I’ve often said you don’t really know the subject of your writing until people read it and tell you. I am learning much about the spirit of Rose and the impact she had on so many people around the world, especially women. As a man, some of this has been challenging to piece together, but the outpouring for Rose after her death has helped me to see it more clearly. I always said that Rosie always got it done. Yesterday, you got it done.

Last night, Battenkill Books sold its 1,000th copy of “Going Home,” to a single mother who lives in Brooklyn. That was just as well,  as orders came in from Singapore, South Africa, Berlin and most, if not all, of the 50 states. Since the 1,000 person was invited to visit Bedlam Farm, we were not sure how we would have gotten them here. I was very proud and excited to be part of this  successful beyond-our-wildest-dreams project, and Rose’s spirit took us over the top, her death sparking at least 400 book orders, with,  it seems, many more on the way.

To me the Battenkill Project was a story of amazing women. Connie Brooks and her mother Marilyn could easily have been overwhelmed by the calls and e-mails and visits to their small bookstore in Cambridge, N.Y. They were not. When the Battenkill Project began, the store was barely equipped to handle it. No PayPal, one phone line, often only one person in the store.  Marilyn designed her own forms, got her website organized, and by Friday, had five people in the bookstore taking orders, arranging signatures, talking to people on the phone, taking credit card numbers, arranging for the almost endless stream of shipping. I went to the store almost every day for the last two weeks, each day thinking things would slow down, but they only speeded up. And at the end, Rose’s ferociously determined spirit hovered over the bookstore and the people in it. Certainly over the people calling.

The women of Battenkill were patient, tireless and efficient. Everyone loved dealing with them. They got it done. When I suggested going for 1,000 books, everyone smiled, But I always knew we would do it, and after a few days, so did they. This, I think, is what so many people loved about Rose. She was brave and she was also always a bit vulnerable. And she always got it done. Can’t thank you all enough. I took many of the calls to the bookstore myself and I was very humbled by the good things people told me, and especially, about how much Rose meant to them. Battenkill will continue selling my books, and I will continue to sign them, but this experience has been one of the most meaningful of my writing life.  All over the publishing industry, people have seen what a bookstore means to people all over America, even in faraway places. It is clear now that bookstores can survive, and it is clear that those with energy and vision will survive. People want to connect with people. And the power of the virtual community, often talked about but rarely realized, was seen very clearly.

Wow. And I see that I was correct about one things, dogs may die, but they don’t have to leave.