Winter is Nigh!

Back home in Woodstock - had a great 12 days in LA. Secret City was slammin', spent some time with the folks up in Lancaster, taught a really powerful workshop of WRITING LIFE ( thanks, marvelous students!) did a lot of prep for a SC board meeting, hung with lots of great pals, spent a few hours at the Brite Spot, and adopted a DOG! Sally is our new family member - my pal Jessica Hughes was fostering her and I saw her pretty face on FB a few days before I flew out there. Our beloved family dog, Ruby, died in August and we've been grieving her deeply...and, we've also missed having a dog around the house. So, we've been talking about it, Bobby Lucy and I, and we started looking around. So, when I saw Sally's sweet face, I thought she might be a great new friend. I met her on a Monday and she would barely come near me - she seems to have been abandoned and maybe abused - not sure - she's very skittish and cowers when she's approached. She let me pet her a few times that first day and I told Jessica I'd come back to meet her later in the week. Wednesday, I wrote Jessica to say I thought I should just come get her, spend some time together. So, that's what we did. Sally spent a few days with me and she took to me a bit and Bobby and I decided I should bring her home with me. So, Monday, Sally and I flew back to New York - she was pretty freaked out but also did really great on the plane. I held her on my lap a LOT of the time and Bobby drove to Newark to pick us up. We got home late Monday night and Sally's been settling into her new home ever since. It's amazing to watch her grow and change - she loves Bobby and loves sleeping on the bed with us, under the covers. She freaks out whenever anyone leaves, or when she has to leave - BUT, she loves coming back home, and loves whenever one of us comes back in the room. I think she's going to have a really great life - as one of our friends said, "Sally hit the jackpot!"

So, we have a new dog. She's still skittish but learning to trust.

And there's lots of stuff going on: Another Secret City this Sunday in NYC - then some time off. I'm going to work on my book over the holiday break. Planning new workshops for the new year. For now, we're gearing up for the solstice - one of my favorite moments of the year where the sun seems to dip low in the sky and almost stop; there's a sort of pause, a collective exhale and in that moment, in the dark, we all imagine what the new dawn will bring. More life, death, grief, projects, loss, art, creativity, community and friends - like Sally, who's sleeping next to me on the couch right now. What might she become? What might we all.

xo