Well, let's see here. Things are beginning to pick up speed (finally). I'm working in collaboration with Mikel Robinson, Executive Director of the Plains Indians & Pioneers Museum in Woodward, OK, to publish a collection of the Muse's wildly popular FB posts. Hope to have that wrapped up and published by the end of October.

Finishing up a lot of work I've been doing inside our house here at The Compound.

Will begin working in earnest very soon on the rewrite for my first novel, "A Matter of Time" and the serials that follow.

Staying busy, sometimes at my own apparent peril. What the hell else am I going to do?

That is all for now!

It's been a very busy month for me. But things are beginning to come around. I'm nearly finished with the initial phases of installing new flooring inside the house here on the farm. That's been more than I bargained for, but I'm happy to see it coming to an end.

Latest book project - a collection of Facebook posts from the Museum's page. I haven't touched that for the past week. Time to step that up too.

Sales of my own book, "Meanwhile, Back at The Compound, Volume 1" have been lagging, but I wasn't counting on it to be a huge seller. I am exploring some ways to increase those sales.

Print copies of the first volume of the old blog posts arrived late Wednesday afternoon. I sat down this morning and realized that I have given away nearly 11 books so far and not made a dime! Haha

Well hopefully that will change soon. I'd like to at least recoup my printing costs.

I've made a list of writing projects... there are six now. A lot of these are marked 2024. That takes some pressure off LOL

It's been a couple of weeks since my last blog post. The good news is the chemo is having the desired effect. Hopefully this means the cancer is slowing.

... just as soon as I posted to this blog yesterday whining about how long it was taking  Amazon finally post the two versions of my latest book, they posted them.

I haven't started marketing them yet. The author's proof arrives tomorrow (7/12) and I want to look through it before I start beating my own drum.

On Sunday I began working on the outline for what will be a HUGE collaborative effort on the history of this region. Louise James' "Below Devil's Gap" was a great book no doubt, but had some holes in the historical timeline that we're hoping to fill. I have it in my head that the best way to identify those holes is to outline the entire book. I spent a few hours doing that on Sunday, but it's a bigger project than I anticipated. I don't know what it is about me that I have keep heaping on work (that doesn't pay anything).

Headed to the hospital in Woodward this morning for a blood test. Hopefully it will show that the Lupron therapy is doing what it's supposed to do... mainly, slow the cancer.

Wish me luck!

...so, I uploaded to Amazon the digital version of my new book, "Meanwhile, Back at The Compound, Vol. 1" on Thursday last week. I uploaded the print version (will be paperback) on Friday. So far neither have appeared in the Amazon search. Their own notification via email that the books had been accepted and published said it would take 3 days for the digital version to propagate across the U.S. Amazon.com site. The same timeline for the print version. I'm anxious to announce their availability, but I don't want to do anything until both versions are shown as in stock on the Amazon site. So, we wait.

It was a weird weekend around here. We were planning to have guests here for the fireworks at Fargo, but we lost power on Friday and it wasn't restored until Saturday afternoon. In the end, we cancelled though I already had a plan for making food regardless.

Now that both versions of the book are supposedly published, I'll concentrate on finishing the flooring in what will be our new dining room. It'll be good to have a place where we can entertain guests here at The Compound.

Have a PIPM board meeting this evening. Nothing too controversial there. The new director, Mikel Robinson is doing a great job as exec. director. The organization is lucky to have her. I have to do a blood test tomorrow morning to ensure the therapy my oncologist administered is doing its job.

Interestingly, I get the book off my plate, but someone keeps refilling it. Hahaha.

...we "may" have actually broken the drought. We received a whopping 1.27" overnight. The storms that accompanied that rain kept the dogs nervous wrecks, but I hope it was worth it. Last night's rains brings us to more than 7 inches since June 1.

Supposedly taking delivery on the flooring that I've been waiting for... due today between 1000 and 1400. Hopefully it won't be raining during that exercise!

Will try to get the CCB book (Vol. 1) uploaded and moving on Amazon this morning while I'm awaiting news on the flooring shipment coming out of OKC.

I came in here because I thought it had been awhile since I'd last posted anything to this blog, only to realize that it's been more than a month. The time has gone by so fast, it seem difficult to keep up sometimes.

So, let's see here. The first blog post book is finished. Made the final edits and with the help of Mikel Robinson, I have a cover design that appears to be equal parts disturbing and artistic. Just have to get everything ready to upload to Amazon and that's done. Next project will be finishing the rewrite of "A Matter of Time." Once that's done, then I'll start the second volume of CCB posts (2016). Before then diving into the second novel in the Glenn Matter serial. And somewhere along the way, I need to do the outline of Louise James' book before we can undertake writing a new version - that will kick off in early 2024.

On top of all that I still have to complete the new flooring in the house here. That should move quickly as long as I can get the flooring delivered (was supposed to be this past Monday, but the Teamster fucked things up. Not sure when  it will delivered now.

Next week I have to do a blood test for the oncologist. I think the therapy he has me on is working the way it was intended so I feel pretty good about taking this test. I technically should do it this week, but I'm so bogged down with stuff as it is and we're supposed to have people over for the July 8 Fargo fireworks that I can ill afford to take time to run into town for blood work.

Just realized that it's been nearly three weeks since I last posted on this blog. Well, hey, I've been extremely busy. May has been and continues to be a very busy month for me. Maybe that's not such a bad thing since I seem to be staying out of trouble.

Working hard to finish one book - the collection of annotated CCB blog posts from 2015. It's been more of an undertaking than what I originally anticipated. Plus, I hate editing. Every time I think I'm making my last run through the damned manuscript, something else pops up or I think of some new clever thing to add to the formatting. I really want to finish this project this week so I can move on to the next. 

Had a great Saturday evening this past week at some friends' house just outside of Boiling Springs. Beautiful home on a great setting. First time, I've been off The Compound in a long time. It was great. Now that it's getting warmer hope to get out more.

Also, still working on renovations inside the house. It's been tough to do with everything else I have going on this month. Add to that the onset of rains, it's just been tough to get much done. Still, I'm making progress and plan to continue doing so (in between rains).

It has been a busy past seven days. After days of a toothache... the first I've had... I finally made it into the dentist chair. He tells me that part of a back molar below the gum line has sheared off and is causing the pain and some infection. Root canal won't work for this. It's doomed to extraction. Go in on May 2nd for that action. The dentist told me it'll be quick, turns out there isn't much holding that tooth in place.

Presently at work on a number of writing projects: The rewrite of "A Matter of Time"; producing a manuscript of old blog posts entitled, "Meanwhile Back at The Compound"; and a new project that has something of a short timeline on it...writing short biographies of six of Woodward's more famous cemetery residents.

Work also continues on rehabbing the house... and is starting to stack up. Need to finish what was originally Bom Bom's sewing and art room. That will clear space in the former living room-cum-dining room so that I can paint the trim that will go in the hallway. It's a game of shuffle around here right now.