It began when I was looking for a new blogging home, having discovered that all the words I had left on other platforms were essentially stuck there in perpetuity. I was especially sad about 23 Sherwood Drive, my long-ago journal on Blogger. It was a silly little personal thing, my diary from 1964-65, transcribed every day, usually with a comment or explanation from my 2006 self. It was read mostly by my daughter and her soon-to-be husband. On November 24, 2022, I decided that 2022 Jo also had something to say, and so 23 Sherwood Drive was resurrected on Substack. First, it was just the three Jos (1964-65 Jo, 2006 Jo and present day Jo) but after few months other Jos joined in. (I had over 30 notebooks and online diaries, spanning almost six decades.) Eventually it was re-christened “Spiral Notebook”, because I am a long way from the teenager who lived on Sherwood Drive.

Now, I am done transcribing. I’ve destroyed the hard copies, and am looking forward to the NEW Spiral Notebook, which began in January 2025. (Don’t worry, the complete 366 days of Spiral Notebook are in the archive, and I also have my own digital copy.) But this newsletter will begin to reflect my current life and activities: more drawing, more poetry, and lots of true stories.

I will be posting links to the diary archives week by week; check the “Weekly Notebook” in the menu. If you want to see a specific date, use the search icon. I might even add updates and comments now and then. No promises.

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