Update #4 - April 2025

 I finally escaped Chapter 24! The hold-up was the long interior Mac Criomthann story, in which Mac Criomthann searches for his father's birthplace and kin. That story, however, left a question hanging, which I now have to answer in Chapter 25. I've made a start on it, and hope to finish the chapter in a more normal time frame, having got rid of distractions like Oak Leaves and this year's taxes.

After last weekend's snow and two hard freezes, which did the budding leaves on my ash trees no good at all, the weather has settled down again - 60s and 70s most days. I normally consider my frost-free date here to be mid-May, but we'll see. I hope to get in a good garden this year, after my good neighbor removed the fence-line elm on the south which was shading far too much of my yard and endangering our power lines every time it snowed. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to our local farmers' market which starts the day after Beltane (May Day). Oh, and the hawk which was nesting in the top of the big spruce next door has returned, so I'm seeing less birds at my feeders. The blue jays, however, are not much deterred - I saw a couple of them chasing her the other day!

 

Update #3 - April 2025

 A little progress, but still in chapter 24. There have been a lot of interruptions in the last week, including taxes, the funeral of a friend's father, lawn mowing, and errands. I spent part of yesterday working on what I've written so far in this chapter, doing some editing. Now I have to do some map work to move the internal story on. 

In the meantime, after several warm days - almost t shirt weather - today it's around 32 F with intermittent light snow.  This resulted in a couple of hours of distraction while my orange Ruay cat wanted out, then in, then maybe out - but not in either, etc. He's finally settled, thank goodness. Maybe I can get on with my writing now.

Update #2 - April 2025

 A little forward progress on chapter 24, if slowly. Having reread The Druid's Son, as I said in last week's post, I found that I had to change some of my ideas about the Mac Criomthann story which will finish this chapter. My original premise, that this would involve Mac Criomthann's search for his father's birth name and birthplace, proved untenable in part, but I thought of some things which will make the story a better fit. Time-wise, it should fall just after the story of "Mac Criomthann and Erigal" from The Fallen Stones, so whoever tells the story will need to summarize that piece first for his audience.

Other impediments to writing progress in the last week have been Oak Leaves (finished now and handed off to the new editor), yard work (mowed the whole back yard yesterday), and taxes (only started, alas). I need to get on to the last item ASAP. In the meantime, the weather is definitely Spring now - only traces of morning frost some days. It's about time!

Update #1 - April 2025

 No new writing in the last week, partly due to Oak Leaves again. However, I spent a couple of days reading The Druid's Son to collect all the parts where Lovernos is mentioned - things I need to know for the Mac Criomthann story which will form the rest of chapter 24. The Oak Leaves issue is 95% finished and I'm just waiting for one more submission, so I can now turn most of my attention to Gwernin et al for a couple of days.

After some mild spring weather, things have got chilly again, with a little snow night before last and possibly a bit more tonight, before things warm up again next week. Small leaves on some of the trees now, and I actually mowed some of backyard grass. Next week looks good for yard work as well as writing.