Sunshine, Cold Snaps, and Small Victories

Friday, February 6, 2026 — Orlando, Florida

Hello there!

We’ve made it to the end of another week here in beautiful Central Florida — a place where even the “cold snaps” feel like gentle reminders rather than punishments. As I write this, the sun is shining on a cool 49˚F (10˚C) morning. MSN Weather insists we’re warming up after yesterday’s chill, and today’s high should reach a pleasant 61˚F (17˚C). Not exactly beach weather, but compared to the 16˚F (-9˚C) and gray skies I would have awakened to in New Hampshire had I not had to move, Florida is definitely winning today’s contest.

Now, I’m keeping one eye on the clock and the other on my email notifications. My replacement power supply for the Lenovo IdeaCentre is officially out for delivery. Amazon and the third‑party seller both agree on that point, which is reassuring after the Postal Service briefly threatened to push the delivery to tomorrow. For now, hope springs eternal.

Relief doesn’t even begin to cover it. If this new power brick is the right match, I’ll be back on my main computer later today — no expensive replacement needed. The IdeaCentre is still under four years old, and when it failed earlier this week, it didn’t go out in a blaze of error messages or dramatic warnings. It simply refused to start after a perfectly ordinary evening. Technology has a flair for mystery when it wants to.

In the meantime, this trusty backup laptop has been doing heavy lifting. It’s not my ideal setup, and because Kindle Create doesn’t store projects in the cloud, I can’t continue working on The Jim Garraty Chronicles from here. Rebuilding the omnibus from three separate manuscripts — and re‑fixing all those quirky subheadings — is a task I’d rather not repeat unless necessary. That’s why I opted for the power‑supply gamble instead of rushing into a new PC purchase. With any luck, today’s delivery solves the problem without straining the budget.

Before I wrap up, a quick reminder: the Kindle edition of Reunion: Coda is still on sale for $1.99 through Sunday — a full 67% off the regular price and cheaper than a Starbucks cappuccino. One reader has already taken advantage of the deal, and I hope a few more of you will join them. If you haven’t yet met Jim Garraty, Mark Prieto, or Martina Elizabeth (Marty) Reynaud, this is a great moment to dive in.