I had a wonderful one-day trip to the Emerald City yesterday, New York was awash in sunshine, teeming Easter and Spring Break crowds, traffic jams. My train was late, I was dashing around all day. I had some surprisingly wonderful meetings about my next book – I was shocked at how creative, connecting and affirming they were. I will definitely be writing more books, I feel my writing life is being reborn. There is wonderful enthusiasm for my “Talking To Animals” project, I told the editors I met with that every once in awhile, there is a landmark book that helps us understand the true nature of animals and challenges us to think about the animals in the world and our relationship with them.

I think of Henry Beston’s “The Outermost House,” Elizabeth Marshall’s “The Hidden Life of Dogs,” and Temple Grandin’s “In Translation.” I told the editors I want “Talking Animals” to be the next one, the wiser and more mystical understanding of animals that Beston called for, the book that as yet, remains unwritten. I am happy to see the great enthusiasm for it, I am on fire to get to work on it. I confess to being discouraged in the past year or about my ability to remain a viable writer in the modern world, I have no doubts now that I will be. Publishing has changed, but at it’s sore, much of it’s spirit and energy remains.

“This could be a good book, a wonderful book,” one editor told me. Everyone is talking about the carriage horses, is fascinated by them, wants to hear about them. I think I will include some of that writing in my book.

I had dinner with my daughter Emma, I think it was the first time we were alone in a long time, she has an exciting new job she is going to, I am proud of her. I spent an hour or so wandering in Central Park grabbing some photos of the horses, I am going back to New York next week for some more meetings. I am grateful for the creative life, once again, I journeyed to the Emerald City to find myself and give rebirth to my work, I think it is beginning to happen. Thanks for coming along.

Back home, Red and I went to work in the pasture this morning, Ma was balky, tried to stare Red down. Didn’t work.