When scotch and some thoughts of the upcoming year blur, watching old movies on a blustery winter night becomes a favorite dark-time event. Lots happening. The planning for the Little Traverse Literary Guild’s 1st Annual Donor Reception is underway. The writing awards have come to fruition! The legal and editorial review of The Penny were successfully bridged, so we’re into the line edits. Book signings are emerging, and a travel plan is blossoming. The days in the studio over the last few weeks have been warm and toasty. The bay is only now showing a crust of ice, so from my window, the wind and waves created a wild scene with the record high water levels. As this life progresses, I’m preparing to be prepared for my own high water levels along with the mental hurricane that will accentuate the former. Travel, the business of selling books, donations and coordination, and all wrapped around wanting to be involved in the lives of children and grandchildren will essentially have me awaken sometime in November wondering what the hell happened. Not that I cede the best of the days to the worst of the thoughts, but I will tread mindfully. That statement translates into a new kayak plan: Grand Marais, Michigan, through the Soo Locks, and down the Eastern U.P. into Lake Michigan and home to Petoskey. The trip sounds like the perfect therapy for the ebbs and flows of the business of writing. In the meantime, days in the Symons Wine Cellar and time in the studio will keep a routine of familiar – for comfort, of course.