As I type this, the runners are off for this year’s Boston marathon. The weather is lousy. Chilly, windy, rainy. I’ve never run a marathon and don’t intend to, but last September I ran the Dingle half-marathon in wild conditions on the southwest Irish coast. It wasn’t cold, though. The Boston marathoners are much more experienced, no doubt, dealing with all sorts of conditions. Wish them well!

Everyone I know up here is beyond ready for a good stretch of warm days. The magnolias in Boston’s Back Bay are ready to burst into bloom, one of my favorite harbingers of warm weather.

I’m in clearing-the-decks and gearing-up mode with writing. This means brainstorming, outlining (as much as I outline), updating my website, thinking about social media, connecting with my agent and editor and cleaning the fridge. Whoops. Did I say that about the fridge? I did. Such a glamours life, but ever since I was a young writer, I’ve cleaned the refrigerator when I’m in this mode. Finish a book, clean the fridge. We do clean the fridge other times (it would be very ugly if we didn’t), but there ya go. Top to bottom, I end up with one sparkling fridge. It’s a good excuse to throw out any deadline food…ahem.

Back to clearing the decks and checking in on the marathon!