9 January

The Two Faces Of Red

by Jon Katz

The Two Faces Of Red

We stopped by Cardiac Rehab today, I wanted to say hello to the people there but also felt drawn to the place today, I decided to work out on the equipment I used when I got out of the hospital. I feel oddly safe and comfortable there, a place I did not want to to go and did not want to leave. How curious is the human mind.

Everyone was ecstatic to see Red, much more than me I think and he was lovingly and warmly greeted, petted, cuddled, talk to. Several people told me Red was the gentlest dog that they have ever seen, and that is a lovely compliment. They might not sat that if they saw him out with the sheep, his focus and intensity and strength are breathtaking. It is unusual to see two such different sides in a dog, Red’s breeding is fascinating and surprising.

In the animal world, there is much squawking about breeders being greedy and cold, but good breeders preserve some of the very best traits in dogs – I think of Lenore and Red in particular. In his work, Red brings intelligence, strength and focus, I am always amazed at how little attention he pays to weather, he never takes his eyes off of his work.

9 January

My Swan, My Corner, Cont.

by Jon Katz
My Swan, My Corner
My Swan, My Corner

Writers are almost universally superstitious in one way or the other, we are always looking for muses and inspiration, magical talismans and tokens that will make our writing sing. I have a bunch in my office corner – the cherub, the madonna, the head from Provincetown, now the Swan fromĀ  Jack’s Outback, and an old garden flower holder. These pieces are all old, somewhat magical and inspiring to me. I don’t know why I love the Swan, it may be because it evokes a time when artists and craftsman brightened the corners of our lives and could make a living out of it.

I hope such times return. I’m grateful to Maria for getting the Swan, we reversed roles and I scolded her for spending money on an old concrete Swan. But I love it, it is speaking to me, working on my next bestseller. Quite a corner shaping up around there, she says that I am a closet Italian.

9 January

My Swan

by Jon Katz
My Swan
My Swan

I saw this swan on the porch of Jack’s Outback Antiques store on Main Street in Cambridge, I stopped to take a photo and Jack came out and I asked him how much it would cost. He said it would be about $250, it was an old piece he got somewhere in Vermont. Jack and I have been dealing with one another for years, and I love to haggle with him, but this price was a little steep for me right now and I told him so.

As is his custom, he called back and said he could come down a bit for me, he just wanted to get back what he spent (this is a standard Jack line, he would thrive in a Persian Bazaar), but there’s a lot going on in my life right now and I told him it just wasn’t a good time. I can live without a swan, although I love these old stone pieces Jack digs out of the countryside. I told Maria this story and then put it out of my mind, with Lenore’s death there was plenty on my mind.

This morning, when I came home from the dentist, Maria said she had to move some of the stone pieces in my study around, would I take a look? I did, and was shocked to find the Swan there. She went out and bought it for me. I was just thinking about how maturity is sometimes about not getting things you love but don’t really need.

Love is about giving the people you love things that they love but sometimes do not need. So my wonderful wife haggled a bit with Jack, she does not love haggling as Jack and I do, and I have my swam sitting on the floor of my study.

9 January

Old Barns, Comfort Farm

by Jon Katz
Comfort Farm
Comfort Farm

Lenore lives on, of course. The story about her death crashed my website Thursday night, the hard-working people at Mannix Marketing are working hard to keep the traffic flowing. I am going to get my gold tooth at the dentist today, this weekend we are visiting Ken Norman, our farrier, recovering from double-knee surgery. Two great sources of energy at the the farm – Simon and Lenore – are gone, that is a lot of change. Things are on the way, I can feel them, I don’t know what they are, but Bedlam Farm is a life magnet, I do know that.

Thanks for the messages, I am a bit overwhelmed by them. I guess I didn’t know so many of you were out there, and thanks for that.

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