There it is again: summer's inexorable pull, luring us to the beach, to the garden, to country tag sales down winding mountain roads with not a laptop or smartphone in site. Forgive us for taking Google chairman Eric Schmidt's advice happily to heart. "Turn off your computer," he said, speaking at the University of Pennsylvania's commencement in May. "You're actually going to have to turn off your phone and discover all that is human around us."
After last December's move to northwest Connecticut and the epic snowfall that ensued, Jaithan and I had begun to think good weather—and all of its many joys—would never arrive. But on Easter morning, the last snowfall of the season slipped quickly away and spring began to smile! Over the next several months, as the garden we inherited took shape, so too did a host of new friendships with neighbors who've welcomed us wholeheartedly into their town—and their lives. These real-life connections have enriched and inspired us in ways those that are virtual simply cannot. And while we also hold close to our hearts every reader, fan and friend out there, checking in with us these past few weeks, patiently waiting for an update, we also know you understand that all of us, from time to time and especially now, must pause, take a breath—and Live.
