A blank (and slightly damp) canvas

overcast, mild, temps 22

It started out at stunning day. Sunny, and of course it all gleamed off the grass and greenery soaked by the recent rains. We had breakfast on the porch, and then the clouds rolled in. Not totally unexpected, but I was hoping for a gorgeous day since today the photographer et al are arriving from Montreal to take the MORE Magazine shots. Still, it isn't raining yet. maybe it'll hold off. And maybe I'll become a size 2 by the time they arrive.

Am wearing my flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. No make-up, hair still damp from shower. I'm a veritable blank canvas. Lucky them.

Didn't blog yesterday - got unexpectedly busy. Edited in the morning - now have about 50 pages to go. It'll need at least one more going over, but that's really for details and picking up small threads. Am pleased.

then Yves arrived with the new TV for the new TV room...and Gary arrived at exactly the same moment so they worked to put it up. New TV wouldn't work! But Yves drove to Knowlton to get another one.

After editing I zipped over to Richford, Vermont for gas, and did some grocery shopping in Sutton for the photographer and the otehr 3 arriving...lunch and snacks. Since they're coming early I decided cappucino and croissants would be a good start. if you see the shot and I have flakes on my face and chest, you'll know my plan worked.

Then home in time for Gary and John to arrive to remove the old TV - and re-orgainze the former television room into my new study. Sofa out - into Michael's study - and big old pine table in, for my desk. But - after an hour of heaving and twisting and trying everything, the desk wouldn't go through the door! These guys tried everything - and even with my brilliant and helpful suggestions it didn't work. Finally Gary, like Alexander the Great and the Gordian Knot, Gary got a saw and simply took an inch off the desk legs. In it went.

Have you noticed that while things might be lots of fun very few things are easy?

Then Susan arrived to stay in the guest cottage for a week, and came over for dinner. Rain let up long enough to BBQ the steaks. Had a nice salad, then yogurt and fresh blueberries for dessert. Yum. A family meal.

Will blog tomorrow and let you know how the photo shoot went. If they've brought scaffolding and cement I'll be mighty annoyed. Hope they don't decide to take an inch off the legs too.

Gary's Days are Numbered

sunny, then storms in the afternoon, (like now), temps 23

Well, I've finally figured out how to do in Gary. We're giving him a nearly impossible deadline for renovating the new TV room! It's brilliant. He'll either die trying to accomplish it, or kill himself. but, wait a minute, he might kill us!

Gary, if you're reading this, it was all Michael's idea. I tried to stop him. Begged him not to do it. Really.

Michael, if you're reading this...I love you.

Today we had breakfast in Cowansville (I know you find this riveting) - won't tell you what I ordered because there must be some boundaries - then bought a sofa bed and TV for the new TV room. The Sofa will be delivered in 10 days, at which time Gary must have the new TV room ready.

Are you still conscious, Gary?

Had an email from More Magazine (great mag. aimed at women over 40) about doing a photo-shoot next week. Happily they'll provide a make up artist and hair stylist...but they want to do it in Montreal. Also have an interview with Chatelaine magazine next week, and Bravo is trying to organize a time to film an interview for their Writers Confessions series - next week. If I do it on the same day as the MORE shoot I can use the same makeup and hair. Even the next day - if I sleep sitting up, and don't mind looking like The Joker.

this is one of the flaws in my 'take-it-easy' editing pledge. Other things come to crowd it out...so I end up with almost no time to do the actual editing. I seem to have fallen off that wagon.

Actually, this might be the cappucino talking, but I'm not worried. I'm loving this book and the re-write and I'm going to take my time. If I don't finish til Christmas, that's OK.

Had to say 'No, thank you' to doing another Books and Brunch event in Montreal this fall. It's a HUGE event with 3-400 people, but it's just too much. Schedule already crazy. I asked if I could do it next year. (the Scarlet O'Hara approach to book marketing).

Great news - at Nancy's suggestion I bought a bottle of that canned air and sprayed it on the 's' key of the laptop and voila. The effin esses are back! Might spray some of that oxygen up my nose next week. There's a shot for MORE. What the mature woman does for fun and profit these days.

Life is good. Unless you're Gary. (sorry about the ungodly schedule, Gar)

Ezprezzo countdown

sunny, hot, beautiful, temps 29

wonderful day - went exercising this morning. Very hard. I find some days I feel stronger than others. Especially those torturous leg lifts and bicycles. Ugh.

Pina - our neighbor/exercise instructor - is also an artist who's on the Tour Des Arts and now an actor. She and two other women have written a play called Three Old Bags. They workshopped it last year and this year they've had HUGE success. They were at the Montreal Fringe Festival and sold out one of the biggest theatres in the Townships, in North Hatley. they're putting on shows during the Tour as well. I thought she'd be a great profile for MORE magazine, so I'm going to pitch her to them. We'll see. Hoping to get to the show tomorrow night.

From exercise we did our shopping - the pharmacy's moved into the biggest building in Sutton - drugs, drugs, drugs galore. This is a great community. Drugs, and condoms.

Got home in time for a swim, and Wayne mowing the lawn.

Then put in 4 hours work. Didn't get as far with the editing as I'd hoped. Seems the 's' key has really given up now. So after pounding away at it I grew weary and frustrated. Then decided to substitute the 's' for 'z'...zo now wordz are zpelled ztrangely. Must say, it cuts down on the creativity when I have to do that.

Michael thinks it's a riot...says I've bagged so many zzz's in my life, at least now I have a use for them. har, har. Nice thing is I realize none of the main characters has an 's' in their name, except Lacozte.

Perhaps it's time for a new laptop. Was hoping to get through this book. We actually have one in the office I could use, but I find it's tempermental - skips lines and I don't realize it so that I'm writing happily away and it doesn't make sense. Oh well. probably better than the 'z' solution.

Espresso maker supposed to arrive tomorrow! Then everything will be right with the world.

Speak tomorrow.