I went for a walk at the Lime Kiln & Quarry in Bolton last Sunday. The trees are almost all bare now, and the paths are covered in a thick layer of leaves, which made the going difficult. Must remember next year to go before the leaves fall. I almost turned my ankle several times stepping on rocks hidden by them.

I did see a family of deer way out in the woods; a doe, yearling, and buck ran by, doubtless startled by me crunching across the crispy carpet of oak and maple.



When I got back to the car, I discovered that my only car key had gotten bent somehow. Just a little, but enough to make it difficult to get it into and out of the door and ignition. I left it unlocked until I could get a replacement. I had a key made at Lowe's, but it didn't work. Fortunately, there's a Hyundai dealership across the street from my office. They put my VIN into the computer and made a brand-new key. Cost me 37 bucks, but it's a whole lot better than the key I had, which wasn't the original.

The problem with the MacBook turned out to be the hard drive. I had to have it replaced. Which meant I lost everything. Fortunately, all my photos are backed up on Flickr; that loss would have been devastating. But my iTunes (a lot of which was borrowed from friends or the library), various apps, and random stuff is all gone. Starting from scratch. Again. That's becoming a recurring theme in my life, and I don't especially like it.

I've been trying to keep up with NaNoWriMo, but most days I've only been able to pound out a few hundred words. Still, I'm writing almost every day, even if it's not a whole lot. I hosted write-ins at the library on Monday night and this morning, and people actually showed up. Today I got in 1,660 words, and a whole new scene.

I'd planned to write last night, but then I heard about Paris, and I just couldn't. I was heartbroken and horrified. Paris is number one on my bucket list. I've wanted to go there since I knew what Paris was. I'm pretty sure I lived there in a previous life, the draw is so strong. Someday, I will. My heart aches for her people today. I cannot comprehend such hatred and disregard for human life.

It makes my problems seem pretty small indeed.