mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 17hToday's Good Things: Annual dermatologist checkup. All fine. I finished the first draft of the vampire story. I've been getting Lorelei's antibiotic liquid into her regularly. She resists surprisingly little. 110
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Today's Good Things: The sun returned. Above 70 degrees all afternoon. I started my November newsletter. Added a few lines to the vampire story. (Almost done with the first draft.) The checkbook statement balanced perfectly. The lawn guy mowed the grass. 000
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Today's Good Things: Service music by the handbell ringers. This being St. Francis's day, Reverend Patti preached about him and the importance of proper use of God's gifts. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 04/10/2026Today's Good Things: I printed out the C. S. Lewis notes for my talk at church tomorrow. I replaced the spring/summer door hanger with the fall one. Ordered a windshield squeegee for the new Honda. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 03/10/2026Today's Good Things: Another summer-like day. I picked up liquid antibiotic and NSAID for Lorelei, managed to get one dose of each into her. Registered for the International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts in March. Pretty easy, with all my basic information pre-filled on the site. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Today's Good Things: Warm and sunny again. Almost like summer! The vet called about Lorelei's urine lab test. A little better, but the vet still prescribes another round of medications. The Value-Dry annual checkup of basement waterproofing, all fine. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Today's Good Things: Sunny and in the 70s. It's nice to be able to open windows. Lorelei was taken to the vet to have urine drawn for lab tests. We got her into the carrier without extreme trouble. No results yet, of course. 101
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 30/09/2026Today's Good Things: Temperature above 70, as it should be. We traded in our Honda Accord for a new one. The old one lasted ten years, as per our usual habit. The essential controls aren't too different. Lots of exotic new features, though, many of which I'll probably never use. Happy anyway. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Today's Good Things: No rain. Rearranging the scattered C. S. Lewis notes into something closer to a logical order. Adding 400 words to the vampire story. Setting up the draft of this week's blog post. 000
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Today's Good Things: Service music by Wellspring (the folkish band), including one of my favorites, "We Are One in the Spirit" ("They'll know we are Christians by our love"). Father Peter preached on a verse from Exodus, "Is the Lord among us or not?" 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Today's Good Things: The file of a guest blog post for the second Thursday in October arrived from the author (yesterday). I finished one book review in the October newsletter and started the last of the three. Worked on the C. S. Lewis talk notes, made some actual progress. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 26/09/2026We spent less on electricity in the past week than in the previous one. Today's Good Things: The sun returned all day. Temperature rose above 70, as it should be. A lower than usual Giant grocery total. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Today's Good Things: The sun returned intermittently. With the temperature up to mid-60s for a while, I opened a few windows. Still working on the C. S. Lewis notes. Adding a couple of sentences to the October newsletter. Mailing a paper thank-you note. Mainly routine cleaning. 000
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Today's Good Things: Rain from yesterday and last night ended before noon. Brief appearance of sun in late afternoon. Turned on the heat last night. Don't like doing that so soon, but at least it's good that we HAVE heat.writers-exchange.comMargaret L. Carter, Author at Writers Exchange E-PublishingMarked for life by reading Dracula at the age of twelve, Margaret L. Carter specializes in the literature of fantasy and the supernatural, particularly vampires. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Today's Good Things: Lorelei was scheduled to have her urine tested at the vet. Les and I crammed her into the carrier with some difficulty. But they couldn't do it because the needed piece of equipment was broken. Only good part is that the vet is less than five minutes from here. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Today's Good Things: Anniversary of the original publication of THE HOBBIT. Stephen King's birthday. He's only about 7 months older than I am. Drafting this week's blog post. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Today's Good Things: Unexpected rain in the morning, but it was succeeded by a bit of sun later and none of the predicted thunderstorms. Reverend Patti preached on the difficult gospel story of the laborers in the vineyard (everybody gets paid the same) and the concept of "fairness." 111
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Good Things yesterday and today: For the weekend of our 60th anniversary, overnight yesterday at the Williamsburg Winery. The cats and house survived. Tasting flight at the winery. We bought a case of wine, as usual, and ALSO signed up for their wine club. We're such pushovers. :) 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Today's Good Things: A turtle on the driveway. I moved it to the grass. Les topped off the salt in the water softener bin. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Today's Good Things: Sort-of cleaning, early, because tomorrow groceries must be shopped for. The heat pump technician did the annual check of the HVAC system. Everything fine. Still working on C. S. Lewis notes. Reading fanfic by my Toronto pen pal, including a new FOREVER KNIGHT story. 000
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Today's Good Things: News clippings from my Toronto pen pal (arrived yesterday). A large crow perched on the birdbath for a long while. Dark chocolate espresso beans from Amazon, a brand that's new to me. Noticeably better than the package I just finished. 110
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Today's Good Things: Nice weather continues, windows open all day. I succeeded in making an appointment for the annual heat/AC system checkup. Day after tomorrow, wow! Drafted this week's blog post, mostly. Still working on the C. S. Lewis notes. Daffodil bulbs arrived from Amazon. 000
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Today's Good Things: Rain clouds vanished by noon; sun returned in the afternoon. Music by the handbell ensemble. Father Peter preached on forgiveness, forgiving others and needing to be forgiven. Baptism of a baby girl. She was amazingly quiet and content the whole time. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 13/09/2026Today's Good Things: Maryland Renaissance Festival. Good weather for it, no rain, but overcast (no glare from sun), mild, and breezy. We saw three pretty good shows and a few others kind of so-so. Chocolate-covered cheesecake on a stick; soup in bread bowl for lunch. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Today's Good Things: Glimpses of sun in the afternoon. Giant had the cough medicine in stock that they didn't have last week. Also, I forgot to mention they've restocked wheat germ, which was alleged to be gone forever. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Today's Good Things: A neighbor came over in a panic to borrow the phone because she was locked out of her house with a small child locked in. When she had trouble communicating with the 911 operator, I talked instead, and we got the situation sorted out. Fire truck came to the rescue. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Today's Good Things: Appointment with the dermatologist. The rash is actinic dermatitis, sort of a delayed reaction to a lifetime of sun exposure. Probably triggered by hot weather. They prescribed a steroid cream, which I got at the pharmacy in the same building. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 09/09/2026Today's Good Things: The launch of STAR TREK 60 years ago today. I managed to make an appointment for tomorrow with the dermatologist to get a mysterious rash checked and another -- FINALLY -- for our water softener annual routine check. Uploaded this week's blog post. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Today's Good Things: Buy a Book Day. For me, that day comes along roughly once a week. :) Sunny and almost cool weather again. I drafted this week's blog post. Added about 220 words to the vampire story. Started making notes for the talk on C. S. Lewis I'll be giving in early October. 000
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Today's Good Things: Mild enough to have windows open all day. Father Peter preached on listening for God's call, with emphasis on trust in a "strange God." I like that phrase! Recessional hymn was "Ode to Joy," which I like very much though I don't find it totally easy to sing. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Today's Good Things: The yard guy mowed the lawn. So nice to have one who's reliable! I filled out the web page finalizing my claim in the Anthropic settlement. Easier than I expected. Two books, so I could get a nice little windfall. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Today's Good Things: Giving Lorelei the second dose of anti-inflammatory for her bladder. She reacted more than yesterday, but it still wasn't too hard. Adding a few sentences (almost 200 words) to the vampire story. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 04/09/2026Today's Good Things: For the past two days, my home blood pressure score has been lower than usual. Maybe the double dose is finally working. I picked up Lorelei's liquid medication for the probable bladder cystitis. Giving her the first dose was surprisingly easy. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Today's Good Things: I called USAA to clear up something I didn't understand about a life insurance policy update statement. Pretty short wait and a fast, definite answer. I uploaded this week's blog post. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Today's Good Things: Lorelei's vet checkup and rabies shot. She hasn't lost any more weight since last year. In good shape. I distributed and uploaded my September newsletter. Also set up the draft of this week's blog post. Added up the August grocery bills, lower total than I expected. 000
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Today's Good Things: The checkbook statement balanced easily. The new watch I ordered from Amazon arrived, identical to the old one whose battery started misbehaving. I sent interview questions to the author scheduled for my October newsletter. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 31/08/2026Today's Good Things: In today's service, the prelude and postlude consisted of cello music by two teenage musicians. Wow! I finished the draft of the September newsletter. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 30/08/2026Today's Good Things: Sunny, cool morning. Working on the September newsletter. Watching the extended version of the Extra History series on Jewish pirates in the 16th century (yes, really a thing -- after being expelled from Spain). 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 29/08/2026Today's Good Things: The crow returned to the bird feeder. Of course, crows may have visited frequently when I wasn't watching. After Giant shopping, I detoured to the Sweet Patisserie on Forest Drive to buy chocolate petit-fours praised in a review. Still got home earlier than usual. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 27/08/2026Today's Good Things: We used less electricity this week than last. I had trouble with the hose attachment on our shower, couldn't get the water flow switched from shower head mode. With help from Les, I got it to change; I think I'll just leave it in hose mode most of the time. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Today's Good Things: The scale shows my weight trending down for the second week in a row. However, last week it showed a drop of five pounds from the previous week, a physiological impossibility. I cleaned the outsides of the front porch windows, also the front door. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Yesterday two crows visited the bird feeders. They were almost too big to fit. Today's Good Things: I cleaned the insides of the living-room windows. New fantasy novel by T. Kingfisher arrived! DAGGERBOUND, sequel to SWORDHEART. 200
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Today's Good Things: Another mostly coolish day. I uploaded this week's blog post. Added about 440 words to the vampire story. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Today's Good Things: Father Peter's sermon included a mention of the "trilemma" (lunatic, liar, or lord), which C. S. Lewis uses in MERE CHRISTIANITY. After the service, end-of-summer "bash" in the parking lot, with the Kona Ice truck. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 22/08/2026Today's Good Things: The yard guy mowed the lawn. An outstanding check payment I've been fretting about finally got cashed. After brief noon rain, the sun returned. Coolish all day. About 270 words added to the vampire story. Boeuf Bourgignon for dinner. 000
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 22/08/2026Today's Good Things: Cool night and morning, sunny day. Less than usual spent on the Giant grocery bill. Squeegee-ing insides of the windows in the basement bike / cat / book room. First episode of a new Extra History series, on the 1970 Kent State shooting. Dinner at Grapes Wine Bar. 010
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Today's Good Things: Cleaning the insides of another pair of windows. According to BGE, we spent a little less on electricity this week. I remembered to take my blood pressure for the first time in over a month. Not great but okay. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Today's Good Things: Cool enough for open windows most of the morning. A black squirrel in the back yard. Second time I've seen one in a few days -- maybe the same squirrel? A bird eating in the feeder and drinking from the birdbath. I'd wondered whether the squirrels had taken it over. 100
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Today's Good Things: Wine club box arrived from Pearmund. Some work on the September newsletter. I uploaded this week's blog post. Started expanding the summary/outline of the vampire piece into an actual story. 000
mlcvamp.bsky.social @mlcvamp.bsky.social · 18/08/2026(Oops, we didn't light the firepit last night after all.) Today's Good Things: A few minutes of work on the September newsletter. I drafted this week's blog post. 100
