old work that could not be fixed or finished out into the back yard, and with a small amount of ceremony, burned it. i started a fire in the new fire pit (bought for the purpose, but clearly a very promising addition to the back yard) and waited for the first star to show, and then, piece by piece, said something nice about each thing, or what i’d learned, and set it on the fire. i had also acquired some packets of salts that color the flames, and i sprinkled those on the fire at the end, and invited the ghosts of old pieces to visit me now, when i 