The edits on The Star of Fire are nearly done. I’ve reached the point that requires the most heavy rewriting and while I agree with the feedback I am also dreading the work. My beta just pulled a couple of threads out of the story and now I have to reweave a new thread in there. It’s tiring work, but I also love it? IDK, I’m weird.

In non-writing news: Mr. Quinn is signed up and training for another Ironman distance race next year (May 2020) which means his trainer is coming back around again. I went out to say hi and ask about his new baby last time he was here. (Brief aside: The trainer is a couple of years older than us and has a child who is in college from his first marriage – so, yeah, starting over). Trainer gave me the standard baby update including milestones, etc. but then went on to explain that he’s taken on a new role as a Stay At Home Dad this go round. He works his schedule around his wife’s and stays with the baby during the day (“Man, I had no idea how exhausting that is!”)

“Yeah, baby’s wear you out!” I laughed.

“Okay, so right. She’s great, but man it’s a lot of work and I am so tired. Like, I reached out to my ex!” He paused to give the next set.

“Your ex?”

“Yeah, so last time I was young and so I wasn’t around so much and like I was working and stuff. I had no idea how much she was really doing to balance all of this.”

“Invisible labor’s a bitch, amirite?”

He laughed. “Is that what you call it?”

And yeah, that’s what it’s called. Nobody sees it, it just gets done. Thankfully Mr. Quinn isn’t so oblivious (he still misses things), but I also resolved recently to start asking for praise. Like when I manage the yard work. I explained what it would cost to have a yard crew come out and do the work and told him that if I continued to not feel the glow of appreciation for my contribution that I would be forced to pay someone else to do it.

Reader, I get taken out for lunch every time I mow the lawn because it’s far, far cheaper for him to treat me to lunch than to pay a crew to do my job. I also get at least 24 hours worth of praise for a job well done.

On that note, I will launch into a mini-rant on landscaping. When we put out pool in several years ago was the one and only time we hired a landscaper to do anything in our yard. It may also be the last.

We asked for pet-friendly (read: not poisonous to animals) plants that were also drought tolerant (we live in Texas) and for thought to be given to arrangement when plants were mature.

We got pet friendly (no poisonings yet).

We got drought tolerant (mostly).

But I can no longer get to my backyard spigot because the plants there have grown so thick that I need a machete to even find it. So much for thought to the mature plant size. I have to cut back the plants along the stepping stones to the workshop (that the landscaper installed! He knew we would have to walk there!) 5 or 6 times every summer just so we can see the path.

Sure the beds looked good from the start but the mature size of some of these plants is killing me! Also, I feel as though a big landscaping overhaul may be in my future and I don’t like it.

Anyway, that’s my world in a blog post.

Later Days,

Q

P.S. Does anyone remember the cartoon where the character said “Later Days” at the end of every episode. I vaguely recall watching it with my older kids. And it was about some gang of kids that skateboarded I think? IDK, but I always loved that sign-off.