Dateline: Thursday, 28 September 2023, 2:20 p.m.

This will be somewhat of a short post. Lynda and I are currently on grandparent duty while our daughter and son-in-law are away at their annual ministers and spouses retreat. Four children, three cats, one dog, one bearded dragon, and five foster cats that will soon be going to the shelter (I hope I hope). Just for two days and two nights.

The last two days I went with my daughter on the school drop-off and pick-up run so that I could get a feel for routes and timing. Yesterday morning, I was quite stressed out about it, but after that, with some study of the map and two more times to run the route, I think I’ll be okay.

As I’m between writing projects, my free time is taken up with reading. I’m close to completing Darwin’s Century, having only 30 pages to go. I should finish it Sunday or Monday. I’m also reading a collection of C.S. Lewis’s essays on literature. These are not his real scholarly essays on medieval or renaissance literature, but rather shorter things he wrote for magazines: book reviews; criticism; stories on genres of literature; etc. They have been good, if not terribly inspiring. I imagine I’ll be another two weeks in that. I’m also going back and re-reading a book on “The Inklings,” Lewis’s and Tolkien’s literary group.

Last evening, grandson Ezra and I managed to read four chapters in Proverbs together as Ezra continues on his quest of reading the Bible through cover to cover. The previous two trips, we didn’t get in any reading time. But, then, he was gone parts of those trips and we only overlapped a day or two each time. I was also able to read with grandson Elijah in a Bible stories for children book. That was the one he picked out last evening. I’m hoping to read with granddaughter Elise a little. Yesterday, in their grandfather-imposed 30 minutes of reading time, she said she was reading in The Key To Time Travel. I didn’t see it so I’m taking her at her word. Maybe today I’ll get to observe her reading.

Possibly tomorrow I will begin putting a few words together on my next writing project. I’ve already created the file and the diary. That will be beating my goal by a couple of days. I don’t think that’s ever a bad thing. Meanwhile, episodes of Documenting America: Run-Up To Revolution continue to post to Kindle Vella on schedule. Episodes 1-6 are live and available for reading. Episodes 7-11 are scheduled for publication. Episodes 12-18 are edited and waiting to be scheduled. And Episodes 19-32 are written and waiting to be edited. It’s not selling either, but that’s somewhat true for everything I write.

Discoverablility is everything, and so far I ain’t got it.