Day: October 6, 2014

My muse is the head of a statue that Jack sold me years ago

at Jack’s Outback, she sits on my desk, and looks

bemused over at me as I work,

sometimes I see her smile,

sometimes she has a wise and sad look,

she knows my good parts and bad parts.

She is often disappointed in me,

but never loses faith in me.

She is beautiful, spiritual, I can feel her

even when I can’t see her eyes in the dark.

She is important to me right now,

so many things are happening, I need a muse,

every day.

I look up

at her from time to time,

I have a book coming out tomorrow, I say,

you remember it,  you helped me write it,

“yes, I know,” she says, “I remember them all,

I want to help you smile at your every idea,

laugh at your every desire,

free the spirits and angels buried in your soul,

trapped in your healing heart,

find the feelings that touch the hearts

and souls of others.”

A book is a flower tossed into the

sky, caught in the wind,

with no one to catch it.

You have to see it that way,

and love it that way, she says.

When Dot is done with cardiac rehab, she goes to the door and waits for a ride home. Sometimes, Red goes and sits by her, waiting, too. Dot rarely speaks in rehab, but Red brings a smile to her face when she looks at him, and when he visits with her. Red has changed cardiac rehab, for Dot, for me, for many of the other patients. It is like pixie dust, in a way, he spreads smiles and lightness as we all know the stakes, as we all work hard to recover and heal our broken hearts.

I got another great review today for the “Saving Simon” book, out today, this one from Publisher’s Weekly.

The official publication date is tomorrow, and I will drive to Albany in the morning to be on WAMC Northeast Public Radio at all a.m. and then rush home in the afternoon to be on with Kathleen Dunn of Wisconsin Public Radio at 3 p.m. (E.D.T.) At 7 p.m., I will be at Battenkill Books at 7 p.m. in Cambridge to talk about “Saving Simon,” and George Forss will be there to sign copies of his new book “The Way We Were.” It is the official launch of the book. Maria and I will begin the day celebrating by having breakfast at the Round House Cafe.

I’m excited  about my emerging book tour. Looks like I will be going to Des Moines in the Spring, making several appearances there and in Iowa City. Talking to bookstores in Connecticut  and other cities in the Midwest as well. Most bookstores have their fall speaking line-up filled, especially near Christmas, it’s hard to break in suddenly. None have been contacted about the book. But there is a lot of buzzing about “Saving Simon” now, I will be shaking the trees about. The Orphans Book Tour went back to Battenkill Books today to sign more books, there were another 100 there for me to sign and personalize.

People who want to order the book can do so online or call the store at 518 677-2515. The publishing environment has changed dramatically in recent years, there are fewer reviews, many fewer newspapers and magazines, and fewer bookstores. The blog is probably the best place for me to make people aware of “Saving Simon,” but book tours are important too, meeting people still counts.

Today was overwhelming, I am tired and reeling a bit, there was so much going on, including a vigorous two hours in cardiac rehab. I did 30 minutes on the Treadmill and felt strong and good at the end. Getting there. I have to clear my head a bit and focus on tomorrow, the launch of my 27th book.

When artists get cold, they have their own ways of dealing with it.  This morning, I went out to put the hay out and Maria went to shovel the manure out of the barn. It was the coldest morning of autumn, and she put on her hoodie,  gray tights, her gypsy dress and her thrift-store found French boots. Farm fashion, Maria style. She did say she might wear gloves tomorrow.

Lenore was sad this morning.

Why was Lenore sad?

Because I was feeding the chickens some left over food from dinner, and I told her to sit and stay and let the chickens eat their food.

And because I was standing right in front of the chickens, Lenore had no choice but to do what I said, she couldn’t sneak around when I wasn’t looking and eat the garbage the chickens were eating, which is what she usually does when told to leave the chickens alone.

This morning, around 4 a.m., Lenore climbed over to my side of the bed, licked my chin, and then made a heaving noise or two and vomited on my chest. We went for a hike in the deep woods yesterday and Lenore ate many things she should not have eaten and that I told her not to eat.

So I was very clear that she could not have the day old food the chickens were eating.

The Love Dog would like to eat all of the food in the world, hers, mine, Maria’s, the other dog’s, the raccoons and coyotes, the chipmunks and the chickens. It is  her goal and passion in life. She can hardly believe it when it does not come to pass.

So Lenore was sad.