Remote

Joyce Lionarons

@joyce@hcommons.social

hometown 4.5.18+hometown-1.2.1

Retired professor of Medieval Literature; author of The Homiletic Writings of Archbishop Wulfstan (Boydell & Brewer), The Medieval Dragon (Hisarlik), editor of Old English Literature in its Manuscript Context (U of West Virginia P), author of the Matthew Cordwainer and Gavin Rownt medieval mysteries.

Avatar is a photo of a woman (me) in her 70s. Deep pouches under her eyes and short hair that miraculously never turned gray. Header is a photo of a manuscript of Wulfstan's Sermo Lupi ad Anglos.

1538 Followers

562 Following

50 Posts

Joined November 11, 2022

Pronouns:

She/her

Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 6d ago

I was just tagged in a post from something calling itself MSTDNSecure, saying there has been "irregular activity" on my account and with a link to fix it. I'm assuming this is some sort of new scam and will block and report. Am I right to do so? #Scam #MSTDNSecure #Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2w ago

Boosted by @trending@homestead.social

Good morning! Definitely a jacket day for my early-morning walk at 48F (9C). I saw deer this morning everywhere I turned for the first time in a number of days. There was a thoroughly magnificent stag, the largest deer I've ever seen in this area, with antlers rising at least a foot over his head. I got a bad photo of him and a better one of two the younger deer. #Today I'm staying home to write. I really want to get this second draft of The Informant done and sent off to my beta reader sometime soon. Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 1w ago

Being an American during Trump's first term was butt-squirmingly embarrassing. Being an American during Trump's second term is humiliating, terrifying, and a constant struggle against despair. If the Dems don't win the midterms, it's going to be worse. If you're a US citizen, VOTE. And protest. And be loud about it. Please.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

Boosted by @trending@homestead.social

Since it's Father's Day, I've been remembering my father. He died 25 years ago at the age of 89. I'll pass on to you the most important advice he ever gave me. I was in high school at the time. He told me that if a man -- boyfriend or husband -- ever hit me, I was to walk out the door and never go back. It didn't matter if I had done something to provoke the violence, I was to leave immediately. No second chances. Men, girls need to hear these things from their fathers even more than they need to hear it from their mothers. Tell them. #FathersDay

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 1w ago

USA friends over 65: I just got a letter saying that my Medicare Part D prescription plan is being discontinued at the end of the year, and I will need to enroll in a different one. I'm looking for recommendations for what I might switch to. #Medicare #PrescriptionInsurancePlans

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Today I read an email from the publisher of one of my academic books asking if I wanted to opt IN to having my work used to train AI. If I did nothing, my work would automatically be kept out of the AI training. I had to respond in the affirmative to have it used. All I could think was that if anything at all was to be used to train AI, this is how it should be handled. An automatic "no" unless the author deliberately decides to agree. Considering that I rarely even look at the email going to that address, I could easily have overlooked the message. Thank you, Boydell & Brewer, for doing it this way.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 1mo ago

Well, #today was a pretty good day. I weeded the flowerbeds and deadheaded the plants that needed it. And then I got started on editing/revising my Gavin Rownt novel, spending several hours on it. Now I'm just going to relax and read until bedtime.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Good morning! Only 57F (14C) for my early-morning walk today. Tomorrow is supposed to be much warmer, but I've really been enjoying the cooler temperatures. Today is another day of Mythcon. I heard some very good presentations on Tolkien yesterday, and I hope today's are just as good, although some of these won't be focusing so much on J.R.R. The whole thing is a nice break from writing every day. Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on. #Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 1mo ago

#WordWeavers 31 Aug: What's one thing you hope readers remember long after they finish your story? The characters. That's what will bring them back looking for another story, another mystery for Cordwainer or Rownt to investigate.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Good morning! We had another thunderstorm overnight, and this morning when I got up our AQI was way down in the Green-for-Good category at 25. I opened all my windows and put the ceiling fans on, then went out for my early-morning walk. Today I'll do all the errands I put off because of the smoke, then home again to write. Maybe I'll even pull some weeds from the flowerbeds if it's not too hot. Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on. #Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Good morning! Decent air quality in the moderate range but much too much humidity for my early-morning walk today. It felt like a sauna. We're supposed to get major thunderstorms with very high winds this afternoon. I hope that will clear out the humidity while leaving my power alone. Today I hope to spend at least several hours writing and to make some good progress on the new Gavin Rownt book. My giant hydrangea (the bush is about seven feet tall right now and will get taller as summer continues) has begun to bloom. The blossoms are still green right now, but they will grow larger and turn white in the coming weeks. Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on. #Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

Good morning!

Very bad aches and pains this morning. I went out and walked anyway, although that may have been a mistake. Cool, cloudy, humid, misty morning, puddles and dripping trees. I'll post some photos from a brighter day.

Today I need to hobble around the grocery store, then settle in to write. I'm making tiny bits of progress every day.

Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on.
#Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Good morning! Cool, clear but very humid morning for my walk. I went out and trudged along the paths despite the 96% humidity. The full moon was visible in the morning sky and I actually managed a photo of it with my phone camera, which was nice. Everything aches today, partly from the humidity but mostly from my overdoing it yesterday as I moved furniture and got down on hands and knees and up again, again and again, trying to get this house cleaner than it was. I'm glad I did it, but oh my, I do hurt! I also managed to write a decent amount, and I'm going to try to do that again today, without all the extra exercise. Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on. #Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

If you love the Middle Ages and read mysteries, check out my two medieval mystery series, the Matthew Cordwainer series and the Gavin Rownt series. Available as ebooks on Amazon. #medieval #mysteries #books https://www.amazon.com/s?k=joyce+lionarons&crid=10D46F9EBUCDH&qid=1785446926&sprefix=joyce+lio%2Caps%2C133&xpid=FmwbDd1FnXApX&ref=sr_pg_1

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

This morning I decided I need to exercise my brain a little more than I've been doing. I haven't wanted to go to academic conferences since COVID although I used to go to (and generally present at) two or three every year. So I signed up to attend two conferences virtually via zoom: Mythcon is next weekend, and VICFA (Virtual International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts) is in September. I need to look into which medieval conferences have virtual offerings. I'd like to move my brain back into a more scholarly place than it's been in since my retirement.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

#ScribesAndMakers 7. What do you find compelling in a podcast? If you don't like podcasts, is there anything that could make you interested?

I don't listen to podcasts. I would much rather read what a person has to say rather than listen.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

Good morning! It wasn't quite as warm for my early-morning walk this morning, and that made it very pleasant. Today will be hot, but we should stay under 100F, if only by a degree or two. Tonight they're saying we'll have severe thunderstorms (probably wrecking the 4th of July fireworks), and then we'll go back to normal hot weather instead of the extreme we've had. I don't plan to do anything to celebrate today's holiday in the US. I don't see much to celebrate about this country these days. Instead, I will stay home, keep cool, and write. Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on. #Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2w ago

Replying to

@grahamefleming@c.im What's "Save the Cat"? I've never heard of it.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

Good morning! Blue sky peeking out for my early-morning walk. By the time I got home, most of the clouds were gone. Pain today is still bad, but a bit more manageable than yesterday. Maybe soon it will get back to normal, always-there-but-ignorable-in-the-mornings levels. Fingers crossed. Today I'll be waiting for news from my sister or my niece. My sister is having knee replacement surgery, something that's pretty routine these days. The complication is that she has almost no blood platelets (a genetic condition that I, thankfully, was spared), and so bleeding is always a problem. They will keep her overnight in the hospital as a precaution because of it. I expect all to go well, but I'll be happy to get the news that it has. Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on. #Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

Well, Fedifriends, thank you for all your kind wishes today. I think I'm going to try to sleep now and hope to have less pain tomorrow. Good night, all.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@overholt@glammr.us Philistines. Uneducated, unfeeling, idiots.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

For those of you in the smoky areas of the US and Canada: I just learned from another post that you should check your AC if you have a window air conditioner. It should be on "recirculate" mode, so that it is recirculating air already within your house instead of pulling air from outside. If it doesn't have a recirculate mode and it's pulling air in from outside, turn it off to keep the smoke out. Central air conditioning systems always recirculate, so if you have that, you don't need to worry about it. #WildfireSmoke #AirConditioning

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

#WritersCoffeeClub 7th Jul
How actively do you seek out criticism or critique for a WIP or a finished work?

I send my "finished" novels to my reader(s) when I've made them as good as I can by myself. Then, after reading my reader's comments, I revise again. It's not truly finished until I've had others read it and critique.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

I'm not getting much done today, although I did get out and buy groceries. Too much joint and muscle pain, no comfortable position to sit in. I feel like I'm taking too many painkillers, so I'm trying to get along on a couple of Tylenol, which never do much for me.

Maybe I'll be able to write tomorrow.
#Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@NorcalGma2@sfba.social It's wonderful that the Stanford doctor has figured out how to fix things! I hope the repair can happen quickly and that Summer and her pal can be reunited very, very soon.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

#WordWeavers 7/7 What writing or publishing resource do you think everyone should know about?

Gee, I dunno. I just write in Word.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

Good morning! Another early-morning walk in cool temperatures, another day that promises to become much too hot. They're saying that we will finally have the thunderstorms that will cool things down for the week. Fingers crossed the storms happen but don't cause damage. This morning I have an errand to run, then back home for writing, reading, the usual chores. Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on. #Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

Do scammers deliberately put typos in their emails just to mock the people who fall for the scams, or are they too stupid to notice the typos are there? I just got another one saying my (nonexistent) iCloud account would be susspended if I didn't pay up. Really?

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

#ScribesAndMakers Aug 6 - Tell us about a drummer whose work you appreciate. When I was young a very long time ago, I would have said Ginger Baker. Then I started listening more to folk and folk-rock, and my favorite drummer was Dave Mattacks. Nowadays? Probably Michael Jerome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jerome

en.wikipedia.org

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@Sharonbw@mastodon.online @kateiacy@universeodon.com @jadevol@mastodon.world I've never seen a groundhog here, which is odd because when I lived only 14 miles away from where I am now I saw them all the time. The same is true of skunks -- lots of them there, none here. I see snakes sometimes, but only small ones. I had one get in my house a couple of years ago, which was exciting. I had to screw up my courage and grab it and take it outdoors. I was proud of myself for doing it!

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@NorcalGma2@sfba.social Best wishes and prayers for your husband and for you.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Good morning! A cool but still very humid early-morning walk. I stopped and chatted for a while with a neighbor who was walking her dog, then home to coffee and breakfast. Today will be another day of writing and chores, the oh-so-exciting life of a retired person who makes up stories to supplement her Social Security. I took photos of a couple of flowers from my garden rather than just ones I saw on my walk today. Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on. #Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Good morning! At least I hope it's a good morning for you. Mine hasn't been the best. I woke up to find Theo walking around the house vomiting -- five times. Once I had it all cleaned up, he was on my desk, happily destroying anything he could find, ripping up papers and knocking small items onto the floor. Then he went into the kitchen and ate all of his breakfast. Fingers crossed it stays down. Bad, bad back and hip pain, but I went out walking anyway. And in a couple of hours I have a dental appointment. Despite the pain, my walk cheered me up as it usually does. I watched a couple of hawks for a while. I tried for a photo of one of them, but my little phone camera couldn't do it justice. Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on. #Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

Well, I managed to write several hundred words #today, but the more I think about what I wrote, the more I realize I want to change it. It has been a difficult day, uncomfortably humid & muggy, bad arthritis pain, bad chronic abdominal pain, all of it putting me into a cranky, irritable and no doubt irritating mood. Bah, humbug. Get off my lawn. I'll feel better tomorrow.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

Good morning! 80F (26C) for my early-morning walk, with temperatures possibly hitting 104F (40C) this afternoon. My walk was pleasant enough, but this afternoon will be brutal. Luckily, I don't need to go anywhere today. Today will be a day of writing in the morning and reading in the afternoon. My house has been staying cool even without the AC for the past few days, but I expect it will come on today! Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on. If you're in this heat wave, stay cool! #Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Well, poo. Earlier I posted that our air quality was supposed to go back to "moderate" from "unhealthy" tomorrow, but now they've changed the forecast. Tomorrow we move up to the "very unhealthy" category, or Code Purple. This is still far better than what people farther north and west of us are suffering through -- people in the "hazardous" category and beyond -- but I'm not happy about it. I'll be fine. I can stay indoors and keep the air purifier running. I can postpone my errands without a problem. If you are in one of the really bad areas, please stay safe as best you can. I'll be thinking of you. #Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to on universeodon.com

@Uncleharvey@universeodon.com Hurrah for sunshine and a low dew point! I hope the muggy-stickies go away and you can enjoy the rest of the summer. Yeah, I know, not very likely. But we can hope. Have a good TGIF!

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@moelassus@mastodon.social Stay cool however you can! That's just too hot.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@AncTreat5358@lgbtqia.space They're not a better neighbor now. Since I grew up in Colorado, would you be willing to say what towns you're talking about?

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@AncTreat5358@lgbtqia.space That's such a shame. Walmart, IMHO, is worse than Amazon.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Why can't I buy good coffee in a can any longer? To get coffee worth drinking I need to buy it in a packet. Where are you supposed to put used grease or cooking oil if not in a coffee can for disposal? Once upon a time I could get good dark roast coffee from Trader Joe's in cans. Now if I want a coffee can I need to buy coffee I don't want to drink, like Folgers or Maxwell House. Is there any good coffee that comes in a can? #Coffee

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

@AncTreat5358@lgbtqia.space I'm glad you got home okay!

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

Replying to

@tiggy@mastodonapp.uk I'm so sorry this is happening to you. Rest and take care of yourself, okay?

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

#ScribesAndMakers 3 Jul: We have some new people in the community. Re/Introduce yourself and tell us about your creative work. I'm a retired professor of #medieval #literature. In retirement, I've been writing medieval mystery ebooks: the Matthew Cordwainer series and the Gavin Rownt series, available on Amazon.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

Good morning! Drizzly humid day for my early-morning walk. It seems like most of my neighbors have colorful hydrangeas blooming right now. My giant hydrangea never blooms before August and has white flowers. The small one I planted a year ago is healthy and growing, but hasn't bloomed. Maybe next year. My next door neighbor texted me at 6:30 a.m. to tell me there was a man just sitting in a car next to mine in the parking lot. I replied that I wasn't going to worry about it. A half hour later she texted that she'd had gone out to see what he was doing and he was a homeless man living in his car and trying to sleep. She told him he couldn't stay there and made him leave. I would have let him sleep. He wasn't hurting anyone. But I wasn't going to argue with her about it. #Today will be writing and maybe laundry. Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 1d ago

I'm cold and unhappy, so I need to think about #3GoodThings

I did a lot of work on my WIP today, and I believe I made it much better.
I don't need to go anywhere tomorrow, so I can be here when the heating person comes to fix the furnace, and I can work on my WIP while I wait.
Trump's $90 bribe appeared in my bank account today and I donated it to the Democrats.

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 3mo ago

Good morning! Humid, muggy, sticky early-morning walk at 97% humidity. When I passed another walker, he made swimming motions with his hands, and yes, that's exactly what it felt like. A few years ago, the NYT had an interactive article where you could put in your zip code and it would tell you what the climate in your area would be like in 20 years because of climate change. It told me that my area (Philly burbs) would be like New Orleans is now. I think we're getting there faster than 20 years. If only we could have the music and food as well as the climate.... Have a good one, my friends, and keep on keeping on. #Today

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

Replying to

Here's a link to the article I read about Emily Wilson and her translation of the Odyssey. https://www.inquirer.com/entertainment/movies/emily-wilson-upenn-odyssey-christopher-nolan-20260725.html

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Joyce Lionarons @joyce@hcommons.social

· 2mo ago

I made progress on my WIP.
Walking and doing my PT exercises helped my back & hip pain.
Theo and I got along well -- no scratches or bites today.

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