Ursa was parked at the Barking Lot over the weekend. She got a bath before we picked her up, and this is what we found.

A bandanna. Greg was beside himself, such a sport-utility dog (SUD) thing to have happen to our good-girl. But I think it’s cute. The pattern is skull and crossbones and hearts. It takes so little to please me.

Today Major U is closed due to snow. History-making snow out there. I’m not exactly sure what to do with myself. A day home is great, but I’m also supposed to be heading to AWP in Washington DC tomorrow. I’m thinking that might not happen. O’Hare Airport is closed and about 3,000 flights behind at the moment. I don’t plan on spending two days at an airport three miles away from my house to catch what is probably going to turn out to be a half-conference because of all the other people who won’t be making their flights.

So I should pack, right? In case?

And read? Because a day at home is a day at home.

My copy of Swamplandia! by Karen Russell arrived yesterday. The beauty of pre-order. So happy for her. I met Karen after she was named a Best New American Novelist by GRANTA with my friend Christopher Coake. She’s awesome, unassuming, and young enough she almost could have made the cut-off for the next GRANTA list. This book was my going-to-AWP book. I’m going to save it for the flight.

In the hopes that there is a flight.