Has Autumn arrived in Huntsville? - 2006-09-20 11:07:49 We woke this morning to a chill in the air. Has Autumn arrived? Perhaps, although the leaves on the trees are still lush and green. The koi and goldfish in our pond are also eating lustily, so they aren't ready to go into their usual cold weather near-hibernation. Maxx, our stub-tail cat, went outside and right back in. She's a warm weather girl! I believe she's curled up in her spot in our closet right now. China, Flopsy, and Batman are all snoozing, too. The vet comes to see Batman today and check on his sugar level. Hope the old boy gives up the right numbers. Diabetes can be tough.
I'm still healing from my foot surgery. I went to the gym with Linda yesterday and did some upper body exercise. Linda used to be a personal trainer so she can advise me, although I'm a bit stubborn about my approach to exercise. Mark Twain said that every so often, he'd get the urge to exercise but would lie down until the feeling passed. Me? I love to run, hike, climb mountains, swim, snorkel, and dive, all exercise on the move. Lifting weights is to me, well, b-o-o-o-oring! But that's all my foot will allow me to do right now, so be it.
Linda went to her book club meeting last night. They picked a novel named Beloved. I heard the word "boring" mentioned often while she read it. Also obscure. She should suggest her club pick one of my books, which are never boring, and scarcely a bit obscure. Back to the Moon is Linda's favorite of all my books, mainly because I dedicated it to her (I think). Or maybe it's all the sex in it (that's my clever way to make you guys go read it).
I'm making good progress on The Red Helmet for WestBow/Thos. Nelson. Erin, my editor at Saint Martin's, also checked in yesterday, said she loved the revisions for The Far Reaches. That's what we like to hear!
Word is Anousheh Ansari is aboard the Space Station. That's a good thing.
Jack Horner also checked in. He is going to secure a helicopter and go out to our dino-hunting grounds to look over the T.Rex I found, and see about stabilizing it for a dig next summer. Soon, all that area will be covered with snow, effectively ending dino season.
I have a number of trips coming up. I'll be at the October Sky Festival in Coalwood on Oct. 7. Then, Delaware, Ohio (near Columbus) for a Rocket Boys community read speech on Oct. 17. On Oct 29, I'll attend a special party for all alumni of the Neutral Buoyancy Simulator on Marshall Space Flight Center, here in Huntsville. The NBS was a big water tank where I often worked while at NASA. I was a safety and utility diver and sometimes donned a space suit in order to develop the procedures for the Hubble Space Telescope repair, among other missions. It'll be good to see all the old divers of the NBS!
I'll be in Martinsburg, West Virginia on Nov. 4. This is another town which has picked Rocket Boys as their community read. It is a great honor but I crave the day when a town picks one of my other books!
I will be in Charlotte on Nov. 5 to speak before a gathering of teachers of gifted children, then will stick around to give a talk for the Schiele Museum on the evening of the 5th and the morning of the 6th.
Then, we're off to our home, Skyridge, in the U.S. Virgin Islands for Thanksgiving. Can't wait for that one!
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