This is DAY TWO of my month-long residency at the Vermont Studio Center. Yesterday I learned there had been 1,300 applicants. From a blind jury process, I am one of the 55 artists and writers selected for this exquisite opportunity. I get a studio, fully equipped, as well as a room and meals — mercifully prepared by someone other than me.

The Center is nestled among residences and commercial properties in this tiny town of Johnson, Vermont, population circa 3,500. My studio, Number 3, is in the Church Studios, and yes it was a former church, still boasting substantial stained glass windows.