1. Cosmo: He is finally on the mend. He ate food on his own steam last night for the first time in nearly a week. The vet suggested we give him some Pepcid because either pain or worry might have upset his stomach to the point where he lost his appetite. It worked and he started eating. He’s barking at mailmen again — always a sign there’s hope for a better tomorrow. He’s still pretty gloomy, but definitely doing better.

2. Me: Almost as good news: I finished the writing of the book yesterday. Lots of work left to do on rewrites of chapters, footnotes, bibliography etc, etc. But, it’s a nice feeling nonetheless. And, basically, I’m very proud of the effort. In the wake of a very bad year, even this modicum of done-ness feels fantastic.