November 4, 2023

October, as usual, was a month of contradictions.

I love this month, with its quiet, crisp air, apples, and a return to hunkering down around a fire in the woodstove. But October is also traditionally a month of drama: economic crashes as accountants take a closer look at their books after taking the summer off; political surprises as politicos jockey for advantage before November elections.

For me, traveling the country this October seemed like coming home as I met so many people who felt like family and as you kept the new book on the top of bestseller lists. I did not see that coming, and I thank you all, profoundly.

But the month was also one of tragedy, both at home and around the world.

I could not work on the day after the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, and finally quit trying and drove uptown. On my way back home, I passed by a pond and caught this scene out of the corner of my eye. I swung back around to capture it.

It strikes me that this was October 2023: calm and chaos.

Taking the night off. Will see you tomorrow.