This is not America

Here's today's progress on my 19th century D.C. spy caper about a powerful Difference Engine that will end the Civil War - now with warhawk conspiracies, clockwork assassins, two presidents with more in common than they know, two spies with less in common than they think, a conflicted U.S. Marshal, and Bonus! not-at-all mad scientist who can save the world if someone will just give him a chance:
Project: Fiddlehead
Deadline: October 1, 2012
New words written: 3055 (respectable)
Present total word count: 53,147 words





Things accomplished in fiction: Fun cameo re: a character from the other books; adventures with the postal service and/or Western Union, because you can't just mail things to an enemy nation. Not easily, anyway.

Things accomplished in real life: Daily jogs with the dog before breakfast; tidied the garden and ran the sprinkler, as it's been a little warm and dry here; cleaned the kitchen; went to the mall briefly with husband in order to replace yesterday's ripped jeans for THEY WERE MY FAVORITES.

Cat and Dog Relations: Same as yesterday. They'll coexist peacefully for exactly as long as the dog will not attempt to snorgle the cat. His periods between snorgle attempts grow longer by the day. He'll wear her down eventually ... but I think she's actually wearing him down, first.

Other: Thanks so much to everyone who helped with yesterdays' OMG WHAT IS IT? from my backyard. I think I've now got a pretty good handle on most of it, and can at least begin hunting around in a somewhat more educated fashion re: the rest. You guys are awesome!