all. That will be a very nice thing.