All my life I have been in good health. And I have taken it for granted. I feel now as though I have hit the wall, both literally and figuratively. I pulled a muscle in my back and seem to have residual dental issues – frequent headaches. And the other tooth that is waiting to make its exit is starting to make this known.

I have never enjoyed being around those who talk obsessively about their ill health. In fact, I have never enjoyed being around those who talk about their health, period.

I do not wish to imitate these individuals because I don’t want to be like any of them. But I do now understand how easy it would be to become like them. Pain and suffering lend themselves to obsessive back chatter. I can’t say right now why I think this is – I have to give the matter more thought.

Instead of yammering on and on about what’s ailing me, I am instead focusing near obsessively on externals, mainly the book project and the horses.

The book project – I did go over to the Palmer Food Bank today and asked an old acquaintance what the group’s plan for the building might be. I could tell that Jeannie and the other workers are, like me, tired of working in a very tight space. I tried to make this clear – I think that I did.

As it turns out, the building and the property are owned by St. Michaels Church. And perhaps, St. Michaels might allow us to use or purchase the building when the food bank gets its own place. I will know tomorrow after I talk with the parish priest. Fingers are crossed. Hope remains that thing with feathers. Dog is my co-pilot. Two steps forward and one step back.

I have learned that having a connection of one sort or another gets the best results. In this instance, the connection to the church is our friend Bill who is a parishioner there.

Quite obviously, I have my hopes up on the top shelf.

Bill, in an email suggested that we focus exclusively on filling the existent bookcases. I realized in reading his email message that we have passed the point of no return. In order to fill the bookcases and have books for events and have bookcases in the schools, we need to have space to store books, for in the meantime.

We still have our U-Haul storage unit, and it appears as though we will continue to have it for some time. Today, Pete and I went to Kid’s Kupboard, where Milena and I had dropped off the books we got in Anchorage, and we took them to the storage locker. There was more than enough room for them; I had taken at least a pallet of children’s books from the stash.

See? There you go. I showed by example how I deal with pain. The best I can, I ignore it. Life is too short to do otherwise.

Next: 107. 4/19/22: A Conversation with Ryder