Last night I was thinking of this morning's me, and made way too much vanilla whip cream for the farmer's market berries we had as dessert. Morning me is thanking past self. #coffee #goodmorning

"Verify your age" Turns to scrapbook page with the airplane ticket for the nonsmoking section.

Getting a little ambitious with dinner tonight. Kid2 is home for the rest of the summer, and cooking for three is a little more exciting. Anyone else write marginalia in their cookbooks? Mine are littered with commentary.

Lamentation (flipped, detail), by Gerard David, 1515-23, 📸 by Roberto Schmidt

Am cheering for the Vikings today. BTW, I have an immortal Viking romance out there called First to Burn. If you're following the discourse, my hero has flashbacks to both the oar bench AND looking up at the sail. But he gave up pillaging centuries ago. www.amazon.com/First-Burn-A...

I have long had a dream of taking a suitcase full of costumes to London and doing a little cosplay. That is forever changed now.

My daughter wanted to go out to a cafe and work together! She's doing final updates to her archaeology dig journal and I'm just flailing around at the business side of the writing career, but hey, her work ethic is a good influence on me. Alt text, friends.

The time in 2014 that an agent offered to represent my debut romance, but wanted me to change the Afghanistan war vet heroine's leg amputation to something "prettier" like "a few burns." Ma'am, this is not a Regency with a heroine who *gasp* can't dance. My heroine snowshoed on her prosthetic.

Read the alt text, I beg you.

I know a lot of the legal news in the US sucked today. I've been on vacation in Bulgaria and just trying to avoid that 💩. But I wanted to share something that made me happy today, while stuck unexpectedly in Munich. Pride flags on the whole city's trams. Standing up for people matters. It does.

Did we know this exists? Billa supermarket in Sapareva Banya, Bulgaria. #kitkat #breakfast

It's only 89 in Plovdiv, so we feel lucky? Managed to do a mix of indoor and outdoor sightseeing. Absolutely love this city and archaeology kid would love to return. I recommend Bulgaria to anyone looking for a European vacation with everything, for half the price of France. Lots in alt text.

Another twenty-six years apart banger! I'd love to have those hips, but not that haircut. First photo in 2000 with a Ukrainian ride, possibly at NATO HQ in Skopje ("the shoe factory"), second at Museum of Combat Glory, Yambol, BG. I know they're not the same birds but it's as close as I can get.

Gonna repost this particular ancient dude from my under-caffeinated sculpted head and his frenemies thread Those Thracian kings went hard, that's all I'm saying. Very specific thoughts in the alt text, mainly bc I write trashy romance novels and this guy. This guy.

So people have clearly been dependent on in caffeine for a long long time, I guess? Late 6th century, Burgas area near Black Sea. In the National Museum of Archaeology in Sofia. There is alt text.

Twenty six years apart.

Well it was a long day, but 26 years later I find myself once again in Bulgaria. This time without the constraints of General Order 1!

Today's mood: Bit of a last minute surprise, frankly. Had about three weeks to plan. There's a lot lot lot of alt text.

In final final edits version 27, I reduced the number of ellipses in my #WIP Checking Out The Librarian from 144 to 91! #WeeknightWriters

This is really interesting and moving, absolutely listen. And there's a lot more context in the comments. I'm not particularly interested in soccer/football, but this is the World Cup stuff I am here for. For the expansion of my world.

The cool @feliciadavin.com introduced me to this fun art history / human artifacts challenge. Sort of a cross between the classic GeoGuesser game my family used to be obsessed with and the British Museum "100 Objects" book that was a huge hit 15 years ago. anthropeum.com

I've been recovering from a long terrible cough, and trying to walk a couple miles a day again. Here's one of the cheerful sights I passed recently. Happy Pride Month! #pride #pridemonth #knittersarecool #rainbowflag

Why is my entire family not in Canada at the moment? (Traditionally, kids are birthday cake fans, I'm a chocolate glazed classic fan, and spouse is ALL OF THE ABOVE b/c he claims his hometown was the donut capital of Ontario).

I always love seeing fuselages

Happy Anniversary to the soundtrack of more than 40 years of my life.

Before ten am I have managed to slam my right pinkie finger into the pocket door slot, and my left pinkie finger between my phone and my desk. I am winning at adulting. So much success that I should retire from adulting just to give others a chance.

Naylor!!!! #goms

Spouse went golfing this morning while I was home sick, but he brought me excellent chicken noodle soup because this bronchitis redux is even worse than the first time last month. (And he gave it to me).

I love urban crows. They're like the give no f*cks middle-aged women of the bird world. You want this chair? No. Both pastries are for me, you have a problem? Hey, pick up after your dog, why don't you. #birdsky #crows #birdoftheday

Wow the Ms can't even pretend. Spouse's last team crashed out of NHL playoffs today, and he said he wasn't going to bother with the final round. I said, what are you going to watch then? Mariners??? He already went to bed.

Not every day you get to think about a tontine. Unless you're like me.

I enjoyed this look at what's popular right now in my industry - and especially the part about readers wanting characters who are really good at niche jobs! And even if they're emotionally messed up, they can and do communicate. Thought this was a quick, good read. open.substack.com/pub/erinnium...

Memorial Day is not about the start of summer. It is not about barbecues. It is not about discount sales. I guarantee that if you are in the US, there is a Veterans Cemetery near you. Take your children and just say what is in your heart about war and sacrifice. www.thebulwark.com/p/remember-t...

Back with one of my favorite sculptures anywhere. Oval With Points by Henry Moore. It makes me this happy every time I see it, and it is directly responsible for this 80s small town girl learning to love modern art. There is some alt text.

Opening act for Alan Doyle is The East Pointers, a PEI Canadian roots music group. Great music! And now I told the spouse I want to go to their September festival in PEI. Maybe 2027, if I'm lucky. @teawhilewriting.bsky.social my concert doppelganger, did you see them last night?

Another favorite author having a sale. I liked the twist in this story that the merman does not understand human speech, there's no magical communication, and the characters have to bridge some really, really big gaps between them. (And big other things too, ofc)

What? This cannot be. Read the thread.

Did the second-slowest guy in baseball pull it off?

"If you're in the big leagues, you should be able to get people out," -Mariners announcer, quoting Lou.

Sharing some paintings inspired by Skagit Valley tulip fields. I'm way behind on my writing goals due to bout of crud/cough, but I still need to paint. It helps a lot to remember that when we make something we like, that's time we are not thinking about doom. #watercolorpainting #artsky #hobby

I read a lot during the past week, while recovering from a nasty cough. The kind of cough that makes sleeping hard. You know one of the things I read? This. Highly recommend. Very happy it's in one omnibus now, not separate files. @alexp336.bsky.social writes very, very engaging erotica.

I'm having a rough day (ten days of cough and associated malaise, no energy for working but deadlines cometh) ... This was good.

Josh Naylor, the fastest second-slowest guy in baseball. Stand up double. I would be shaking if I was at second and he was barrelling at me. And then trotting into third.

Mariners game has sent me looking for something to lift my mood. I chose a German series with subtitles. I'm sure it will lift my spirits.

Phinney Ridge/U District / Ballard

A pretty spectacular speech from a sewer district - service matters. (I grew up in SW Ohio, but give full respect to the Cuyahoga River references in this speech - still a common punchline in my childhood).

This made me so happy today. I was a fifth grade recess tetherball champion (note: that was after the cool, athletic kids had quit playing it so the geeks had it to themselves). Taught my kids to play, and #2 said I got scary. Whatever. I love tetherball and I have found my bird.

A cool Montreal bookstore for the next time I visit the kid at McGill.

My spouse is taking his pet chainsaw for a walk in the yard. He is not wearing eye or ear protection, so.

The Mariners are not losing yet.