Howdy 2026

Opportunities for Us to Gather In Real Life

Hi Y’all,

This fuzzy photo of Rosie is actually from a few years ago but every time I stumble across it, I just crack up at her little muddy grin, so I’m sharing it. I’m here to wish you all a calm and peaceful 2026, which seems like the Impossible Dream given the state of the world. And yet…still I send my good wishes to you.

I’m continuing to enjoy taking a break from scheduled writing. And I’m continuing to enjoy creating opportunities for meeting up in real life. I’m going to keep on in that direction in 2026. Down below you’ll find a schedule of meetups I have planned for January. All of these involve writing. Even if you don’t consider yourself a writer, that is A-Okay. We gather to put down our stories in words and share them. We do not gather to compete with one another and hope for Pulitzer Prizes. You’re never required to share your work. If you prefer to be a listener only, that is just fine.

I also have an online writing community over at my other substack: Write With Spike. That is free to join. I provide writing prompts, a place to share your writing, articles about writing and a schedule of upcoming in person events.

For my last entry over there, which I posted yesterday, I encouraged folks to make a positive inventory of things that went right in 2025, vs a list of resolutions for 2026. I’m a big fan of goals and lists and checking stuff off, but often I fail to stop and reflect on what I did accomplish. So I’m going to work on that a bit more.

What were some things that went right for you in 2025? Please, share your good news. We need it!

JOY & BEAUTY DEPARTMENT

LAWN MOWER REPORT

WRITE WITH SPIKE JANUARY 2026

Ranch Writing Day: Jan 10 10 am - 1 pm. Donation Based. REGISTER HERE.

Hampton Branch Library: January 6 & 20, 5:30-7:30 pm FREE. Just show up.

San Marcos Public Library: Every Monday 10 am to noon in lovely San Marcos. FREE. Just show up.

Hyde Park Theatre: Every Monday 1:30 - 3:30 pm. Space is limited. $20 per session. Please message me if you are interested and I’ll let you know if there’s space.

Final Wedding of 2025. It was so splendid!!