Life moves more slowly in the era of Quarantine, but stuff is still happening. On a personal level, Benita and I have been working on our house, planting trees, and catching up on projects. The medieval library is almost done, the stairs are almost done, and it’s time to fix up the garage and get my shop out there functional.

I haven’t been writing or drawing, and that weighs on my soul, but it just hasn’t felt right for a while. I think the tension in the world is getting to me a bit. Well, a lot, but that doesn’t make me unique by any measure. I have been editing on Name of the Shadow, which is almost there, and I plan for it to come out this Autumn. I’ve also been hard at work on fantasy cartography, labeling and detailing the the giant (3′ x 5′!) Aorlis map. I’m taking my time and doing it right, because I believe it will be a masterpiece.

I recently did an extended and very candid interview with B.W. Morris on his site. You can read it here. I’ve put up several new videos on my Youtube channel. For the time being, I’ve ceased writing articles on Shoutfyre, because my creative wells on the comic book front have run dry.

Blacksmithing and longsword training both got stopped by the pandemic. I’ll probably not pick up any blacksmithing courses until next year, and I’m not sure about time on the longsword. I was stretched a little thin when I was doing all of it at the same time, I suppose.

This time has really reinforced what introverts Benita and I are. We can both be outgoing, we both make friends easily, but being to ourselves comes so much more naturally. Having said that, last Sunday we did go visit my mom. I was really missing her, but I’m glad to say that she and Floyd are looking great. I didn’t get to see my sister, because she was busy elsewhere helping one of her friends.

While we were out, Benita and I went to a Half-Price Books in Avon. We didn’t buy anything, because they were pretty sold down, but getting out and getting some “bookstore therapy” was exactly what our hearts needed. That’s a feeling that the internet can never replace.

Our air conditioner is out, probably low on freon, so we’ve lived the last three days without it. Luckily, the temperatures have been low, but it’s still humid. It’s strange, because it all reminds me of my youth on the farm. It makes me think of green grass, bumblebees, the musty smell of barns, and open fields that reach into the horizon. It also makes it hard to sleep, because we are use to keeping the house cool. Thank goodness for ceiling fans.

The weight loss journey took a few bumps, and I’m sad to say that for a little while Benita and I cheated on our diet. It was a weird combination of boredom, frustration with the world situation, and opportunity, I guess. I’m not making excuses, it just is what it is. My weight fluctuated up about five lbs, although since then we have reset our systems with an egg fast, and I’m now back to my lowest weight. I need to walk more, and I’ve still got 42 lbs to go to reach my goal weight. I’ve lost 48 lbs. in the last six months.

What else? Well, I’ve gotten a copy of the Deryni Role Playing Game, and the Codex Derynianus, both are amazing products, and they make me appreciate the amazing Deryni world of Katherine Kurtz more than ever.

I got a Peter Ginn book on Slow Tech, which is beautiful and full of amazing information. You may know Peter from War Time Farm, or Secrets of the Castle, or other BBC shows. He’s an archeologist and presenter, and I’ve valued his work for a long time now.

I finished reading the first book in the Song of Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin, and I was hugely entertained. It has really reinvigorated my desire to be world building and writing low fantasy historical-themed fiction. I’ve begun the second book in the series.

We’ve also watched a lot of Ghost Hunter type shows, because that’s a genre we love. And, we’ve watched quite a few Tony Robinson walk-with-history type of shows. Love that guy.