light a candle on the altar of good sense

I have stacks of lovely books out from the library on food and gardening and food gardening and prehistoric animals and speculative evolution (ie, paleoartists playing with possible futures.) And a few good/promising fiction things, too, tho I took most of those back last week in hopes that someone else would find them who might actually get around to reading them. Instead, I've read Swordheart (the new T Kingfisher novel) three times (unless it was four) and gone back and pulled Clockwork Boys off the shelf again. Given that I spent over an hour yesterday shivering with post-weekend reaction, I am trying not to feel self-indulgent.

I love the characters of Swordheart only slightly less than Slate & Caliban, and they come with the decided advantage of not traveling with a friend that nobody actually likes. Reading Ursula Vernon's romances, and Tamora Pierce's Trickster books, which I went back to before Swordheart came out, is making me miss some of my own characters. I want there to be more Mara & Dzo, and to know what happens with Theo and Magdelena, and perhaps Jennet, all of whom are buried at least hip deep in unfinished manuscripts.

Yesterday I made candles, which I've been meaning to do for far too long, and I am working on fabric bags for holiday presents for the Megatherium's class. I have somehow managed to agree to go in and help her classmates learn reading for an hour on Tuesday mornings beginning in January, so we'll see how that goes. Also in January we're all back on the same insurance again, & I am marching grauwulf in to see our doctor if he doesn't immediately schedule something on his own. But we still have to get through winter break. Here's hoping a dozen tall candles, zoo & science center memberships, and an embroidery machine will help.