2 May

Leaving Home: To Iowa

by Jon Katz
To Iowa
To Iowa

We are leaving this morning for Iowa, leaving home is exciting for me, for us. Maria is coming also. We love to see new things. it has become a habit when we travel anywhere to stop at the Round House Cafe for coffee and good luck. The  Albany airport is an easy and friendly place. We’ll be in Des Moines by late afternoon.

I am excited to get a look at Iowa, I’ve always loved my treks to the Midwest, I find the people there easy and open and warm. It is good for me as a writer to get out and talk about my books – there are fewer chances to do that these days, life is change, it never stops.

The farm is in good and loving hands, out pet and farm sitter Deb Foster is just as good as we are, I don’t think the animals really care when we are gone. Red has so many girlfriends now, he will just go from one lap to another, he loves cuddling with his many admirers as much as he loves chasing the sheep around.

Maria and I are adventurers. I have not yet been able to fulfill my dream of taking her to Florence, but we do have fun exploring different cities, rushing to New York, visiting friends. The small trips can be just as exciting as the big ones, although I will figure out one day how to get us to Florence.

We got up early to feed the animals and say goodbye to the donkeys, I never say goodbye to dogs, I just walk out the door, this perhaps is why I have never had a dog with separation anxiety. By and large, I don’t believe it, we often project our nasty human stuff onto them.

Still, taking trips is important. It’s good to get away, meet new people, see new things. It is both refreshing and creative, I love going away, I love coming home. The animals here are nothing but lucky, I’ll skip the drama of leaving them.  I have a full schedule there – libraries, bookstores, interviews. I will get to meet Julie Vogen from Iowa, she and I have been corresponding since the beginning of my new life and hers, we have both been through some wild things. I have admired her for a long time. It will be good to see her in the flesh, one of the joys of traveling. Maria is a rock star these days, as many people want to meet her as me, probably more if I am being honest. That lifts my heart to see, she is quite special, I am so lucky that she will be traveling to Iowa with me.

So, to Iowa. Back Wednesday, no blogging from there. People think I live and breathe for blogging, and I do love it, but I also love taking a few days off from it. I want to give Iowa my full attention and I hopefully will have some stories and photos to share when I get back on Wednesday. Stay tuned. My laptop is staying home, my camera wants to come. I am grateful for all of  you.

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