Once again, I was asleep at the wheel. I thought I’d set this to live at 6:00 AM. Nope. I didn’t click on the AM so it wasn’t going go out until evening. *headdesk* ANyway, better late than never, right? And yes, it HAS been a Monday. 😮‍💨

So, we’ve arrived at a new week. It’s Monday. It’s just past mid-May but it feels way more like mid-summer! Yes, the AC in running. With luck, I can turn it off tonight for a few days. The front coming in is supposed to bring temps in the 60s and70s instead of the 80s and 90s. Of course, it brings the chance of severe weather with it. Oh joy.

Speaking of the weather, it was HOT this weekend. Stormy did have his last soccer game of the season on Sunday. His eam one 2-0. Yay! Now the boys are practicing for league team tryouts coming up in early June. The league is switching the way they “line up” the teams. Up until this next round, the kids were grouped according to the year they were born. Now they’re going to an age bracket: 13U, 14U, etc. and it’s based on when your birthday falls in the year. Stormy will be moving up becasue he’s born in the first half of the year. This also opens up possibilities for the really talented kids to play up to their skill level instead of just their age. Softball has always been that way, but in two-year increments: 12U, 14U, etc. She played one year of 12U then moved up to 14U, played one year, moved upt to 16U, played one year and then played the rest of her career at 18U/18Gold (starting at age 15) until she granduated high school and went to college.

I am happy to report there has been progress made on ARIEL’S DAMN BOOK! Not huge gains, but gains. I spent last week printing and sorting all the weird little scenes, snippets, partial chapters and notes. Then I sorted them, then sorted the sorted piles, using sticking notes so I could just quickly glance at a sheet and know where it might belong. Then I did something I normally don’t do. I went back to the beginning. I’m rereading and giving a first edit to all the completed chapters because lo and behold, ther’s stuff I need to add in to make thing make sense. So, I’m adding words, rearranging words, and cleaning stuff up as I go. Like I said, progress! Also, I’d been stuck in that “This is crap” stage that all writers go through. While I’m not back to that first blush of “Brillian idea, I can’t wait to write this!” stage, I am currently coasting along at the “You know what, this book isn’t half bad.” That’s an okay place to be.

Returning to the topic of sports, this is one of my favorite times of the year–the Road to the Women’s College World Series. Both OSU and OU hosted regionals. OSU won their bracket and will head north to Nebraska to take on the Huskers for a chance at the WCWS. OU also won their bracket and will host a Super Regional next week but at the time of typing this (Sunday evening) and their possible opponent is play on the West Coast so that game’s outcome will be determined later.

I’m still behind on my reading challenge by about 8 books. I decided to leave Larissa Ione’s Demonica World for a bit. Graphic Audio released Ilona Andrews’ DIAMOND FIRE in a multi-cast edition. It’s a “bridge” novella in their Hidden Legacy world. Three sisters, three interlocking stories of three books each. DF fills in between the first trilogy (Nevada) and the second (Catalina). I’ll be happy when Catalina’s three books get the GA treatment. I’d also love for the Andrews to write Arabella’s story. There are reasons they haven’t, though I only sort of get why. But, their world, their timetable and rules. I then picked up Tanya Huff’s SUMMON THE KEEPER. It’s a cozy and it’s cute and okay but…I may tuck it back and find something else. I wish my reader self would figure out what she wants! I miss having a story to get lost in while I’m doing stuff like cooking, driving, laundry…

Okay. I’ve likely bored y’all long enough. How’s your weather? Reading? Writing? Life?