Goethe's Window

This week, I left behind much of the news cycle. I was in Door County, Wisconsin, working on a new musical I am writing which is being developed at Northern Sky Theater. I was on the computer every day, it was mostly to write new lyrics or dialogue.

What a wonderful week. I met people I hadn't known before, connected with people I knew and overall got disconnected from whatever chatter was going on in cyberspace. After a day, I stopped checking my emails and facebook and started seeing what was around me.

I was also fortunate to have a ride to Green Bay Airport from a man whose daughter in law works at Northern Sky. He lives in the county and built a wall (pictures here) on his land. He laid each stone and the archway - and showed it to me before we left.

He said building the wall was therapy in difficult times. I could only think that no matter what kind of times I was living through, I could never build anything half so beautiful. I also thought about growing up in a suburb of New York, and how I always wanted to live either right in the city or out in the country.

Door County would fit the bill. Perfectly.

I just had to share a little bit of that with you, because (a) I didn't have much time to prepare anything in particular for you this week and (b) there really is something about land, sky, trees and writing. I think Goethe said one must always write looking out a window, and never facing away from the world.

I'm not facing the window in my workroom and even if I did, it looks out on the wall of the house next door.

I've just got to fix that. Soon.
'