Regular readers of this blog will notice that I haven’t been posting much lately. I’ve noticed this too.

There are reasons for this. Reasons, I say! Not excuses!

Hah.

But seriously — in February I started Write Through It, a blog “on writing, editing, and how to keep going.”

The title character of Wolfie is based on my canine roommate, Travvy.

In late March or early April, can’t remember which, my own writing shifted gears. I put The Squatters’ Speakeasy, which I thought was going to be novel #2, on a way-back burner and pulled to the fore Wolfie, a novel about a dog, a kid, and Shannon, one of the principals of novel #1, The Mud of the Place.

Write Through It already has more than a thousand followers (subscribers). This is more than five times more what From the Seasonally Occupied Territories has.

A few days ago, Wolfie, which has taken on the mantle of novel #2, passed the 50,000-word mark. I’m not a word-counter (Microsoft Word does it for me), but even I’m impressed.

On top of that, work of a paid, editorial kind has been plentiful. In late spring it was so scarce I seriously considered applying for a part-time job at the local post office.

All this might explain why From the Seasonally Occupied Territories hasn’t been getting all that much of my time or attention, but it doesn’t really. I’ve got enough things to say that I’ve actually been thinking of starting another blog.

Why not post them here? you ask.

You’re way ahead of me. When I asked myself that question, the answer was “Because this blog is about Martha’s Vineyard and the things I want to write about mostly aren’t.”

One thing I’ve been itching to write is an open letter to Senator Elizabeth Warren, asking her not to listen to the idiots well-meaning liberals who keep telling her to run for president. That‘s not about the Vineyard —

Or is it? Senator Warren represents us in the U.S. Senate. Many of us supported her campaign and voted for her live here. And some of the idiots well-meaning liberals who want her to run for president live here or come here in the summer.

It finally dawned on me that I’ve been muzzling my own self. This blog is From the Seasonally Occupied Territories, not About the Seasonally Occupied Territories. I’ve lived here going on 30 years. The place informs just about everything I write, whether I’m writing about the Vineyard or not.

When I write about the Vineyard, I’m writing about the world. When I write about the world, I’m writing about the Vineyard. I’ve known this for years. Putting the two together is not only what I do best, it’s something that not all that many people can or want to do.

So I’m ripping the tape off my mouth and giving myself a kick in the butt. Look for more frequent posts from the Seasonally Occupied Territories. We’ll see how it goes.